| August 29, 2008 | News for the wholesale distribution industry |
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- Avnet CEO: Patience needed in global culture
 Roy Vallee, who has headed up electronics supply chain Avnet for the past 10 years, talks to Electronic Business about the past, present and future of the electronics distribution industry. Vallee said he has seen the industry go global, is concerned about the impact of the current economic downturn and sees fewer mergers and acquisitions as being on tap for the U.S. EDN/Electronic Business
(8/26)
    
- Ingram Micro hosts SMB conference in Chicago
More than 360 vendors, consultants, experts, manufacturers and solution providers were on tap at Ingram Micro's SMB Alliance recently in Chicago. The SMB Alliance wants to duplicate successes within the industry and help members accelerate growth through partnerships, said Jim Manley, vice president of VAR sales and co-host of the conference. eChannelLine USA Daily News
(8/25)
| Best Practices | | |
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- Hard times may be the right time to boost marketing
Although companies may be inclined to scale back their marketing budgets during tough economic times, a pair of consultants advises marketers to make prudent, not wholesale, cuts -- "or possibly even increase investment in certain areas in order to emerge stronger when the recovery occurs." MarketingProfs (free registration)
(8/26)
- Ask the right questions before getting into storage virtualization
Storage virtualization can be beneficial to IT executives but storage administrators should take steps to avoid some common pitfalls, including making sure that virtualization is necessary in the first place. "There's a complexity/benefit tradeoff," says a director of storage marketing for HP. "If [a company's] current environment is difficult to manage and complex, adding a virtualization layer can simplify that complexity. If it's a small, efficiently managed environment without data-protection challenges, then virtualization just for virtualization's sake is probably not a good idea." CIO.com/Networkworld
(8/25)
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- Is it appropriate to ask sales professionals to return their commissions?
A company policy of taking back commissions to penalize salespeople for not meeting their goals is harsh, impractical and possibly illegal -- not to mention a major morale buster -- according to sales expert Dave Kahle. Other sorts of more reasonable penalties are available, but Kahle suggests combining these measures with incentive strategies and working with underperforming individuals to increase their chances at success. DaveKahle.com
(8/26)
| Small Business Manager | | |
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| Executive Life | | |
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- Resorts offer more perks, discounts to attract travelers
Some resort hotels are cutting rates and adding perks to attract more guests and to offset the effect of higher airfares on travelers. Hotels in Palm Springs, Calif., are offering resort credits of $100, for example. Business hotels are also affected, and some large companies are renegotiating rates to get discounts. The Wall Street Journal
(8/28)
- What $500,000 will buy you in U.S. real estate
Some properties in the U.S. that run for around $500,000 range from a 2,104-square-foot three-bedroom converted storehouse located in New Orleans, two blocks from the Mississippi River, to an 1,800-square-foot home on Hobbs Pond in Maine, where fishing and boating are common pastimes. The New York Times
(8/19)
| NAW Insider | | |
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Automation creates need for e-commerce insurance
Where would you be if a virus caused your computer network to crash, or if an artificially generated electrical current damaged your material handling equipment? Would the expense be out of pocket if one of your salespeople had a laptop stolen? The Hartford offers low-cost solutions for some exposures that could be high-tech nightmares. Learn more here.
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Don't make wrong decisions about profitability
Al Bates, founder and president of Profit Planning Group, has spent 30 years analyzing distributor financial statements. His findings in Profit Myths in Wholesale Distribution boil down to this conclusion: Much, and possibly even most, of what managers in distribution companies know about improving profitability is wrong. Good economic times mask this fact, while challenging times make this fact absolutely dangerous!
| Weekly Poll | | |
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What do you expect your business' operating costs to do in the next few months?
After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.
 | Continue to increase. |
| Increase for the first time. |
| Stay the same. |
| Decrease for the first time. |
| Continue to decrease. |
| Editor's Note | | |
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Publication notice
In observance of Labor Day in the U.S., NAW SmartBrief -- originally scheduled to be published on Monday -- will be published on Tuesday.
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | The man who does not make any mistakes does not usually make anything."
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| | Recent NAW SmartBrief Issues:
- Thursday, August 28, 2008
- Wednesday, August 27, 2008
- Monday, August 25, 2008
- Friday, August 22, 2008
- Thursday, August 21, 2008
| | | Lead Editor: Ashley McMaster
Contributing Editor: Nancy Melville | Robert Jones
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