Profit anecdotes versus profit facts? Which do you want to use to make decisions about your business? The largest sample of distributor profitability ever undertaken reveals what actually drives profit across a wide range of distribution industries. The conclusions shatter much of the conventional wisdom in distribution. Firms that employ the right combination of the Critical Profit Variables produce a Return on Assets and a Pre-tax Profit Margin that is twice as high as the typical distributor. It is a massive difference. The topics covered in this report include: Does size matter? How fast does the firm have to grow? Can gross margin be too high as well as too low? Is cost control an out-of-date concept as some consultants suggest? "This is the single most important book ever written on profitability in distribution." Bill McCleave