News and Trends

• Praxair to raise prices on some products
  Praxair Distribution Inc. has announced that it will increase prices on certain packaged gas products, with the rising cost of raw materials, labor and fuel leading to the price hikes, the industrial gases distributor said. Industrial Distribution (9/13)

• BMG Metals to buy smaller distributor
  Metals distributor BMG Metals Inc., based in Richmond, Va., reportedly was expected to close today on the purchase of the assets of ALN Metals Inc., a Baltimore-based metals distributor. The Sun (Baltimore) (9/12)

• Study: Americans most productive, work more hours
  A recently released report from the U.N.'s International Labor Organization found that American workers are the most productive workers in the world, with employees contributing an average of $63,885 a year each to their economies. The report noted that Americans' use of emerging technologies could drive an increase in productivity, but that American workers put in more weekly hours than workers in other developed countries. Baseline (free registration) (9/5)

Best Practices

• Commentary: Worst-case scenario shouldn't be only perspective
  A company's fate can lie in its ability to handle technological, financial or various other adversities, but companies need to know when to put the risks into perspective, writes Rob Preston, editor in chief of InformationWeek. If the nation's IT execs spend all of their time planning for worst-case scenarios, they could wind up "insulating their organizations not just from risks but also from opportunities." InformationWeek (9/3)

• Signs that your employee recognition program needs a makeover
  Some key signs that a recognition program has lost its luster include diminished excitement and energy over the program among workers, decreasing participation, and evidence that the program has becomes a source of jokes instead of pride. American City Business Journals (9/3)

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.

Sales

• Used properly, social media can be a big buzz-builder
  Marketers can use social media to build awareness and excitement for their services or products, but they need to know how to listen and participate in the medium's communications. In an interview, Paul Dunay, an expert in buzz-building, says two big mistakes companies make include trying just one podcast and producing long webcasts with too little content to fill the time. MarketingProfs (free registration) (9/11)

Hot Topics

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

• NAW submits "friend of court" brief in liability case (Modern Distribution Management)

• Study: Supply chain execution to see rapid growth (Supply & Demand Chain Executive )

• Make forklift fleets more efficient (DC Velocity)

• Key mistakes can ruin chances of cold-call success (Manage Smarter)

• Ten hotels of historical distinction described (MSNBC)

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

Small Business Manager

• Inventors can protect idea, still focus on marketing
  Inventors face myriad challenges in patenting, promoting and marketing their products, but most spend much more time trying to protect their ideas than trying to sell them, according to one expert, who says a simple "patent pending" clause can serve as a placeholder while the inventor proceeds with the marketing side of the process. BusinessWeek (9/12)

Executive Life

• Virgin, American sign deals with AirCell to bring Wi-Fi to the skies
  American Airlines and Virgin America have both signed deals with AirCell for air-to-ground broadband Internet service starting in 2008. American City Business Journals/San Francisco (9/13) , Air Transport World (9/14)

• Poll: Stock market volatility prompts wealthy to cut back
  Some wealthy consumers are cutting down on their discretionary spending, including travel, because of volatility in the stock market, according to a new poll. The results show that the financial turbulence is prompting those with a net worth of $500,000 to $5 million to move toward a less expensive lifestyle. TravelPulse (9/14)

NAW Insider

• NAW's Billion Dollar Company CEO Roundtable
  NAW's Billion Dollar Company CEO Roundtable, Chicago, Oct. 9 to 10, joins CEOs from wholesale distribution companies with sales $1 billion and above to network and learn. Topics are based on responses from the CEO community addressing specific needs of the group, including Building a Platform for the Future, Brand Building/Sourcing/Private Labels and the Multigenerational Workforce. Get details and register here.

• Now distributors can quote prices with greater confidence
  NAW's Price For Success: An Online Course for the Wholesale Distribution Sales Team shows your inside and outside salesforce how to quote prices with complete confidence that they are striking the correct balance between pleasing the customer and achieving the company's profit goals.

Weekly Poll

• Where does your company most often advertise?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Print publications
	Radio
	Internet
	TV
	A combination of places

Branch Manager SCP Distributors, LLC/POOLCORP West Nyack, NY Territory Manager Behler-Young West Michigan

SmartQuote

Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle." --Ken "Dr. Fad" Hakuta, inventor and TV personality