A healthy corporate culture requires an "intentional" mindset and a focus on areas such as operational excellence, ongoing improvement and employee empowerment, says Jimmy Martin, an executive for US LBM Holdings' Southeast region. If hiring a full-time culture expert isn't feasible, distributors can establish culture committees with the help of employee volunteers, Martin says.

Grainger earned $103 million on $2.85 billion in revenue during the fourth quarter. Grainger's full-year 2019 earnings were $849 million on revenue of $11.49 billion.

Effective prospecting begins with a clear plan and well-defined objectives, writes Anthony Iannarino. It's important for salespeople to block out time in their schedules specifically for prospecting activities and use multiple touchpoints, including phone calls and email, to reach out to potential customers.

Communication breakdowns are at the heart of every problem in teams, writes Art Petty. Reduce the "signal-to-noise ratio" by listening more deeply, and create better message design and strategy by considering the concept of a four-step "message mapping" process, he writes.

Leaders can get stuck in an "identity mindtrap" when they stop seeking new ways to grow personally or to think about situations, write Cultivating Leadership CEO Jennifer Garvey Berger and Zafer Gedeon Achi. They offer three questions for growth, including asking about areas where you may be making false assumptions.

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To assist leading-edge distributors in transforming their social selling practices, the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence and Texas A&M University are holding a "Digitizing the Sales Process" consortium to begin with a kickoff meeting on Oct. 1. If your company wants to be on the cutting-edge of creating and implementing a digital selling strategy that guides your organization and ensures that technologies are aligned with your other business processes, please consider participating in this consortium. Learn more.

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