News and Trends

• Airgas reports strong fiscal 2007 sales
  Airgas Inc. reports that sales in its fiscal fourth quarter, ending March 31, were up 14%, and that sales in fiscal 2007 had increased 13%. The industrial, medical and specialty gases wholesaler-distributor credited successful acquisitions and strong nonresidential and energy markets for the growth. Modern Distribution Management (5/2)

• U.S. financial reforms to be unveiled
  In response to criticisms about regulatory rules, the Treasury Department will disclose reforms to keep U.S. markets from losing business to overseas markets. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson hopes to strike the "right balance" between rules that protect the investor and allow for competitiveness. The Wall Street Journal (5/4)

• Other News

• McKesson to distribute newly approved Perlane for Medicis
  Reuters (5/2)

Best Practices

• Leadership, management skills necessary to be in charge
  Being an able boss requires good managerial skills coupled with effective leadership qualities, says business strategist Rick Johnson. One is not sufficient without the other in terms of becoming a strong, respected leader. CEO Strategist (5/1)

• You can't fake good customer service
  Customers who have poor experiences with a business's customer service are likely to take their business elsewhere, which is why it is so important to put in the extra effort. Customers know when they are being disrespected or taken advantage of, so being sincere and properly training employees to deal with problems are worth your time and money. CRM Daily (4/18)

Sales

• Get familiar with customers' buying habits
  The ability to sell more is a matter of knowing your customers and their buying habits and needs. Build a relationship with customers that leads to loyalty by having a plan prepared for each sales meeting; being ready with answers -- or knowing how to find them out; and keeping notes on every meeting. Selling Power (free registration) (5/1)

Hot Topics

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

• Airgas announces plans to build new Indiana facility (Progressive Distributor)

• Nothing wrong with fun at the office (American City Business Journals)

• Beef up your negotiating skills (Manage Smarter)

• Report: Electrical W-Ds' sales growth declines (Industrial Distribution)

• Senate supports SEC's efforts to alter Sarbanes-Oxley (InvestmentNews)

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

Small Business Manager

• Getting bigger not always synonymous with getting better
  While growth may be your ultimate goal, survival should be more important to small-business startups in the beginning, says business author Bo Burlingham. "You can be great company without getting big as fast as possible," he says. BusinessWeek (5/1)

Executive Life

• Are high-speed hotels too technical?
  In a continuing effort to outdo one another, hotels are offering high-tech gadgets and equipment that make rooms even more impressive. But how much is too much for travelers? Some guests find rooms and gadgetry so complex, it ruins their hotel experience. The Wall Street Journal (5/3)

• Commentary: Restaurant scene blossoms in Washington
  Washington chefs Jeffrey Buben and Robert Kinkead started a recent revolution that is turning D.C. into an innovative culinary center, CNN reports. Chef Todd Gray at Equinox offers dishes such as mustard-sauced bay scallops with grilled frisée, while diners at Palena enjoy international delicacies including pillowy wild boar-dressed gnocchi and smoked loin -- and those are just two of the burgeoning restaurant choices. CNN (5/3)

NAW Insider

• Time is running out to attend HR Networking Meeting
  Register today for NAW's Large Company HR Networking Conference, May 16 to 17, before the seats fill up. Senior HR executives from wholesale distribution companies with sales of $100 million and above will join to network/benchmark. Agenda topics are based on the HR community and address specific needs, including ROI of HR, Succession Planning, Recruitment, and Retention. Get details and register here.

• Rethink salesforce comp plans
  What's Your Plan? an eye-opening book from the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence shows why tinkering with salesforce compensation plans in isolation can create more problems than it solves. The best strategy starts with development of overall company goals and leads to what author Mike Marks calls "alignment" of these goals with compensation.

Weekly Poll

• How important is growth to your business?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Very important: we are always trying to expand.
	Moderately important: sustainability is key.
	Not very important: we have reached a plateau.

Controller No. 1 International, Inc. Salt Lake City Marketing Operations Manager, U.S. Service Dealer Group Oregon Cutting Systems, a division of Blount, Inc. Milwaukie, Oregon

SmartQuote

Lying is done with words and also with silence." --Adrienne Rich, poet and teacher