Blogs from Art Waskey

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AI That Transforms Time to Customer Value

Customer value and time transformation As a seasoned sales professional, I am amazed by AI's impact on transforming time into customer value. What takes a salesperson 3-5 days to accomplish with traditional sales-cycle methods can now be completed in 15 minutes with...

AI Enablement and Workforce Security

AI enablement Why am I so adamant about distributors enabling AI without delay and with a sense of urgency? The answer is because AI is already impacting their businesses. According to technology provider Tecmony, “58% of companies in the B2B sector actively use...

The AI Gold Rush – Presenting Opportunities

The Early Movers  AI never ceases to amaze me. I’ve just read another article about the rapid changes it's bringing. AI feels like a gold rush, transforming industries and even making its way into Super Bowl ads! AI appears to be broadening beyond the handful of...

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Customer personalization

Independent distributors succeed based on the added value they bring to the customer relationship. In 2024, strengthening customer personalization will be critical to your success. Here are three...

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 independent contractors. Making a film requires a...

Your Technology IQ

Digitization Digitization is the name of the game in today’s fast-paced world of sales. Technology options can seem overwhelming but to be competitive you have to continually up your digital IQ....
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...

Becoming a Go-Giver

Becoming a Go-Giver

One of the benefits of retiring from the corporate executive world is that I now have more time to read, write, teach, and give keynote speeches. I...

How Enterprise Selling Works

How Enterprise Selling Works

Enterprise Selling occurs when you demonstrate where customer needs meet your company’s innovative capabilities. According to Mark Dancer, “B2B...

Creating New Opportunities

Creating New Opportunities

A distributor asked for advice on creating new opportunities for his company. It was experiencing sales erosion to alternative channels. While sales...

Adjusting to change

Adjusting to change

Information technology is at the root of so many alterations in the way we do business, both internally and externally. We all need to learn, and...

Engage in Your Mission

Engage in Your Mission

A focused mission yields results. The most effective leaders of the 20th century all had a razor sharp focus on a cause. Fully engaging in a mission...

Sales Strategies for the Digital Age

Sales Strategies for the Digital Age

Develop commercial insight In their seminal 2011 work, The Challenger, Taking Control of the Customer Conversation, Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson...

Know Your Customer

Know Your Customer

Make personal connections To remain competitive in a world with lots of alternative purchasing channels, you need to know your customer. I advise...

Personal Service is a Plus

Personal Service is a Plus

Is anyone listening? As automation replaces people in customer service positions, the sense that no one is really listening grows. This makes...

A Balanced Sales Approach

A Balanced Sales Approach

Feeling Appreciated It is easy to slip into the Best Supporting Rep role. Filling an urgent client request or fixing a problem begets customer...

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...