Chairman's Commentary

A couple weeks ago I attended the NRA Convention in Pittsburg. It is truly an amazing event with 70,000+ attendees and 500 exhibitors from every segment of the industry. It also bauds well for the future of our industry to see so many people involved and engaged in hunting sports.

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Board Brief - A Message from the NASGW President

As Jack pointed out, we are busy planning our upcoming annual in November and wanted to give you some advance notice of the changes that we have made to this year's meeting and Expo.

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Welcome to the Newest Members of NASGW:

Member Perspective - J. Harding Associates Inc.

InSIGHT recently interviewed long time member and manufacturers representative Jack Harding, President of J. Harding Associates Inc., Huntington Beach, CA.

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Distributor Survey: Average Revenue Growth Beat Expectations in Q1, 2011

Distributors reported an average 8.7% increase in revenues for the first quarter, according to the Robert W. Baird & Co./MDM Distribution Benchmarking Survey. About 47% of respondents said they had expanded their inventory levels for the first quarter, higher than the anticipated 39% from the fourth quarter of 2010 survey. Modern Distribution Management/Economy blog (4/25)

Federal Estate Tax: The Two-Year Window

Recently, Congress increased the federal estate tax exemption to $5 million, leaving an estimated 4,000,000 families likely to be stuck paying the 35% tax in 2011. The new deal will expire at the end of 2012, thus leaving families with a "two-year window" to adjust their estate plans as is necessary.

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Can Employers Enforce No-Smoking Rules?

Can employers enforce no-smoking bans on employees, off the job as well as at work? In a nutshell, it all depends. Twenty-nine states currently prohibit employers from discriminating against employees who smoke, including not hiring, firing or imposing higher medical insurance or add-on fees on smokers.

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Employees Consider Leaving For Better Pay

Nearly 75% of employees are planning to leave their current employer at some point, according to a survey from Glassdoor.com. Respondents say their desire to switch jobs is the result of factors including stagnant pay and the improving economy.

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Firearm Sales Indicator Rose Again in March

Background checks for firearms rose 11.5% in March according to data from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This continues the strong upward 18.5% increase in February. Background checks have been trending upward since June of last year. In March 2011, 1,449,724 background checks were performed compared to 1,300,100 in March 2010.

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Articles of Interest:

Here are this month's picks for articles of interest in best practices, sales & marketing and management.

Tips for Improving Your Relationship with Manufacturers

A bad relationship between a manufacturer and a distributor can spell disaster and cost everyone business, experts say. As with all partnerships, communication is key in building a solid relationship and face-to-face session are critical. Experts also tout the importance of information transparency and how distributors are using technology from social media to cloud services to achieve it. Thomas Regional (4/26).

6 Keys to Helping the Media Tell Your Side of the Story

Business leaders facing challenging media interviews should focus on providing a compelling story that journalists can pass on to their audiences, writes Andrew D. Gilman. Covering the 5 W's isn't enough, though. You must also be prepared to rattle off the URL for your company's website and to use that platform to clarify or expand on statements you make in the interview, he adds. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (3/29).

Are You Clueless About What Your Workers Really Want?

Most CEOs don't have a clue about their direct reports' real priorities and concerns, an ExecuNet survey found. CEOs tend to overestimate the extent to which their senior managers are motivated by money and job satisfaction, the survey found, and to underestimate the importance they place on family life and shaping the future of the company. "When we talk about hourly employees, we think that things like personal relationships and work flexibility motivate them, but when we talk about executives, suddenly everyone talks about money. But that difference is simply a falsehood," said Peter Cappelli of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. The Wall Street Journal(3/28)

10 Ways to Spot a Deadbeat Worker

Deadbeat employees can quickly bring down the morale, productivity and overall well-being of your business, writes Charlie Judy. Among the ways to spot the ones roaming your halls: They don't show up at company events, they ignore their fellow workers' long-term goals and they tend to frame things in terms of "the" company rather than "our" company. HRFishbowl.com (3/24)

12 Trade Show Tips to Know Before You Go

Webinars and online trade shows will never replace real face-to-face events, said Bill Sell of CrossTech Media. "People have been doing in-person selling since the medieval village marketplace and it's never going to be wiped out." His tips for doing well at trade shows include knowing your goal, carefully budgeting your time and avoiding hiring a temp to represent your company. Bloomberg Businessweek(4/12).

14 is the Magic Number for Keeping in Touch with Clients

Research shows that each year you need to make 14 touches -- such as e-mails, in-person meetings and holiday cards -- in order to stay on the minds of your current clients, who are your best source for future business. Paul McCord recommends mixing up those touches and carefully considering what you want to say to make sure your communication has value for the client. AllBusiness.com/Sales Blog (4/21)

Where Sales and Marketing Don't Mix

When making a sales call, the best salespeople aim to reach C-level executives and know to avoid the marketing department, writes John Mongillo. "I'm not anti-marketing. I'm anti-wasting time," he writes, urging salespeople to do whatever they can to get a decision maker to sign a deal rather than get passed to marketing. AllBusiness.com/Sales Cowboy blog(4/12)

32 Qualities of Great Salespeople

Dave Brock's extensive list of how to be a truly great salesperson rather than a merely good one includes having a constant yearning to learn new things and an insatiable curiosity. He also says great salespeople set ambitious goals, are open to different points of view and have large amounts of empathy. The Customer Collective(3/28)

Pay-for-Performance Programs Need to be Simple, Targeted

Poorly designed pay-for-performance programs can lead to resentment among employees and undesirable results for the company, experts say. They advise establishing measurable goals, keeping track of the program's progress and keeping it simple. "Pay-for-performance needs to be spelled out or employees can become de-motivated and disgruntled," says Lynn Brown, managing director of a human resources consulting firm. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (3/23)

NAW Publications of the Month

Here are our picks for some helpful resources from the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) NASGW members receive a discount off all NAW Publications.

Build, Fix, or Terminate: How to Maintain Profitable Supplier Relations

"Build, Fix, or Terminate" is about distributor and manufacturer working relationships and how, if properly managed, they can lead to profit and business success. It recommends how to build and sustain successes; fix emerging conflicts; and, if necessary, terminate unfortunate working relationships that just won't function -- if they ever worked properly in the past. It's a must-read for distributors and manufacturers.

Order top 10 best-seller "Strategic Pricing for Distributors"

For many distributors, gaining control over pricing is their last "unplowed field." "Strategic Pricing for Distributors: Tools and Rules for Building Higher Margins" is a combination of business novel and guidebook with real-world lessons for distribution managers. It takes you through a plan using market-driven pricing guidelines and tools for reaching and sustaining strategic pricing improvement -- and ultimately increased profitability.