| Distribution Industry News |
 |
Emerson reports drops in orders
Emerson Electric Co said its orders fell 20 percent to 25 percent in the three months ended in February.
Airgas lowers fourth quarter earnings guidance
Airgas, Inc. lowered earnings guidance for its fourth quarter ending March 31, 2009.
Industrial production fall in February
Industrial production fell 1.4 percent in February.
Segway inventor to keynote PTDA/FPDA event
Dean Kamen to speak at co-located PTDA 2009 Industry Summit and FPDA 2009 Network Symposium.
Actuant Corp.'s sales down 25 percent
Sales declined to $300 million compared to $400 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2008.
Housing starts rise
Building permits rose 3 percent in February.
Cooper buys LED maker
IMS designs and manufactures specialized optics for LED fixtures.
Lincoln Electric acquires Chinese company
Jinzhou Jin Tai Welding and Metal Co. Ltd. is a welding wire business.
| Online Exclusives |
 |
| Diane Thielfoldt |
Effective selling begins with information
As a salesperson, you must be focused and thoughtful about everything you do, writes sales expert Dave Kahle.
The Un-Comfort Zone with Robert Wilson
Deadlines work
Sometimes we need to be put into a box first before we can think outside of it. A deadline is just such a box.
Backpacks to briefcases
Diane Thielfoldt offers tips on managing the youngest generation in the workforce.
A jack-of-all-trades
Jason Bader writes that distributors need to be wary of ERP software solutions masquerading as wholesale distribution packages.
Trim your software training budget
Classroom software training is expensive, and it is seldom as effective as many people think.
Specialists drive value in turbulent times
Salespeople sell, customer service folks enter orders and warehouse people ship product. But Specialists add that “fairy dust” we call value, writes Frank Hurtte.
Get your late-paying customers to pay on time
Here are five ways reduce your company's credit crunch.
Learning from failure
If we choose to, we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes, writes sales trainer Dave Kahle.
| In Our Current Print Issue |
Check out articles from the January/February 2009 issue of Progressive Distributor magazine.
Cover story
On the trail to higher sales
AIS Industrial & Construction Supply leverages its A-D relationship to grow sales.
Editorial
Weathering the storm
Even the most optimistic distributors are anticipating that 2009 will bring plenty of challenges.
Sales training award
Actions speak louder than words
Industrial Supply Company wins the coveted Progressive Distributor Sales Training Excellence Award.
Distribution management
Landing the Big Fish
Scott Benfield explains how to decrease prices, sell big customers and keep the boat afloat.
Sales force management
Tough times for sales managers
This new series of articles by Robert Nadeau will help sales managers get the most out of their sales teams.
The perception factor
A failure to communicate
Our popular dueling columnists tackle the topic of supplier/customer communications.
E-business
How to avoid a WMS horror story
Here are some steps to take to avoid selecting the wrong warehouse management system (WMS).
