by Art Waskey | Apr 29, 2025 | Art of Sales Weekly, Featured
Attention, all sales executives. Digital Transformation (DX) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are here. It took a long time for the collection of technologies and applications referred to as DX (laptops, emails, texting, smartphones, social media technologies, etc.) to move from a conversation to a coordinated business reality. Also, take note that the adoption of artificial intelligence and its benefits is moving much faster. The good news is that artificial intelligence applications are affordable, even to smaller companies.
Outside sales is hard work
Outside sales is daunting work. Reps must be focused and able to close business fast to outperform the competition.
A rep’s job is a juggling act. He needs to chase leads, satisfy existing clients, follow up on backorders, correct pricing errors, handle objections, and keep competitors at bay. Inefficiencies within current systems can cause reps to spend too much time with the wrong prospects. Moreover, the correct information on existing customers’ objectives may also be lacking or hard to come by. This puts pressure on representatives and undermines their confidence in identifying next steps and surpassing the competition.
AI streamlines processes
New AI tools are available to make selling more strategically efficient. AI allows sales representatives to enhance various processes, such as lead generation, pricing, and follow-up, making it an exciting time to be in outside sales. According to McKinsey & Company, AI has “opened up 20% more sales team capacity” (“How Top Performers Outpace Peers in Sales Productivity,” July 6, 2023: mckinsey.com).
Adopting AI
In conclusion, be sure to provide your sales team with the appropriate artificial intelligence technologies to open up your sales capacity. AI tools are critical to beating your competition, especially the larger companies that have lots of AI tech powering their sales force. Lastly, you must adopt AI tools now. They will streamline the selling process and help you grow your business.
Get tips and tricks like the above in The Art of Sales books. Or subscribe to the FREE monthly articles here.
by Art Waskey | Apr 18, 2025 | Uncategorized
Ensuring a Sale is Truly Complete
One of the most frustrating experiences for a salesperson is closing a deal only to see it unravel due to poor execution by their organization. A colleague once shared, “I worked hard to secure a new client, but our company mishandled the initial delivery, and we lost the business. It’s exhausting to see hard-earned sales slip away because of service mismanagement.”
As a consumer, I’ve experienced this firsthand. When my hot water heater started leaking, I sought a reliable provider. My first call was to a national hardware chain. They quoted me a reasonable price for both the tank and installation. But the next morning, a third-party installer called to add unexpected fees. Feeling misled, I canceled the order, and they didn’t even follow up to understand why.
This story highlights a key lesson: a sale isn’t complete until the customer is fully satisfied. Or, as Yogi Berra famously said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Strategies to Ensure Sales Success
- Create a Strategic Plan
A salesperson’s job doesn’t end with the sale. Develop a clear schedule that outlines steps to ensure first-class delivery and service. Consider hosting a kickoff meeting with your customer and your internal team to set expectations for the first 60 days. Document required actions and anticipate potential challenges to address them proactively. - Enhance Team Collaboration
Salespeople are the bridge between customers and the organization. Strong communication between customer service, delivery personnel, and sales ensures any surprises are managed effectively. - Prevent Errors
Understand what your customer expects from the sale, from accurate inventory to seamless delivery and friendly customer service. Identify potential challenges and address them before they arise. - Exceed Expectations
Building long-term relationships hinges on surpassing customer expectations. Help customers streamline their operations, reduce costs, or improve efficiency with your product or service. - Measure Satisfaction
After delivery or installation, check in with your customer to gauge their satisfaction. Use a simple scoring system (e.g., 1 to 10) to understand how well you performed. Aim for a score of 9 or higher, and take immediate steps to address any shortcomings. - Foster Referrals
Strong relationships can lead to valuable referrals. When you consistently meet and exceed expectations, customers are more likely to introduce you to their network, expanding your pipeline.
Final Thoughts
In the end, I purchased my water heater from a personable local distributor who provided a clear, honest quote and managed the installation smoothly. After the project, the salesperson followed up with thoughtful questions to ensure I was satisfied.
This experience underscores the importance of seeing every sale through to the very end. Remember: it truly isn’t over till it’s over.
by Art Waskey | Apr 9, 2025 | Art of Sales Weekly, Featured
Personnel issues, if left unaddressed, can create chaos and derail business operations. Remember, when working with others, there are no absolutes. You need to organize principles and solutions to meet needs.
Here are four ways to organize solutions.
- Delegate responsibility – In his ground-breaking book, The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker points out the mark of a successful leader is his ability to “use all the available strengths: the strength of associates, the strength of supervisors, and one’s strength.” Delegating responsibility is an opportunity to develop team members by challenging them to grow their skills.
- Maintain a proper balance – To achieve workplace balance, it’s important to cultivate self-awareness and understand your needs and limits. Balance involves moving past doing the things we know we can do and moving toward new levels. When I consider balance, the acronym SMART comes to mind: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This framework helps me create clear and effective goals.
- Make planning a team effort – In Sharpening the Focus of the Church, Gene Getz urges us to “take an approach to problem-solving and decision-making that takes into consideration the attitudes and feelings of all those who are directly involved.” Before enacting a plan, communicate your idea to the people responsible for its implementation. You may find the need to make revisions. You want to be sure all those involved with a plan’s implementation are motivated. Make it a team effort.
- Solve problems creatively – Don’t allow yourself to get locked into administrative methods and routines. Circumstances vary with each problem and solution. Be creative, expect alternative options, and solicit suggestions.
Still in the people business
No matter how digitized our lives are becoming with technology, we are still in the people business. Keep the implementation of your personnel strategies as simple as possible. Delegate responsibilities fairly, maintain workforce balance, make planning a team effort, and by all means, be creative!
Get tips and tricks like the above in The Art of Sales books. Or subscribe to the FREE monthly articles here.
by Art Waskey | Mar 25, 2025 | Art of Sales Weekly, Featured
Keeping your business on track with good people management
As an executive sales manager, I found that many work-related problems I encountered did not originate from business economics but from personnel issues. As organizations grow and develop, staffing needs change. To keep your business on track, you must get serious about good and fair people management.
Three guiding principles
Creative problem-solving takes moments of reflection. It focuses on developing new perspectives and fostering creativity. These three principles, whose basic conscript comes from Gene Getz’s Sharpening the Focus of the Church, are a good way to start.
Principle 1: Deal with people’s problems – Look at complaints as an opportunity for growth in a relationship. When a fellow worker or customer is upset with you, address the issue immediately. With effort, you can turn a bad situation into a good one. But also, if we ignore problems, they may overwhelm us.
Principle 2: Develop a proper perspective – Accept the fact that you may need help in solving problems. In his book, Who Not How, Dan Sullivan advises that seeking the assistance of someone qualified outside your organization saves time and grief. Also, asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness,s and people find satisfaction in helping others solve problems.
Principle 3: Establish priorities – Have your priorities clearly mapped out. This allows everyone to recognize company expectations and avoid conflicts of interest. In my program, The 4 Disciplines of an Organized Executive, I teach people how to prioritize the next steps for important projects every week. This eliminates wasting time figuring out your next move and provides a clear path of action for your team.
Stay on track
Lastly, people are your most important asset. Be sure to take their management seriously. As staffing needs change, address problems as they arise, seek outside help as needed, and establish a clear set of priorities.
Get tips and tricks like the above in The Art of Sales books. Or subscribe to the FREE monthly articles here.
by Art Waskey | Mar 19, 2025 | Art of Sales Weekly, Featured
With the latest technology, you can streamline operations, improve customer service, and stay competitive in today’s market. Using automation tools has become increasingly important to achieving that goal.
Automation inside the shop
Fastenal, a large US distributor of industrial and construction supplies, has led the way in supplying vendor-managed inventory (VMI) at customer locations. VMI systems utilize advanced technologies to simplify inventory replenishment and track necessary products. These systems improve supply chain efficiency, foster collaboration, and drive predictability for both supplier and customer. Moreover, with omnichannel capabilities, the customer receives the best product at a competitive price. The traditional independent distributor should now work with a VMI equipment manufacturer to remain competitive.
Automating the warehouse
While VMI is improving inventory management for customers at the front of the store, inventory control costs behind the scenes at the warehouse are also improving with automation. In a recent article in Gasworld, Anthony Wrighton writes, “Drones, robots, and virtual reality might have sounded like science fiction a few years ago, but in industrial operations, they’re becoming everyday tools. With drones reducing inspection risks, robots taking over dangerous manual tasks, and VR transforming training… one thing is clear, digital transformation isn’t just coming, it’s already here.”
By deploying warehouse automation, distributors can reduce storage capacity by up to 35% and accelerate order fulfillment. Customer satisfaction is enhanced by accurate and timely deliveries. Be sure to take advantage of automation tools in your warehousing operations.
Stay competitive
In conclusion, stay competitive with automation in 2025. Streamline operations and improve customer service with automation tools both in front of and behind the sales desk.
Kim Phelan writes in the MDM Guide: Tailor Your Tech Strategy to Win in Any Market, “Customer experience is still the name of the game…” Automating while retaining customer loyalty can be complicated. Use resources like industry associations, cooperatives, and consultants to help you select the right tools for your needs.
Get tips and tricks like the above in The Art of Sales books. Or subscribe to the FREE monthly articles here.
