Grainger's Zoro has annual sales of $1B for first time | Online sellers to look beyond Amazon for growth | "Most Responsible Companies" list includes distributors
Grainger's Zoro e-commerce unit has reached a new high this year with $1 billion in annual sales. Zoro had sales of $276 million in the third quarter, compared with $217 million in the year-ago period, and it now has more than 4.4 million registered customers and 10.3 million available SKUs.
A growing number of small- and medium-sized retailers that sell on Amazon are looking to expand to more marketplaces, according to a Capterra survey. Motivated by Amazon's rising fulfillment fees, sellers are eyeing platforms including eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Google Shopping and Walmart Marketplace as they seek to also build more brand awareness and reach new customers.
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Global political turmoil, shortages of raw materials and increasing costs for energy and fuel are the most worrisome supply chain problems for top business leaders, according to a survey by SAP, which notes that inflation didn't rank among the top three concerns. One-third of respondents said they expect supply chain issues to stick around through next summer.
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"The truth is that most sales meetings, online or in person, always were and often still are boring lectures ... [and] do nothing to increase sales," writes TigerLRM operations manager Mayte Vera, who advocates for sales enablement instead. Vera explains its benefits -- keeping sales teams "engaged, empowered, and informed" in a way that generates a host of improvements -- and details how to adopt the management and meeting style.
Business-to-business influencers tap into decision-makers' humanity and apply it to solving client problems, PR professionals write. They predict growth in 2023 for B2B micro-influencers, consistent partnerships, diversity, and technology and processes.
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Middle managers are being squeezed by both the C-suite and employees, and leaders can help by auditing their current responsibilities, eliminating or delaying certain tasks and talking with them about their needs, writes Denise Hamilton, CEO and founder of WatchHerWork. "Perhaps hold an offsite event for them, in which they are honored and given a chance to brainstorm about how to make their work lives better," Hamilton writes.
Changing habits and behaviors can often be a struggle, but Naphtali Hoff suggests changing your mindset first to become the kind of person who reaches personal and professional goals. "Once you've embraced a new identity, each action you perform will be driven by a fundamental belief that your goal is possible, and your results will improve dramatically," Hoff writes.
