Ensure Your Contracts Are Profitable in the New Year

From the NAW Blog

It’s no secret that contracts are a great way to secure valuable business for distributors. For many companies, they account for a significant portion of annual revenue and are critical in bringing in key customers. Unfortunately, if they are not managed carefully, contracts can become an area of business where profit leaks or slips through the cracks.

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3 Analytics Myths Holding Distributors Back

From the NAW Blog

If you’re considering analytics as a means to drive profitable growth in 2021, you’re on the right track. The distribution industry is facing an uncertain market, digital acceleration and a changed landscape. Analytics can help distributors make data-driven decisions to stay on course and be successful.

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4 Foundations of a Successful Sales Transformation

From the NAW Blog

When was the last time you saw an ad for FedEx? Yet their brand remains synonymous with fast shipping. As Peter Drucker says, “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself.”

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Beacon Fasteners & Components Announces Redesigned Website Launch

Beacon Fasteners and Components is thrilled to announce the launch of its new website! The redesigned website features a customer account dashboard, easy to navigate product catalog and shopping cart to request a quote. The updated content pages provide valuable information on product, inventory solutions and company culture.

“After months of hard work from the Beacon team and our partners at INxSQL, we are excited to debut our new site and showcase all its new features,” commented Kameron Dorsey, national sales manager. “Our goal was to create a more user-friendly design across all devices so our customers could quickly access product and order information.”

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Is Storytelling the Missing Link for Leveraging Distributor Data?

From NAW

Virtually every distributor I encounter understands that mastering data, analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) is essential if distributors are to survive and thrive in the digital age. However, very few leaders have a comprehensive game plan for turning their company into a data-driven business.

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How have your customers' behaviors changed since COVID-19?

From NAW

The COVID Effect on Purchasing

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The 3 Things an Effective Board of Directors Should Never Do

From NAW

In my last post for the NAW Blog Distributing Ideas, I talked about the importance of having an effective board structure as a foundational element of a sustainable competitive advantage, whether your business is public or private. It’s a rare thing, however, and a great one in a distribution company is an exception.

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What is your strategy in this era of technology disruption and transformation?

From NAW

Leading technology companies are offering customers new ways of ordering — by voice or product image. In addition, leading distributors and retailers are using AI-enabled business intelligence to understand their customer needs better, and they are applying autonomous vehicles, including drones, for deliveries. How important is all of this technology capability to your customers?

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What is your strategy in this era of technology disruption and transformation?

There are a lot of reasons for distributors to adopt AI. As I explain in previous posts, the technology can help inside and outside sales reps sell more, transform customer service branches into revenue drivers and boost e-commerce performance by double-digit percentage points. At this point, the real question for distributors is not if they should adopt AI, but when. In this post, I’ll answer that question.  READ MORE

3 Reasons to Invest in AI Now

There are a lot of reasons for distributors to adopt AI. As I explain in previous posts, the technology can help inside and outside sales reps sell more, transform customer service branches into revenue drivers and boost e-commerce performance by double-digit percentage points. At this point, the real question for distributors is not if they should adopt AI, but when. In this post, I’ll answer that question.  READ MORE

NAW Supports the INFORM Consumers Act

NAW Press Release:

Washington, DC (September 1, 2020) … Today the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) announces its support of the INFORM Consumers Act, legislation introduced by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) which will require common-sense disclosures from third-party marketplace sellers who use online platforms like Amazon to sell products to American consumers. A companion bill has also been introduced in the House by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).

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AIS Receives Reward for Outstanding Quality

AIS-All Integrated Solutions, an MSC Company, proudly announces its recent award for Outstanding Quality. It was awarded at the Motus Annual 2020 Suppliers Conference.

The award recognizes AIS for shipping over 10,000,000 pieces with zero defects. AIS was the only supplier to receive this award in 2020. Everyone from AIS’ quality, warehouse, sales, and account executive teams worked together to provide exceptional service to Motus---they deserve all the credit for the award.

“We are extremely proud of our entire team this year. They have truly come together to make sure our customers receive the highest quality services and products. Earning this award is confirmation that AIS’ focus on quality, company culture, and employee training is paying off for our customers,” stated Nick Ruetz, president of AIS-All Integrated Solutions. 

AIS- All Integrated Solutions an MSC Company
Since 1962, All Integrated Solutions has used its extensive manufacturing knowledge to design comprehensive, custom solutions to improve productivity and profitability for all its customers. Today, the AIS team continues to offer exceptional custom engineering support and valuable product insight using a global portfolio of high-quality suppliers.

Motus Integrated Technologies
Founded in 1973 as Prince Corporation, Motus Integrated Technologies is a tier-one supplier of automotive interior products to the global auto industry. The company’s more than 2,000 employees produces high-performance headliners, interior door and console armrests and instrument panel trim components from manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe. Motus Integrated Technologies currently has nine locations in the U.S., Germany, China, Mexico and Japan.

Are Your Managers Managing Your Culture?

A new article by Mark Dancer, NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellow, is live in the NAW Blog: Distributing Ideas

Here is a preview.

I’ve learned from many distributor leaders that a company’s culture is determined not only by its values, but by the particular employee behaviors that are most aligned with achieving its ideals. A positive, well-managed culture will drive productivity, reinforce customer experiences and enable innovations. A negative culture, however, can kill strategic initiatives and demolish returns on investment. How your employees behave determines whether your business culture is a creative or destructive force for innovation.





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CDP: The Three Letters You Need to Know

A new article by Benj Cohen, Entrepreneur of Artificial Intelligence Technology and Third-generation Distributor, is live in the NAW Blog: Distributing Ideas

Here is a preview.

As distributors look for new ways to connect with customers and boost profitability, they must consider all sorts of three-letter tools: ERPs (enterprise resource planning), CRMs (customer relationship management), MDMs (master data management), MRMs (marketing resource management), and so on. Unfortunately, many of these “solutions” end up causing more problems than they solve.

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What is Innovate to Dominate

From NAW:

What is Innovate to Dominate? 

In these uncertain times when you are looking to strengthen your business in the second half of 2020 and beyond, we hope you’ll use these timely educational resources as your roadmap to create B2B innovation. NAW and PROS are partnering to provide these essential tools to help you on your digital transformation journey so you can get ahead of the increasingly disruptive and transformational forces around your business. Our goal with these resources is for you to not only see into the future of distribution, but to step into it with world-class, scalable solutions.

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3 Steps to Managing Market Shifts with Inventory Analytics

From NAW Blog:

A new article by Senthil Gunasekaran, Co-author of Seven Enduring NAW Institute Best Sellers, is live in the NAW Blog: Distributing Ideas

Here is a preview.

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St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Fundraiser

Würth Industry North America and Elgin Fastener Group have partnered with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and are hosting a charity auction to raise funds for a fantastic cause. Purchase a $98 raffle ticket, and you will be entered to win a 98-year-old custom, classic car! 100% of our proceeds will go directly to St. Jude, and there is no limit on the number of tickets you can purchase! The winner will be announced LIVE on September 16th on Würth Industry North America's LinkedIn Page and Elgin Fastener Group's Facebook pages!

Click here for details.

How to Build a Foundation for Sustainable Competitive Advantage

From NAW blog:

A new article by J. Michael Marks, NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellow, is live in the NAW Blog: Distributing Ideas:


Here is a preview.

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The New Financial Normal May Well Be the Old Normal

The New Financial Normal May Well Be the Old Normal

NFDA Profit Improvement Report
Volume 29, No. 3

By Dr. Albert D. Bates

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Distributors' Views on Technology Disruption and How to Respond

From NAW:

As part of NAW’s exciting new digital series of seven research reports and seven webinars titled, How Technology Will Transform Wholesale Distribution,” we urge you to register for our second webinar, “Distributors’ Views on Technology Disruption and How to Respond,” on Tuesday, August 18, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, with speaker and author Ian Heller of Distribution Strategy Group.

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