Distributors can compete against larger sellers such as Amazon and Alibaba by creating vertical-specific marketplaces that require more technical know-how, according to Applico Managing Director Nick Johnson and founder and CEO Alex Moazed. "There's actually some very different and interesting permutations of the marketplace model that works specifically for B2B where there's more complexity in the transaction and people care about things other than just price and delivery in one or two days," Johnson said.

Alphabet has fashioned new drones to more efficiently deliver small packages, according to a recent blog post from the company. Older versions of their drones have already delivered small packages nationwide, and the new fleet was designed around prototypes already in use.

More than 50% of supply chain executives responding to a Carl Marks Advisors survey say they expect supply chain problems to persist until at least the first six months of 2024, while 22% say disruptions will linger until the latter six months of next year. In addition, the possibility of a US recession in the next year left more than two-thirds of respondents "very concerned."

Leveraging a data-driven strategy that is periodically evaluated could help business-to-business marketers boost their sales pipeline, writes Workbooks CEO John Cheney. Adopting customer relationship management systems also streamlines this approach by efficiently tracking and prioritizing sales leads, Cheney writes.

Ensuring that customer relationship management systems are configured to glean accurate data could bolster the strategy for business-to-business marketers and ultimately set up the brand to be more competitive, writes Growth Velocity Corp. President Willem Maas. Supplementing CRM data with input from buyers could also add to the competitive intelligence coffers and improve the decision-making blueprint, Maas advises.

Leaders can no longer rely on money to keep staff members from jumping to a new job, and the idea that employees will patiently pay their dues to move up in a company is also outdated, writes Julie Winkle Giulioni. Companies must create jobs that provide purpose, offer autonomy and have a frictionless culture that makes employees feel valued, Giulioni writes.

Using your voice to convey both your emotions and your credibility will help you influence your audience and make listeners more likely to engage with what you are saying, writes Gary Genard. "[P]eople won't remember your facts and figures, but they will remember how you made them feel," Genard writes.