Blogs from Art Waskey

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Shaping a Meaningful Life

Lessons from The River While exercising the other day, I listened to Garth Brooks’ “The River”, and it inspired this week’s sales/leadership tip to shape a meaningful life.  Here’s the first verse of “The River” …  You know a dream is like a river / Ever changin'...

The Timeless Traits of Success

This article was inspired by a woman whose career path demonstrates the timeless traits of success.  Her early entrepreneurial business endeavor was a bookstore. When her husband was promoted, they moved, and she had to find a new path. In her late 40s, with her...

Picture Your Goals: The Power of Functional Imagery

Functional Imagery Training Recent studies have shown that picturing our goals can help us find success. For example, I read about how a woman, who was a non-runner, trained for an ultramarathon. She participated in a study that examined how specific motivational...

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Provide Expertise

Trusted Advisors We are all aware of how challenging the rapid pace of sales is in today’s digitized market. Also, changing customer expectations require adopting new approaches to sales that merge...

Cutting Dead Inventory Costs with Advanced Inventory Management

Reducing dead inventory is essential for distribution companies to stay competitive. As a senior executive, I once faced a period when our obsolete stock hit 5% of annual sales. To tackle this, I...

Signature Strength: When Challenge and Skill Merge

Core Strength A highly successful independent technical specialist recently contacted me for help. His dilemma — he was bored and this left him anxious. My first question to him was: “If you were to...
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...

Adopting AI in Marketing

Adopting AI in Marketing

The traditional marketing landscape is changing rapidly as Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are introduced. AI is disrupting the usual sales...

Adaptability

Adaptability

Looking Back As I start the New Year, I like to make observations about the previous year. Looking back, 2023 was a year replete with some big...

AI and Cost Containments

AI and Cost Containments

One of the greatest advantages of deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications is the effective cost containments they yield. AI can help...

Consider Implementing AI

Consider Implementing AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications offer exciting possibilities for transforming how business is done. Its applications are complex and very...

AI and Marketing Productivity

AI and Marketing Productivity

Coming to your market Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications are rapidly infiltrating market spaces. McKinsey has declared that “AI is poised to...

Managing Change and Building Trust

Managing Change and Building Trust

Be a differentiator The distribution business is built on managing change, building trust, strong relationships, and the ability to find solutions...

Strengthen Your Sales Position

Strengthen Your Sales Position

Digital tools have altered the customer experience. For example, product research, once the realm of the sales rep, is now done routinely by the...

Build Online Confidence

Build Online Confidence

Changing Customer Relationships I consult primarily with distributors with revenues of $10 million and below. This group's success stems from...

Taking Control of the Mind

Taking Control of the Mind

Our mind can be likened to an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg represents the relatively small part of our brain which is our conscious mind. This...

Organizational Tools

Organizational Tools

Why organize? What is it that makes being organized a functional way to succeed? To begin, it is important to realize that with every business...

Passionate About Success

Passionate About Success

There are many elements that go into achieving success in a competitive sales environment. I have found that passion is one of the most critical. A...

Managing Stress

Managing Stress

Stress at Work When stress overcomes you, it can hinder your ability to move forward. I have often been so stressed by noon that I wasn’t hungry for...

Managing Your Projects

Managing Your Projects

The Problem As a consultant to small- and medium-sized distributors, I often focus on project management. I generally begin an assignment with the...

Technology and Personalization

Technology and Personalization

As digital transformation reshapes the sales process, it is crucial to establish a good balance between technology and personalization. Also, the...

Taking Action With AI

Taking Action With AI

Professional sales reps need to pay attention to what is new, particularly as it relates to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and enterprise selling. It...

Finding Opportunity in Change

Finding Opportunity in Change

We need to look for the opportunities often hidden within disruption. As author Barbara Kingsolver, says, "The changes we dread most may contain our...

A Strong Cultural Foundation

A Strong Cultural Foundation

Cultural Fragility Each business has a unique culture and it can be fragile. Changes within and outside your organization can threaten the culture...

Build Customer Loyalty

Build Customer Loyalty

Building customer loyalty in a business environment typified by rapid digital transformation and virtual online alternatives is challenging. Sales...