Some contractors are finding supplies through retailers, manufacturers and online-only suppliers, which means distributors need to provide added value through improved e-commerce and multichannel communication with salespeople, writes Lincoln Smith. Also worth noting is that, "of the top five reasons given by contractors for remaining loyal to distributors, four of these (product availability, delivery, brands carried, location) involve logistics and availability," Smith writes.

Supply chains can offer purpose and a "positive societal and environmental impact" by having high-level buy-in, managing portfolios for sustainability, getting partners and employees on board and measuring success, according to a Gartner survey. "Purpose-driven enterprises deliver benefits for stakeholders while also generating long-term profits," says Sarah Watt, senior director analyst with Gartner Supply Chain.

Trucking organizations and businesses are trying to recruit more women by offering free certification, hiring husband-and-wife teams and promoting truck driving to girls as a career option. Several entities are also giving female drivers training in self-defense and working to prevent sexual harassment and other misconduct.

Distribution salespeople can reap financial gains amid supplier cost increases by using customer data in "win-win discussions" with suppliers and by mitigating the impact on customers, writes John Gunderson, vice president at epaCUBE. "If you can tell a key customer, 'A 5% price increase is coming, but you are so important to us and the supplier that you are only going to a see a partial increase,' that's a relationship building sales call for your business," Gunderson writes.

Business-to-business marketing is becoming more like its consumer counterpart in four key ways, including the use of data-driven strategies and an increased focus on the blend of creative and business skills, writes Accenture's Joseph Taiano. Martech is critical for driving growth through automation and diverse, inclusive teams helmed by empathetic leaders are vital to engage authentically with customers, Taiano writes.

A four-step approach derived from military leadership addresses employee dissatisfaction directly, bolstering retention, morale and productivity, write operations experts and former Army officers Hise Gibson and MaShon Wilson. Their TAKE framework rests on taking a strong position; aligning resources, policies and timelines; keeping commitments; and executing and evaluating plans.

If you're stressed out by the pandemic and your workload, make sure you've told someone at work about the situation while also looking at what tasks matter most and what might be automation. "Together, you can determine which tasks can be reassigned, put off, performed monthly instead of weekly, or done without entirely," writes Rashan Dixon of Microsoft.

Are you looking for professional development programs to help you retain and develop your key personnel? If yes, then the NAW Certificate in Distribution Professional Management program will help your leaders reach their highest performance levels. Learn more.

It has been a long time but, finally, we will be together again! Designed for C-suite executives, these roundtables provide actionable strategies that will increase your company's competitive advantage. Companies belonging to this community are from distribution firms between $100 million and up to a billion in annual sales. You'll engage in thought provoking conversations with your peers and hear from industry experts on topics that will ultimately increase your profits! Register today.

Interchange rate increases and changes to rate tiers implemented in April are the largest in a decade, according to Bloomberg News. The fees target payment types common in the wholesale distribution industry. Stream the "Restructured Rate Tiers and Increased B2B Card-Not-Present Transaction Costs" podcast from Unified Payments Group to learn more.