NAW introduces a brand-new training course titled PRICE FOR SUCCESS ONLINE COURSE. This new online training course will help you combat a bad case of Margin Shrink. Multiple seat discounts are available to AVDA members so you can train your entire sales staff and anyone else on your team who has customer contact. The best way to see if PRICE FOR SUCCESS ONLINE COURSE is right for you is to preview the course for free here.

Determining the appropriate margin on an order is essential to maximize profits on the item sold while, at the same time, preserving customer satisfaction. To help all distribution sales reps and sales managers, PRICE FOR SUCCESS ONLINE COURSE shows you how to quote prices with complete confidence so you are striking the correct balance between pleasing the customer and achieving the company's profit goals. After taking this online course, you will get your pricing practices back to where they belong and pull in higher margins by learning how to price more effectively.

Through fun and interactive pricing exercises and quizzes, you will gain a better understanding of:

• What Factors Affect Profitability

• The Value of Service

• Specific Item Price Sensitivity

• How to Make a Fair Profit and the Cost of Service

• How to Handle Customer-Based Price Sensitivity

• Price with Confidence

You can take the course at your own pace and in keeping with your learning objectives and other time commitments. The entire course takes about 3-4 hours to complete anywhere you have Internet access. For answers to other frequently asked questions about PRICE FOR SUCCESS ONLINE COURSE, click here.

DREF Introduces New Book

DREF announces a brand-new book titled WORKING AT CROSS-PURPOSES: HOW DISTRIBUTORS AND MANUFACTURERS CAN MANAGE CONFLICT SUCCESSFULLY. It takes a long time for your members to develop good distributor-supplier relationships; unfortunately, it only takes a short time to destroy them. This book is your guide to understanding what really drives distributor-supplier relationships, how often they go bad, and why. And, importantly, it gives your members the know-how to move a distributor-supplier relationship from dysfunctional to effective.

The distributor-supplier relationship is certainly complex and it is ever changing within the highly competitive and always changing commercial nature of this business. Like any good relationship, it takes hard work to nurture it in order to preserve it. WORKING AT CROSS-PURPOSES is written with both distributors and suppliers in mind, and it can help your members avoid the economic and other consequencesconsequences, economic and otherwise, of a core relationship turning sour by looking for ways to correct emerging problems before they become critical.

Authors MIKE MARKS, TIM HORAN, and MIKE EMERSON of Indian River Consulting Group explore the fallacy of "win-win" and provide you with diagnostic tools to help you manage your supplier relationships in ways that prove beneficial to both you and your suppliers. You will learn how to move supplier relationships from dysfunctional to effective by helping to:

• understand what is behind the constant friction that exists when both partners work at legitimate cross-purposes because their paths to profit and growth are very different

• learn how to avoid the missed opportunities that exist in every distributor-supplier channel

• find real diagnostic tools to apply and corrective actions to take to preserve this vital relationship for your members' enterprises.

In preparation for this book, the authors conducted vigorous research, which included written survey responses from distribution executives as well as candid interviews with distributors who were willing share their stories anonymously. And, to get both sides of the story, the authors also conducted interviews with suppliers who were parties to some of the termination experiences described in the interviews with the distribution executives. This primary research gathered from real-world distributor-supplier relationships, along with the combined 35 years of consulting experience of the three authors, contribute to this roadmap for understanding what drives the distributor-supplier relationship and how and why this relationship can often become unprofitable. Wholesaler-distributors can take advantage of the real-world experiences in Working at Cross-Purposes to improve their relationships with all their suppliers.

Driving Growth and Shareholder Value: The Distribution Value Map™

After 3 years in the making in a $2 million research project, Driving Growth and Shareholder Value: The Distribution Value Map™ is launched by Deloitte Consulting LLP and the Distribution Research and Education Foundation (DREF).

At last, distributors across all lines of trade can use the Distribution Value Map™ (DVM) in their efforts to reenergize existing programs or jump-start new initiatives. The value map framework has been tested and put to use—it works!

As an $8+ trillion dollar global industry, wholesale distribution is a vital contributor to the world and U.S. economy. A first-of-its-kind book for the industry, Driving Growth and Shareholder Value: The Distribution Value Map™ provides a practical framework and literally hundreds of provocative, actionable ideas for distributors to consider in their efforts to drive revenue growth, profitability, and shareholder value in a competitive economy.

The DVM and companion book—a dynamic and interactive combination of tools—have been developed by Deloitte Consulting LLP specifically for the distribution industry. No matter the line of trade, these are accessible, content-rich resources that will help distributors debate ideas and priorities for their organizations, refine their strategies, and plan and execute their tactical performance improvement efforts. These materials are specially developed to help distributors:

• define how to achieve their objectives

• challenge conventional thinking about what drives value for their organization, their customers, and their suppliers

• develop key capabilities and skills

• better serve their customers—and their customers’ customers

• determine what to measure and why.

Says Mark Kramer, CEO, Laird Plastics, Inc., “As an early adopter of the Distribution Value Map, we have put it to use in multiple settings from business planning with our top leadership to training in the field. If you visit one of our centers across North America you’ll find a copy of the DVM on the wall. The comprehensive breadth and depth of the map helps us remind ourselves why we’re in business and define our unique value proposition for each and every customer.”

Authors E. Neil Gholson and Mark T. Schloegel weave into the book a number of real-world situations relevant to executives and managers at distributors of all sizes. Distributors will find case studies that link theory with practice, action steps that offer concrete suggestions about “how to get started,” and performance indicators that prompt distributors to reflect on their scorecard. The DVM also provides a backdrop for communication (e.g., about what distributors do and why they do it) with leadership teams, associates, investors, and key stakeholders.

Suppliers and customers working with distributors can also tap these premier resources for insightful perspectives on distributors’ roles in the value chain. These materials are designed to assist in efforts to jointly reduce waste, synchronize the supply chain, and deliver customer value.

To order any of these publications, visit http://www.nawpubs.org or call NAW at 202-872-0885.