Top Story

• How distributors can get the most out of social networking
  Distributors should consider integrating social media into general marketing plans, identifying the top main targets and developing a plan to reach them, writes Bridget McCrea. Rob Fisher of Madison Electric Products said, "We set up pages on Facebook and LinkedIn and then spent six months 'listening' and researching our industry. From there, we developed a strategy for establishing ourselves as thought leaders in the space." TED Magazine (3/15)     

• Other News

• Producer Price Index increased 0.7% in February
  Transport Topics (3/14)     

Operations and Technology

• Best practices for plugging the SaaS security hole
  The tangled network of relationships in a software-as-a-service deployment can sometimes obscure one of the most important variables facing businesses in the cloud: security. Industry consultants such as Paul Hill of SystemExperts say customers need to be aware of the potential security pitfalls of SaaS and shouldn't rely on anyone else to do the necessary legwork to address them. "When an enterprise is thinking about using a SaaS vendor or cloud service, it has the responsibility to assess the vendor and determine the risks, liabilities and responsibilities," said Hill. CIO.com (3/13)     

Sales and Marketing

• Is your hiring process derailing your sales?
  Some people are better at selling themselves in a job interview than they are in doing actual selling, Chris Young writes. He recommends against using intuition when hiring salespeople or thinking that a sales recruiter is too expensive. "A good sales recruiter can save you an incredible amount of time and energy and is an investment in the future of your business," Young writes. Human Capital Strategy Blog (3/12)     

• Are structural problems hurting your team?
  Structural problems can accumulate over time until you are left with a confusing mess that restricts the productivity of your sales organization, writes John Kenney. He provides a five-step process for fixing your sales structure that involves assessing alternatives and evaluating the need for specialization. Sales Benchmark Index/Sales & Marketing Effectiveness Blog (3/13)     

• How B2B marketers can get more value from Facebook
  Build a better business-to-business marketing campaign on Facebook by targeting your audience and using the analytical tools that the social network provides, writes Ryan Pitylak, the CEO of Unique Influence. Post engaging, image-rich content and track conversions to find out which ad content is being shared the most, he writes. AllFacebook.com (3/12)     

Hot Topics

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

• Fortune includes distributors in list of most admired companies (Modern Distribution Management)

• Distributors pursue growth through acquisitions (TED Magazine)

• Genuine Parts to buy out Exego Group (Fox Business)

• How successful executives manage their time (Barking Up The Wrong Tree blog)

• Acquisitions help DXP Enterprises pass $1B in sales (Industrial Distribution online)

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

The Business Leader

• Leaders must be creators
  A good leader is a creator and not just a critic, Mike Figliuolo writes. This means not stopping simply with your opinion. "Give people the coaching, feedback, and resources to improve their average pieces of junk," he writes. "Identify opportunities to connect ideas and people so they can build something greater. Be part of the solution rather than simply pointing out the problem." ThoughtLeaders blog (3/11)     

• The difference between being the boss and being bossy
  While many dream of becoming the "boss," the word itself can create difficulties in the work environment, writes Tim Lambert. "Using it has the psychological effect of driving a certain type of behaviour. ... [W]hat's needed is a reframing of the relationship between a manager and the people they manage: a relationship based on mutual benefit and interdependence, not hierarchy," he writes. Linked 2 Leadership blog (3/12)     

• The tactics of bad hiring managers
  Many seasoned managers are overconfident in their hiring skills and don't prepare for interviews, experts say. As a result, they ask vague questions such as "why do you want to work here?" and "who was your favorite boss?" "They end up hiring someone who costs the company a lot," says Pamela Skillings of Skillful Communications in New York. CNNMoney/Fortune (3/8)     

NAW Insider

Position Title Company Name Location Regional Sales Manager Johnstone Supply Columbia, SC Business Unit Manager - Clamps EFC International St. Louis, MO Sr. Outside Sales Representative Curbell Plastics, Inc. Denver, CO Director of Supply Chain Uline Pleasant Prairie, WI Vice President of Distribution Uline Pleasant Prairie, WI Metals Buyer / Trader Olin Brass Louisville, KY Product Manager Ryan Herco Flow Solutions, Inc. Burbank, CA Eclipse Systems Manager Crescent Electric Supply Co. Dubuque, IA Corporate Credit Manager Behler-Young Company Michigan, MI

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SmartQuote

Adventure is not outside man; it is within." --George Eliot, British writer