News and Trends

• Acquisition helps Applied Industrial expand fluid-power distribution
  Applied Industrial Technologies' acquisition of seven U.S. Fluid Power Resource distribution enterprises meshes nicely with Applied's plan to bolster its fluid power business, says Warren E. "Bud" Hoffner, who oversees the company's fluid power group. "It's just a great fit for Applied, and we've always thought that," Hoffner said. "FPR ran these companies as standalone firms in each local or regional market. That fits very well with how we're structured." Modern Distribution Management (7/16)

• BlueLinx defies outlook as shares increase 33%
  Shares in the building products distributor rose as much as 33%, as BlueLinx Holdings, buoyed by an increase in product prices, forecast Q2 results that outstrip analyst expectations. Reuters (7/16)

• Other News

• Looking ahead at Staples/Corporate Express combo
  Purchasing.com (7/17)

Best Practices

• People skills essential for business leaders
  Business leaders need strong people skills to resolve disputes and boost morale, yet companies often elevate employees to management who lack these skills and who would benefit from formal training in this area, an expert says. Manage Smarter (7/14)

• Outsourcing data analysis can give marketing a boost
  Executives can benefit from outsourcing many direct-marketing functions. The skills needed for day-to-day analysis of marketing platforms are unique, and many companies specialize in precisely those skills. CustomerThink (7/14)

Sales

• Study: Better metrics needed for better marketing
  A survey of 834 MarketingProfs members found that many marketers continue to have problems with basic measurements needed for managing and improving their marketing in a way that enables those activities to contribute to the overall strategic growth of their operations. MarketingProfs (free registration) (7/15)

Hot Topics

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

• Fuel surcharges not necessarily inevitable, shipping experts say (DC Velocity)

• Grainger sees 10% sales growth amid slowing economy (Daily Herald (Chicago))

• Wolseley to announce additional job cuts, analysts anticipate (Industrial Distribution)

• Expert: Getting perspective on cash flow (Building-Products.com)

• Give top 20% of your territory 50% of your time (DaveKahle.com)

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

Small Business Manager

• How to bring offline customers into online store
  Online contests are a good way for a business to gain crossover business between their physical and Internet operations. Other marketing ideas that link customers to both the brick-and-mortar and online stores include letting customers redeem online offers in person and releasing or announcing new products online. BusinessWeek/Today's Tip (7/16)

Executive Life

• Budget hotels gain spotlight as finances get tight
  Budget hotels are moving into the spotlight as more executives who are used to staying at higher-end properties are limited by tighter budgets to the more wallet-conscious hotels. In the U.K., Travelodge says that a Big Four bank has restricted its traveling staff to staying only at its hotels. Financial Times (free content) (7/17)

• TSA plan to add portals at 21 airports prompts privacy concerns
  The TSA's plan to add new technology that reveals detailed photos of travelers' bodies at 21 busy airports is raising concerns about privacy. A TSA spokeswoman described the machines as "a huge advancement" over metal detectors. The TSA is taking steps to safeguard privacy, she said. ABC News (7/17)

NAW Insider

• SIRIUS Satellite Radio
  SIRIUS Satellite Radio is available in more than 50 Hertz locations in the U.S. Tune in to more than 120 channels of commercial-free music from R&B to classical masterpieces; world-class news; and the best in entertainment, talk, comedy, traffic and weather. There's something for everyone! To enroll in the NAW/Hertz Business Account Program, visit NAW's Web site.

• 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

• Does your company's Web site have an online-store component?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Yes, our site offers company information and allows customer to buy.
	No, our site is informational only.
	Not yet, but we are working on it.
	We currently do not have a Web site.

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SmartQuote

If you must have motivation, think of your paycheck on Friday." --Noel Coward, English actor, playwright and composer