Distributors can maintain solid earnings and valuation by jettisoning fixed and cost plus pricing in favor of pricing software and structure that are backed up by solid marketing management and defined data, writes consultant Scott Benfield. Distributors should also use "replacement cost times a multiple" instead of manufacturer list pricing, as well as limit overrides and excessive discounts, Benfield writes.

September's Logistics Managers' Index reading of 61.4 marked the first increase since March and a gain of 1.7 points over August, while transportation capacity continued climbing for the sixth month in a row to reach 71.8. The results "may be attributable to the beginnings of a sharp slow down ... or conversely could be a wave of calm before increased activity we may see during Q4," the index's authors said.

Companies that want to digitally transform their supply chains are training workers in digital literacy and providing technology that enables workers to make faster decisions, writes Elizabeth Wallace. Artificial intelligence, digital twins and blockchain are also critical components of the intelligent digital supply chain, Wallace writes.

Moving into a sales leadership role without a mentor or defined process can be nerve-wracking, but charting a five-part path to a revenue-increasing structure can help, Sales Melon founder and CEO Todd Caponi writes. Caponi's five F's include forecasting and fundamentals.

Business-to-business blog writers spend more time crafting content that's longer than their consumer counterparts, according to a report by Orbit Media. The research found that blogs that take six hours or more to create experience the strongest results.

End bad leadership habits by identifying them and their triggers, making a plan with a deadline, deciding what good habits you'll develop to replace them and enlisting the help of others, writes Lolly Daskal. "Other people automatically bring accountability, and they can help motivate you and keep you on track," Daskal writes.

Companies can make all the plans they want, but leaders must be ready to improvise when challenges arise, writes Steve McKee. "Leadership isn't just about pointing a team in the right direction, it's about determining what must be done when you face stiff opposition or get knocked off course," McKee writes.

The NAW Large Company Roundtables are an exclusive community of thought leaders from Large Company distribution enterprises who congregate to network with noncompeting peers in multiple lines of trade on key issues. The companies invited into this community are from distribution firms with annual sales between $100 million and $999 million. Register today!

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