Blogs from Art Waskey

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Balancing Life Decisions

Early in my career, I worked for an international distribution company with a steep corporate ladder to climb. As a sales manager, I oversaw a quarter of the country — from Colorado to Florida. This required a lot of travel. I met weekly with 8 different reps at...

How to Improve Strategic Projections

Like so many areas of business, the art of strategic planning has been greatly altered by the introduction of new technology. Software applications and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have greatly improved our ability to project and make a strategic plan. Three questions...

How To Sharpen Your Forecasting Skills

Traditional forecasting When I retired from a very successful distribution company in 2018, we were creating our strategic plan using the most current and sophisticated methods available. Sales forecasting is achieved by analyzing previous sales cycles and following...

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Pricing — A Data-Driven Process

Technology has changed the dynamics of pricing strategy. With digitalization, information is now readily available to measure customer performance. Additionally, analyzing price increases is now a...

A Happy Customer Base

Happy employees create happy customers. Don’t let employee complaints reach your customers’ ears. Optimize employee performance by providing your team with the best resources. The Right Technology...

Promoting the Product: A New Sales Model That Meets Your Needs

The New Sales Model MSC Industrial Supply Co's new brand proposition — built to make you better — is an important strategy to note. The digitalized world has created major changes in the way we...
Turning Problems into Opportunities

Turning Problems into Opportunities

A change in mindset How many times have your problems kept you awake at night? Worrying about issues saps your energy and brings on insomnia. This...

Maximizing Talents Maximizes Success

Maximizing Talents Maximizes Success

As managers, we are successful when those who are in charge make the most of their talents. Identifying each individual's talents and aligning them...

The Talent Match

The Talent Match

A poor fit As managers, we are responsible for helping those we oversee succeed in jobs that match their talents. Sometimes we find we are dealing...

Spend Time with the Right People

Spend Time with the Right People

As a Sales Manager, I learned the importance of spending time with the right people. While it is logical to focus attention on reps who may be...

The three most common uses of AI

The three most common uses of AI

One of AI's greatest advantages is its ability to significantly reduce the time required for routine processes. By automating tasks such as order...

Togetherness Breeds Success

Togetherness Breeds Success

Togetherness breeds success. In their book, Who Not How, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy discuss how to use teamwork to your advantage. They...

“Whos” Help Leaders Lead

“Whos” Help Leaders Lead

Leadership involves the ability to communicate a vision that is both compelling and clear. In their book, Who Not How, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin...

“Whos” Can Help?

“Whos” Can Help?

Getting unstuck I work with distributors that know they need to move forward on their digital journey but can’t seem to get to the next step. Others...

Consumers Want to Buy

Consumers Want to Buy

Just sit there Today’s consumer wants to buy. They do not want to be sold. If you want to succeed in 2024’s marketplace, your sales team needs to...

Build a Customer Success Team

Build a Customer Success Team

The customer experience The digital transformation has radically changed the Customer Experience. To stay competitive the independent distributor...

Getting the contract signed

Getting the contract signed

Once you have identified your customer’s needs and those making the purchasing decision, move into investment discussions and present your...

Validate the Decision Makers

Validate the Decision Makers

A critical phase of a successful sales cycle is validating the decision maker(s). Digitalization has made communication — the centerpiece of any...

Identifying Customer Needs

Identifying Customer Needs

Once you have built trust and understand your customers’ backgrounds and motivations, you can identify their needs and begin to formulate solutions....

Understand your customer

Understand your customer

Building trust in customer relationships is critical to a successful sales cycle. To establish trust you need to understand your client’s needs and...

Trust in Customer Relationships

Trust in Customer Relationships

Selling involves the transfer of trust, and a successful sales cycle revolves around establishing trust in customer relationships. The manner in...

Building a Permanent Filing System

Building a Permanent Filing System

Having a consistent digital filing system that supports your business's objectives is critical to success in the digital era. Here are 3 key actions...

How to Better Manage Your Email

How to Better Manage Your Email

A full mailbox is a time sink. Many people assert that checking emails is the biggest time-waster among all management tools. This makes it...

An Effective Calendar System

An Effective Calendar System

The digital calendar Today’s digital calendars offer highly effective calendar systems that greatly improve our ability to manage time. When...

Integrity, Intensity, Intelligence

Integrity, Intensity, Intelligence

Generating insights As I age, I find myself taking more time with a friend or colleague over a cup of coffee. Gone are the “all business” meetings...

Managing Your Contact List

Managing Your Contact List

Your Contact List is your lifeline. Managing it well is essential to your success. Let’s look at the skills required for an effective automated...

Use Available Digital Capabilities

Use Available Digital Capabilities

Many purchasing decision makers are now digital natives and that number continues to grow. This makes the excellence of your digital capabilities...

Customer personalization

Customer personalization

Independent distributors succeed based on the added value they bring to the customer relationship. In 2024, strengthening customer personalization...