Blogs from Art Waskey

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Cutting Dead Inventory Costs with Advanced Inventory Management

Reducing dead inventory is essential for distribution companies to stay competitive. As a senior executive, I once faced a period when our obsolete stock hit 5% of annual sales. To tackle this, I initiated weekly meetings with outside sales reps to review slow-moving...

To Retain Employees Look to your Managers

Look to your managers Managers are the link to employee retention. The management consulting firm Gallup specializes in the science of employee engagement. Also, their surveys have found that people don’t leave companies, they leave managers. If you have a turnover...

Retain Employees using these Six Questions

Employee retention Employee retention is essential to a successful business.  When I reflect on my time as a sales manager, I often think of the employees who got away. I wonder why some people stayed with the company, and others left.  More specifically, I...

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Goals and Motivation

Motivation and Restraint John Grisham is one of my favorite writers. I only read his books on vacations because once started, I can’t stop. As a weekly sales and leadership writer I have to spend a...

Managing Your Contact List

Your Contact List is your lifeline. Managing it well is essential to your success. Let’s look at the skills required for an effective automated phone number and address system. Sharing updates...

Leading with Added-Value

The term added value has been a significant part of sales strategy discussions in the last several years. In the digital age, its importance continues to grow. In a recent webcast by Distribution...
What’s Your Sales Strategy?

What’s Your Sales Strategy?

Selling Involves Strategy Like a good game of chess, selling involves strategy and paying careful attention to all the moving pieces.  I worked...

Solving a Sales Dilemma

Solving a Sales Dilemma

A client came to me for advice on a sales dilemma. One of his customers was expanding his business and needed to purchase a couple of hundred...

Job Guidance

Job Guidance

Daunted By New Responsibilities Are you in a new leadership position and feeling the need for some job guidance? As a master coach, I recently...

Gearing up to Hire

Gearing up to Hire

There is bright news on the horizon and companies find themselves gearing up to hire additional staff. As the vaccines for COVID-19 are approved and...

Recap, Review, Realign

Recap, Review, Realign

To effectively plan for the New Year of business, it is important to recap your transactions in 2020, review their effectiveness, and realign your...

How to gain customer commitment

How to gain customer commitment

A rep came to me with the news that he was finally making headway with a prospect, but had trouble with them making the commitment. His new contact...

Building a Business Relationship

Building a Business Relationship

Stalled conversations One of my reps was finding it difficult to engage his prospects and build the relationship.  Seeking my counsel he explained,...

4 Elements to Overcoming Inexperience

4 Elements to Overcoming Inexperience

The seasoned salesperson knows where he/she is going and how to get there. It’s typical, however, to those new to the profession to feel insecure....

Building Self-confidence

Building Self-confidence

Self-esteem can be a bit of a misnomer as it often does not come entirely from within. The process of building self-confidence requires the support...

The Efficient Home Office

The Efficient Home Office

Many of the sales managers and reps I advise have commented that working from home during this pandemic has made them more efficient. This has come...

Shifting Sales and Service Channels

Shifting Sales and Service Channels

Stay Flexible with your Service Channels I recently went to the hardware store to purchase some plumbing supplies for a home project. I was delayed...

Treat Them All the Same

Treat Them All the Same

Now that I am no longer a Vice President at a well-established welding and gas distributor, I find it interesting to note how some people treat me...

Selling to a Unique Interest

Selling to a Unique Interest

Selling is about developing trust that evolves into long-term personal relationships.  I find it most difficult to get past the initial...

It All Starts Inside You

It All Starts Inside You

Stay Positive and Busy I recently received a call from a successful and highly skilled sales executive. I had watched him grow his base of quality...

4 Tips for Speaking Like a Pro

4 Tips for Speaking Like a Pro

I received an email from an engineer inquiring about my seminar, “Speaking with Confidence.” He told me he had to give a five-minute presentation to...

Relationships Matter

Relationships Matter

I was concerned that my salesperson wasn’t fully committed to building relationships of trust with his customers before trying to sell them our...

Securing Lasting, Up-Front Commitments

Securing Lasting, Up-Front Commitments

Presenting your solution to a customer’s problem before securing their commitment can have negative consequences. Be sure you don’t become the...

The Firm Up-Front Agreement

The Firm Up-Front Agreement

Are you often excited to make a sales call because you know you have a product or service that your prospective customer desperately needs? ...