Tech Data on Thursday named John O'Shea president of the Americas. He says the company's channel partners have different needs that must be matched by Tech Data solutions that are "flexible and adaptable to their business models."
Distributors that succeed at innovation create specialized teams devoted to trying new things outside of normal channels, writes Ian Heller of Distribution Strategy Group. "When this innovation team identifies a new technology, let it learn and grow until you can determine if the opportunity deserves more investment or should become part of the core business," he writes.
The pandemic has shown supply chains to be less resilient than thought, with companies needing to focus on flexibility and less dependence on centralized facilities, according to a white paper by DHL and Cranfield University. "The impact of the lockdown has highlighted the added benefits and flexibility of these more distributed networks, and although their inventory holding costs may be higher, the result is greater speed to market and improved resilience," the report says.
Salespeople must thoughtfully approach complex problems by probing for information, sensing and responding as customers continue to deal with uncertainty, writes David Brock. "We can help our customers make sense of what they face, leveraging our experience in helping them identify courses of action," Brock writes.
Business-to-business marketing has lagged behind consumer marketing when it comes to delivering superior customer experiences, but the pandemic is accelerating B2B efforts, particularly within the areas of omnichannel experience, employee experience and personalization, Blake Morgan writes. She uses brand examples to highlight how experience can be optimized in each area and warns, "In order to stay relevant, B2B companies must offer amazing and innovative customer experiences."
Management styles must adapt to remote work, as the command-and-control style often used in offices doesn't translate well, says Eugenio Pace, CEO of Auth0, which has had remote employees in 35 countries. Leaders should also be intentional in choosing which platform to use to share information and communicate, Pace says, because each has different strengths.
Personality traits such as extroversion or competitiveness are qualities of people but do not define them as groups or let them off the hook for improvement, writes Nate Regier, who advocates for using the Process Communication Model. The job for leaders is helping employees "align their motivators with something bigger than themselves," such as the organization's purpose, he writes.
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