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Making A Difference – Thoughts, Observations and Opinions
This is Dave Brock’s Blog.
It offers my views on a variety of business, sales, marketing, and leadership topic. My goal is to make a difference for you, the reader, in both your professional and personal lives.
Latest Posts
“Sales Are Math,” Selling Isn’t!
I recently read a LinkedIn post, one of the statements was, “Sales are math.” For a moment I scratched my head, then I realized the author was absolutely correct. The noun form of the word, Sales, is about accounting for a transaction. When I was EVP of Sales, every day I would call my sales ops VP, asking her, “What did we book in sales today?” She would provide the total of POs we had gotten. She might say something like, “Dave, we got 12 POs in the US, totalling $2.75 M, EMEA had 15 @ $2.2M, and APAC had […]
What Is Accountability?
We discuss accountability a lot, but do we really understand what it is, are we agreed on what it is? As I started to write this post, I went to the dictionary. Frankly, it wasn’t helpful. Merriam Webster’s definition was, in fact, more confusing than helpful: Definition of accountability: the quality or state of being accountable. Especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions. Responsibility and accountability may overlap a little, but are different. I prefer the following as a definition of accountability: Ownership of your commitments and doing what you commit to do. […]
“We Live In A World Of Uncertainty……”
“We live in a world of uncertainty, that may not be a flaw, but a feature of our existence.” Tom Morris in Everyday Patriot This quote in Tom’s book captivated me–partly because of it’s significance in the theme of his book, but mostly as a principle or opportunity we might have in business. Everything in our “wiring” in business is to reduce and eliminate uncertainty. We look for things that are perfectly predictable. We are uncomfortable when they aren’t. Our managers don’t want surprises. We strive to “know everything,” as a method to combat or reduce uncertainty. We are uncomfortable […]
Do Sales Enablement Professionals Need Selling Experience?
A reader wrote me, “Dave do you think sales enablement professionals need selling experience?” It’s a follow on to many of the discussions about “Do sales managers need sales experience?” My immediate reaction to both those questions was “HELL YEAH!!!!” My mind went to all the supporting arguments, things like: How do they possibly understand what sellers face, without having done the job themselves? Why would sellers pay attention if they didn’t recognize that sales enablement professionals and manager had credibility, based on their personal experience? Why would sellers believe them, if they hadn’t “been there, done that.” And I […]
The Importance Of “Flow” In Selling
For several years, I’ve been a struggling student of Tai Chi. There is such elegance in the movements. It’s an important part of my meditation and fitness practices. Tai Chi is actually a Martial Art. I’ve had instructors go through a “fight,” using the slow forms of Tai Chi, then do exactly the same thing at full speed. As you practice, you learn individual movements that are linked to create a form. For example a series of movements might be “Part The Wild Horse’s Mane,” followed by “White Crane Spreads It’s Wings,” Brush Knee And Step Forward. Each movement flows […]
What We Lose In Our Focus On Tactics…..
My social feeds are filled with advice and tips proclaiming, “If you just do this, you will blow away your quotas and max your comp plan!” Many of these seem to be focusing on that very first conversation with the customer. “Just use a pattern interrupt….” “Say these words….” “Do these sequences….” There are others, focusing on specific objections, others may address closing, or how to handle the demo. There are techniques or tactics that have worked for these “experts.” And, according to them, doing this is “guaranteed to work for you.” And then people go out doing this, all […]