Berlin Packaging connects with customers on the idea of improving their earnings before interest, taxes and amortization, or EBITA, and offers buyers assistance that benefits line items beyond cost of goods sold, says Chairman and CEO Andrew Berlin. The strategy requires salespeople who can identify buyers' obstacles and opportunities, Berlin says.

Additive manufacturing, automation and the use of drones for inspections are all technologies that are changing the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul business. "It's certainly conceivable that MRO service providers will require quick-react manufacturing cells to produce custom repairs or parts, possibly under some alternative basis of certification or authority," said Victor Ho of AAR.

Ferguson Enterprises participated in the design and installation of variable refrigerant flow systems in a Secaucus, N.J., residential project that called for 11 zones and was hindered by limited above-the-ceiling access. Karol Tomaszewski of Ferguson's VRF division explains how the company helped the contractor overcome challenges and satisfy the homeowners.

Collaborative robots, or cobots, are being used more in warehouses for distribution and fulfillment to alleviate labor shortages, improve efficiency and ensure worker safety. The global market for cobots is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 44.5% over the next six years.

SAP's Alison Biggan and Pitney Bowes' Bill Borrelle share their thoughts on how business-to-business marketers can more effectively engage prospects by delivering a superior customer experience across the entire buying journey. "If you are not differentiating based on experience, and doing everything you can to meet your customer's expectations, you're opening it up for a competitor," Biggan says.

This infographic from LinkedIn offers a checklist for business-to-business technology marketers based on survey insights. Key insights include that 55% of B2B decision makers want thought leadership content to choose between vendors and 48% report that they always or regularly receive different messages from marketing and sales.

"Megaphone" leaders spell out what they want their teams to do, while "mirror" leaders inspire employees to do their best by modeling what it takes to succeed, writes Molly Page. "Mirror leaders inspire introspection by individual contributors, and they trust that others can innovate and find solutions to the task at hand," she writes.

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