News and Trends

• Who trained your forklift drivers?
  Although there are Occupational Safety and Health Administration-related certifications required to become a trained forklift operator, there are no regulations or specific standards for becoming a forklift operator trainer, according to this article. This has some concerned, given the safety hazards and risks associated with forklift operations, but OSHA says it currently lacks the legal authority to regulate trainers. DC Velocity (10/2007)

• Cardinal looks beyond drug wholesale business to increase growth
  Cardinal Health Inc.'s drug wholesale distribution business is still key to its overall profit strategy, but business is slowing, so the distributor is looking to its hospital supply and equipment units to help drive growth. "[Drug distribution] is our bread and butter. It is all our cash flow ... so we're not de-emphasizing it. But the other side is growing faster, and it has higher margins, and therefore by default it will just end up being a larger portion of our sales and our profits going forward," said CEO R. Kerry Clark. Reuters (10/3)

• AmerisourceBergen takes over Bellco Health
  AmerisourceBergen has bought branded and generic drug distributor Bellco Health for about $190 million in cash, down from the original $235 million price tag. CNNMoney.com/Dow Jones Newswires (10/1)

Best Practices

• Measuring customer loyalty difficult, but worth it
  Metrics on a combination of financial, customer service and employee perspectives are important to gauge the success of a business and keep it going. Measuring customer loyalty, however, can be complicated. Some tips for improving these measurements include: remembering that loyalty metrics are only indicators and can't cause growth, and surveys being kept as short as possible. CustomerThink (10/1)

• Intuition and innovation go hand-in-hand
  Intuition plays an increasingly important role in innovation in business. Some tips for boosting innovation and intuition in the workplace include building intuitive skills, and setting up training and development with learning goals centered on innovation, and performance competencies. Manage Smarter (10/4)

Sales

• Despite wants, make the most of the sales tools you've got
  Few salespeople are equipped with the full wish list of tools that could help them secure sales, but that shouldn't prevent them from pursuing sales with what they've got and reaching their potential, says expert Dave Kahle. Inform management of needed tools, but make the best of what you've got, he says. DaveKahle.com (9/25)

Hot Topics

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

• Q-and-A: Graybar's Bob Reynolds discusses W-D industry (Industrial Distribution)

• Ten tips for cutting costs (Entrepreneur)

• Employees matter in truly differentiating a company (CEO Strategist)

• Three approaches help when customers "want to think about it" (DaveKahle.com)

• Commentary: Wal-Mart faces changing retail landscape (The Wall Street Journal)

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

Small Business Manager

• Survey: Many small businesses plan to grow without hiring
  Hiring is at its lowest point in seven years at small businesses, despite growth being the top priority, according to the newest American Express Small Business Monitor report. Some 25% of those participating in the survey said worries about cash flow are "what keeps them up at night." The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.) (10/3)

Executive Life

• Airlines try to please passengers with new air fare
  Major airlines are working to improve the meals served to passengers, and carriers say they're even upgrading the fare served in economy class. For example, Delta Air Lines will soon unveil cold entrees created for coach sections by chef Todd English while Continental's coach section can now enjoy complimentary meals, and American offers "Fresh Light Meals" to those sitting in the main cabin for longer flights. BusinessWeek (10/8) , USA TODAY (10/3)

• Maine grows into hub for microbrewing
  Maine and Oregon seem to have more in common than their dueling Portlands. Over the past 20 years or so, Maine has developed into the East Coast's answer to Oregon as a center for microbrewing activity, and several of the breweries offer tours. The New York Times (9/28)

NAW Insider

• Save 35% when you order DVM
  The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence and Deloitte Consulting offer Driving Growth and Shareholder Value: The Distribution Value Map™. Known as DVM, this extraordinary mapping tool helps distributors make crucial strategic and operational improvements through a systematic approach to higher efficiency, greater profitability, and added value. Reenergize existing programs or jump-start new initiatives with DVM. Order and save 35%!

• Should you become an acquisitive distributor?
  This NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence book The Acquisitive Distributor pinpoints steps to success when one wholesale distribution firm sets out to acquire another. It can help you grow your business by showing you how the best acquisitive distributors operate.

Weekly Poll

• Is hiring a top priority at your business?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Yes, we are always on the look out for new hires.
	No, we are at our employment capacity right now.
	We are not actively searching but might consider a new hire.

Architectural Consultant Super Enterprises New York City, NY Business Developer Super Enterprises New Jersey Commercial Territory Manager Super Enterprises Northern New Jersey Credit Manager Gustave A. Larson Company Pewaukee, Wisconsin

Featured Content

SmartQuote

Chaos and Order are not enemies, only opposites." --Richard Garriott, computer-game developer