United Natural Foods has promoted Erin Horvath from chief supply chain transformation officer to chief operating officer and Louis Martin from chief strategy and transformation officer to wholesale president. The moves are part of the grocery wholesaler's transformation initiative, with Horvath overseeing technology and automation initiatives and Martin spearheading UNFI's customer-centric strategy.
Millennial and Generation Z business-to-business buyers prefer digital and self-serve transaction channels for purchases, compared with baby boomer and Gen X buyers who lean toward in-person sales, according to Forrester Research. Younger buyers also report that they are more likely to be dissatisfied with the vendor in at least one area and prioritize a smooth purchase process.
#2 state for corporate expansion projects Whether it's EVs or energy bars, chocolate treats or commercial roofing, businesses are expanding and thriving in this state, which ranks second in the nation for corporate expansion and relocation projects, climbing one spot from last year, according to Site Selection magazine. READ MORE.
Phoenix-based Knight-Swift Transportation is acquiring Chattanooga, Tenn.-based U.S. Xpress Enterprises for roughly $808 million and plans to operate the rival trucking firm as a separate brand. Knight-Swift says the acquisition will add about $2.2 billion in operating revenue and analysts believe it will also enhance operating efficiencies.
Social Commerce: Get back to basics US consumers have shifted their buying habits, making social media a key part of the sales process. In this webinar, learn how to take advantage of consumers' new shopping habits and tap into social media. Register here.
Antonia Wade, global chief marketing officer at PwC, urges business-to-business marketers to adopt a new buyer journey based on five different buyer personas -- "horizon scanners," "explorers," "hunters," "active buyers," and "existing customers." Wade explains using these personas to target the right content at each journey stage and prove return on investment more effectively.
Sales managers should examine the whys when team members aren't able to close deals, asking whether they've actually been taught how, writes sales consultant Colleen Francis. Leaders can share six strategies to "methodically and persistently ask for the sale," including clearly defining the next steps in the process and expecting the unexpected, Francis explains.
Doug Conant won praise as the CEO who turned around Campbell Soup Company, but Conant says -- in this interview with Michael Lee Stallard, president and co-founder of Connection Culture Group and company partner Katharine P. Stallard -- that he would not have been successful had it not been for a mentor who taught him to be true to himself after he was laid off. "[T]hat's what leadership is all about, having a profound influence on people to move them in a particular direction that's good for the enterprise and good for them," Conant says.
When a co-worker crosses a line, it can be difficult to forgive them, but Ron Carucci, co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, writes that it's crucial to learn the nuances of forgiveness, since the only one who is truly suffering is the one holding the grudge. "It's important to validate your emotions, but also to honestly acknowledge potential counterproductive choices based on those emotions," Carucci writes.
