Adrian Davis

Adrian Davis is the president of management consulting firm Whetstone Inc. He works with chief executives and sales leaders to create profitable growth by helping them win, keep and grow key accounts.

Articles by Adrian Davis

• Are you indispensable to your customers?

  Monday, January 19, 2015

  As you look at your customer base, are there any customers who really can't do without you? If not, you could be in big trouble. Our economy is fragile, and it is no longer sheltered from the unpredictable upheavals overseas. Anything that happens anywhere in the world can cause an economic downturn in North America, resulting in difficult financial challenges for your customers.

• How to resolve employee conflict

  Monday, January 05, 2015

  In entrepreneurial companies, employees wear many hats. Consequently, there is frequent communication and everyone feels well-informed. As organizations grow, it becomes necessary to focus the efforts of employees in specific functional areas. While this focus results in greater discipline, an unintended consequence is often a breakdown in communication.

• 3 keys to make change stick

  Thursday, November 06, 2014

  As a keynote speaker, I'm often called upon to help an organization's employees reframe the changes they are undergoing, and to move them from a sense of angst and confusion to a sense of purpose and conviction. Bringing in an outsider is helpful because your employees want to know that others have gone through similar experiences, and they are eager to learn from the experiences of others.

• 3 things managers must do to lead change

  Wednesday, October 08, 2014

  Every organization is dealing with change — some more successfully than others. The linchpin in change efforts is middle management. Middle managers are the interface between the visionaries who decide on the change and the front-line workers who must implement it. If middle management is not engaged, the front-line workers will not be either.

• Are you at the wrong end of the value chain?

  Wednesday, September 03, 2014

  In the past, the secret to success was economies of scale. This is no longer true. We see large companies collapse. No one is safe. Every organization — no matter how large — began as an idea. Then, organizations go through five stages of maturity.

• The future of business: Big or small, but not mid-sized

  Tuesday, July 29, 2014

  Businesses are currently faced with unprecedented change. Every change — especially those related to technology and business model — brings more and faster change. Change changes the nature of change. Each change creates new opportunities, and each change shuts the door on previous growth opportunities. No one is safe — especially not mid-sized business.

• Do you have the right focus?

  Tuesday, July 01, 2014

  Typically, ​80 percent of your profitability comes from 20 percent of your accounts. Yet, if you are like most businesses, you spread your attention across 100 percent of your accounts while you scramble to acquire even more. Salespeople often hunt for business, which provides some reward in the short term, but ultimately, is bad for your business.

• Finding creative ways to raise nondues revenue

  Wednesday, May 28, 2014

  Every year, the question of whether to renew membership begs a greater question: Does the association I belong to provide me with sufficient value?