The Home Depot expects its acquisition of HD Supply to improve service and sales for maintenance, repair and operations customers, says Chairman and CEO Craig Menear. Ian Heller of Distribution Strategy Group writes that other MRO distributors would be wise to expand their industrial business "since neither Amazon nor Home Depot plays in that space right now."

Distributing a coronavirus vaccine will be difficult, but McKesson is well-positioned to help because of its sizable workforce and solid supply chain management history, according to Anna Nagurney of the University of Massachusetts.

The surge in e-commerce activity has highlighted the value of warehouse automation. A Prologis report notes that e-commerce fulfillment tends to require more labor than regular logistics operations, and online sales tend to be more variable than their brick-and-mortar counterparts.

The key to warding off advanced data security attacks is to think ahead of the hackers, writes Joseph Chukwube, founder of cybermarketing agency Digitage. Chukwube outlines a three-step plan: gathering intelligence about cyberthreats, shoring up endpoint protection and developing a response plan should there be a cyberbreach.

Salespeople should avoid using emojis, overexplaining or writing emotional responses to clients in emails, writes Alena Komaromi. Work to find common ground with prospects and gently probe for more information when questions from previous emails go unanswered, Komaromi writes.

Business-to-business leaders from AP Moller - Maersk, Stein IAS and Covance/Labcorp share their thoughts on why B2B messaging must evolve and be agile during a crisis, but why core values and branding should remain consistent. "You need more agility in your brand strategy...but your brand shouldn't be agile," says AP Moller - Maersk's Sam Poulter, while Stein IAS' Derek Stewart asserts the need for an identifiable brand story.

A leader is someone who builds relationships with everyone on the team, takes responsibility for their growth and success, and does so without seeking personal glory, writes Wally Bock. Leadership is difficult "because you must do the right things, every day, over and over, with unremitting diligence," he writes.

The pandemic is forcing many distributors to reevaluate their supply chains to create more resilient models. At the heart of "Optimizing Channel Profitability" is a common ground for distributors and manufacturers to focus on making a one-to-one connection among a supplier's channel compensation, a distributor's capabilities and customer value, all leading to a process where all three entities can have constructive, objective dialogue rather than subjective, selective fault-finding. If you're looking to strengthen your value proposition post COVID-19, this resource will help.

Join your distributor colleagues for the NAW Digital Summit, Jan. 27-28, a welcoming forum to network, learn and share ideas. We'll have a condensed schedule packed with critical areas of focus that you must consider when bracing for an unpredictable future, including the Annual Economic Update and a Post-Election Analysis with an exploration of what the new landscape means for your business. The always-popular discussion roundtables will help you uncover new ideas about leading in a time of transition. Sign up and we'll notify you when registration is open.

In an NAW Blog post, David Bauders, CEO of SPARXiQ, writes, "It's no secret that contracts are a great way to secure valuable business for distributors. For many companies, they account for a significant portion of annual revenue and are critical in bringing in key customers. Unfortunately, if they are not managed carefully, contracts can become an area of business where profit leaks or slips through the cracks." Read his post.