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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
Please Do Your Homework Before Contacting Me!
As sales professionals looking for new business, it’s critical that we establish our credibility in our very first contacts with a prospect or customer. We then have to maintain that through every subsequent communication, creating value in every exchange. We all know that, but I’m amazed at how few people execute that. I get all sorts of queries–and I’m not talking about the obvious SPAM who’s sole purpose is to clog up the web. Emails asking me if we are interested in learning the latest advancements in lean manufacturing technologies, and how we can leverage them in our factories–I suppose because I write […]
What’s The Deal?
The other day I had one of those Abbot and Costello “Who’s On First” moments. I was doing a review with a sales team. One sales person was presenting some stuff. In my normal rude manner, I interrupted the sales person asking, “What’s the deal?” The sales person misunderstood me, replying, “Nothing, everything’s OK,” to which I responded, “No, what’s the deal?” The conversation went on for a few moments, the sales person kept coming up with different answers, describing different activities, but never answered my question. (I have to admit, I probably extended it, I was having so much fun.) But […]
Do You Deserve To Be A Manager?
I read a great post in HBR, If You’re Not Helping People Develop, You’re Not Management Material. It’s a fantastic article, definitely a must read for managers and non-managers alike. The job of the manager is to get things done through people! The best managers focus on maximizing the performance of each individual and of their teams–both in their current roles and developing them to grow and contribute further. This means finding and recruiting the right people, assuring they have the strategies, processes, program, systems, tools, support, and training necessary for success. It means setting clear goals and expectations for performance […]
How Do You Differentiate Yourself?
Data shows 53% of customer loyalty is a result of their personal experiences in the buying process. This means the value we, sales professionals, create in the buying process is critical to our ability to win. What are you doing to differentiated yourself? What are you doing to make yourself and the value you create unique to the customer? Some defined that value in relationships developed with customers–but the wrong kind–you know what I mean, “When the going gets tough, the tough go to lunch or the golf course.” That stereotyped image of the glad handing sales person, slapping people […]
Reclaiming The Performance Planning Process
I recently wrote a post: Poor Performers Probably Don’t Know. It kicked off a fascinating round of discussions on Performance Plans and Performance Management. I believe the Performance Plan and the Performance Planning Process is one of the most powerful tools for managers and subordinates to align expectations, priorities, and goals; then subsequently monitor performance against those goals. Unfortunately, the performance plan and the process seem to have fallen into disfavor. Probably for some good reasons, but mostly for tragically bad reasons. Today, mentioning a performance plan brings up all sorts of bad experiences for managers and subordinates alike. They […]
Trust, Deception, LinkedIn
I guess it’s the new standard. Great tools end up being subverted for deceptive—or in the very least tragically bad practices. LinkedIn has increasingly been a channel for SPAM and other just bad marketing/sales approaches. I’ve learned to deal with the unwanted pitches coming through InMail, invitations, and some group communications. It’s an annoyance, but hitting delete is very fast and easy. Every once in a while, I get something from someone that is even more innovative in it’s execution of the worst possible sales and marketing practices one could imagine. It’s especially odd when it’s inflicted by a so-called “expert and best selling […]