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A
wholesaler-distributor of janitorial supplies had just gone through a
management succession where the son had taken over from the father as
president. The new president, having enjoyed most the job of outside
sales rep, set out immediately in his new position to fix the problem of
an overpaid outside sales force. Here's how he did it. Read the Article
After reading your weekly ISA news, scroll past the yellow section
for more features.
Your sponsorship helps
keep conference costs down, which makes participation more affordable
for all members. The 2008 Conference & Trade Fair is May 31-June 3,
2008, in Chicago. Join over 2,000 distributors, manufacturers,
manufacturer representatives and service providers for three
business-building days of learning and networking. Thank you to those
who have already become sponsors! See the list. Join those who have already
become sponsors: Learn more about Sponsorship here. The deadline for sponsorship is April 25,
2008.
Click here for more information on the conference and
trade show. Contact ISA at info@isapartners.org or call 215-320-3862.
The ISA Economic Outlook
Report details the industrial production outlook, focusing on major
macroeconomic indicators and the current business cycle. ISA members can
use the report to learn how end-user industries are performing. ISA
members can also chart their business trajectory with regard to the
Conference Board's Leading Indicators, the Institute for Supply
Management's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), EcoTrends Leading
Indicator, corporate bond prices, U.S. money supply, retail sales,
housing starts and industrial production. The report is put together by
Alan Beaulieu of the Institute for Trend Research (ITR). Read the report
here. ISA member username and password
required.
Hear
Meagan Johnson's hilarious spin on how to attract, train, market, manage
and retain people from each generation and not strangle someone in the
process. Click here for more information.
In this seminar,
attendees will work on a target account of their choice to gain
practical, hands-on tools for better face-to-face selling. Click here for more information.
Maximize the true
value of your membership and participate in the 2008 Employee
Compensation Report, which is only conducted EVERY OTHER YEAR. It is
not too late as the deadline to participate has been extended to Feb.
15. Click here for more information.
What is it? An amazing archive of articles that will
help you run your business better. Though you may not need it today,
when you get the assignment to improve an operation at your company, the
resources available through Modern Distribution Management at the ISA
Research Center will be invaluable. Check it out today by clicking here.
For more than
40 years, OfficeMax has been providing the cost savings, time savings,
selection and personalized customer service that makes life simpler.
They do it by putting a relentless focus on our customers’ needs.
The OfficeMax Advantage Program is a one-of-a-kind partnership that
gives you incredible benefits, including cost savings, tailored service,
and financial guarantees, so you can get the most out of your
association at the lowest possible price. If you would like a Commercial
Account Manager to contact you with additional information, please call
(913)344-5722 and start saving today. Be sure to check out all of the
other cost reduction programs ISA has to offer at isapartners.org.
The ISA eBusiness Committee announces availability of the ISA
eBusiness Implementation Guideline. Click here for more information.
Feb. 15: Employee Compensation Report – Survey Deadline! Details
Feb. 18: Watch your mail for 2008 ISA Profit Survey
March 12: ZAP THE GAP! How to Solve the Multi-Generational Puzzle
Webinar Details
March 18-20: The Four Pillars of the Sales Profession Seminar,
Dayton, OH Details
May 21: How to Find and Keep the Right Employees … Without
Stealing from the Competition Webinar
April 18: Deadline to receive ISA Conference & Trade Fair Early Bird
Registration Fees and to be listed in the printed conference program.
The program will be mailed in advance.
June 1-3: ISA Industrial Supply Conference & Trade Fair, Chicago, IL
Details
Sept. 10: Developing an Inventory State of Mind Webinar
Dec. 2: The Telephone Doctor Webinar
For more information on upcoming ISA events, go to isapartners.org.
Send name, title, email address and company
name of each colleague to info@mdm.com. Only employees of ISA member companies
will be added to the list to receive this weekly association update.
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MDM NEWS UPDATE: February 7, 2008
(Click headline
to view)
Chicago, IL-based Grainger,
distributor of facilities maintenance supplies, has released its 2008
catalog featuring 44,000 more items than last year. The distributor
added more than 4,000 power transmission products including bearings,
couplings, linear motion products and belts; 9,000 raw materials
products such as metal, plastic, rubber and felt; 4,200 fleet
maintenance products such as lift equipment, battery chargers and
accessories; and 30,000 more products spread across product categories
including plumbing, electrical, tools and material handling.
In addition, the company launched a private label, Tough Guy, a
professional cleaning supplies brand. More...
From the MDM Archives:
Grainger Launches Plumbing Catalog (March 1, 2007)
Grainger Plans to Double Catalog Size (June 28, 2006)
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This article asks: How often do
you meet with prospective customers and NOT ask for their business? Too
few salespeople actually initiate a transaction, the author of this
Forbes article says. There are three possible answers to the question of
"Will you do business with us?" One is Yes. No is the "next best
answer," this author surprisingly says. Why? Because a skilled
salesperson will be able to come back to each objection the prospective
buyer has, giving him another chance to make the case. The worst answer:
Maybe. The key in this back and forth is being prepared for each answer
a prospective client gives you.
More...
From the MDM Archives:
Uncovering Sales Opportunities
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Before making an investment in IT
in your organization, consider your business strategy and how IT fits
into that equation, this article in IndustryWeek says. A survey of 140
CIOs and IT directors say that the major justification supporting their
case for IT investments relates to their goal of improving the quality
of business operations. The second most important reason was reducing
the cost of business operations. ROI was third on the list, and this
author argues it should not be the main focus or sole point of making
this important decision.
The article offers, helpfully, 10 things to consider before deciding
whether to invest, including your current IT capabilities, whether
you're getting the most out of your current IT capabilities (most
distributors aren't), and whether your current capabilities limit new
business ops.
More...
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Fast growth and moving into new
markets can strain a distribution network. For one wine distributor,
Winebow, the design of its 80,000-square-foot building was not effective
any longer, and its location was not ideal. According to this article
from DC Velocity, the building was in a park bordered by railroad
tracks, slowing trucks that had to wait for trains before entering and
leaving the yard.
This wine distributor took the opportunity to reinvent its process by
not only moving into a new facility but taking a closer look at how they
did things. "Our primary issue was space," says Scott Ades, senior vice
president of corporate development and operations. "We needed more room
and a layout that would provide greater throughput and allow us to
improve customer service and our response time." The result: a new DC
that was more than twice the original's size, in a centralized location,
and efficient design.
More...
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The Uniformed Services Employment
and Reemployment Rights Act is a law that is worth knowing as much about
as possible as an employer. In fact, many small employers are not
familiar with the federal law, which protects reservists' right to
reclaim their jobs after serving in the military. Though many employers
want to recognize the sacrifice their employees are making for the
country, it can be difficult to put their business' needs on the
back-burner.
But according to this Forbes article, Sen. Edward Kennedy recently
held hearings into how difficult it has been for reservists to file a
case under USERRA. He called the system bureaucratic and difficult to
navigate: "With a system like this, it's no wonder that 77% of all
veterans say they don't even bother to seek help when they face
reemployment problems," Kennedy said. "A third say they have no idea
where to turn, or don't believe that their problems would be fixed."
More...
Articles from the MDM Archives:
Act Protects Returning Veterans’ Rights
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