Disruption-Ready Analytics: Lessons from the Tariff Surge

"This is the first episode in a special series on pricing, disruption, and analytics readiness for distributors. In this kickoff conversation, Nick Pericle and Tony Pericle unpack why so many distributors were caught flat-footed during the last tariff wave—and why it’s not the tariffs themselves that cause margin erosion, but the slow, disjointed responses caused by outdated systems and siloed data. Tony introduces his five levels of analytics maturity and explains why most companies remain stuck in reactive reporting, unable to move into the predictive, prescriptive decisions that disruption demands. You’ll hear a real-world case study where Tony’s team helped a $ 1B+ distributor analyze over 40,000 customer contracts to protect margin and act decisively during the 2020–2022 inflation surge. This episode sets the stage for the rest of the series, exploring how distribution leaders can build disruption-ready analytics strategies before the next wave hits."