The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors and companies including Bunzl Distribution USA, Grainger, HD Supply, Henry Schein, MSC Industrial Supply and Patterson Companies are providing supplies for coronavirus vaccinations at NFL stadiums. "NAW and wholesaler-distributors across the country are proud to help NFL teams and vaccination sites because we know how important it is to safely get more shots in arms as we seek to put the COVID-19 pandemic in the past," NAW President and CEO Eric Hoplin said.

The pandemic has given distributors the opportunity to make greater use of technology, innovate and build trust with customers, says Mark Dancer, a National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors fellow. Going forward, distributors should focus on culture and foresight, use data to serve customers' interests and look beyond local markets to the larger community, Dancer says.

MSC Industrial Supply's January shift to all-remote customer support resulted from "a confluence of a bunch of different things," including the effects of the pandemic and a desire to best allocate resources, says Eddie Martin, senior vice president of sales and customer success. The move has freed up money to invest elsewhere and made associates happy, while customer satisfaction has also increased, he says.

Companies can make their supply chains more resilient by moving away from just-in-time inventory, using a transportation management system with real-time data and working with supply chain experts, third-party logistics companies, customers and suppliers, writes Ross Spanier of GlobalTranz. He also recommends building resiliency throughout an organization and redesigning supply chain networks.

Supply chain financing, which can free up cash and bolster a company's liquidity position while paying key suppliers, has become increasingly popular amid the pandemic-induced squeeze on businesses. Although businesses do not have to reveal supply chain financing in filings, regulators have been urging more transparent disclosures on any short-term financing during the pandemic.

Community-based marketing can help business-to-business marketers inject new life into their brand, writes Guild Founder and CEO Ashley Friedlein, who offers advice on the strategy. Choose an influential, senior leader to act as the host for your digital community, guide but don't dominate discussion and be consistent with content to build and maintain momentum, Friedlein advises.

Buyer personas can be helpful in understanding the people your team is selling to, but not if they're inauthentic and based on simple stereotypes, writes Amanda Greenwood. Instead, use real stories from sales representatives to incorporate unexpected objections, pain points and other details that flesh out buyer personas, Greenwood writes.

Email was central to the way employers and employees communicated in 2020, with one study saying volume increased 72% compared with 2019, but the influx came at a price, and former Amazon executive Kristin Graham suggests finding a balance. Even though all those employer emails were genuine attempts to connect, "the impact of those intentions has been to put more heavy rocks on our employees to carry around all day long," says Graham.

Make better decisions by seeking the right direction instead of worrying about making the wrong choice and ask yourself a series of questions, including what will happen if you take no action and which option generates positive energy, writes Alli Polin. "It's tempting to ask 9,999 other people what they would do, but the choice is yours to make," Polin writes.

How have distributors been innovating their business during the pandemic? Find that out and much more from 10 distributors who tell their stories and share ideas for both surviving and thriving in a drastically changed business environment. Author Mark Dancer shares up-to-the-minute ideas and insights from distributor leaders based on their experiences and lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic. Order this just-released e-chapter, "Distribution Leans In: Stories of Resiliency and Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic."

In this free NAW webinar on April 6, at 2 p.m. Eastern, Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein will evaluate the marketplace strategic options available to distributors, such as becoming a third-party seller on a merchant-owned marketplace, becoming a third-party seller on a marketplace not owned by a merchant, building your own marketplace, the imperative for an industry-owned marketplace, and opting out of marketplaces. Register now! Check out the full Adding Value in a Post-Pandemic World series! Sponsored by Oracle Netsuite.

NAW and Distribution Strategy Group have launched a seven-part free series called, "Adding Value in a Post-Pandemic World: New Leadership Strategies for Distributors." We'll focus on innovative ways for distributors to differentiate themselves from industry disruptors. Distributors will understand the challenges facing the industry over the next decade, and will be armed with new modes of thinking and information to build robust strategies with staying power. Each part includes a free research report to download and a free webinar to watch live and on demand. Sponsored by Oracle Netsuite.