Avoid the ‘Money Hose,’ Align Priorities & Get More from Younger Employees

3 lessons from MDM Webcasts in the first quarter 2013.

In our Webcasts the first few months of this year, MDM examined the relationship between data and profitability, the key trends facing distributors in 2013 (including data and analytics) and the importance of thinking differently about your business in 2013.

Here are three takeaways from MDM Webcast speakers in the first quarter:

Don’t ‘spray a money hose’ at problems. That’s according to Mike Marks in the webcast, The Link Between Business Intelligence and Profitability. Too often, he says, distributors will buy new tools and hope the tool solves the problem. But companies need to not only have the right tools but also the right training so that your people know how to maximize the ROI from those tools. Read more in: Minding the Gap Between Data and Action. Order the DVD of that webcast here.

Align customer priorities with company priorities. Get out of the generalist mindset, Marks says. “If we’re generalists, what we’re fundamentally doing is spending money trying to be all things to all people.” To provide real value, distributors should focus on meeting the most critical needs of target segments. Read more about it in: New Year, New Approach to Business. Get the DVD of this webcast here.

View younger employees as more than just a source of knowledge on the latest technology. They also bring an energy and fearlessness with them to an organization that may help you try new initiatives that may never have been tried before, according to the February webcast, Top 10 Trends in Distribution: How Distributors are Positioning for 2013. Read more in: 12 Trends in Distribution for 2013. Or access the DVD of the webcast here.

Upcoming MDM Webcasts include: