Blogs from Art Waskey

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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...

Intuition vs. Data: Which One Hires Better?

Using intuition As a consultant, I am often asked to interview potential new executive employees for my clients. In my sales management career, I hired many outside sales representatives. When interviewing, I relied heavily on intuition and my success rate was above...

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Strategic Communication

Implementation Forming and implementing an effective strategic plan is challenging. It takes building a good leadership team and developing a well-thought-out plan. However, the implementation of...

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 underperforming, to help them improve results, it is...

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...
3 Tips for Business Growth

3 Tips for Business Growth

I enjoyed 47 wonderful years in a career as a sales executive and leader, seeing tremendous business growth during that time. When I reached...

Handling Success Wisely

Handling Success Wisely

Being in a leadership position is an honor we work toward, but once there, you may find yourself unsure of how you go about handling success. Have...

Freedom to Believe in Yourself

Freedom to Believe in Yourself

Napoleon Hill posited, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Hill is an example of someone who found his...

Keys for an Organized Executive

Keys for an Organized Executive

The disciplines of an organized executive Self-confidence Sales and leadership is more about a person’s self-confidence than the amount of product...

Reading as a Resource

Reading as a Resource

I have a client who is concerned about her intellectual growth. She asked how I came up with so many ideas for my weekly sales tips. I shared with...

3 Tips for Proactive Selling

3 Tips for Proactive Selling

We’re back meeting with customers face-to-face. Yet in this “post pandemic era,” it feels like the way we do business will never be the same. Sales...

Finding Your Way and Making Goals

Finding Your Way and Making Goals

I consult with executives of all ages who are having trouble finding their way and making goals. Being uncertain as to where your career is headed...

Grow Your Contact Base

Grow Your Contact Base

While the best networking result remains a referral from an existing client, the paths to that outcome have changed radically. To light up your...

Best Pricing Strategies

Best Pricing Strategies

The pandemic has disrupted supply chains, resulting in shortages of goods and rapidly escalating material costs. Many suppliers have had to adjust...

A Great Mentor

A Great Mentor

Ambitious people are always looking for someone who can make them even better. Behind many successful people in history is a great mentor, a trusted...

Guided by Success

Guided by Success

A mentor can be a valuable guide to a successful career. The relationship is a personal one. To be effective, you need to choose a mentor carefully....

Differentiate Yourself

Differentiate Yourself

The sales rep felt dejected. He had demonstrated to a client the cost savings offered by changing to a new process. When he followed up on his...

Making it a Habit

Making it a Habit

Finding the sweet spot During my long career in sales and executive leadership, many have approached me with concerns over their career path. They...

In the People Business

In the People Business

A year of living behind closed doors and in front of computers has left many wondering if the art of selling has been redrawn. Of necessity, we have...

Keeping Sales Consistency

Keeping Sales Consistency

The goal Satisfying customers is the goal right? Do so by keeping sales consistency! You can classify salespeople into two general groups: hunters...

Meeting Customer Needs

Meeting Customer Needs

Selling is about helping others and meeting customer needs. A good sales person needs to be many things, including focused, organized, and...

Guarding the Buyer’s Best Interest

Guarding the Buyer’s Best Interest

My sales career has been in an industry that provides essential products. Sometimes those products can be in short supply, which makes customers...

Developing Strategic Partnerships

Developing Strategic Partnerships

I recently interviewed a man who had been the VP of Sales for a national manufacturer. The company he represented sold through a network of...

Ready to Pivot to Online Meetings ?

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...

Winning New Business

Winning New Business

Unseating the Competition Customers get comfortable with their existing suppliers and this makes it difficult to unseat the competition and win new...

What’s in Your Funnel?

What’s in Your Funnel?

The tactical presentation Selling involves strategy and the driver of any good tactical plan is a robust sales funnel. For a sales presentation to...