Insight Enterprises President and CEO Ken Lamneck said the company is looking to edge computing as a growth area in cloud computing through new technologies, hardware and solutions offerings. Insight is also watching its supply chains for any fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.
Amazon earlier this month placed special orders with select first-party suppliers of Chinese-made products to get ready for potential supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak, according to a Business Insider report. The company is also reportedly giving some suppliers extra shipping time and waiving late-shipment fees.
Technology is altering the climate of the distribution business, and the proper use of analytics is key to success now and in the future, writes consultant Frank Hurtte. He looks at some of the analytics data available for distributors and how it can be used for effective decision-making.
Distributors have to rethink how they operate because conditions have changed, says Andrew Horvath of Alexander Group. "They must adapt channel coverage models to include inside sales, web-based self-service, and apps that feature secure virtual storefronts," he says.
State of the Wholesale Supply Chain Industry in 2020 For the third straight year, Blue Ridge asked wholesale supply industry leaders about their challenges, how they're thinking about solving them and how they're dealing with the pace of technological change. One key finding for the 2020 survey is the adoption of new machine learning, such as A.I., which is on the rise as a strategy to combat supply chain disruption. Get the report to read more.
M&C Saatchi Performance's Johnnie Farquhar explores the barriers that have prevented brands from fully maximizing the potential of virtual reality, such as the cost of creative and relatively limited audience reach, but predicts advancements in technology will increase its accessibility. "VR has the potential to become a gamechanger in customer engagement within future marketing campaigns," he writes.
As peak distribution season gets underway, it's critical to review your sales plans to ensure they are still effective and able to help your sales teams meet their goals, writes John Gunderson. This article looks at a fictitious B2B company and how a revised sales approach would help boost its sales coverage.
Replacing annual reviews with a constant feedback loop can give employees the roadmap they need to improve their skills and advance in the organization, writes Chris Lema. He shares a rubric he developed for software engineers that outlines the specific skills they need to develop.
Leaders should always be thinking about or grooming potential replacements, writes John Maxwell. "We cannot leave behind an empty chair -- we owe it to our teams and ourselves to make sure we're developing other leaders who can step up," he writes.
Growing in popularity within our industry, the NAW Certificate in Distribution Professional Management Program is ideal for your high-potential managers who seek to complement their professional development with a strong emphasis on practical application within the distribution field. Two, one-week sessions at Texas A&M University in 2020 focus on Distributor Capability Development (April 13-17) and Optimizing Distributor Profitability (Oct. 19-23). Get all the details and enroll your high achievers today before the seats are gone.
Designed for C-suite executives, these roundtables provide actionable strategies and best practices that will increase your company's competitive advantage. Member companies belonging to this community are from distribution firms that exceed $1 billion in annual sales. Participating in this 24-hour, results-focused business meeting is one of the best ways to learn from your C-suite peers in distribution -- who aren't competitors! Register today.
This study brings together best practices from leading distributors and their suppliers that were developed through a consortium on Optimizing Channel Compensation. The resulting Channel Alignment Framework is the first-of-its-kind map that seeks to build optimal manufacturer-distributor channels. Distributors need to read this book and buy it for their manufacturer partners. Then they need to sit down with those suppliers and properly plan effective processes to get the supplier market access while meeting distributor investment needs.
