The Digital Wake-Up Call

Excerpt from “B2B Digital for CEOs”

Let’s start with a simple truth:

eCommerce is not the point.

Yeah – I know the title of this book has the word “eCommerce” in it.  But seriously, eCommerce is not the point.

Helping your customers do their job easier. That’s the point.

In fact – it is the driving statement of this book. 

And right now, the companies who make that job easier, they win.

But here’s the challenge:

• Too many executives still think of eCommerce as a side project. A digital catalog. A bolt-on channel.
• They assign it to the “digital team” or spin up a task force, and assume their job is done.
• That mindset is exactly why so many digital initiatives stall.

Because transformation is NOT a website. It’s a shift in how your company creates value, engages customers, and operates at scale.

And that shift starts at the executive level.

This Book Is for You. Not Your Digital Team

If you’re a CEO, COO, CIO, CFO, President, or other executive leader at a manufacturer or distributor, this book was written for you.

Not because you need to become a technologist.
But because your company needs you to lead.

You don’t have to know how to configure a platform or write a product taxonomy.

But you do need to know:

• Why your ERP isn’t your eCommerce platform
• How digital can lower your cost to serve and speed up quote-to-cash
• Where to invest—and where most companies underinvest
• What metrics actually matter
• How to remove friction for your customers and your team
• And most importantly: how to create alignment and momentum across your organization

This book will walk you through those ideas, clearly, simply, and in plain executive language.

No jargon. No marketing fluff. Just what you need to make smart decisions and lead well.

What You’ll Learn

Each chapter is built from real conversations with B2B leaders like you. From companies navigating the messy middle of digital change, you will learn:

• Why deeply understanding your customer journey is the foundation of digital success
• Why simplification across processes and functions is key to making it easier to buy from you
• Why transformation must be owned by the business, not outsourced to IT
• How sales roles are evolving in a digital-first world
• How to connect eCommerce to financial and operational outcomes
• Why bad data and organizational silos quietly derail digital success
• How to build AND LEAD a successful digital team.
•  What your executive role actually looks like in driving this forward

You’ll also get a practical readiness framework, case examples, and the executive playbook for leading real transformation, not just launching digital window dressing.

Why Now

Because the market isn’t waiting.

Your customers aren’t comparing you to your competitors anymore.
They’re comparing you to every digital experience they have, at home, at work, and on their phone.

They want answers at midnight.
They want to know what’s in stock, what it costs, and when it ships. All without picking up the phone.
They want tools that help them do their job faster, easier, and with fewer surprises.

If you can’t deliver that, someone else will.

But here’s the good news:
You don’t have to get everything perfect.
You just have to get moving with the right mindset, the right investment, and the right leadership.

Let’s get to work.