Article topics:

Distribution management
Human resources
Information management
Inventory management
Marketing
Negotiation
Sales
Sales articles by Dave Kahle
Sales management
Redesigning sales compensation (Series by Scott Benfield)
Selling a distributorship (Series by Jane Baynard and Scott Benfield)

Distribution management
360-degree feedback mechanisms
Agenda 2005
American manufacturers: It's time to innovate or evaporate
Are you making a difference or just making money?
Big changes for industrial distributors
Become brilliant in the basics
Business communications in 2005
A case study in opportunity
Cash flow is king
Caught in the middle: Supply chain dynamics
Celebrating the art of delegating
Channel lessons
The China Syndrome and industrial distributors:
     At least the asphalt plant won’t move to China
The China syndrome interview with Scott Benfield
Closing the freight gap
Compassion for your competition?
The compensation plan is not the problem
Competition doesn't end with getting 
     the sale: It's only the beginning
Credit management: Wrong guys for the job
Develop stronger distributor, manufacturer links
Different tactics for a different type of downturn
Distribution pricing limbo: How low can you go?
Don't get blindsided by your organization's reality
Don’t get too real
The distribution paradox
Distributor/manufacturer relationships eroding
Earn a tax break by donating inventory
Economic downturn: A culling of the herd
Establishing a coaching relationship with subordinates
The "Fab-Five" leadership principles of all time
Family business dynamics
The five ingredients of a successful initiative
Five steps to reinventing your work
Five traps to avoid when leading a diverse team
The forces of change remain
Four keys for soaring past your competition
Four losers’ limps you must lose
Four really cool ways to blow it on the Internet
Four steps to making strategic alliances work
Getting in the zone for winning leadership
Getting the cost out of wholesale distributors
Getting to the truth by asking good questions
Good wholesalers to great ones – quickly
How low will you go?
How to avoid faux pas with Chinese colleagues
How to control corporate stress
How to manage a contract in China
Implementing a functional discount structure
Improving customer service and customer retention levels
Improving delegation
Is the industry model obsolete?
Job burnout is a dragon scorching the modern workplace
Keys to unlocking leadership
Leading effectively during changing times
Lead, motivate and retain key talent during slow times
Leading distributors attract leading manufacturers
Motivating unmotivated people
NSN addresses product data maintenance nightmare
Pot of gold turns to lead
The quest for productivity
Recession-proofing your operation
Redefining the MRO supply chain
Revamping wholesaler pricing
The road to opportunity in wholesale distribution
Seven deadly sins of management
Seven ideas to make your business more competitive
The seven myths that undermine effective change
Six principles for promoting self-responsibility
Stop looking for lightning bolts
Strategic planning: How to make it work
The rise of the transactional distributor
Taking smart risks
Three keys to accountability
Timeless lessons of managing distributor networks
Tips for business improvement in the slowing economy
Tough times are just beginning
Uncover the assumptions that stall business growth
Where's the cash
Why aren't "Best (Distributor) Practices" happening
Why do we make change so hard?
Will your key manufacturing accounts be here next year?
Working successfully with workplace behavior

back to top

Human resources
Add value to your company's most valuable resource
Attract the best people
Avoid hiring headaches
Don’t damage your career by aggravating people
Don't rehire the "sludge muffins"
Double your productivity
Employee theft: an interactive scenario
Forgotten by time -- credit and A/R management
Get the message out about employee e-mail policies
Hiring on enthusiasm
How to be an intentional leader: four traits for success
How to overcome organizational indifference
HRAs save the healthcare day for employers
If you don’t make waves, you’ll drown
Is a culture of entitlement killing your company?
Job hunting tips for the distribution industry professional
Organizing solutions for the disorganized entrepreneur
Orient your new hire for success
Performance reviews gone bad
Preventing survivor sickness after a layoff
Resolving conflict at work takes time
Rules that distributors don't want to make
Set the standard for a productive team
Six truths about employee turnover
Stay true to your core values during tough economic times
Teach employees the business facts of life
There’s no such thing as safe sex in the office
Three keys to leading through crisis
Three secrets for preventing job burnout
The 10 commandments of workplace motivation
Why your company needs creative problem solving

back to top

Information management
Build vs. buy
Closed minds equal closed wallets
Common mistakes made on distributor Web sites
The extraordinary power of 
      information in a downsizing world
Four strategies for power decision making
Getting the most out of a conference
Managing information for increasing
     productivity, profit and peace of mind
Standardization saves
Ten tips for managing your e-mail inbox
Trim your software training budget: Ditch the classroom
Using the hidden Web to research your prospects

back to top

Inventory management
Contain hidden costs with automated inventory control
Don't be blinded by the trade show lights
Efficient and safe warehouse operations
Is the financial theory of 
      inventory management losing its validity?
Is there a weak link in your supply chain?
It has to be here somewhere
The most powerful tool in your warehouse
Standard cost can bring extraordinary returns
Surplus inventory: Avoid it, identify it, sell it
Tackle the small-order problem now
There is more to e-commerce than building a Web site
This place stinks
What's in your vault?
Why is inventory turnover important?
Wouldn't it be nice if. . .
You know your WMS implementation is going bad when

back to top

Marketing
Capturing Value: An interview with Scott Benfield
Empower your employees to be mini-marketers
The essence of differentiation
Five tips to better e-mail marketing
Fourteen proven ways to waste your marketing dollars
Gaining visibility
Get your business the attention it deserves
How to become a market leader
How to develop your creative thinking skills
How to find out what your customers want
How to get the media to notice your business
Internet marketing is like using a stick to knock down fruit
Marketing and sales strategy
Of bean counters, recession, service quality and cost hacking
Recession marketing: Lead or get left behind
Seven ways to stay up in down times
Stand out in business: Try writing notes by hand
Stop wasting your marketing dollars
A tutorial on product lifecycle
Unlocking the barriers to business success
We know we need marketing, but it costs too much
What is your CI?
What should a company expect from its marketing program
What suppliers say about buyers
Why you should worry about Web site usability
Your customers are saying, “Get to know me!”

back to top

Negotiation
The deal before the sale: frequently asked questions
Get what you want: Negotiate to win
How to negotiate higher prices
How to seal the deal in seven seconds
Negotiation strategies of the pros
Speak not...sell a lot
Use the law of reciprocity to improve business relationships

back to top

Sales 
A child's guide to effective selling
Add-on selling
All I want is an unfair advantage
Any price is too high
Applying science to the art of sales
Are you geared up for sales success?
Are you on target with your customers?
Avoid the fatal presentation trap
Be a master negotiator with three simple steps
Be a sales standout
Being right can be fatal
Body language speaks louder than words
Boost your sales by overcoming your fear of rejection
Communicate confidently in any
     situation: Tips from the Bard of Avon
Communicating price increases to your customers
Creating opportunities in tough times
Do you create liars?
Don’t confuse the scoreboard for the game
Don't sound like a salesperson
Don't waste money on sales training
Effective selling – Turn prospects into buying partners
Essential attitudes for D-A-T-I-N-G your customer
Generate momentum to increase sales, promote growth
Getting time on your side
Go from good to great
How to get feedback that benefits your business
How to grow your business
How to win business without cutting prices
Increase your sales performance 25 percent
Intuition: Your secret weapon for sales success
Is your language blocking your success?
Is your sales performance in question?
It's all about business results
Jump-start your sales by mastering rejection
Is your sales performance in question?
It's all about business results
It’s not the money; it’s the amount
Jump-start your sales by mastering rejection
Learn the customer’s buying cycle
Listening habits for higher sales
Networking know how: Make your connections count
Overcome the top temptations of successful salespeople
Practice the seven secrets of sales success
Prescription for sales effectiveness
Putting your intuition to work
The rainmakers
The sales and credit connection
Sales lessons from a desperate college student
Sales lessons from Edgar
Sales strategies of six-figure-income salespeople
Salespeople: Position yourself with power
The secret to profitable customer relations
Sell like a CEO
Selling against Goliath
Selling value-added services
Seventeen ways to retool for successful 21st century selling
Simplify negotiations with effective communication
Six simple tips for increasing sales and peace of mind
Stop negative thinking for better sales
Successful meeting and greeting
Teaming up with your customers
Ten timely tips for mastering the complex sale
The top five mistakes salespeople make
The trust factor
Turbocharge your sales
The two great myths of distribution selling
To sell or not to sell: 10 tips from the Bard of Avon
We've lost the client focus
Why passion doesn't sell
Words that sell
You don't have a Sales Excellence Council?
You don’t say!
You mean it’s not all about customer relationships?

back to top

Sales articles by Dave Kahle
A propensity to take risks
Budgeting for sales development
Changing the behavior of an experienced salesperson
Create specific expectations to transform your sales force
Creating long-term goals
Eight powerful rules for relationship building
How to maximize the power of a sales call
On entertaining your customers
Sales management myths: Straight commission
Sales management myths: The entrepreneurial salesperson
Smart strategies for a challenging economy
Thinking about sales: Is integrity a sales strategy?
Thinking about sales? Think a lot.
The three most common mistakes sales managers make
Transform your sales force: create specific expectations
Try a sales blitz
What’s a professional sales manager?

back to top

Sales management
A strategic, time-management assignment
Aligning the Sales Model to the Market Strategy
Are your customer relationships all that great?
Boost profits with four simple steps
Commission rates
Game face
Get serious about developing your salespeople
How to organize sales training
Learn to lead through tough times
Motivating salespeople
No-nonsense laws for new leaders
Profit-driven credit approval
This recession is not my recession
The role of a leader
The sales manager’s best friend
Sales productivity and capturing value in distribution markets
Set the standard for a productive team
Seven principles every inside seller should know
Territory management
Three keys to leading through crisis
Unleash your team’s true leadership potential

back to top

Redesigning sales compensation
a series by Scott Benfield
Part one
Part two: The Performance Cycle

back to top

Selling a distributorship, 
a series by Scott Benfield and Jane E. Baynard
1. To sell or not to sell? Making the decision
2. Overview of the selling process
3. The advisory team
4. Preparing for the “corporate scrub”
5. “Buy” the numbers: What financials say about the company
6. Pricing: "You can't always get what you want," or can you?
7. Structuring the transaction
8. Negotiation and closing
9. Alternatives to selling a wholesale distribution business
10. Selling a piece at a time:
     Going public the new-fashioned way

back to top