News and Trends

• Value of Carlyle Group's HD Supply stake falls
  The Carlyle Group, along with two other private-equity firms, acquired HD Supply last year for $8.5 billion. The Carlyle Group told investors that the value of its stake in the building materials distributor, previously owned by The Home Depot, has fallen by 15% amid the ongoing financial crisis and weakened home-building sector. HD Supply posted $12.3 billion in sales for 2007. Industrial Distribution (11/6)

• News outlets say additional Stock Building Supply branch closures on tap
  Stock Building Supply branch closures are being reported in Kentucky, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin as part of a larger restructuring of the building materials distributor, which is based in Raleigh, N.C., and owned by British distributor Wolseley. Wolseley recently announced it would close a total of 86 Stock Building Supply stores amid the downturn in the home-building market. Industrial Distribution (11/3)

• Other News

• Ingram Micro serves as matchmaker between system integrators, small businesses
  eChannelLine USA Daily News (11/5)

• At $3.08 per gallon, diesel drops to lower average price than '07 for week ending Nov. 3
  Fleet Owner (11/4)

	Benefits for Distributors of an Integrated Business Suite Addressing the mish-mash of disconnected applications is a key step wholesale distributors can take to gain better control and increase the efficiency of its business. This white paper looks at the value of a single integrated software suite in providing significant advantages to the wholesale distribution business.
	ADVERTISEMENT

Best Practices

• Four-step approach can help reel in the right candidates
  A company's biggest problems may not be related to how it's operating as much as who it's hiring. A four-step method to preventing common hiring mistakes includes making a scorecard to identify specific competencies, outlining techniques for sourcing the best talent, putting candidates through a series of interviews and then reeling them in. BusinessWeek (10/31)

• Dark marketing can bring bright results
  "Dark marketing" is catching on as a means of artfully captivating an audience and building business. Dark marketing involves alternative-reality games that are interactive narratives with fact and fiction, mystery and detection, and they are played out over various forms of online media to invite participation. Manage Smarter (10/30)

SmartBrief Year-End Reports Sponsorship: Big Trends, Big Stories, Big Results (Small Expenditure) We focus on the big stories of 2008 and look ahead to the trends that will shape 2009 in your industry. Each YER has a single sponsor, offering a highly effective and exclusive marketing opportunity. Click to download a fact sheet.

Sales

• Top salespeople quickly qualify prospects in tough times
  Although less-experienced salespeople may spend slow times trying to generate as many leads as possible, the top producers are usually working more productively by focusing on disqualifying prospects. Before even starting the selling process, they ask the tough qualifying questions and quickly move on if the prospect doesn't seem likely to pan out. Selling Power (free registration) (11/3)

Download this FREE brochure to read about how Microsoft Dynamics® solutions can help distribution companies effectively deal with demands for lower prices, improved packaging, specific labeling, and tight delivery timelines.

Hot Topics

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

• Top seven reasons why salespeople are disliked (Manage Smarter)

• When going gets tough, get back to fundamentals (Entrepreneur.com)

• Effective management means leading by example (CEO Strategist)

• Five reasons why Generation Y workers may better survive recession (CIO.com)

• Lawyers' lingo needs interpretation (Entrepreneur)

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

Small Business Manager

• Retirement funds offer less startup potential now
  Tampa, Fla., small-business owner Tony Capobianco says he is lucky he was able to cash out $55,000 from his retirement funds when he did to buy an Abrakadoodle franchise because the economic downturn has limited opportunities for other entrepreneurs. "I looked at my retirement accounts and said, 'What would that be worth today?' It probably would be worth 38% to 40% less," Capobianco says. The Tampa Tribune (Fla.) (11/5)

Executive Life

• 10 hotels with truly outstanding perks
  Most hotels are becoming aware that the future of gaining guest loyalty is in the details and the amenities that cater to their every whim. A look at 10 amazing hotel perks includes the Treetops Luxury Lodge in New Zealand, where each guest is invited to plant a tree; Four Seasons properties around the world, which feature private residences with the refrigerator packed with the guest's favorite foods upon arrival; and the Golden Triangle in Thailand, where guests can ride elephants to a river dip. MSNBC/Forbes Traveler (11/4)

• "Mystic Pizza" continues to lure travelers to Connecticut
  More than two decades ago, screenwriter Amy Jones was vacationing in the Mystic, Conn., area and happened upon the pizza joint, Mystic Pizza. That visit inspired her to write the story that would eventually become a movie starring Julia Roberts as well as turn the life of the family that owned the place -- the Zeleposes -- upside down. "Well, it's the American dream, right?" said John Zelepos, son of Stefanos Zelepos, who bought the place in 1973. "An immigrant family comes to America, starts a little pizza shop. It's like hitting the lottery. It's a one-in-a-lifetime thing." And that "little pizza shop" continue to draw visitors to Mystic 20 years later. USA TODAY/The Associated Press (11/5)

NAW Insider

• Hertz Prestige Collection
  Imagine yourself driving a sleek Audi A6, classic Lincoln Navigator or a stylish Volvo. If this is your kind of car, Hertz is your kind of car rental company. The Hertz Prestige Collection brings you luxurious vehicles all equipped with NeverLost®, Hertz's in-car satellite navigation system. To enroll in the NAW/Hertz Business Account Program, visit NAW's Web site.

• OUTLOOK 2009: Get the latest on key industry trends!
  OUTLOOK 2009 provides an update on the major and emerging trends identified in 2007's Facing the Forces of Change. It emphasizes practical steps for distributors to take for real success. Read it and make a personal commitment to knowledgeably respond to key industry trends, share information with your staff, and plan for success through strategic thinking, analysis and positive action.

Weekly Poll

• Do you expect gas prices to continue to have an effect on your business in 2009?
  Check your inbox Dec. 9 and 11 for the NAW Year-End Report. View the results of this poll in Part 2 on Dec. 11.

	Yes -- we do not foresee gas prices decreasing next year.
	No -- we are hopeful that gas prices will stabilize within the next year.
	Gas prices have not really affected business thus far.

Business Manager Curbell Plastics, Inc. Various Locations Vice President of Distribution Uline Waukegan, IL

SmartQuote

We don't want most of the business; we want it all." --Ernest Gallo, E&J Gallo Winery co-founder