Delivering for Best-in-Class Wholesaler-Distributors

NAW Publications

“Facing the Forces of Change has given us a guide-book and a great insight into the future developments facing our industry. We look at almost all of the NAW Institute publications and circulate them among all of our management team.”

—Richard Schwartz, Chairman of the Board, Winsupply, Inc.

“By reading NAW Institute / Texas A&M University research studies at the onset of being published, it gives us a competitive advantage of 1–2 years.”

—Nathan Potter, CEO, DW Distribution Inc

“The research quality is top notch…the studies give us the opportunity to apply the insights and analytics to make our business decisions better for the future of our organization.”

—Matthew Geekie, SVP, Secretary, and General Counsel, Graybar Electric Company

New Releases

BRAND-NEW E-CHAPTER! Distribution Leans In: Stories of Resiliency and Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Distribution Leans In: Stories of Resiliency and Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic This E-chapter shares up-to-the-minute ideas and insights from distributor leaders based on their experiences and lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemi...
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Free Reports and White Papers

…But What Did It Cost Us? How to Reduce Selling Costs in Wholesale Distribution

This white paper shows your sales manager how to determine whether your sales force is spending company resources wisely in pursuing customers. Where is your sales team wasting resources as it attempts to close sales?
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2021 State of E-commerce in Distribution Part 1: A Rapid Rise in Adoption & Maturity

This State of E-commerce in Distribution research found that distributors are adopting e-commerce at a rapid pace.
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24-page addendum to Facing the Forces of Change®: Reimagining Distribution in a Connected World

This 24-page Executive Report examines some of the more recent challenges distributors face and offers suggestions for differentiation.
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Digital Transformation: The New Proving Ground for Distributors

This white paper provides guidance on how to infuse an agile and powerful digital transformation strategy into every aspect of your business. You can outpace your digitally savvy competitors.
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Leaving Your Comfort Zone: New Insights to Strengthen the Critical Distributor–Manufacturer Partnership

This white paper looks at distributor–manufacturer relationships, and how they can be improved and strengthened. Special feature: “10 Elements of a Distribution System Policy Audit.”
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FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Mergers and Acquisitions for Distributors: Expert Advice for Buyers and Sellers

Mergers and Acquisitions for Distributors: Expert Advice for Buyers and Sellers. The unique perspectives of a private equity investor, an attorney, and a certified public accountant (CPA) enrich this text with information the reader might not be able...
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Groundbreaking Research with Texas A&M University

Customer Stratification: Best Practices for Boosting Profitability

Customer stratification is a critical business process that every distributor should adopt and execute well to achieve greater profitability. This research study offers 20 action steps that your company can implement today.
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Driving Profitable Growth: A Distributor’s Playbook to Generate-Manage-Sustain Competitive Advantage

At last, distributors have a growth playbook that is based on research and analytics instead of anecdotal information!
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Optimizing Channel Profitability: A Playbook to Align Manufacturer–Distributor–Customer Relationships

The heart of this study is the Channel Alignment Framework, which creates a common ground for distributors and manufacturers to perform two things at the same time: relate to their individual goals while keeping an eye on customer value.
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Optimizing Distributor Profitability: Best Practices to a Stronger Bottom Line

There are 47 best practices in this study and all were developed from actual experiences of 84 wholesale distribution firms across our industry. This study is a powerful weapon for you to use to enhance your shareholder value.
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Optimizing Human Capital Development: A Distributor’s Guide to Building Sustainable Competitive Advantage Through Talent Strategy

This is the first research study in the distribution industry that aims to build organization competitive advantage through people management. If you manage people at the front-line level to the C-suite, this research study will benefit you.
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Pricing Optimization: Striking the Right Balance for Margin Advantage

This study will help you achieve the right pricing solution for your business. It features 9 best practices from wholesaler-distributors, 40 action steps, and 73 examples from distributors across many product lines.
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Sales and Marketing Optimization: Developing Competitive Value Propositions in Distribution

This book is a first-of-its-kind, best practices study that focuses on aligning customer needs, sales force priorities, and wholesaler-distributor objectives to maximize value creation.
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Unlock the Power of Inventory Analytics: Aligning Working Capital to Customer Experience to Maximize Your Bottom Line

With distributor case studies and 15 years of research, this study helps you execute an innovative inventory management framework that optimizes your value proposition and customer service.
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HUMAN CAPITAL STRATEGY AND EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION

Effective Sales Incentive Design for Distributors: What’s the Right Plan?

This book is not about theories; it’s about practical experience and expert guidance for surviving and growing in today’s world. It will help you think more clearly about your situation and goals and may challenge your assumptions.
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Optimizing Human Capital Development: A Distributor’s Guide to Building Sustainable Competitive Advantage Through Talent Strategy

This is the first research study in the distribution industry that aims to build organization competitive advantage through people management. If you manage people at the front-line level to the C-suite, this research study will benefit you.
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What’s Your Plan? Smart Salesforce Compensation in Wholesale Distribution

Compensation programs are effective when clear and actionable objectives are in place. This book shows how to design and implement a compensation program that supports your objectives, and helps you to avoid common pitfalls.
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PROFITABILITY AND PRICING

Customer Stratification: Best Practices for Boosting Profitability

Customer stratification is a critical business process that every distributor should adopt and execute well to achieve greater profitability. This research study offers 20 action steps that your company can implement today.
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Driving Profitable Growth: A Distributor’s Playbook to Generate-Manage-Sustain Competitive Advantage

At last, distributors have a growth playbook that is based on research and analytics instead of anecdotal information!
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In Search of the Perfect Customer: Cost-to-Serve for Distributors

Is your company overlooking opportunities to make money and stop profit leakage? This study shows you how to protect your most profitable, high-growth potential customers and avoid squandering precious resources.
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Optimizing Channel Profitability: A Playbook to Align Manufacturer–Distributor–Customer Relationships

The heart of this study is the Channel Alignment Framework, which creates a common ground for distributors and manufacturers to perform two things at the same time: relate to their individual goals while keeping an eye on customer value.
More Info

Optimizing Distributor Profitability: Best Practices to a Stronger Bottom Line

There are 47 best practices in this study and all were developed from actual experiences of 84 wholesale distribution firms across our industry. This study is a powerful weapon for you to use to enhance your shareholder value.
More Info

Pricing Optimization: Striking the Right Balance for Margin Advantage

This study will help you achieve the right pricing solution for your business. It features 9 best practices from wholesaler-distributors, 40 action steps, and 73 examples from distributors across many product lines.
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Strategic Pricing in Wholesale Distribution: Tools and Rules for Building Higher Margins

Most distributors are leaving at least two percentage points of gross trading margin on the table. This translates into 2% of total sales. Two percent is the difference between mediocre profit results and stellar performance!
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The REAL Profit Drivers: Managing the CPVs

This study identifies what actually drives profit. It examines the financial performance on the Critical Profit Variables (CPVs) of 885 distributors across 17 lines of trade.
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Triple Your Profit! Stop Being a Profit Soldier and Start Being a Profit Winner

Only 10% of all companies produce a truly great profit. What’s the problem? First, you need to focus on profit and not sales. Second, don’t cut prices—ever. Third have a plan, not a meaningless budget.
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SALES MANAGEMENT

5 Fundamentals for the Wholesale Distribution Sales Manager

This best-selling book offers a practical but powerful approach through five fundamentals for taking your sales force to the next level. It includes real-world stories taken from the front lines of wholesale distribution.
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Essentials of Profitable Inside Sales in Distribution©

If you’ve set goals for your inside sales reps to provide superior service that enhances your company’s competitive position and drives profits to sustainable higher levels, then this workbook is for you.
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Marketing Plans for Growing Sales: A Guide for Wholesaler-Distributors, Second Edition

This report will show you how to develop a workable marketing strategy for penetrating accounts. Use it to help you take the shortest, most productive path to sales growth.
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Sales and Marketing Optimization: Developing Competitive Value Propositions in Distribution

This book is a first-of-its-kind, best practices study that focuses on aligning customer needs, sales force priorities, and wholesaler-distributor objectives to maximize value creation.
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Taking Charge of Distribution Sales: 9 Proven Skills to Lead and Manage Your Sales Team

Whether you are a new sales executive putting your system together or an experienced sales executive looking for new perspectives, this book offers tools you can use immediately.
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The Future of Selling: The End of Sales as We Know It

This research study is described as an encyclopedic view of sales research. You will gain a better understanding of how the various aspects of sales are changing and what the future holds.
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STRATEGY, INNOVATION AND VALUE CREATION

Becoming a Digital Distributor: Strategies and Tools That Create Value

Your roadmap to adopting and using digital tools—e-commerce, social media, mobility, CRM, advanced analytics, and multichannel solutions—to gain a competitive advantage.
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CEO Insights on Innovating the Distributor for the Digital Age

Fortune favors the prepared, and preparation is all about capabilities. Find out what more than 100 distributor CEOs and more than 50 manufacturers, customers and experts on innovation, technology and organizational change have to say.
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Creating Innovations and Shaping the Future of Business: A Look at Commerce, Technology and Human Forces in Distribution

This electronic Challenge Paper will show you how distributors can lead, disrupt and help their customers and suppliers to thrive in the digital age.
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Getting Results From Your Digital Investments

This book is about helping you build a vision that is the right one for your company. It provides advice for helping you make investments, mobilize people, and get results from your digital investments.
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Getting the Most Out of CRM: Best Practices for Wholesaler-Distributors

This book provides a soup-to-nuts planning framework, best practices from leading distributors, and ready-to-implement management tools for engaging your leaders and salespeople.
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INNOVATE! How Successful Distributors Lead Change in Disruptive Times

95% of distribution leaders surveyed feel personally empowered to be disruptive change agents within their business. If this describes you, then INNOVATE! is for you.
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Strategic Planning for Distributors: Execution Isn’t Everything—It’s the Only Thing!

Does your current strategic-planning process result in continual increases in market share and sustainable profitability? If not, then you want to read this book.
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Value Creation Strategies for Wholesaler-Distributors

Walk through the principles that drive successful strategy development and execution for wholesaler-distributors of all sizes and lines of trade. Learn how value creation strategy can produce significant and rapid financial benefits.
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SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Optimizing Channel Profitability: A Playbook to Align Manufacturer–Distributor–Customer Relationships

The heart of this study is the Channel Alignment Framework, which creates a common ground for distributors and manufacturers to perform two things at the same time: relate to their individual goals while keeping an eye on customer value.
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Working at Cross-Purposes: How Distributors and Manufacturers Can Manage Conflict Successfully

What drives the distributor–manufacturer relationship, how does it go bad, and why? Learn how to avoid the economic and other consequences of this relationship turning sour.
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WAREHOUSE AND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

Achieving Effective Inventory Management, 6th Edition with EIM Version 3 Spreadsheets!

This research study is a complete guide to managing a large and often troublesome asset: Inventory. It’s your guide to maximizing the productivity and profitability.
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Unlock the Power of Inventory Analytics: Aligning Working Capital to Customer Experience to Maximize Your Bottom Line

With distributor case studies and 15 years of research, this study helps you execute an innovative inventory management framework that optimizes your value proposition and customer service.
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WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION STAPLES

5 Fundamentals for the Wholesale Distribution Branch Manager, Second Edition

The branch manager is key to success for every wholesaler-distributor. This classic, step-by-step guide shows branch managers how to improve their business and leadership skills.
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Essentials of Profitable Wholesale Distribution©, Second Edition

How can you ensure that your employees are aligned with your goals for high performance and profitability? Give them this straightforward training workbook to speed their learning and retention.
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