News and Trends

• Report: Trucker turnover costs millions
  Depending on their size, high trucker turnover rates and the idle vehicles they leave behind can cost companies more than $1 million each year, according to a report. "We are often asked to demonstrate the true costs of driver turnover, and many people are astounded when they learn how much of an effect it can have on a company's bottom line," one company president said. DC Velocity (1/2007)

• Grainger's numbers show good year in 2006
  Maintenance, repair and service equipment wholesaler-distributor W.W. Grainger Inc. showed record revenue and earnings in 2006, and the CEO said he is happy with the company's market growth in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and China. Industrial Distribution (1/26)

• Applied Industrial Tech announces COO departure, replacement
  Applied Industrial Technologies's President and COO Bill Purser will retire Dec. 31, 2007, the company said. The wholesaler-distributor also announced Ben Mondics, a Midwest-area executive, will take over as COO effective Feb. 1 and as president after Dec. 31. Modern Distribution Management (1/24)

• Per-Se Technologies shareholders approve McKesson merger
  Shareholders for Atlanta-based Per-Se Technologies have voted to approve a $1.8 billion merger with drug wholesaler and health care software company McKesson Corp. Per-Se provides financial software for the health-care industry. American City Business Journals/Atlanta (1/24)

• Other News

• Tech Data set to launch new division
  eChannelLine Canada (1/23)

Best Practices

• Speak up, offer suggestions to spur change
  Offering your opinions and suggestions at work will not only improve your workplace but will make you feel better about yourself, your job and your ability to cause change. "Sometimes the best idea can come from the newest, least experienced person on your staff," adds one executive. American City Business Journals (1/23)

• Don't let one employee dominate your time or other's
  The best way to handle an employee who frequently sits down in your office for heart-to-heart conversations, is to listen and offer some simple, sound advice, because you are, after all, his manager. You may be able to avoid these persistent chats, and save other employees from listening to the small talk, by periodically reaffirming his or her work and contributions. The Washington Post (1/14)

Sales

• Best way to make a sale is face-to-face time
  A recent study revealed that salespeople who spend more time with their best customers and less time doing administrative tasks reported better results and performances. "There are specific actions companies can take to make their sales force higher performing," says one HR consulting firm director. "They need them to shift their time away from low-value administrative tasks and other non-selling work toward higher-value selling and scouting tasks. Manage Smarter (1/25)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by NAW SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Home Depot to meet with vocal investor (Industrial Distribution)

• W-Ds expected to produce more private-label goods (Modern Distribution Management)

• How to benefit from 2008 capital-gains tax change (The Wall Street Journal)

• Wolseley reports lower profit amid U.S. housing slump (Bloomberg)

• Tips for a nutritious breakfast (The Sun Herald (Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss.))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Small Business Manager

• Some baby boomers start businesses after leaving corporate positions
  Many baby boomers are leaving corporate jobs to start their own businesses because they are worried about layoffs and pension cuts. A 2003 AARP Baby Boomers Study found that one in three self-employed workers between 51 and 69 transitioned to self-employment at or after age 50. Some baby boomers are opening high-growth companies that attract outside investments. BusinessWeek (1/16)

Executive Life

• More workers see retirement as gradual transition
  For many Americans, retirement is likely to be a gradual transition from a full-time job to full-time leisure, according to a new Vanguard Group study. About six in 10 Americans said they plan to include full-time or part-time work in their retirement plans, according to the study. This means that employers interested in retaining older workers should consider offering part-time or flexible schedules. MSN Money/Associated Press (1/18)

• Cable carriers move to cut waiting time for service
  In a move to improve customer service, cable carriers such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable are altering how customers interact with the cable guy -- introducing new systems to reduce customers' waiting time and other complications. The Wall Street Journal (1/25)

NAW Insider

• Invest your training dollars wisely and develop top performers
  NAW/DREF publication Smart Investments addresses the long-ignored aspect of the industry training and development. Let it help you identify a strategy for employee development, engage your staff to move forward with common vision and purpose, ensure that your training dollars are invested wisely and think about how to use training and development activity to reach your strategic business objectives.

• Elevate your organization to the next level of performance
  Deloitte and NAW have released Driving Growth and Shareholder Value: The Distribution Value Map. Known as the DVM, this extraordinary mapping tool helps distribution executives make crucial strategic and operational improvements through a systematic approach to higher efficiency, greater profitability, and added value to distributors and their customers. Use it to reenergize existing programs or jump-start new initiatives.

Weekly Poll

• How often do you make suggestions at work?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Anytime one comes to mind
	Only when I feel that they are very important
	Almost never

National Sales Manager W&O Supply, Inc. Jacksonville, FL

SmartQuote

Life is rather like a tin of sardines -- we're all of us looking for the key." --Alan Bennett, English author and actor