Distributors can profit from offering these services | Amazon calls 2022 Prime Day its "best ever" | Sobeys awards prize to maker of fiber-based meat packaging
Distributors can generate additional revenue by providing fee-based services such as storage and logistics; electrical and industrial services; and custom lighting and plumbing/heating/cooling/piping installations, consultant Dick Friedman writes. However, Friedman cautions that such services require high levels of accuracy and conversations with customers to make sure distributors aren't being viewed as competition.
Amazon says this year's Prime Day sales event on July 12-13 was its "best ever" with more than 300 million items sold, which analysts estimate would have brought in gross sales of $12.09 billion to $12.59 billion in the US and over 15 other countries. The most popular items were cheaper ones, including diapers, dishwasher pods and snack packs of Frito-Lay chips.
Third-party logistics providers in the value-added warehousing and distribution sector had net revenue in 2021 of $41.1 billion, a 15.2% increase from 2020, according to an Armstrong & Associates report. Net revenue for the entire 3PL segment rose by 27.8% to $119.4 billion.
Roughly 400 owner-operators gathered on foot at the Port of Oakland on Monday, days after over 100 trucks gathered at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Wednesday, with both groups holding up port traffic as they protested the state's newly enacted AB5 law. Protesters say the law, which requires them to be classified as employees rather than independent contractors, threatens their livelihoods and is too ambiguous.
Distributors can transform their sales operations by first considering what buyers need, then adapting sales processes and using virtual selling and other technology to meet those needs, writes David Bauders, founder and CEO of SPARXiQ. This approach also requires training salespeople to "sharpen the 'fit' between sellers and roles, building high levels of sales readiness to support the sales process," Bauders writes.
Marketing and sales must work in tandem and use a thought-out strategy rather than focusing on what's needed today, writes Payal Parikh of Heinz Marketing, who shares why letting a team loose for ad hoc marketing is a big mistake. Parikh explains the "Predictable Pipeline" and five pillars needed for a strategy, such as a messaging framework and sales cycle paired with a journey map.
Officiating the wedding of his son this summer emphasized for Art Petty that leadership is always about putting the needs of others first, getting to know those in your charge and offering them support. "Your humility, commitment to creating a personal experience for everyone, and your authenticity in leading from the heart may be most of what you need to succeed in your important role," Petty writes.
Giving feedback to employees is necessary yet sometimes uncomfortable, but working from a foundation of trust can improve the process. "When employees trust me, I've found that [we] can look at areas of opportunity because they know my style and ... the way the meeting cadence is going to take place," said Paul McDonald of Robert Half.
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