Blogs from Art Waskey

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The Value of an Industry-Experienced Broker

A career transition I transitioned from being an executive of an industrial gases distributorship to being a deal-maker in that space. After spending 46 successful years in the welding and atmospheric gas business, I retired from my company position but continued to...

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...

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Featured

Is It Time to Expand Your Business?

Central to any good business plan is the possibility of expanding. I am working with a distributor who asked me to advise him on adding a new branch store. When I was part of a distributorship’s...

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 important question. As John Maxwell notes in The 21...

Performance Indicators That Drive Strategy

Before a manager and salesperson can create a strategic plan for the future, they must scrutinize past and present performance through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Both year-over-year (YOY)...
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...

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

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...