News and Trends

• Graybar to offer GE Security solutions
  Electrical and communications products distributor Graybar will carry GE Security video surveillance, intrusion, access control and fiber optic systems that work in tandem to provide an integrated security system for commercial, industrial and institutional users. Purchasing.com (12/12)

• WinWholesale opens Orlando shop for plumbing contractors
  WinWholesale Inc., of Dayton, Ohio, has opened an Orlando, Fla., location to provide equipment and supplies to plumbing contractors. Orlando Winnelson Co. comprises a warehouse, showroom and sales counter. Modern Distribution Management (12/12)

• Grainger sees sales boost in November
  W.W. Grainger Inc.'s November sales increased 10% compared to a year ago, due in part, the Chicago Tribune reports, to the facilities-maintenance products distributor's aggressive expansion in Mexico. Chicago Tribune (12/12) , Industrial Distribution (12/12)

Best Practices

• Advice: Strategies for deciding how much to pay an exec
  Figuring out how much to pay the executive you put in the corner office will take some research at a small company, says Forbes magazine. To determine what compensation is appropriate, a business owner needs to determine which internal jobs have the most impact and research what the competition pays for similar posts. Forbes (12/12)

• 8 tips: How to attract and keep good customers
  Dentists can take a lesson from small-business successes when it comes to developing the loyalty of clients so they return and refer their friends. These eight tips can help any business improve customer relationships. E-Commerce Times (12/13)

Sales

• Sales plans should zero in on growth potential
  Rick Johnson, founder of CEO Strategist, advises companies on how to develop and implement a "Master Action Plan" for sales in this article. In addition to being precise, measurable and manageable, a 12-month plan should look for the greatest growth potential by focusing on the most promising accounts. CEO Strategist (12/3)

Hot Topics

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

• BlueLinx tightens its budgetary belt amid market downturn (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• Ten important considerations in planning for 2008 (Manage Smarter)

• Small brewers switch distributors (The Wall Street Journal)

• Secret to sales success: Be self-confident, build relationships (CEO Strategist)

• Is your company holding a holiday celebration or party? (NAW News)

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

Small Business Manager

• Commentary: Small businesses can learn from Apple
  Terry Brock, owner of Achievement Systems in Orlando, Fla., relates how Apple's success in an operating system market once dominated by Microsoft can be instructive for small businesses. Being nimbler and more flexible than a large, complacent competitor allows a small business to find niches not being filled and focus more on customer service. American City Business Journals (12/10)

Executive Life

• Column: Tax strategies for entrepreneurs
  Deferring income and increasing year-end spending are two tax tips offered to entrepreneurs in a commentary by Fred White on ThomasNet.com. White also advises entrepreneurs to make sure their records are accurate and to contribute to a retirement plan. ThomasNet Industrial Newsroom (12/13)

• OfficeMax Web ads feature dancing elves, Scrooge
  OfficeMax has launched a follow-up to its successful elfyourself push in 2006, with a revival of the interactive Web ad that allows users to project their own images atop dancing elves. The new campaign, by Omnicom's EVB, San Francisco, and independent shop Toy, New York, brings back the elves, but also includes a new component called scroogeyourself. Adweek (12/13)

NAW Insider

• NAW Insurance Trust: Comprehensive benefits, lower costs for members
  NAW, Trustmark Affinity Markets, and Flexible Benefit Service Corporation have partnered to offer a health insurance plan that leverages the combined buying power of member companies, rewards healthy companies with lower premiums, and provides the added benefit of a pooled reserve fund. Learn more about this health insurance program available exclusively to NAW direct members or members of NAW member associations.

• Employee Performance Improvement Tool Kit: Your key HR resource
  Every distributor needs a more structured approach to improving employee performance, and the Employee Performance Improvement Tool Kit (book and CD) fits that bill. Use it to find, hire, develop, evaluate and retain efficient and effective employees. It includes dozens of customizable templates and 21 different samples of distribution jobs. Make it a key component in your human resources program.

Weekly Poll

• What operating system do you most commonly use?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Microsoft Windows
	Mac OS X
	Both: one for business, the other for personal use
	Other

Distribution Center Manager - San Jose Market GRAINGER San Jose, CA

SmartQuote

A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the word you first thought of." --Burt Bacharach, performer and composer