Industry News

WIT creates incentives to attract women to trucking industry
Women who obtain a Commercial Driver Training Institute driver training certificate from the Arkansas State University at Newport gain automatic membership to the Women In Trucking Inc., the group has announced. WIT's "goal is to bring more women into the trucking industry," says WIT board chairwoman Ellen Voie. TruckingInfo (6/4)

Supply chain leaders gather to discuss issues, challenges
About 400 transportation leaders from the U.S., Canada and Mexico met in Forth Worth, Texas, to attend a three-day event organized by the nonprofit North America's SuperCorridor Coalition. The meeting focused on methods for improving north-south trade routes as well as cross-border partnerships, infrastructure development and international supply chain logistics. "If we want North America to become and remain a competitive trade block, we've got a heck of a lot of work to do," said Canadian Trucking Alliance CEO David Bradley. GlobeSt.com (5/31)

Retirement age edges up
The retirement age for U.S. workers is edging up after falling for 100 years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 29% of people in their late 60s still have jobs, up from 18% in the mid-1980s. More than 25% of baby boomers plan to never retire, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Realtors. Los Angeles Times (free registration) (5/30)

Business Strategy

Disaster planning requires serious attention
Companies can't predict when a disaster will strike, but they can work to develop the best possible preparation plan. Every company's plan should include measures to protect and back up data and customer information, a means of securing the physical work site and a plan to restart business and operate remotely if needed. Chicago Tribune/Associated Press (free registration) (5/21)

Sales & Marketing Tips

Three basic questions to answer to achieve marketing success
Businesses should address marketing and advertising well before sales ever begin to decline. Answer these questions to identify your principle marketing message: What are you marketing? Who is buying which products within your market? What makes people want to buy from you? Entrepreneur (5/2007)

Record every contact, every time
Keeping track of the full names, titles and contact numbers of key clients and prospects is a must for salespeople, yet many fail to accurately record such data. "It's the methodical, disciplined adherence to excellence in the little things" that separate the top performers from the average, says one sales guru. DaveKahle.com (5/8)

Management Style

Truths about management responsibilities
You needn't work endless hours once your company is established, found a recent Schwab Institutional survey. The results of the survey showed that workers who averaged between 45 and 50 hours a week generated more income than those who worked 60 hours a week, meaning that productivity is lost after a particular threshold. Results also revealed that simply adding more employees wasn't as important as finding fewer employees that really fit with the company. BusinessWeek (5/7)

Recover from mistakes
One of a leader's most critical duties is to course-correct -- getting whatever or whoever is off-track back on the right path -- to ensure company success. BusinessWeek (5/7)

Small Business Operations

Necessary tech tools for today's SMBs
Today, even small businesses need certain technological tools to efficiently operate and do business. Must-have tech tools for small and medium sized businesses include a contact relationship management system, reliable word processing software and mobile Internet access. Businesses should also take their Web sites seriously, regularly updating and tweaking them. The Wholesaler (5/2007)

Association News

Sign up now for the CVSN second annual Business Forum
The time has come to sign up for the CVSN Annual Business Forum. This year's forum will be held in Baltimore, Sept. 16 to 20. Be sure to check out the CVSN Web site under upcoming events for the meeting agenda, information and sign up forms.

Building your vendor report card
"As distributors, we often complain about vendor performance. We rarely let them in on the secret. We expect them to be clairvoyant. Coming into the meeting with a well crafted vendor report card shows that you mean business." Read the rest of Jason Bader's article from The Distribution Team here.

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