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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
“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Pete Tapley
Preface: Pete Tapley has been a friend and client for about 12 years. I first met Pete when he was running North American Sales at a small technology/professional services company. He went on to senior positions at Cognizant, CSC/DXC Technologies, Telus International. He’s now Managing Director of Data and AI at Accenture. Here’s Pete’s story. My father sold insurance. From an early age he explained to me that sales was the only field with unlimited income. That was interesting to me. In middle school he started taking me to occasional breakfast meetings with clients. One summer, he had attended a […]
“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Jack Malcolm
Preface: Jack Malcolm is a close friend and someone I count as a mentor. Our relationship didn’t start that way, in fact it was contentious. Fortunately, we saw past our differences. Jack has written one of the best books on business/financial acumen, I ‘ve ever read: Bottom Line Selling. He’s also written one of the best books on “communications,” in Lean Communication, as well as Strategic Sales Presentations. Jack’s story is fascinating, like many of the others. He suddenly found himself in selling, developing a deep passion for it. How I Learned to Love Selling I didn’t start my career wanting […]
“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Grahame Don
Preface: Grahame Don is a great friend and client. I originally met him about 10 years ago, when he led the sales effort for a specialized product line for his company. We’ve maintained our friendship through the years. He’s so creative in his selling approaches, looking at very large deals and developing strategic partnerships with customers all around the world. All this from “down-under….” (Grahame, makes some very kind comments about me, but it’s his story that’s so fascinating.) Hi Dave, I got into selling almost by chance… As a young man, all I ever wanted to be was an […]
“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Emre Vatansever
Preface: Emre Vatansever and I met a couple of years ago on LinkedIn (See it can work). We found ourselves hanging out in many of the same discussions, he eventually reached out, and we continue our discussions in emails and in commenting on posts. He has a fascinating background in coaching, consulting, and working in and with early stage companies. His story is particularly interesting–one I actually see with many other entrepreneurial people. He got into selling, without really intending to do so. He just wanted to build a business and help his customers. Enjoy this fascinating story! Why I […]
“Why Am I So Interested In Selling?”
Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a trend among sellers. There seems to be no passion for what sellers do. To many, it’s a job, a way to make a living. Many, after reading posts from “experts” are solely focused on the “big bucks,” and the majority of them fail. Selling is one of the toughest things to do well. It demands curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, discipline, and stamina. We fail frequently, despite doing the best we can do. We are constantly driven (or drive ourselves) to do more. And it demands hard work and time–always. It takes a […]
“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Rene Voorhorst
Preface: I first met Rene Voorhost years ago when he was the Nordics/Benelux sales manager for National Instruments. I don’t recall exactly how we met, I think he saw me speaking and later reached out to say, “Dave, I think there is a better way to think about these things.” Since then, he’s become a thought partner in helping me develop tools and models on driving sales performance. Many of you know my Sales Execution Framework (SEF), it wouldn’t have been possible without Rene’s deep thinking on these topics. Here’s his take: Why am I obsessed with Selling? I am […]