Blogs from Art Waskey

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Adopting AI – The Smart Move for Outside Sales

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.)...

Organize Solutions to Meet Personnel Needs

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...

Keep Your Business on Track

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...

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Featured

How to Attract and Retain Employees during a Labor Shortage

Looking for fulfillment With over 38 million people in the US leaving their jobs in 2021, the coronavirus pandemic has spawned what some are calling the Great Resignation. According to Business...

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 charging. I went online to shop for a charger and...

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 with their positions, however, is a tall order, as...
Ask Why They Are Leaving

Ask Why They Are Leaving

A sales manager responded to a recent article I wrote which examined the importance of finding out why a customer was unresponsive. He noted that...

Personalize the Selling Process

Personalize the Selling Process

Digitization is altering the way people sell. Sales professionals must now look at how to personalize their processes. A great way to do this is...

Distributor Sales: Best Strategies

Distributor Sales: Best Strategies

The Advent of Distribution Networks As we know it today, distribution sales began in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries....

Grow With Digitalization

Grow With Digitalization

A punch-card solution I have seen how digitalization has transformed society through my long and fulfilling career. I still have my first calling...

Winning Through Relationships

Winning Through Relationships

Focus on core strength Independent distributors have been introducing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms to their businesses over time....

Make Price Increases More Palatable

Make Price Increases More Palatable

Price increase alert The Producer Price Index (PPI) climbed 10% in 12 months through February 2022. In line with economists' expectations, the...

Mentor your Business Forward

Mentor your Business Forward

A mentor’s objective is to identify your needs and expectations and offer creative solutions that move your business forward.  In today’s...

Always Service First

Always Service First

Focus on improvement There is no question that in the last three years a lot has changed for sales professionals. Yet one important thing has not....

The Wolf at Your Door

The Wolf at Your Door

Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the wolf at the distributor’s door. It enables alternative channels to directly compete with...

Lean on your Strengths

Lean on your Strengths

My past experience includes growing a distributor business from $10M to $65M.  My current focus now is on advising small and mid-sized...

Outside Sales Is Switching Positions

Outside Sales Is Switching Positions

I was fortunate to be part of the glory days of an outside distributor sales team. We built strong customer relationships. Using our technical...

The New Just In Time Strategy

The New Just In Time Strategy

The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of business. We all remember how long it took for some to accept automated attendants, email,...

Selling in a seller-free marketplace

Selling in a seller-free marketplace

Seller-free sales The transformation to the digital marketplace for sales channels happened gradually — and then suddenly. The global pandemic...

The Makings of an Effective Leader

The Makings of an Effective Leader

When I consult with the next generation of business owners and key executives, I am frequently asked what makes an effective leader. This is an...

Boosting Inside Sales

Boosting Inside Sales

Tapping inside potential Digitalization, combined with a worldwide pandemic, has caused significant disruption in distribution sales, especially...

Hold Them Accountable

Hold Them Accountable

A commitment to resolution The owner of a distribution business complained that his staff was not following through on commitment deadlines. I had...

The Balanced Sales Team

The Balanced Sales Team

The changing sales landscape In my 50 years of distribution sales and sales management, I have worked with all types of sales reps. By nature, I am...

Accountability: Steps to Success

Accountability: Steps to Success

Problems and Solutions We all need to take steps to accountability. Throughout my career in executive leadership, I have had relationships with...