MSC Industrial Supply earned $66 million in its fiscal fourth quarter on sales of $831 million, both up from a year earlier. The distributor also reported $217 million in net profit on $3.24 billion in sales for fiscal 2021.

Amazon's new warehouse in New Castle, Del., is the company's largest, at 3.7 million square feet, and has 10,000 robots and 1,000 human employees. Amazon plans to employ up to 5,000 people at the site and may add more robots as well.

Companies that want to make sure they're not paying too much for shipping should correct problems such as incorrect addresses, undelivered packages, weight discrepancies and late deliveries, writes Josh Dunham, co-founder and managing partner at Reveel. "Being actively engaged also shows carriers you're a good partner -- something they value over those unengaged in the process," Dunham writes.

Automation can improve business-to-business marketing in a variety of ways, such as increasing engagement via live chat and social media campaigns, and boosting lead generation through email targeting and lead scoring, Gaurav Sharma writes. Sharma explains the different uses for automation technology in each of these areas.

It's easier for prospects to get product information than ever before, which has shifted the role of salespeople from providing information to acting as trusted consultants, writes David Brock. Effective salespeople have accepted this trend and changed their focus from product capabilities to the specific business challenges and needs of their customers, Brock writes.

Preparing for a negotiation includes knowing which possible outcomes would be acceptable to you and when to walk away, writes John Spence. "Never sit at a table and negotiate with someone angry, as you will always lose that negotiation," Spence adds.

Many distributors experience the paradox of watching marketplaces grow sales at explosive rates while seemingly seeing no sales erosion to Amazon Business, etc., themselves. How can this be? What is the nature of the threat? When will it affect you? Most importantly, what should you do about it?. Discover the answer to these questions and more on Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. ET by registering today!

This 4-part series will take you from AI-unsure to AI-adopter through a riveting compilation of live webinars, thought-provoking articles and actionable whitepapers! You will gain the intel you need to formulate new strategies and ensure that your company thrives through this era of technology transformation. Register for this month's upcoming webinar "Understanding AI and How it Works" and learn the basics of Artificial Intelligence and how to understand business conversations about it.

Join NAW for an industry-wide virtual event for distribution CEOs on Tuesday, Nov. 9 from 2-3:30 p.m. Tailored specifically to CEOs of distribution companies with annual sales up to $80 million, the discussion will focus on the future of the distribution industry salesforce during a period of rapid post-pandemic change. NAW Institute Fellow Brent Grover will lead the discussion -- you don't want to miss out! Register today!