Distributors can increase prices without losing customers by having lower-cost, lower-value options and adjusting prices on a predictable quarterly basis, writes Pete Morelli, senior director at Holden Advisors. Morelli lists three other strategies, including communicating price increases in advance with transparency and clarity.

Warehouse operators can improve worker efficiency, product traceability and inventory accuracy by using a warehouse execution system that integrates with warehouse management and control systems, writes Dave Williams, vice president of technology solutions at Westfalia Technologies. A WES can also support automation, offer valuable insights from data analytics, save time and money, and increase flexibility, Williams writes.

Cargo volume at the Port of Los Angeles was down 25% year over year in October with 678,429 20-foot-equivalent units, which Executive Director Gene Seroka attributed to earlier holiday imports and shippers moving away from the region during labor negotiations. Meanwhile, the South Carolina Ports Authority reported its third-busiest month on record in October, with volume growing 9% year over year to 256,879 20-foot-equivalent units.

The vast change seen in the last three years means business-to-business marketers must revisit audience mapping to ensure they are reaching the right prospects with the right messaging, writes Scott Gillum, CEO and founder of Carbon Design. Gillum explains how to run a two-hour mapping workshop with internal stakeholders such as senior managers from sales, product, customer service and marketing.

Changes in the economy mean that salespeople have to be willing to improve their skills so they can "bring value both to the customer and to their employers in every sales call," writes author Dave Kahle. Meanwhile, sales managers need to quantify expectations for salespeople and cut those "who aren't committed to their own personal success," while sales executives should "use this window of opportunity to streamline and rationalize their sales systems," Kahle writes.

One leader Scott Eblin coaches says he stays out of the weeds of day-to-day operations by allowing his subordinates to step up and take over tasks "and only jumping in if it's absolutely necessary," Eblin writes. "The people on his team are developing and feeling more empowered to make decisions because he's giving the space for them to go first instead of always going first himself," Eblin writes.

Outrage appears to be all the rage these days, especially online and in the media, and it can become an addiction that can hamper your effectiveness if not kept in check, writes LaRae Quy. Quy offers ways to unplug from sources of outrage and learn how to become aware of "how moral battles upset you."