US business inventories fell 0.1% in March, following a 0.3% rise in February, according to the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. Data points toward likely inventory restocking in the coming months, potentially boosting second-quarter GDP growth. Despite the monthly dip, inventories were up 0.7% from a year earlier, led by a 1.1% surge in motor vehicle inventories.

Distributors seeking new customer relationship management systems should first examine their sales process, writes Proton.ai founder Benj Cohen. Distributors need a step-by-step plan that sales teams follow to close deals, according to Cohen, who notes CRM tools can only amplify existing processes. Cohen shares four practices to boost distributors' sales process and tips for finding success with CRMs.

Motion is acquiring Buffalo, N.Y.-based Allied Circuits, an electrical and automation firm that will become part of Motion's automation intelligence business unit. Allied designs, manufactures and services industrial control panels and other products for a wide range of end markets in parts of New York and Ontario, Canada. The deal is expected to close later this month. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Seaborne containerized freight imports rose 8% year-over-year in April, a downtrend compared to the 16% rise in March, according to S&P Global. Factors contributing to the slower pace included diminished consumer durable goods movement, anticipation of a possible East Coast port strike and continued unpredictability in Red Sea shipping lanes.

Many businesses are focusing on regionalizing their supply chains, with as many as 70% planning to do so by 2028, according to Gartner. Regionalization will not succeed without investing in infrastructure and building a strong ecosystem, writes Ronak Gohel, a Gartner director analyst, who recommends making sure organizational objectives are accounted for in network design, pursuing collaborative partnerships, taking total cost into account and doing scenario planning exercises.

Marketers can best use generative AI to simplify and automate logistical processes like sorting email responses and managing pipelines, writes O'Reilly Media Vice President of Content Strategy Mike Loukides. Loukides explains that the company uses AI "to make our salespeople more productive, to free their time to do things that an AI can't do--or, more appropriately, not to spend time doing things that an AI can automate."

Leaders can create a culture of innovation and risk-taking by implementing a "to-test" list made up of team ideas as well as rethinking work processes and being open to unexpected solutions, says Josh Linkner, innovation expert and author of "Big Little Breakthroughs." "Let's challenge ourselves a bit to go out on a limb, to look for those oddball, unexpected, unorthodox ideas, because sometimes those are the most effective," Linkner notes.

The business landscape is constantly changing, and you can lead that change by embracing it, inviting and supporting needed behavioral changes, taking action to communicate the changes and creating a sense of co-ownership among your team, writes executive coach Dave Coffaro. "Champion a vision of where the organization is going in the evolution of who you serve and how you deliver to your customers," Coffaro writes.

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