Make AI Your Friend: Hope Is Not a Sales Strategy in 2026 Customers aren’t waiting for salespeople to find answers anymore. They expect you to already have them. AI has automated the top of the funnel. Service expectations are rising. And “activity” is no longer the same thing as progress. In 2026, the salespeople who win won’t hope for an easier year; they’ll prepare for a harder one. If you want to read the full article published in Industrial Supply Magazine , click here . Frank Hurtte works with industrial distributors who want better sales performance without the hype. A consultant, speaker, and trainer, Frank focuses on practical sales strategy, customer expectations, and preparing teams for what’s next, not what was. He is the founder of River Heights Consulting and a frequent contributor to industry publications like Industrial Supply Magazine. ...

National Boss’s Day – an official holiday since 1958 – falls on the workday closest to October 16 th .  Back in 2015, I proposed the addition of another holiday, National Bring your Boss to Work Day.  With tongue firmly planted in cheek, I outlined why I felt sellers needed to get their bosses out of the office and in front of customers.   This message is even more important today than in the past.   For the enjoyment of our younger readers, we started our message off with a snapshot of an era when dinosaurs ruled the planet – circa 1978. It was the age of leisure suits and wingtips.  Sales offices were richly adorned in thickly shagged carpet and orange metallic furniture.  The computer, fax machine, Internet, smartphone, tablet, and text message were decades away.   The latest bit of sales technology centered on the auto-flip Rolodex.  Times were different; very different.  And to further amuse our younger readers, several ...