These six trends should have an impact on industrial distributor market planning in 2011 and 2012:

1. Growing focus on profitability, not sales volume
2. Shifting definitions of value by customers
3. More attention paid to employee recruitment and retention
4. An international approach to doing business
5. Increasing interest in online tools
6. The return of consolidation

For each of the past three years, distributors have been taking a much closer look at their operations and how they define and execute their value propositions. Why? Economic conditions served as a wake-up call to even the best of distributors. 2009's economic environment as a "turning point for every company in wholesale distribution." Indeed it was.

As Warren Buffet is known for saying: "A rising tide lifts all boats. It's not until the tide goes out that you realize who's swimming naked." At the same time, the distributors who rebuilt on a stronger foundation in 2010 will continue to grow and take market share in 2011.