Are You Under-Utilizing Your Technology? By Steve Epner, CSP

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Are you and your management team getting the information you need to make the right decisions at the right time for the right situation? Is the information you get from your computer system:

• Current


• Accurate


• Reliable


• Meaningful


• Relevant

If not, you may not be using your computer to its fullest capacity. According to most surveys, businesses use less than 15 percent of the features and functions that are available on their computer systems. While automation systems are one of the largest financial and time investments that most companies make, most owners are pitifully unaware of what can be done. It is a tremendous waste of resources.

What you want to do to be more successful is to get a greater return on your information investment?

You must begin by documenting what you are doing today. This is imperative as most companies have created entangled masses of paperwork based on system failures of long ago. These quick fixes havenever been reviewed as systems have been upgraded, enhanced, or replaced. As a result, most people force their current system to try to do things the old way. The bottom line result is that we use very little of what the system can do for us as we try and duplicate or imitate old procedures that are no longer necessary or appropriate.

We also need to look at what steps have been added to your paper and information flow because you just “want to be sure”. Many times we add steps to review, revise, and approve computer-generated output because there is no trust in what is being created.

Proper planning and execution of your paperwork flow will correct this situation. Our many years of experience have allowed us to find that most companies can easily reduce 20 percent of the time they spend handling paper. In some cases, the number will go as high as 75 percent. Don’t be embarrassed if, as you look around, you find many things that just don’t need to be done.

Another area of analysis that we find very helpful is to look for bottlenecks. When we do a bottleneck analysis, we take a look at the forms that enter, are created in, and leave each desk. It is quite an eyeopener for most executives to see how paper is processed in their offices. There are many times when people get paper “just to look”. They add no value.

We are very conscientious as we eliminate duplication, bottlenecks and efforts that don’t add value for the company or the end user.

More importantly, we take a look at the numbers that you use to run your business. It always amazes us how many people spend time re-entering data into spreadsheets so they can get valuable management information. Most systems today have many of these features built in. We will help you find what is already there to reduce the time and effort you need to find the answers to help you make decisions. Furthermore, we will reduce the number of errors caused by transcribing numbers and the time and effort involved in running multiple systems manually when the answers can be provided on an almost automatic basis.

To make things even better, we can often help you create graphical output which will show you exactly where the company is and where it is going. These reports can be produced on a daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. By using “running averages”, we are able to smooth out individual peaks and valleys so that a trend is more easily recognized. Executives should get an End of Day Report that shows how they did. This is available in all of the systems we have reviewed and we would guess that it is available in what you already have if you are willing to look for it.

Some time ago (or in the recent past), you made a major investment in automation for your company. You spent a lot of money to buy hardware, software, and services. You took valuable resources (people) and put them through weeks of training, conversion, and start up. The end result is one of the largest noninventory investments that you will ever make (other than brick and mortar). If you are using only 15 percent of this investment, you are not getting the return you deserve or should expect.

Step back from what you are doing, take a look at how things operate, be prepared to make changes, and you can increase the effectiveness of your information investment. Just doubling your return to 30 percent should have major impact on your ability to operate the business effectively and to reduce the cost of servicing your clients.

About The Author
Steve Epner, CSP, Founder of the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group
Steve Epner has been directing traffic on the information super highway since 1966. A highly regarded industry expert, Epner is widely published and has provided comment for national business publications including the Wall Street Journal. His experience in business, technology and strategic planning makes him a nationally renowned technical speaker.
Epner can be reached at sepner@bswllc.com.

About The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group
The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group has been serving the distribution community for more than 20 years through the publication of the Distribution Software Guide, speaking at industry programs, giving free telephone advice to distributors and providing fee-based consulting services to companies who need help selecting the best software packages for their business.

What’s the point of the software demo?

Written by Jeff Gusdorf, CPA: Jeff is a Principal in the Brown Smith Wallace’s Consulting Group. He is the managing consultant and is responsible for IT strategic consulting, software research and evaluation. Jeff has more than 20 years’ experience as a financial manager and technology consultant in the manufacturing, distribution and service sectors.

I attended a program presented by a local Microsoft partner this week. The partner did a very nice job of hosting this presentation; rented a very nice meeting room at a local restaurant, spent a ton on food, had Microsoft representation, gave away a nice door prize. Attendance wasn’t quite what they wanted but it was still a nicely attended event. But I think they missed an opportunity to make the needed impact on the attendees to move them forward in their software selection process.

Microsoft sells four ERP packages under the Dynamics brand and each product occupies a certain niche as explained by this partner: AX is the high end package, NV is a mid-tier product that is easily customized, GP is another product for mid-sized companies that have both distribution and manufacturing requirements and SL is for companies with project management needs.

Each product was demonstrated for 30 minutes. Each demonstration focused on the role-based model that Microsoft has incorporated into their software. Users are assigned a profile based upon their role in the organization and each role has a set of tasks already configured so that the user can be more productive more quickly every day. Each user can customize their start up screen with menu options, alerts, fact boxes and fast tabs. Great – but did I have to see the same thing 4 times? Did 75% of the time have to be devoted to showing the same functionality again and again?

This brings me to my point – what’s the point? What do you need to see in order to decide that this software package could/should be considered by your company as a potential solution? Is it replenishment? Order processing? e-Commerce? Make a list of the business processes that are critical to your business and communicate that to the software vendor. Reporting, Dashboards and Business Intelligence are the whip cream and cherries of software demos. It’s sweet and looks appealing but not very filling. Make sure you know what the point of the software demo is before you invest your time and the software vendors time.

Part 2 - Successful Software Selection "Getting It Right The First Time Is All About People"

This Whitepaper will be broken into two sections. To read it in its entirety visit our Media Center for the Getting It Right the First Time Is All About People PDF.

Recap:
Yesterday People Factor One (Who Makes The Selection?) and People Factor Two (Creating "Buy-In" For Change) was presented.

People Factor Three: Did you ensure the converted data is accurate and complete?
The third area relates to moving data from the old system to the new one. Don’t create an opportunity to fail by failing to follow-through with the conversion.

We’ve found the best thing to do is have a small group of employees and support personnel from the vendors do and test the conversion. Make sure the team has procedures in place to ensure that all of the data has been converted – check the simple things – compare the number of vendors, customers, outstanding invoices from one system to another.

Make sure everything is accurate. Develop checks and “hash” totals (total outstanding receivables, total open payables, etc. Audit the data before going live and you minimize problems. Find the problems before an existing customer cannot be found, or data is obviously wrong.

People Factor Four: Was there sufficient training and test time?
Finally, there is training and testing; more systems fail because companies underestimate the need to train their employees.

It does not matter how much the employees say they want the solution or how computer literate the staff may be, without a dedicated effort to train and test the system, you will fail.

The first two weeks with any new system are critical. If all of the time is spent fighting educational problems, you risk creating the perception that the new application is error prone, hard to learn, hard to use, not user friendly and probably the wrong choice.

Once that happens, it can be a fast death spiral into the ground. Users lose faith, and then they start to doubt the system, its capability and their ability to get any of the advantages promised by the sales people.

Here are a few hints to make sure you keep the training at a sufficient level.

First, if budgets are really an issue, try to negotiate a reduction in the total cost of training. Keep the courses and support that the vendor suggests but explore using CD or Web-based training instead of instructor-based training. This is much less expensive. Or have your best employees get trained and have them train other users. It is in your and the vendor’s best interest to make sure the implementation is smooth and successful. They want you to be a showcase site. That means, they will often work with you on the approach to and cost of training if you let them know how serious you are to do it right – the first time.

Second, set up a test environment. We call it a sandbox. Let everyone play on the system as they get trained. The positive effects of training are reduced by the square of the time in hours between the end of training and when they get to next use the system. That means that if after training a week goes by with no system use, about 50 percent of the training is lost. Make sure that there is not only a place to play on the system, but that there is time as well. Get temps to help with the everyday work so your best people can be trying out the new systems.

Run full days of activity against a subset of all accounts and inventory. Print out all of the reports and make sure you and your staff understand where and how the numbers show up. Test everything to make sure it is right for the way you want to use it before it is mission critical.

Looking For Help?
Successfully implementing a system is a big challenge. It is important that your team and the vendors’ consulting organization work together to achieve this goal. The important thing to remember is you are not alone – there are experts, like the members of our team, who have successfully done this before and who are willing to guide you through the process.

When it comes to the technology choices themselves, consider using a resource like our Distribution Software Guide at http://www.software4distributors.com/resource/default.aspx.

Also compare software packages side-by-side at http://www.software4distributors.com/evaluation/registration.aspx.

Part 1 - Successful Software Selection "Getting It Right The First Time Is All About People"

This Whitepaper will be broken into two sections. To read it in its entirety visit our Media Center for the Getting It Right the First Time Is All About People PDF.

Intro:
There is an old joke that says there are only two steps to software selection. Step one is to select a solution and step two is to throw it out. With forethought and a little effort – you can make a successful software selection, the first time, and skip step two altogether. The trick you see is all about people – it is your people who must participate in choosing a solution that meets your business needs and take ownership for its implementation and use.

People Factor One: Who Makes The Selection?
First and foremost is: “he (or she to be politically correct) who makes the decision is stuck with it.”

The best solutions include a team that represents all of the various levels of your business – from management, marketing and sales, purchasing, warehouse, logistics and finance. When you allow representation from multiple venues within the business you create a situation for success. When your selection team includes multiple voices the selection becomes a matter of pride -- everyone wants to participate in finding the best solution for the company.

In addition to creating “pride of ownership” a team consisting of a representative sample of end users will help distribute the selection burden by helping to define requirements – which will vary from department to department, attend demonstrations, call the references and be invested in the final selection.

People Factor Two: Creating “Buy-In” For Change
Another old saying goes: “the only person who likes change … is a wet baby.” We all resist change. New systems can to wreak havoc on our daily lives – introducing new procedures, changing why we do things the way we do – it can be pure torture and too often is, if allowed to be.

To succeed, make the selection and implementation a top priority. Let everyone know that the owners and top management are part of the team. Pick the most senior executive possible to lead the effort and make sure they take an active and very visible role throughout the project – give your employees a leader worth following.

For People Factor Three and Four, come back tomorrow.

Looking For Help?
Successfully implementing a system is a big challenge. It is important that your team and the vendors’ consulting organization work together to achieve this goal. The important thing to remember is you are not alone – there are experts, like the members of our team, who have successfully done this before and who are willing to guide you through the process.

When it comes to the technology choices themselves, consider using a resource like our Distribution Software Guide at http://www.software4distributors.com/resource/default.aspx.

Also compare software packages side-by-side at http://www.software4distributors.com/evaluation/registration.aspx.

Managing ERP Implementations Differently

CIO Magazine recently published an interesting article about why legacy ERP systems need to be managed differently. Though this article uses examples from very large ($1B+) companies running SAP the author made several observations that are true for the typical wholesale distributor:

1. ERP packages that have been heavily customized can't be upgraded.
2. Maintenance investments are wasted as you can't benefit from new enhancements
3. New technologies (cloud computing, mobile apps, social media) are changing how ERP is delivered
4. Analytics and utilization of data is the new "killer app"
5. Implement new ERP software and don't customize it this time change your process instead.

If you are using older ERP software that can be upgraded because of the customizations read this article.

CIO Magazine: ERP_How_and_Why_You_Need_to_Manage_It_Differently?

Congratulations to the Fall 2009 Virtual Tech Fair Show Prize Winner

The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group would like to congratulate our show prize winner for attending the Virtual Tech Fair on October 14 and 15, 2009. Suzanne M Lomas from The R.M. Wright Company Inc. received a Nikon CoolPix S630 Camera, Camera Bag, and 2 year warranty.

Suzanne first heard about the Virtual Tech Fair event from an email sent by the Consulting Group and decided to register after a partner suggested it. Their company had recently implemented a system and was curious about other software that is available to the industry. Suzanne said, “I like the idea of Virtual Tech Fairs and the setup. I was able to easily familiarize myself with the format. I think chatting and networking with others will become a common venue for these types of events.”

Suzanne found the industry experts and topics at the Virtual Tech Fair to be interesting. Educational presentations available to attendees included “Using Best Practices to Accelerate Business Performance” presented by Barry Lawrence (Texas A & M University), “Top Technology Trends Transforming Distribution and Manufacturing” presented by Corbin Ball (Corbin Ball Associates), “Value of Strategic Pricing for Distributors” presented by Dan Kaminstein (Activant), “Software Selection Studies” presented by Steve Epner and Jeff Gusdorf (Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group), “Information Technology in Today’s Distribution Environment” presented by Rodney Winger (Epicor), “Enterprise Explorer Overview” presented by IFS, “Leading the Changing Distribution Industry” presented by Gary Rippen (Infor), “Sustainability for Business Sake” presented by Larry Negrich and Jennifer Pollard (Microsoft Dynamics), and “How to Reduce Material Levels and Manage Production Schedules More Effectively” presented by Pete Zimmerman (VAI).

Not only did attendees like Suzanne enjoy learning more about industry topics but they were able to interact with leading software companies. Companies who participated included Activant, Epicor, Infor, IFS, Microsoft Dynamics, and VAI.

Even if attendees did not have the time to attend the event the two days it was broadcast live, they still have the opportunity to view the booths and presentations through the archive. Suzanne felt like an event like this helps in the research of different software packages. If you would like to learn more then visit www.virtualtechfair.com.

About The Author
Sara Nelson is a senior consultant and marketing coordinator in the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group. She is responsible for developing content for the software distributor website, generating leads and traffic, writing articles for industry publications, and creating marketing materials. She has experience in web development, customer relations, coordinating marketing campaigns, and designing print materials. She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing.

About The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group
The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group has been serving the distribution community for more than 20 years through the publication of the Distribution Software Guide, speaking at industry programs, giving free telephone advice to distributors, and providing fee-based consulting services to companies who need help selecting the best software packages for their business. For more information visit www.software4distibutors.com.

Maximize the Value of Your ERP System by Jeff Gusdorf

ERP packages cost a lot of money - not just the initial investment but ongoing expenses for support, maintenance, training, new modules and consulting services. Every executive who is considering buying new software should have a plan for maximizing the value generated by their ERP package. The plan should recognize that the risk of failure exists and create the appropriate safeguards. This article provides an overview of the entire process and provides tips for promoting success and guarding against failure.

The typical ERP project takes three years. Some smaller or simpler projects will go faster and some more complex business will take longer. Regardless, every ERP project will go through five phases to arrive at the point where their new software system is stable and providing the anticipated benefits envisioned when the purchase was made. Those phases are:

Phase 1: Build the Foundation - Draft a project charter, identify benefits, build the business case, identify metrics, establish the steering committee and project team prepare the project plan, and assign roles and responsibilities

Phase 2: Software Selection - Determine the business requirements and conduct a defined process to identify and purchase the “best package”

Phase 3: Implementation and Go-Live - Implementing the software involves planning, installation, data conversion, process configuration, training and go-live

Phase 4: Stabilization - Resolve problems, make process and procedural changes, retrain and get additional training

Phase 5: Improvement - Implement 2nd phase modules, assess the implementation, continuous improvement

I. Building the Foundation:
Just as you wouldn’t start a construction project without blueprints and engineering drawings you shouldn’t start a project of this size and complexity without the appropriate plans in place. This is one of the most common mistakes we see – companies start a selection project by looking at software packages instead of formally defining the scope of the project.

• Draft a project charter: This brief document provides a high-level summarization of the project. It outlines the business reason for conducting the project, defines the goals, objectives and some high level deliverables. The charter should also include a preliminary schedule, any budget constraints that have been established and any constraints or risks that have been able to be identified.

• Identify benefits and metrics: Benefits realization is the process of ensuring that the ERP project produces the expected benefits after the system has been implemented and stabilized. Documenting this at the inception of the project keeps the project team focused and accountable over the life of this project while giving the steering committee the means to determine that the project has produced the benefits beyond successfully implementing the package, which can be a difficult enough challenge.

Without a formal planning process it is easy to lose track of the expected benefits and the ability to determine that the project actually produced those benefits. This process also clarifies that the responsibility for the realization of the benefits is typically the business process owner not IT. The Safe Quality Food Institute administers the program in the US and is responsible for managing the many components of this process. They publish the codes, train and license the SQF consultants and auditors, maintain the centralized database of certification and compliance records and provide on-going training.

Benefits can fall into the following categories:
1. Strategic

• Support business growth/acquisitions
• Build linkages to customers and/or suppliers

2. Organizational

• Support change in structure
• Decentralized management

3. Managerial

• Improve decision making

4. Operational

• Reduce costs
• Improve customer service

5. IT infrastructure

• Increase capacity
• Reduce obsolescence risk

After identifying the benefit you will need to document the following information so that in the 1 to 2 years that it will take to achieve this benefit you will be able to determine if the benefit was realized. The benefits document needs to answer these questions:

1. What is the benefit to be realized?
2. Who will be responsible for producing the benefit?
3. How is this process being measured (headcount, items, cost, etc.)?
4. What ERP process has to be implemented to achieve this goal?
5. What metric will be used to determine if the goal was achieved?

• Establish Steering Committee and Project Team: The steering committee will consist of a small number of senior management who will approve the selection decision and approve the expenditure. This committee will review the work of the project team. The project team will consist of 6 to 10 department heads that understand the functional needs of their business units and departments and will ensure that the software selected will satisfy those requirements. During implementation the roles of these teams will expand and become more complex.

II. Software Selection: With the foundation in place for the project, your project team is ready to start the software selection process. The goal of the selection phase is to select package that “best” fits your business. “Best” is a blend of business process functionality without being so complex that implementation success is at risk, vendor knowledge in your vertical market, fit between your team and the vendor team, technology fit with your IT staff’s capability and price.

• Project Initiation: Get this phase of the project off to a good start by conducting a formal kick-off meeting. The kick off meeting should be hosted by the senior management sponsor or the steering committee for the project. This meeting serves to introduce the team to the project charter and project benefits developed during the foundation stage. Review of the project plan and responsibilities helps team members incorporate this project into their schedules. Communicating the progress of the project to the organization is important throughout the project. Take a proactive approach to letting the organization know the status of the project. Developing a formal communication plan helps to create the discipline now which will pay off during the implementation.

• Requirements Definition: Identify all business processes and process owners and users and involve those users in the discovery process. Interviews with those process owners to understand their needs, concerns and hopes for a new system are very important to prepare a complete set of requirements and to promote involvement and support in the user community. We use business process outlines to guide those interviews to ensure that we cover every process and every step of those processes. We will prepare process flowcharts where useful. Much of this work can be re-used during the design step of the implementation phase.
  

It is critical when defining business requirements that you review all processes and capture all information about the current state of these processes. It’s easy to overlook some of those processes if you aren’t careful. We have developed business process outlines to guide those interviews. These process outlines reflect what we believe to be standard process flows in most distribution companies. These outlines ensure that we cover every process and every step of those processes. Analyze the following areas when conducting discovery sessions:

1. System Tools
2. Productivity Tools
3. Product Management
4. Supplier Management
5. General Ledger
6. Accounts Payable
7. Accounts Receivable
8. Commissions
9. Treasury
10. Fixed Assets
11. Budgeting
12. Payroll & Expenses
13. Inventory Management
14. Procurement
15. Product Management
16. Customer Management
17. Channel Management
18. Marketing Materials
19. Campaign Management
20. Manufacturing
21. Lead Management
22. Sales Force Automation
23. Quoting
24. Sales
25. Retail/Counter Sales
26. eCommerce Website
27. Customer/Supplier Portals
28. Service
29. Warehousing
30. Logistics

• Long-list to Short-list to Finalist: The horse-race component of this process involves identifying a large (7-12 is large enough) group of software vendors who have the potential to supply the software solution for your business. Use the requirements to determine which vendor can satisfy them the “best”. “Best” will be different for every business; we determine best by looking at the mix of process functionality, vendor knowledge in your vertical market and their stability and strength, technology and price.

• Finalist Due Diligence: Once the finalist has been selected you still have to negotiate an agreement. Conduct reference phone calls and client site visits, negotiate final price discounts and negotiate the contract. We strongly suggest that you conduct a pre-implementation meeting prior to signing a contract so that you fully understand the implementation methodology your selected vendor is going to use.

III. Implementation: You have probably devoted 6-9 months to get to this point and are confident in your selection of the software package and the vendor that will help you implement the software. Now - the real work begins. This phase of the project has the greatest risk and requires that the steering committee is paying close attention. We have seen projects with services estimates of $200,000 become $500,000; or estimates of $1M and 1 year become $2.5M and 2 ½ years Watch carefully to make sure your project doesn’t wander off course; it can happen quickly. You may want to have an independent party provide project monitoring since the project team is so busy with the actual implementation.

• Plan: The vendor implementation team will work with the project team to put the implementation plan together. This will seem a lot like the planning done in the Foundation stage. Make sure that the sales team hands off everything that they have learned during the software selection stage; you can reduce your costs by doing so. If they haven’t made a good hand-off, alarm bells should go off!

• Assess/Design: The vendor team will develop a detailed understanding of your business processes to be used when configuring the software. They will develop a data conversion plan; don’t under estimate the value of cleaning up your master file data. Don’t spend the money to convert transaction history; just keep your old application available. Review and decide how modifications that you identified earlier in the process will be prioritized. Review and decide how any other software products will be integrated with the new ERP system. Make sure the benefits statements and the metrics are incorporated into this process otherwise you will not maximize the return on your investment.

• Build/Test: This is the critical phase where the software is configured for how your business wants the software to work and testing is done at a departmental level and in the conference room pilot for all users. User training occurs during this phase so users are prepared to test the software. Your team will conduct multiple conference room pilots where the software is tested. The quality of your go-live experience is dependent on how rigorous you are in this testing. Don’t short-cut this and repeat it until your satisfied.

• Go-Live: This is the big moment when all of the hard work is put to the test. Usually starting on a Thursday, all transaction processing is stopped. All data is converted following the scripts created previously. End-users, with support of the vendors’ consultants and the project team start to use the new system to process real business. This is always a challenging period but if you have done your homework you’ll make it through.

IV. Stabilization: Congratulations! You have survived the go-live process and the first few months of using the new system.

• Project team transfers responsibility to every-day user: The project team has lived with the new system and has worked to get to this moment. The team will be disbanded and members will return their focus to their own functional responsibilities. Reliance on outside consultant will be reduced or eliminated. All users must now operate without their hand-holding. It’s important that users have accepted the new system. Be on the look-out for users that need more training or re-training so that they can use the system with confidence.

• Process changes: During this period it will become apparent if any of the process decisions that were made were incorrect. The configuration settings will be changed to adjust the processes. Data entry screen layouts, inquires, reports can be modified to make the user more efficient. Users will also personalize their interaction with the software.

V. Improvements: With the new system stable, this is a good time to bring out the benefits document again and audit the benefits of the new system. This is a very valuable exercise to conduct. It will reveal where benefits are being received and where they are being missed. It will also reveal if certain departments fell short of the goals and need more training or help in using the system. You may also embark on implementing second phase modules that you didn’t have the resources for in the initial implementation of the software.

A Final Thought: Buying and implementing software is expensive, time-consuming and risky. Technology related products and companies change at a rapid pace. To access more information and resources about software selection and our consulting services check out our website www.software4distributors.com.

About The Author: Jeff Gusdorf, CPA is a Principal in Brown Smith Wallace’s Consulting Group. He is the managing consultant and is responsible for IT strategic consulting, software research and evaluation. Jeff has more than 20 years’ experience as a financial manager and technology consultant in the manufacturing, distribution and service sectors.

About The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group: The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group has been serving the distribution community for more than 20 years through the publication of the Distribution Software Guide, speaking at industry programs, giving free telephone advice to distributors and providing fee-based consulting services to companies who need help selecting the best software packages for their business.

For Immediate Release: From the Editor and Publisher of Progressive Distributor Magazine by Rich Vurva

To learn more about researching, evaluating, analyzing and comparing software request the 2008 Progressive Distributor Supplement Guide released this month.
To order a complimentary copy visit http://www.software4distributors.com/pdsupplementguide/default.aspx

A sagging economy has forced distributors to search for ways to streamline their businesses. One way distributors can become more efficient, lower their cost of doing business, and potentially increase sales is to utilize technology.

For example, in our recent annual reader survey, distributors anticipate that while outside and inside sales efforts will remain their primary sales solicitation methods, they expect Internet sales to grow in popularity in the next 12 months. Doing business online not only provides a quick and easy way for customers to place orders, it’s also more cost-effective for distributors because it reduces costly in-person sales calls.

Technology can help distributors streamline their operations in other ways as well, such as providing greater customer access to inventory, speeding the order entry and invoicing processes, utilizing EDI, CRM and WMS systems, and much more.

In order to gain the greatest benefit from the latest technologies, distributors must have reliable software vendors to help them determine the best solutions for their business.

That is why Progressive Distributor magazine is especially pleased for the opportunity to partner with the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group to publish this supplement to the Distribution Software Guide. For nearly 20 years, the Distribution Software Guide has earned a reputation as a reliable resource for detailed information that helps distributors make informed choices when it comes time to upgrade their distribution software packages. Our hope is that this valuable supplement will enable your business be better equipped to succeed in a challenging economic environment.

About The Author
Rich Vurva is the Editor and Publisher of Progressive Distributor Magazine, which reaches 37,000 executives and salespeople at industrial and contractor supply distribution companies.

About The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group
The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group has been serving the distribution community for more than 20 years through the publication of the Distribution Software Guide, speaking at industry programs, giving free telephone advice to distributors and providing fee-based consulting services to companies who need help selecting the best software packages for their business. For more information visit http://www.software4distibutors.com/.

EDITORS NOTE: Permission to reprint is hereby given to all print, broadcast and electronic media. Permission is also granted for reasonable editing, including article title change and customizing for your audience/industry. Please send a copy of the published information to: Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group, Sara Nelson, 10151 Corporate Square, Suite 100, St. Louis, MO 63132

For More Information Contact:

Sara Nelson
314.983.1393
snelson@bswllc.com

For Immediate Release: From the Editor and Associate Publisher of Industrial Distribution Magazine by Jack Keough

To learn more about researching, evaluating, analyzing and comparing software request the 2008 Industrial Distribution Supplement Guide released this month To order a complimentary copy visit http://www.software4distributors.com/supplementguide/default.aspx.

In a recent survey conducted by Industrial Distribution, distributors told us that one of their top concerns was soaring operational costs. It’s been a continuing problem that has been rising in importance in recent years.

One of the chief ways distributors can reduce those costs is through the use of technology. With the advent of expanded technological software, distributors can reduce errors in shipments; track and control inventory; and improve the manufacturer-distributor relationship as well as the customer-distributor relationship.

Technology can help in all those areas. But finding, evaluating and deciding on which software provides the best solution to solve your specific problem can be a daunting and time consuming task. That’s why Industrial Distribution is publishing this special section. This report, a supplement to the 18th edition of the Brown, Smith, Wallace Consulting Group’s Distribution Software Guide, is the number one source of detailed information for distribution-oriented companies beginning their selection process for new business software.

The guide is designed to provide independently researched information to make it easier for distributors to evaluate and select the right software for their specific needs.

Our survey clearly indicates that distributorships of all sizes will be looking for information on how technology can improve their internal and external operations. We hope this supplement will help you research, evaluate, compare and analyze the tools that are essential to your business operations.

About The Author: Jack Keough has been editor of Industrial Distribution for 21 years. Nine years ago he was also named associate publisher. Jack is considered a leading spokesman for the distribution industry. He has spoken at many industry conventions as well as at national sales meetings. He has also served as a panelist on radio and television and taught journalism at the college level. Prior to joining Industrial Distribution, Jack worked with community newspapers in Massachusetts for 15 years. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts.

About The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group: The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group has been serving the distribution community for more than 20 years through the publication of the Distribution Software Guide, speaking at industry programs, giving free telephone advice to distributors and providing fee-based consulting services to companies who need help selecting the best software packages for their business. For more information visit http://www.software4distributors.com/.

EDITORS NOTE: Permission to reprint is hereby given to all print, broadcast and electronic media. Permission is also granted for reasonable editing, including article title change and customizing for your audience/industry. Please send a copy of the published information to: Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group, Sara Nelson, 10151 Corporate Square, Suite 100, St. Louis, MO 63132

For More Information Contact:
Sara Nelson
314.983.1393
snelson@bswllc.com

Congratulations to the Distribution Virtual Tech Fair Show Prize Winners

The Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group would like to congratulate all of our show prize winners for attending the Distribution Virtual Tech Fair on April 30 and May 1, 2008. Tom Noonan from AP Wagner received an Apple ipod Touch, David Hays from Teche Electric received a Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS and Don Griffith from Denney Electric Supply received a Sony Playstation 3.

All three winners first heard about the Virtual Tech Fair through an email sent by the Consulting Group’s Virtual Tech Fair Guy. David Hays said, “I was intrigued by the thought of participating in an online virtual event.” Don Griffith explained, “It was easy to get my manager to agree for me to go to this event since there were no costs involved.” Tom Noonan said, “When I saw this event I was excited because it allowed me to get some specific information about several vendors and their products without having to leave my desk. I was hoping to gain a better understanding of the software offerings available and to gain a better insight into the industry.”

Not only did attendees enjoy learning about several vendors in one place but they were also able to continue their education on business. Tom Noonan stated, “The keynote presentations were especially interesting and gave me some helpful ideas on how to get the most out of people.”

Even if attendees did not have the time to attend the event the two days it was broadcast live, they still have the opportunity to view the booths and presentations when it is archived. David Hays explained, “I was unable to plan for the event and if I’d had more time I might have attended more presentations but I may yet attend an archived presentation.”

All of the attendees reported that they were looking forward to the next event like this. Don Griffith responded, “We are not currently looking to change our software provider but at some point we will probably have to and I want to know what is available. That is why attending another event like this is so important to me.” David Hays said, “I would attend this event again because I enjoyed navigating the rich websites and the live aspect made the event more interesting.” If you would like to learn more and to sign up to participate like these attendees did then visit www.virtualtechfair.com.