Distributors can maximize acquisitions of other companies by paying special attention to operations, namely revenue management, sales structures and materials management, after deals are finalized, writes consultant Scott Benfield. One important part of sales management is channel management, which requires "experienced channel managers that can seek out and serve varying channels with different product/marketing/pricing plans," Benfield writes.
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Employees reluctant to embrace new technology can "eventually be won over through a combination of patience, understanding, and a thorough training plan," writes Laura Ross, who offers a seven-step approach. Ross' final tip: "[D]on't forget to keep your workforce in the loop" as the tech is implemented.
Automation is at the forefront of a new frontier in warehouse technology, with robotics, machine learning and connected devices also playing a larger role, says Divya Prakash, director of business consulting at SICK Sensor Intelligence. Automation can help alleviate warehouse labor shortages and increase efficiency, while newer robots can work more closely with humans, Prakash says.
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Using improvement and innovation can help salespeople not only be more effective, but it can help your sales team offer unique views on how customers can also improve and innovate, writes David Brock. "Perhaps, most importantly, we can help them discover how they might better serve their customers, creating greater value for them," Brock writes.
Jill Kramer, chief marketing and communications officer at Accenture, talks about the company's "Nth floor" virtual office in the metaverse and a rise of creativity in business-to-business marketing. "Most of the creative I am seeing so far you wouldn't know it is B2B," says Kramer of the campaigns she's judging at Cannes Lions, adding, they're "really smart, complex but creative campaigns."
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High-performing middle managers are essential to a company's operations, having the power to drive engagement and to keep burnout at bay among the staff. Companies should take advantage of this talent by empowering middle managers with the ability to delegate and by providing developmental opportunities.
Instead of assuming the worst about colleagues, talk in-person with those who may be acting offensively, listen to what they have to say and don't talk about others behind their backs, writes Jim VandeHei, co-founder and CEO of Axios. "Dig deep enough into rotten relationships or business cultures, and you often find bad assumptions in the roots," VandeHei writes.
