Special Edition - September 2005          

Profitability l Health Insurance l Sales Training l UID

Training Opportunities from AVDA

AVDA has teamed up with Modern Distribution Management (MDM) and the Association Education Alliance (AEA) to bring you a wide variety of training opportunities this fall. You can take advantage of cost effective teleconferences on how to supercharge your company’s goal setting and strategic planning, and ways to cut the high cost of health insurance for your employees and their families. Your sales team can also take advantage of a two-and-one-half day interactive sales training seminar from Don Buttrey, president of  Sales Professional Training, Inc.

Complete details on each program follows. Don’t miss these outstanding opportunities to educate your staff and boost your bottom line. Another member service from AVDA.

Turbocharge Your 2006 Strategic Plan for Increased Profits

Michael Marks, Indian River Consulting

September 29, 2005 • Teleconference

Improve your planning process this fall with a reality check on your 2006 strategic planning. This new interactive audio conference on Thursday, September 29, 2005 will test your thinking and raise critical issues you may not have included as you set goals for next year.

This is a unique and timely opportunity to get high-level objective feedback and perspective that will improve your bottom-line results next year. Now is the time to evaluate your plan with the help of this industry veteran who does not mince words when it comes to threats, opportunities and self-inflicted wounds he sees every day in his work with manufacturers and distributors. DETAILS

What's New in Health Insurance: HRAs vs. HSAs

October 11, 2005 • Webinar

The cost and availability of health insurance continues to be one of the highest concerns among CEOs today.  The good news is that recent federal legislation has provided employers with some new insurance tools, including health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs).

In this two-part session, insurance expert Kyle Anthony will review insurance trends and explain the highlights of HRAs and HSAs and their economic implications for both a company and its employees. In the second part, you will hear directly from owners of distribution companies about how these programs have dramatically changed their employee benefit packages. DETAILS

The Habits of Selling

November 30 - December 2, 2005 • Dayton, Ohio

Sales professionals will learn how to document their organization’s value-added services and sell them to their customers. With the help of the logical and systematic “5 A’s Selling Process,” attendees will work on a target account of their choice to gain practical, hands-on tools for better face-to face selling. DETAILS

University of Industrial Distribution

March 5-8, 2006 • Indianapolis, Indiana

If you are looking for an opportunity to improve personal performance and your company’s bottom line, the University of Industrial Distribution is for you. Hundreds of CEOs, branch managers, sales & marketing managers, purchasing managers, operations managers, inventory managers and manufacturer personnel working with distributors have increased their knowledge and effectiveness through UID. The next program will be held March 5-8, 2006 at Indiana University/Purdue University in Indianapolis. Because AVDA is a sponsoring organization, AVDA members qualify for special rates. DETAILS