The Indian River Consulting Group's Pandemic Revenue Index showed year-over-year sales gains of 2.9% for the week of Dec. 7, the fourth consecutive week of increases. The data was based on 14 companies, with eight showing sales gains.

McKesson will use its Olive Branch, Miss., distribution center to supply Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine kits after the FDA issues an emergency use authorization. McKesson will distribute the nearly 6 million vaccine doses to more than 3,000 locations.

CEVA Logistics customers have succeeded during the pandemic by embracing e-commerce, says President and Managing Director for North America Shawn Stewart. "Most of those clients are moving heavily now into building out or outsourcing the build-out of large e-comm facilities to transition them to the new normal after this pandemic," he says.

The coronavirus pandemic has served to accelerate existing changes in supply chains, and companies will need to understand how their workforce, operations, customers and ecosystems will handle such adjustments, according to this Deloitte analysis. This article covers advice across those areas, including how to analyze resilience within the distribution network and areas of improvement.

Salespeople often ask their customers to think about problems from a new perspective, but too many salespeople and managers avoid doing so themselves, writes David Brock. In particular, sales managers must challenge their teams to think about different approaches, as doing so unlocks their ability to continually grow and improve, Brock writes.

Business-to-business marketers should consider outsourcing product content creation to contractors who have expertise in either particular buyer personas, products or the same industry, advises Focused B2B founder Trisha Winter. Winter outlines examples of guidelines that should be provided to content freelancers, and recommends ways to build effective, long-term relationships and manage deliverables.

Companies that succeed at managing change concentrate on building effective teams and focus being flexible and proactive while making purpose a priority, according to David Michels of Bain & Company. He writes that companies are wise to apply a growth mindset and insist on integrity.

Don't share solutions with your team without first telling them the story of the problem, including the main characters, the challenge and the impact of the choices they make. This article offers a downloadable framework for helping employees "see themselves in the narrative of where you've been, and where you're going."

NAW's first Digital Summit, Jan. 27-28, will be an event like none other hosted in the history of NAW. As we turn the page on 2020 and enter 2021, our event will focus on "Leading in a Time of Transition." This highly interactive virtual event will capture your attention from start to finish. We're including some surprise content and speakers you'll only experience if you attend our event. All of these are reasons for you to bring more team members to this event. Register today!

Are you well-informed about different best practices and knowledge in our industry? If not, NAW's Top 10 E-book List can help get you up-to-speed quickly so you and your business can stay competitive in these challenging times.

NAW shares thought leadership each week in the NAW Blog "Distributing Ideas." NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellows, authors and guest bloggers discuss today's critical issues specific to wholesale distribution. Catch up on blog posts here. Better yet, subscribe here and we'll deliver a new post each week straight to your inbox.