News and Trends

• Avnet unit seeks growth through government, health care
  John Paget, president of Avnet Technology Solutions, currently is focused on government and health care clients for market growth. "I think we're in all the right places today," Paget says in an interview. He also discusses rising fuel prices and the company's top goals and priorities for 2009. ITBusiness.ca (Canada) (8/20) , American City Business Journals/Phoenix (8/19)

• Owens & Minor buying privately held Burrows Co.
  Owens & Minor Inc. has announced it is acquiring Burrows Co., a distributor of medical supplies, for more than $30 million. The medical and surgical supplies distributor said the deal should be finalized in the fall. CNNMoney.com/Associated Press (8/19)

• W-Ds pessimistic about operating costs, survey finds
  Many wholesaler-distributors and manufacturers expect the price of raw materials to continue rising, according to a survey by RSM McGladrey. Almost half of the companies surveyed said they expect raw material and energy prices to increase by 10% or more over the next few months, and more than half also expect transportation cost increases. Modern Distribution Management (8/20)

• Other News

• S&K Properties purchases United Stationers warehouse
  American City Business Journals/Tampa Bay (8/19)

Best Practices

• Don't discount importance of WOM marketing
  Word-of-mouth marketing may have its limitations, but one study showed many professionals find peer recommendations to be the most important source of advice in terms of purchasing decisions. A point about WOM that companies need to take into consideration is that although they may not be able to control what's said about their company, they can manage their relationship with customers. MarketingProfs (free registration) (8/19)

• Higher rewards for top performers make good sense in tough times
  While the average pay increase that U.S. employers plan to award employees next year will be 3.7%, the highest-performing employees can expect a base-pay increase of as much as 5.6%, according to a new survey. The figure represents the corporate philosophy that predicating pay hikes on performance helps attract and maintain the best workers and makes good business sense, especially during tough economic times. Business Finance (8/19)

Sales

• Establish selling process to keep structure, embrace individuality
  Businesses should embrace the varying approaches their salespeople take when establishing a company-wide sales process. The process should give salespeople flexibility in closing the sale, along with the structure needed to make sure every client receives necessary attention. Manage Smarter (8/21)

Hot Topics

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

• Retailers grapple with Supreme Court ruling on price fixing (The Wall Street Journal)

• Wine-and-spirits W-Ds join to form 38-state distributorship (East Bay (Calif.) Business Times)

• Ten steps for getting staff on board, motivated (Manage Smarter)

• Good salespeople's skills should extend beyond problem-solving (DaveKahle.com)

• Producer prices surged in July at fastest pace in 27 years (CNNMoney.com)

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

Small Business Manager

• Three rules every business owner should know
  Creative marketing strategies are needed when people cut back on spending to ensure the long-term future of a business. The three most important rules are: Get the customers in the door, make sure they leave happy, and understand that business, no matter the product, is marketing. Commercial Dealer (8/19)

Executive Life

• American offers in-flight Internet access
  American Airlines has begun offering in-flight broadband service on its 767-200s. The service will allow travelers to use the Internet, check e-mail and access corporate accounts for a fee of $12.95. Delta Air Lines has announced that it will offer broadband on some of its planes this fall. The Dallas Morning News (8/20)

• Healthy lifestyle can reduce stroke risk by up to 80%
  Men and women who have a healthy lifestyle -- including no smoking, appropriate weight, regular exercise and moderate drinking -- can reduce their risk of stroke by up to 80%, a Harvard study found. The researchers analyzed data from some 115,000 adults and also discovered that changing even one of the lifestyle factors can impact stroke risk. U.S. News & World Report/HealthDay News (8/11)

NAW Insider

• Brand new: Make your operations lean in challenging times
  Becoming lean in distribution is more important than ever in today's challenging economic market. Applying lean concepts makes sense because becoming lean means becoming a more effective distributor. And becoming lean will lead to higher profitability. Lean Operations in Wholesale Distribution focuses on the lucrative operations area and discusses steps distributors must take to design and manage a lean culture.

• Register for NAW's Billion Dollar Company CEO Roundtable
  NAW's Billion Dollar Company CEO Roundtable, Chicago, Oct. 14 to 15, joins CEOs from distribution companies with sales of $1 billion and above to network/benchmark. Topics are based on responses from the CEO community, addressing specific needs of the group, including Associate Engagement -- Customer Loyalty; Action Plan for Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility; and Financial Markets -- The Impact on Our Industry. Register now!

Weekly Poll

• What do you expect your businesses 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.

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Independent Sales Agent Reid Supply Company Open Quality/Operations/Procurement Supervisor Bearing Service, Inc. Corporate office, Livonia, MI

SmartQuote

The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority." --Kenneth Blanchard, trainer and author