Gross sales at Amazon Business are likely to reach $16 billion this year, with net revenue of $10 billion, according to RBC Capital Markets managing director Mark Mahaney. That level of revenue makes it a competitor to leading distributors, although Amazon has not released official sales figures for Amazon Business in two years.

The traditional method of manual cyberpenetration is outdated, contends Shahar Solomon of XM Cyber. Instead, Solomon suggests a hybrid approach because a human team "can offer an invaluable perspective—it just needs to be supported with the power of automation and continuous monitoring."

Members of Generations Z and Alpha will be better equipped than millennials to handle logistics jobs that involve robotics, augmented reality and other advanced technologies, according to an expert panel hosted by industry group MHI. In the meantime, Naras Eechambadi, CEO of customer data platform Quaero, suggests that business executives learn to master new technologies instead of relying on their chief technology officer.

Salespeople often claim that prospecting is the most difficult part of sales, but it's often a lack of preparation that makes the process more challenging than it needs to be, writes David Brock. Adopt a consistent pattern of prospecting activities, focus on the customer's needs and use ideal customer profiles to hone in on the right potential buyers, Brock suggests.

Business-to-business buyers say the top features they want from branded conversational tools or channels are fast, expert answers to questions, followed by quick problem resolution and a friendly experience, Heinz Marketing and Drift report. The most popular conversational channels among buyers are email, video or phone call, online live chat and social, respectively.

There are 10 questions that every leader should be asking about strategy, including whether the vision is clear, if everyone feels invested in the outcome and whether managers and front-line workers are doing what's necessary, writes Jim Haudan. "Without the right resources and training, they won't be able to deliver, but the blame will be on you," he writes.

Register for tomorrow's 2 p.m. Eastern webinar: "Distributor Suppliers Speak Out on Disruption, New Channels and Who Will Win," and find out how manufacturers view the emerging technologies that are transforming distribution channels. On this 60-minute webinar, which is based on original research with manufacturers during COVID-19, Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein will share the fascinating insights that manufacturers shared -- some of which are alarming for distributors. Register now. Even if you can't attend live, register anyway so you receive the webinar recording. Sponsored by Unilog.

What will be the impact of AI on distributor sales and operations? While AI hasn't transformed distribution yet, the change is coming soon. Integral to research being done by the NAW Institute is hearing directly from distributor executives. Will you please spare 5-10 minutes to help ensure that we get the most accurate data to inform this research? All individual answers will be kept confidential. In return for your time, we'll send you benchmark data on your AI readiness, and an AI opportunity analysis upon your request. Take the survey.

Are you ready for the technology that is transforming distribution? With the influx of new competitors and new technologies, changes are happening at warp speed. In this NAW series of seven research reports and seven accompanying webinars in seven months, distribution expert Ian Heller will help you to gain the intelligence you need to formulate new strategies and ensure that your company thrives through this era of technology transformation. You've got seven months, so let's get started. Sponsors include Unilog, SAP, Conexiom and Mirakl.