News and Trends

• Stuart C. Irby signs distribution agreement with Allen-Bradley
  Mississippi-based electrical products distributor Stuart C. Irby Co. will become the authorized Allen-Bradley distributor for the Columbus and Meridian, Miss., markets, as of March 31. "We are especially excited about the prospect of increasing our overall industrial and commercial/contractor presence in our home state," said Irby President Michael C. Wigton. Modern Distribution Management (3/7)

• Cardinal dubbed most-admired health care W-D by Fortune
  Fortune magazine has named Cardinal Health Inc. the No. 1 most-admired health care wholesaler, ahead of PSS/World Medical Inc. and Henry Schein Inc. The rankings are based on eight determinants, including innovation, social responsibility and people management. American City Business Journals/Columbus (3/6)

• More on Fortune's most-admired wholesalers: A complete list of Fortune's most-admired wholesalers, divided into diversified, electronics and office equipment, food and grocery, and health care industries, is available at CNNMoney.com/Fortune.

• Employers must take steps to keep older workers, experts say
  The wave of anticipated retirements could hurt economic growth, according to experts testifying before the Senate's special committee on aging. "We can't afford to wait until the retirement wave is upon us," said Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., the panel's chairman. "We must encourage businesses to adopt policies now to attract and retain older workers as they are confronted with the coming labor force shortage." Los Angeles Times (free registration) (3/1)

More than 60% of back orders are cancelled. How can you ensure that you have product available to avoid back orders in the first place? Learn what other distributors are doing to upgrade their supply chain in this free whitepaper.

Best Practices

• Customer-centric firms add lasting value to company
  In today's business world, many companies are trying to be more customer-centric by highlighting the quality of the product and customer support. Companies that are successful at being customer-based firms should adhere to seven guiding principles. San Francisco Chronicle/AllBusiness.com (3/7)

• Keep cargo secure during distribution, shipping
  Prevent costly breaches in security by applying for C-TPAT certification, which requires a vulnerability assessment; randomly inspecting trucks and cargo containers; checking employees' and visitors' ID; and maintaining fences and surveillance equipment. Inbound Logistics (2/2007)

	Effective Pricing Management Leads to Greater Profits Learn pricing principles that can have an immediate impact on the profitability of your business in Strategies for Driving Profitable Revenue Growth for Distributors: Today and Tomorrow, a joint Webinar from pricing experts PROS® and Advanous® on March 28th at 2pm (EST). Please click here to register.
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Sales

• Keep information straightforward, simple when selling
  Give prospects clearly stated, explicit reasons for why they should buy from you, instead of risking confusion with complicated spreadsheets or other data-intensive documents, sales expert Mel Schlesinger advises. For prospects who become clients, you can always provide this type of information later, upon their request. Employee Benefit Adviser (3/1)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by NAW SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Home Depot to invest in business improvements (The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.))

• Report: HD Supply may soon see offers: (Modern Distribution Management)

• Sysco founder dies at 91 (Houston Chronicle)

• Daylight-saving time move may cost more than hour of sleep (Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.))

• Study: Men should drink wine for longer life (MSNBC)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Small Business Manager

• Tips for small-business blogging
  Choosing to combine your company blog with your pre-existing Web site is an innovative way to keep customers informed while saving you money. Adding a blog to your site might even increase its traffic. CNNmoney.com/Fortune Small Business (3/7)

Executive Life

• Armani to launch new Attitude for men
  Giorgio Armani Parfums will debut Attitude, a new scent for men, in 3,000 U.S. department store this May. The company currently markets the first- and second-ranked men's fragrances in the U.S. market. Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (3/9)

• Commentary: Be careful when buying online
  Last week the Hartford Courant reported that Best Buy was being investigated after customers had issues with prices online. In the meantime, Sears and other major retailers are proving that they might not be quite ready for smooth operations on the Internet, Andrew Kantor writes. USA TODAY (3/9)

NAW Insider

• Save on overnight shipping with DHL ShipReady
  NAW and DHL have partnered to offer a unique delivery service from DHL Express. Members can ship anywhere in the continental U.S. for one flat rate with no weight limits, extra fees or fuel surcharges. Receive two free envelopes with your first order by visiting the ShipReady site and entering the promo code NAWSR07.

• NAW and The Hartford
  NAW has partnered with The Hartford to offer insurance expertise and comprehensive coverage tailored to the specific needs of wholesaler-distributors. The Hartford also offers expedited claims handling services and a countrywide network of loss control and risk management experts to help wholesaler-distributors protect their businesses and minimize loss costs. More information available here.

Weekly Poll

• Does your business have a blog?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Yes
	No
	Not yet but we might develop one
	We used to have one but not anymore

Sales Manager HireElements Seattle Account Manager/Branch Mgr 1 or 2 Valley National Gases, Inc. Bluefield, VA, USA Branch Manager Wilson Long Beach, CA Inside Sales Representative Wilson Long Beach, CA Corporate Purchasing Manager Crescent Electric Supply Co. East Dubuque, IL Marketing Analyst Industrial Electric Wire & Cable New Berlin

SmartQuote

I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That's deep enough. What do you want, an adorable pancreas?" --Jean Kerr, author and playwright