Grainger CFO: Long-term approach is best for pricing | Imperial Dade acquires Puerto Rico-based distributor | DXP Enterprises buys water equipment manufacturer
Grainger is pursuing its goals of price-cost neutrality and price competitiveness by taking a long-term view of price costs, which "makes more sense" than a short-term approach, according to Chief Financial Officer Deidra Merriwether. Grainger is also using data analytics to glean valuable customer insights that shape its business strategy, Merriwether says.
Operators of truck driver training programs say they can't keep up with the influx of students attracted by rising pay scales, and new graduates aren't moving into the driver pipeline because of state testing bottlenecks. Programs at Des Moines Area Community College and its counterparts in Iowa have wait lists, and Mark Greenberg of the New England Tractor Trailer Training School says, "[W]e literally have hundreds of drivers waiting for tests."
Robots and automation are being created to do jobs people don't want to do, such as moving products in warehouses and driving trucks, which companies say saves money for employers and improves supply chain resiliency. "It's hard to get people motivated to do this work," says Kary Zate, senior director of marketing communications at Locus Robotics, which manufactures robots that travel warehouses with humans who choose products for transport.
Savvy sales leaders will enable staffers to stay motivated as they work toward clear, realistic goals, writes Philip Galligan of workforce management software company Deputy. Two of Galligan's four detailed sales leadership steps include gamification and "SMART" goals.
Some 75% of business-to-business marketers say they are not investing enough time in amplifying content, with the top reason being that other tasks taking up their time, according to a Converge report. All respondents said they use social media for content amplification, followed by 45% who employ search engine advertising and 36% who use email, while the top content types being amplified are blogs, social and video.
The end of the year will be here before we know it, so leaders should make the most of the small open spots on their calendars, writes Scott Eblin. At the same time, use breathing techniques to calm yourself, and recognize that there might not be enough time to accomplish every single task before 2023 rolls around.
Designate at least one hour per month to meet with your team and have deep conversations about ways to improve performance and efficiency, write Karin Hurt and David Dye. They offer 10 questions to cover, including inquiries focused on leveraging strengths, identifying priorities, celebrating wins and learning from missteps.
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