Top Story

• Avnet program aims at assisting partners in growth markets
  Avnet has developed the SolutionsPath vertical development program to help partners grow into the markets they want to align with. "SolutionsPath is a proven process to gain an understanding of the market and how to execute in that market," Avnet's Gavin Miller said. CRN.com (U.S.) (1/17)     

• Other News

• Ace Hardware plans to build regional DC in Wilmer, Texas
  The Dallas Morning News (free content) (1/16)     

• Manufacturing activity in Mid-Atlantic region declined in January
  Reuters (1/17)     

See the results: Independent analyst ranks top ERP vendors Info-Tech, the fastest-growing North American IT analyst firm, just released its ERP Vendor Landscape Report. The study put over ten of the top ERP providers to the test in key areas, including: vendor strength, product flexibility, and architecture. Who are the top innovators? What technologies are trending? What capabilities are must-have? Find out now.

Operations and Technology

• How cloud technology can enhance supply chains
  Cloud-based technology is a potential solution for companies hoping to improve supply chain management, writes Narayan Laksham of Ultriva. "We now have an opportunity to communicate in real time through collaborative portals to establish a single version of truth via an interactive closed-loop communication," Laksham writes. IndustryWeek (1/17)     

• Do you know where your data is? Study reveals risks of cloud migration
  Migrating data to the cloud carries hidden risks that lead to permanent data loss for 40% of all companies, according to a study. A poll of more than 3,200 enterprises by Symantec found that 43% have had to recover data lost in the cloud due to issues such as server damage, faulty backup and "rogue deployment," in which data is transferred to a public file-sharing service. Investor's Business Daily (1/16)     

Sales and Marketing

• Why midlevel managers are so important to sales success
  First-line sales managers are critical to the success of your organization, write Andris A. Zoltners, PK Sinha and Sally E. Lorimer. If your managers aren't doing a good job, it could be because of a personnel issue, they write. "[T]he mistakes are the result of selecting the wrong person for the FLM job -- usually someone who was a great salesperson but who doesn't have the characteristics to succeed as a manager." Harvard Business Review online/HBR Blog Network (1/16)     

• Essential mobile apps for the business-to-business set
  Using Evernote Business to record your meetings and InTooch to manage social connections are two of the top mobile applications that can save you time, Amanda Batista writes. CloudOn runs Office software on a tablet or smartphone, and Vignature creates virtual signatures for the paperless office. Imo.im Free fuses together various messaging programs with voice communications, and Dropbox uses the cloud to sync your desktop and mobile worlds. Eloqua/It's All About Revenue blog (1/16)     

Hot Topics

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

• SUPERVALU to sell 5 chains, names new CEO (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• What it takes to keep your job in sales leadership (Sales Benchmark Index)

• Should you embrace Big Data or trust your gut? (MIT Sloan Management Review online)

• Bunzl acquires 4 companies in South America, the U.S. (Reuters)

• Get your sales managers into the field to land key accounts (Sales Benchmark Index)

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

The Business Leader

• How quiet focus can make you a better leader
  Taking time to slow down at work can help you become calm, focused and notice when others need the same help, Mary Jo Asmus writes. She suggests building time into your day to set intentions, pausing before reacting and talking with co-workers, not at them. "Look them in the eye and listen deeper than you ever have," she suggests. "You might find that you really don't need to say much at all." SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (1/16)     

• Ask yourself: Are you a deluded leader?
  Many leaders believe they're doing the right things but are led astray by illusion and delusion, Dan Rockwell writes. He suggests taking an attitude of service toward those you're leading. "Conform to them rather than demanding they conform to you," he writes. Leadership Freak blog (1/14)     

NAW Insider

• Join us for the NAW Billion Dollar Senior Executive Roundtables
  NAW's Billion Dollar Company CEO, CFO, CIO, Operations, HR, and Chief Legal Officer Roundtables are unique business meetings that allow senior distribution executives to meet and benchmark with executives from noncompeting billion-dollar firms across multiple lines of trade. Executives build relationships and trust with their peers and learn valuable, real-world lessons from similar business situations. See group members and join now.     

Position Title Company Name Location Vice President, Sales Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc. Rockville, MD Chief Financial Officer Champion Recruiting Boston, MA Director, Merchandising ORS Nasco Tulsa, OK

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SmartQuote

If I had my life to live over, I would perhaps have more actual troubles but I'd have fewer imaginary ones." --Don Herold, American humorist, writer and cartoonist