Having a great team can make or break your showroom. There has been a lot of discussion and practices-sharing lately on how to hire a great team — and equally as important, how to keep that team.

If a person can articulate reasons for doing the desired behavior, you are steering him toward the desired outcome because people believe their own reasons more strongly than the motives of others.

Distribution is a competitive business with thin operating margins. The difference of a few percentage points on a product can make the difference between a sale and losing a sale.

A manufacturer’s salesforce can take many forms — internal sales, external sales or partner with a manufacturer’s rep firm to represent the company and its brand.  A manufacturer’s representative is an integral part of the industry channel and  an extension of the brands it represents. 

Creating an environment for employees to prosper personally and financially enables businesses to flourish. And reducing barriers to opportunity enhances a company’s growth, as investing in your employees inevitably increases productivity and, ultimately, your bottom line. 

After taking a dip in 2018, spending in the U.S. power industry for pipe, valves and fittings is forecast to continue to rise through 2020, as project activity in various sectors increases.

When President Donald Trump recently raised eyebrows in calling his predecessor President Barack Obama’s “war on climatological impurities” a hoax, he stunned much of America’s believers, who had approved the cutback in the “belching” of carbon dioxide (CO2). This called for the limitation of coal production and cutting back U.S. manufacturing, in general, to “save the air.”

Construction jobs at the end of the first half of the year showed more strength than during the first quarter and at the beginning of the second quarter.

We recently returned from this year’s Southern Wholesaler’s Association (SWA) meeting held on Amelia Island in Florida. As always, the SWA meeting was well-attended and included an excellent program with many opportunities for business, social and family activities.

The company will host "How to Prepare Your Business for Digital Commerce" Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. ET.