Blogs from Art Waskey

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A New Day in Sales with AI

It's a new day in sales Artificial Intelligence tools are transforming processes. By analyzing data and automating processes, AI can significantly enhance your revenue stream. More efficient sales processes Here are two examples of how AI is making the sales process...

Strengthening your Core with AI

Focus on your core business Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are particularly effective for your core business. Companies have a lot of information on existing customers, and AI can crunch that data for you. According to a McKinsey report, 80 percent of the value...

Improving Traditional Sales Processes

Traditional sales techniques can be improved with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to a recent article in Forbes (“Why Sales Reps Spend So Little Time Selling by Ken Krogue, Forbes), conventional reps spend 35% of their time selling and 65% on...

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Ready to Pivot to Online Meetings ?

Were you able to pivot to online meetings when the pandemic closed traditional sales channels? The owner of a high performance car engine manufacturing company told me that he just had his best...

Consider Implementing AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications offer exciting possibilities for transforming how business is done. Its applications are complex and very new. There is a lot to consider when choosing...

5 Tried and True Tips to Get A Contract Signed

We all know the value of a good contract, one that holds a customer to a solid, long-term business commitment. Getting a contract signed is therefore an important part of sales rep’s job. Five Tips...
Promote Functional Leadership

Promote Functional Leadership

Leadership doesn’t just happen. To be functional it has to be promoted. Recently, in a Distributor Strategy Group webcast, Eric Chernik, CEO, of...

Know Your Stakeholders

Know Your Stakeholders

A Needle in a Haystack Today, finding the right product can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. In your B2B business, how do you help...

Sell with Trust and Value

Sell with Trust and Value

Pitching your Products Today’s market is flooded with an array of goods and services. As a B2B seller, this makes pitching your products more...

Value your Employees

Value your Employees

Workers in the US labor market are on the move. A shortage of talent combined with greatly expanded job options has led to rapid employee turnover....

Perceived Value

Perceived Value

Personalize the Sale I have an older car which I use for fun when family comes to visit. As it gets only occasional use, the battery often needs...

Working on Retention

Working on Retention

Job-Hopping on the Rise Today's labor market is marked by a shortage of talent and many new job options. These factors enable younger employees to...

Maximizing Price Increase Attainment

Maximizing Price Increase Attainment

Pricing strategy One of the top distribution subjects in the last two years has been pricing strategy. In 2021 and through the first half of 2022,...

Adding Value with ERP

Adding Value with ERP

The ERP solution I consult with a supplier who offers a single, basic product. Nevertheless, while reviewing his strategic projects, I suggested he...

From Best Practices to Next Practices

From Best Practices to Next Practices

Changes and Challenges As 2022 comes to a close, it’s time to formulate a plan for 2023. I find that webcasts are a great way to acquire relevant...

The Digital Generation of Buyers

The Digital Generation of Buyers

Digital natives The pandemic impacted the role of the outside sales rep (See adjusting-to-changes-in-sales-process-relationships) but what about the...

The 5-Generation Legacy Rule

The 5-Generation Legacy Rule

In Baltimore City, Maryland, my father owned two 20-foot refrigerated displays in a store that sold meat. His five children learned how to develop a...

Customer Outcomes

Customer Outcomes

B2B buyers are doing a lot of purchasing online these days — about $1.6 trillion annually according to projections by Digital Commerce 360. Are...

Workforce Ecosystems

Workforce Ecosystems

My son-in-law works in the motion picture industry. The film projects he works on were staffed with people from multiple companies as well as...

The Added-Value Differentiator

The Added-Value Differentiator

Electric Vehicles (EVS) are coming. I have two Gen X children who are now working professionals and both drive Chevrolet Bolt EVs. In a recent...

Sales: The Psychodynamics of Success

Sales: The Psychodynamics of Success

A sales manager recently described his travel day with a rep who needed to close more business. They called on six prospective accounts and the...

The High-Value Customer

The High-Value Customer

How to Measure Success While VP of Sales, I oversaw a hospital account that was among our leading 10 customers. Their purchases topped the charts....

What Should I Do With My Business Now?

What Should I Do With My Business Now?

Get Organized Twenty years ago, as the VP of Sales for industrial gas and welding supply company, I started writing a monthly column, “The Art of...

The Distributor Differentiation

The Distributor Differentiation

A lot to Consider As an independent regional distributor, you need to take a close look at where to invest your digital dollars. In a recent MDM...

The Digital Differentiator

The Digital Differentiator

Key Differentiator Many B2B purchases are made before a consumer even contacts a vendor. According to data from SiriusDecisions, 67% of the...

Justify Your Price

Justify Your Price

Remind Customers of Your Value As Benjamin Franklin said, “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is...

From Purchasing to Procurement

From Purchasing to Procurement

Technical Abilities A young woman came into a distributor’s store to buy a robot to automate her company’s business. The counterperson referred her...