News and Trends

• Graybar takes stance on private labeling
  Graybar used the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Electrical Distributors as a forum for communicating its stance on private labeling and its lack of interest in entering the manufacturing industry. "As a distributor, we believe it's critical that we distribute our suppliers' products, not develop and market our own. So, we simply refuse to do it," the electrical wholesaler-distributor said in a statement. TED Magazine (5/9)

• To watch: See video of Graybar CEO Bob Reynolds Jr. discussing the company's stance on private labeling here.

• Cardinal looks to RFID as solution to Calif.'s pedigree legislation
  Cardinal Health is preparing to implement the RFID technology it believes will be necessary to comply with California's pharmaceutical pedigree legislation that goes into effect in January 2009. Pharmaceutical makers will be required to originate item-level pedigrees for drugs distributed in-state, and companies within the supply chain will be responsible for upgrading the pedigrees at each exchange of ownership. DC Velocity (5/2007)

• Employers try new model to cover workers' drug costs
  Employers and health insurers are attempting to curb health care costs by lowering or getting rid of co-payments for workers' drugs that treat chronic illness. The new approach is based on the idea that it makes better medical sense and will save money in the long run by preventing serious and costly health crises. The Wall Street Journal (5/8)

• Other News

• West Coast W-Ds join forces
  The Seattle Times (5/8)

WHITE PAPER: Enabling Efficient Chargeback Management. Find out how a single, integrated enterprise solution can efficiently and effectively manage chargeback programs within the wholesale distributor's existing business systems.

Best Practices

• The truth can hurt for hands-off boss
  If you've got a boss who doesn't want to return phone calls or answer e-mails because he or she doesn't want to deal with any upsetting issues, offer to vet these communications, decide which truly need his or her attention and break any bad news gently, this columnist suggests. CNNMoney.com/Fortune (5/10)

• Prevent summer injuries with preparation, planning
  On-site accidents typically increase during the summer, as mishaps ranging from falls to chemical exposure occur more often. Whether making unscheduled repairs or routine maintenance, safety should be a priority and some tips to reduce accidents include enacting a culture of safety; and offering hands-on training. Buildings.com (5/1)

	Good help is hard to find. NAW SmartBrief to the rescue! You won't reach a more targeted, qualified audience in the wholesale distribution industry. Get started now and post your open positions in NAW SmartBrief.
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Sales

• Successful sales meetings focus on initiatives, not gimmicks
  Glitz and flash do little to further the main goal of a sales meeting, which should be to provide training that reps can apply in the field. Meetings should focus on initiatives that deliver results. Selling Power (free registration) (5/9)

Hot Topics

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

• Leadership, management skills necessary to be in charge (CEO Strategist)

• VWR International sold to private-equity firm (Modern Distribution Management)

• You can't fake good customer service (CRM Daily)

• Effective sales managers lead by example (SalesForceXP)

• IDG's Q1 sales drop (Industrial Distribution)

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

Small Business Manager

• The leap from corporate job to startup
  In an interview, Michelle Goodman, author of "The Anti 9 to 5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside of the Cube," discusses the challenges and rewards for women who venture from a wage job to an entrepreneurial enterprise. Goodman says fear is the main factor that prevents many from taking the leap. BusinessWeek (5/2)

Executive Life

• Tourists rediscover Croatia's Istrian peninsula
  Over the past decade or so, tourists have rediscovered the area now known as Croatia, which includes 1,000 miles of coastline as well as 1,000 mostly uninhabited islands. In 1991, Croatia broke off from Yugoslavia and with it took the Istrian peninsula. Since most tourists stay by the coast, they often miss out on the magnetism of the area's interior. The New York Times (5/6)

• Simple ways to incorporate fruits, vegetables into daily diet
  Most Americans don't include nearly the required amount of fruits and vegetables in their daily meals. Four kitchen gadgets -- a blender, grater, steamer and sharp knife -- can help cooks prepare these nutritious ingredients with quick and easy recipes. Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)/Chicago Tribune (5/9)

NAW Insider

• Invest your training dollars wisely and develop top performers
  The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence 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.

• Improve your branch profitability with powerful new tool
  Do you need help understanding your financial statement? Could you use a tool to build a powerful business plan? My Business Analysis [MBA] will do both and show you how to use financial analysis to find the path toward improving your branch profitability. Every branch manager should use the MBA to focus time and effort to improve their operating income.

Weekly Poll

• Do you support private labeling?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

Yes

No

Undecided

Sales Manager Manufacturers Reserve Supply (MRS) Irvington, New Jersey Outside Sales Manufacturers Reserve Supply (MRS) lower New York and western Connecticut Controller No. 1 International, Inc. Salt Lake City

SmartQuote

How does a project get to be a year behind schedule? One day at a time." --Fred Brooks, software engineer and author