ScanSource reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $23.7 million on net sales of $852.7 million after a year-ago loss while also posting a full-year profit. "We've had a disciplined approach around inventory management of course for the long haul, but even more focused for the past year and a half due to COVID," says Chief Revenue Officer John Eldh.

Global commercial robot sales for warehouses will increase at a compounded annual growth rate of more than 23% through 2030, when sales will surpass $51 billion, according to ABI Research. The growth comes as the market is maturing and robots are becoming more widely integrated in warehouses.

Distributors can maximize digital sales transformation by making sure salespeople are using the right tools, segmenting customers based on their preferences for interactions and differentiating themselves through e-commerce and self-service, writes Tom Gale. "[O]ne type of customer's perfect digital solution is another's frustration," Gale writes.

B2B sales teams can increase revenue by using data-based sales plays to target specific opportunities, according to Bain & Co. experts. Such plays require detailed and specific data, "a factory production mentality," a sales command center, regular coaching and appropriate technology.

Business-to-business companies tend to neglect their internal knowledge when creating content marketing, writes Dave Kerpen, chairman of a small-business social media software firm. Content marketer John Hall and Kerpen outline four steps to leverage expertise: strategy, knowledge extraction, editing and distribution.

Anyone who says business isn't personal is missing an opportunity to support people's professional and psychological needs, writes Susan Fowler. "If you do not notice, acknowledge and deal with a person's emotions, you may unwittingly be undermining that sense of well-being that is the vital link to a person's intentions and behavior," she writes.

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.