Top Story

• Avnet acquires IT professional-services firm
  Avnet has agreed to acquire TSSLink, an information technology professional-services company, for an undisclosed amount. TSSLink will become a part of Avnet Technology Solutions. "In our data-reliant world, the services TSSLink delivers are integral components of every business' operations," said Tony Vottima of Avnet Technology Solutions. American City Business Journals/Phoenix (1/3)     

• Other News

• VWR International interim CEO takes on role permanently
  The Philadelphia Inquirer (1/4)     

Operations and Technology

• Supply chain technologies link to green opportunities
  Companies can improve their environmental footprints by using technologies that measure carbon emissions, water use and other factors impacted by the supply chain, writes Richard Tipper, CEO at Ecometrica. Keeping track of this information can help companies and their suppliers improve sustainability, and more companies are moving toward sharing this data with consumers, allowing customers to see the sustainability efforts that companies are making, Tipper writes. SupplyChainDigital.com (1/2)     

• Analysis: Innovation will still be king
  Companies are boosting research-and-development efforts and ramping up IT investment to benefit from areas such as cloud computing and virtualization, Ann Bednarz writes. "These are changing the way that businesses are delivering new products and services to their customers," says Andi Mann of CA Technologies. Network World (1/2)     

Sales and Marketing

• Building a better sales pipeline
  You can improve the health of your sales pipeline by building a high-quality database of prospects, writes Sean McPheat of MTD Sales Training. "Yes, you need lots of prospects, but if they are not a great fit, they will only dilute your focus on the best opportunities." Emphasize the value that your company can provide when you introduce yourself to prospects, he advises. MTDSalesTraining.com (1/2)     

• 5 ways to help "B players" achieve their potential
  One step for maximizing the productivity of your sales organization is to help your average representatives reach their fullest potential, writes John Kenney. So-called "B players" require work-life balance, and they need coaching, he writes. Sales Benchmark Index/Sales Force Effectiveness Blog (12/31)     

• 9 marketing trends to incorporate into your planning
  B2B marketers aren't up to speed on mobile, but social media distribution of content is moving forward, according to this list of nine trends to watch by Amanda Batista. A greater working knowledge of the code behind HTML, CSS and Java, the comeback of direct mail, and the decline of pay-per-click spotlight the changes in direction marketers will have to stay on top of in 2013, she writes. Eloqua/It's All About Revenue blog (1/2)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by NAW SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Mistakes that could kill your sales organization (Sales Benchmark Index)

• A distribution model for the 21st century (E-Commerce Times)

• Distribution activity in 2012 led by M&A, structural changes (Modern Distribution Management)

• IRS releases guidance for Affordable Care Act (Accounting Today)

• Leadership lessons from Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf (Forbes)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

The Business Leader

• There's more to life than money
  Real motivation is a prize that can't be bought, writes Mary Jo Asmus. That's true for employees and for business leaders, Asmus adds, so it's important to find ways to make a difference in the areas that truly matter to you. "If you are a corporate leader, don't confuse having a regular paycheck with what motivates you," she warns. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (1/2)     

• Are you unconsciously rejecting qualified candidates?
  Hiring for "fit" forces you to rely on what psychologists call your "adaptive unconscious," which unfortunately is influenced by biases and irrational instincts, Laurie Ruettimann writes. To find out whether your hiring decisions are being unduly influenced by your adaptive subconscious, analyze payroll and other data to see whether you're only hiring certain types of people, she suggests. The Cynical Girl blog (1/2)     

• Short on innovation? Maybe you need a "chief rouser"
  Conventional C-suite roles such as chief marketing officer or chief financial officer tend to be too inward-looking to help drive innovation, writes Luis Gallardo. It often pays off to think creatively, creating offbeat titles so that "executives can feel a new sense of purpose and direction in how they manage," he writes. "New titles ... such as chief of reason, chief resilience officer, and chief rouser will open the door to innovation like never before," Gallardo argues. InnovationExcellence.com (1/2)     

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SmartQuote

Beware the fury of a patient man." --John Dryden, British poet, critic and playwright