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April 16, 2009 News for the wholesale distribution industry   News and Trends    Report: Weak economic recovery might arrive late this year According to a report from the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, a slight economic rebound could occur by late 2009. MAPI predicts demand for U.S. exports to contract by 8.3% in 2009 but rebound modestly by 1.2% in 2010. Economist Cliff Waldman forecasted "weak positive activity" as fuel prices and interest rates continue to fall. Industrial Distribution online (4/13) Port of Los Angeles loses business to northern rivals The Port of Los Angeles is losing business to rivals in the north as competition crops up from British Columbia to Portland, Ore. Container volume at Los Angeles dropped 32% in February from a year earlier, but the Southern California port still holds the top spot as the country's largest port. Shipping company AP Moeller-Maersk recently announced it will direct a line of container ships to the Port of Seattle instead of Los Angeles. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (4/14) Other News Baker & Taylor expands digital services to publishers American City Business Journals/Charlotte, N.C. (4/13) Does your piggy bank need refilling? Lead the way… Use precision cost cutting, based on accurate data, to emerge from this economic downturn on top of your competitors. Request a custom report highlighting your company's performance against peers and learn how the Acorn Cost Takeout Engagement™ can strengthen long term performance.   Best Practices    Don't slash away needed experts when cost-cutting Companies that slash away at their work force to cut costs during tough times might cause more problems than they solve. Experienced workers might be more necessary than some realize to maintain cost-effective operations, and massive cutbacks usually don't represent a well-thought-out strategy. DC Velocity magazine (4/2009) Conservative lending, strong staff have helped U.S. Bank While the U.S. banking industry has had its share of recent disasters, some banks, including U.S. Bank, have been able to rise above the commotion relatively unscathed. The bank attributes its success to policies such as conservative lending practices when others were taking more risks and selecting and engaging talented employees with a high level of integrity and strong customer-relations skills. Gallup Management Journal (subscription required) (4/7)   Distributors: Go from Delivering Goods to Greatness. Put an end to backlogs, excess inventory, inaccurate reporting and unsatisfied customers. This Free Distribution Management Guide features Microsoft® solutions that can help you get orders out faster, lower costs and boost repeat business — and discover how automation and real-time data can help you achieve greater financial control and enhance the management of your supply chain.     Sales  Study finds which marketing strategies do, don't work in tough times A study of the marketing successes and failures of companies in recessions dating to the 1970s shows patterns in strategies and consumer responses that can offer lessons in what may or may not help a company during tough times. The data show indiscriminate cost-cutting can be a big mistake, as can cuts in areas such as communications or research. Harvard Business Review (4/2009)   Small Business Manager  Employee handbooks, contracts should make policies clear Business coach Diane Helbig suggests several avenues that businesses can pursue to protect themselves and establish clear policies of conduct for their staffs. She covers employee handbooks, nondisclosure agreements and noncompete contracts. Small Business Trends (4/9)   Sponsored Content    How Much Time Do You Spend on Insecurity Work? The New Economy: This Time It's Personal Advanced Webinar and Seminar Tactics Converse With Your Customers, Rather Than Market At Them Year-Round Small Business Tax Tips - Part 1   Executive Life  Airline fares reach rock bottom as consumers stay put As airlines struggle to boost business during the downturn, travelers who do venture out are enjoying the benefits of unthinkably low fares in some markets. American Airlines' $88 round-trip fare between Chicago and Minneapolis would make sending two bags more expensive than flying the passenger. And JetBlue offered a one-day-only sale earlier this month of $14 one way for flights between San Francisco or Los Angeles and New York. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (4/12) Travelers increasingly opt for vacation rentals Vacation rentals are gaining ground as alternatives to hotels. Vacation rentals accounted for more than 333 million available room nights in the U.S. in 2007, for a total of nearly $24.3 billion in rental revenue, and about 10% of all U.S. adults and 20% of online travelers have booked a vacation rental, according to PhoCusWright. Hotel Interactive (4/9)   NAW Insider  Sales executives: Give a copy to every front-line salesperson! Distributor salespeople need a consistent sales model that provides them with the structure to effectively use their talents and skills for increased profitability -- especially today. Objective-Based Selling in Wholesale Distribution provides exactly that sales model. It is specifically geared to distributor salespeople in all lines of trade. It will teach your salespeople how to sell more at higher gross margins! Train inside sales reps how to generate profitable sales In today's economic climate, inside sales personnel are responsible for generating sales and making sure those sales are profitable. Essentials of Profitable Inside Sales in Distribution provides a real-world, in-depth understanding of the expanded role of inside sales. Use this training workbook to show your inside sales staff exactly how they contribute to the health and well-being of your company. Learn more about NAW -> Join NAW  |  Business Products  |  Publications  |  Meetings  |  Govt. Relations   Weekly Poll  What has happened to your company's inventory since the start of the year? After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like. It's increased. It's decreased. It's stayed about the same. I don't know. Chief Financial Officer HIS Company Inc. DBA HISCO Houston, TX Area Director, Business Development Global Executive Solutions Group Southeast USA Account Manager Southeastern Freight Lines Houston, TX Shipping Expeditor Christie's New York, NY   SmartQuote  There are moments of existence when time and space are more profound, and the awareness of existence is immensely heightened." --Charles Baudelaire, French poet     Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise National Account Director:  Jim Pataki (202) 407-7850 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Celia Rothschild (202) 470-1159   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: Industry Home Readers' Choice Search Archive Who's Hiring? 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