Forecast: Amazon Business product sales to rise 43.5% | Amazon's first N.D. fulfillment center now open in Fargo | DXP buys Carolinas distributor of water, wastewater products
Amazon Business should book $27.59 billion in US product sales this year, up 43.5% from 2020, according to an eMarketer forecast. This would continue years of high growth but only account for 1.7% of all online B2B sales in the US.
About 4,000 employers across 43 countries surveyed by staffing firm ManpowerGroup are eliminating drug testing as they seek to recruit and retain employees -- about 9% of employers included in the survey. Amazon announced in June that drug screenings would not include marijuana, and 36% of companies polled by Current Consulting Group said they planned to do the same.
The most successful distribution sales teams are gleaning better insights from data and using modern tools, such as predictive analytics, to pursue sales opportunities more efficiently, writes Brian Hirt, director of product management at Zilliant. These teams also use insights from artificial intelligence to give all customers top treatment and rely on software and other mechanisms to "hyper-focus" on high-value prospects, Hirt writes.
As SMS marketing gains a greater foothold, brands are learning that it's less suitable for prospecting and more productive for nurturing established relationships and gathering feedback, industry experts say. Ashley Werner, GhostBed's director of marketing, also noted the importance of pacing discount offers or reminders: "The fewer campaigns I send, the more successful those campaigns are."
Customer service can be improved by being specific, when possible, about how your company can help the customer rather than falling back on generic wording, according to research by Jonah Berger. Showing that you've heard and understood the complaint "can be repeating back what they said, but it can even be more specific in showing that you heard and you're ready to help," Berger says.
Successful leaders in any industry or calling go "all in" on relationships, writes John Keyser, inspired by the title of Billie Jean King's memoir. "Whether we have a goal of being a top-level executive in business or rather having a satisfying career in which we know we did our best and feel fulfilled, we cannot be half-hearted in what we do," he writes.
