Blogs from Art Waskey
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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
Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the wolf at the distributor’s door. It enables alternative channels to directly compete with...
Drive your business forward with an ERP
Take advantage of your data Due to a proven track record of delivering products, small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) enjoy working relationships...
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
I was fortunate to be part of the glory days of an outside distributor sales team. We built strong customer relationships. Using our technical...
Success or Failure, the Choice is Yours
A choice- crisis as opportunity There was a time in my life when many people around me didn’t think I had the necessary knowledge and ability to be...
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
Seller-free sales The transformation to the digital marketplace for sales channels happened gradually — and then suddenly. The global pandemic...
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...
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
Tapping inside potential Digitalization, combined with a worldwide pandemic, has caused significant disruption in distribution sales, especially...
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 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
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
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
Enterprise Selling occurs when you demonstrate where customer needs meet your company’s innovative capabilities. According to Mark Dancer, “B2B...
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...
Enterprise Selling, A New Sales Process
A brief history of sales Sales techniques have always adjusted to economic and business trends. For example, the industrial revolution made products...
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...
The Transition to “Commercial Insight” Selling
Know your customer So much has changed with the pandemic, including in sales. Commercial Insight Selling is on the rise! What do I mean by that?...
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...
Adapting to Change in a Distribution Model
Declining revenues force change The world is rapidly changing and we must adapt to change in order to compete. One example of this is how the...
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...