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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From Best Practices to Next Practices

Changes and Challenges As 2022 comes to a close, it’s time to formulate a plan for 2023. I find that webcasts are a great way to acquire relevant information and ideas. They offer reviews of the...

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 card that bears the title, “Sales Engineer, North...

“Whos” Help Leaders Lead

Leadership involves the ability to communicate a vision that is both compelling and clear. In their book, Who Not How, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy discuss how Whos can help leaders do this....
5 Reasons Contracts Work

5 Reasons Contracts Work

I remember when your word was your bond and was all that was needed to form an agreement. In the last 20 years, however, verbal contracts have all...

The New Face-to-Face

The New Face-to-Face

When I retired in November of 2018, I knew I wanted to continue to chase my other passions: writing, public speaking, and consulting. When I...

3 Reasons to “Just Do It!”

3 Reasons to “Just Do It!”

Our company has a great motto: “Do what you say you are going to do, how you say you are going to do it, when you say you are going to do it, no...

Turning a Bid into Business

Turning a Bid into Business

I was traveling with one of our sales representatives when he informed me that we needed to stop at an account and pick up their annual bid request....

4 Lessons from a Mattress Salesman

4 Lessons from a Mattress Salesman

My wife had recently noted that our bed was beginning to have two distinct sags, and so on my lunch break I stopped in a mattress store.  A...

What’s Your Perspective?

What’s Your Perspective?

How important is perspective to your success in sales? Consider this. A shoe salesman finds himself on a remote island among a tribe of people who...

Getting the Call Back

Getting the Call Back

You try and try to get a potential client you know needs you to call back, or email, or whatever. Check out this story and couple tips to convert...

The New Face-to-Face Call

The New Face-to-Face Call

Is virtual sales the future? The most outgoing professionals in business, salespeople, are now required to stay home due to pandemic quarantines. As...

Knowing What your Customer Means

Knowing What your Customer Means

Understanding your customer’s goals is critical to success in sales. If you don't know what the customers goals or needs are, you may be left...

The Time for Prospecting

The Time for Prospecting

Making prospective calls is always an important part of a sales reps’ agenda, but sometimes prospecting doesn't take as high of a priority as it...

Price Versus Value

Price Versus Value

Have you found yourself frustrated by customers who seem to be shopping for the lowest price?  Does the term “bottom feeder” sometimes feel...

Time to think SMART

Time to think SMART

One of my best salespersons recently approached me in frustration, saying, “I’m spending too much effort on things that don’t really matter and not...

Look, Listen, Learn, and Ask for Help

Look, Listen, Learn, and Ask for Help

A sales rep new to our company attended an intensive training program given by one of our primary vendors. He was very excited about what he had...

Social Selling Anyone?

Social Selling Anyone?

I was recently reminded of social media’s critical importance to marketing when asked by Vicara Books, the publisher of my latest book, how many...

Why the Confusion?

Why the Confusion?

Are customers missing your message? Here are four potential reasons why. Learn these and become better equipped to make that sale!

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Curb Your Enthusiasm

When a potential customer isn’t truly excited about the product you offer, perhaps they don’t realize their need and how your product will help them. What do you do?

When Should You Really Leave

When Should You Really Leave

Do failed meetings really mean the opportunity is dead? Check out three ideas to extend prospective sales calls and make new contacts in this weeks Art of Sales article.

Aim For Excellence

Aim For Excellence

Defining Excellence Successful Sales managers constantly search for measures of excellence for their sales professionals, keys to unlock their...