News and Trends

• 2007 a record sales year for WESCO
  Sales at electrical distributor WESCO International climbed 13% in 2007, reaching a record $6 billion, while net income rose from $217 million in 2006 to $241 million. "WESCO produced another year of record operating and financial results in 2007, despite sales weakness encountered early in the year," noted chairman and CEO Roy W. Haley. Industrial Distribution (1/31)

• Higher costs let some air out of Bubble Wrap-maker's profit
  Sealed Air Corp. reported a 4% dip in its fourth-quarter profit compared to the year-ago period, even as sales increased 9% over that time span. The maker of Bubble Wrap and other packaging materials said expenses for energy and raw materials had reached "unprecedented levels," acting as a drag on profit. MarketWatch (1/30)

• Metro posts flat sales amid stiff competition in Ontario market
  Canadian grocery chain operator Metro Inc. reported higher profit but flat sales for its fiscal first quarter, relative to the year-ago period -- owing to a slowing demand for tobacco products, aggressive competition in the Ontario market from Wal-Mart Stores and internal difficulties related to implementing a new information technology system, this article says. Metro has more than 550 food stores operating under various banners in the cities of Ontario and Quebec. The Montreal Gazette (1/30)

On-Demand Webcast: Improving Profitability Through Cost-To-Serve Analysis. Join AMR analyst, Lora Cecere, and industry expert, Jack Haedicke, as they discuss results and industry best practices uncovered by a recent AMR study on cost-to-serve. [ View Webcast ]

Best Practices

• OSHA site helps employers gauge costs of injury, illness
  OSHA has made enhancements to its Web page to give employers a better tool for estimating the costs of occupational injuries and illnesses, as well as a Spanish language safety link. The "Safety Pays" eTool gives companies updated loss-injury figures and a calculator tool for estimating specific costs. Occupational Hazards (1/29)

• Key principles for selling, attaining customer satisfaction
  Every contact with an inbound call represents a chance to engage customers and boost the sales relationship. Some key principles in making the most of such communications include paying attention to the details of a call; helping with problem-solving; making it easy for the customer to do business; and doing it right the first time. CEO Strategist (1/29)

Sales

• Focus on winning just small percentage of market ill-advised
  Businesses often make the mistake of assuming that just needing a small percentage of the market will require just a small effort. Companies should instead forget about that percentage and focus on a market where they can realistically play a dominant role. American City Business Journals (1/21)

Hot Topics

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

• Wrong words can cause trouble at work (CNN)

• Ask right questions to understand customer needs (CEO Strategist)

• Commentary: Listening skills essential for successful sales (Manage Smarter)

• Ashland Distribution's sales rise, profits fall (Industrial Distribution)

• Airgas sales top $1 billion in third quarter (Modern Distribution Management)

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

Small Business Manager

• Make preparations to weather an economic downturn
  While debate continues over whether the U.S. economy is officially in recession, there are sufficiently worrisome economic indicators at hand to warrant companies taking steps to insulate themselves in the event these trends persist throughout the rest of 2008. Business expert Karen E. Klein presents a number of strategies businesses can implement to continue their growth even during the tough times and to position themselves to take advantage of the eventual market upswing. BusinessWeek (1/30)

Executive Life

• Budget hotels see boom around the world
  Demand for budget hotels is booming around the world, and hotel chains are responding. In the U.K., the budget hotel market grew 38% between 2002 and 2006, and by 2027, it should account for more than 25% of the country's total supply of rooms. The boom appears to be greatest in China, where there are nearly 100 economy hotel brands. CNN (1/31)

• Study: Fresh fruit may protect against Alzheimer's
  Exposing neuronal cells to different concentrations of extracts from polyphenol-rich fruit such as apples, oranges and bananas suppressed oxidative stress-induced cell death associated with cognitive function loss and Alzheimer's disease, a team of Korean scientists found. The scientists concluded that increased fresh fruit consumption "may be beneficial to ameliorate chemopreventive effects in neurodegenerative disease such as AD." FoodNavigator (1/31)

NAW Insider

• Order best-selling Facing the Forces of Change report
  Facing the Forces of Change®: Lead the Way in the Supply Chain by the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence is a best seller! This all-new study provides practical insights into key trends impacting the wholesale distribution supply chain and is packed with specific action ideas and planning tools that executives can use today to lead the way in their supply chains.

• Maximize your salesforce's productivity
  Did you know that inside and outside salesforces are 30% to 40% of the typical distributor's operating expenses? Many distributors don't know that or how to measure sales productivity and whether they are becoming more or less productive. Let Restructuring the Distribution Sales Effort for Maximum Productivity guide you through the process from the traditional fully loaded salesforce cost structure to new salesforce models that promise higher profitability.

Weekly Poll

• Is your business taking precautions in case of a recession?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	It is best to be prepared.
	We have not given it that much consideration yet.
	We do not anticipate being very much affected by a downturn.

Assistant Fill Plant Manager Gases Plus Casper, WY Vice President, Supplier and Product Strategy Summit Electric Supply Albuquerque, NM Director of Sales Pacor Inc. Cinnaminson, New Jersey

SmartQuote

Knowledge is the distilled essence of our institutions, corroborated by experience." --Elbert Hubbard, American author