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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 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 […]
“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Alex Shootman
Preface: I first met Alex Shootman when he was running sales at Eloqua. We had talked on the phone a few times, but our first meeting was on the exhibit floor at Dreamforce. While his time was probably better spent talking to customers, he took time to have a great conversation. Since then, we talk, periodically, sharing ideas. He’s a master at building companies, including Apptio, Workfront, and now as CEO of Alkamai. Several years ago, he published a fascinating book about his learning as a leader, Done Right, How Tomorrow’s Top Leaders Get Things Done. Here’s Alex’s take on […]
“Why Am I Interested In Selling,” Mitch Little
Preface: Mitch Little is a close friend and “sparring partner.” We often get into discussions and debates about the future of selling and how to drive high performance. (I guess sparring is overstated, he and I are almost always in wild agreement). Mitch should know, as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Client Engagement at Microchip, he ran one of the highest performing organizations I’ve seen. He is passionate about everything in selling and engaging customers. As a demonstration of that passion, some years ago, he wrote “Shiftability, Creating Sustainable Competitive Advantage In Selling.” Here’s Mitch’s take: Why did I get interested […]
“Why I Love Selling” Wolrad Claudy
Preface: Wolrad Claudy is a great friend and client. I first met him years ago when he ran global sales for Tekelec (acquired by Oracle). He’s one of the most fascinating sales leaders I’ve worked with. Since Tekelec, he has been involved in a number of technology start-ups, has developed a specialized fund, providing seed capital to some start-ups. And, on the side, he has a winery. Here’s Wolrad, I love his creative approach in answering my question. My friend, Dave Brock challenged me to explore, “why I’m obsessed with selling.’ First, I asked Chat GPT the question. Here is […]
“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Maria Boulden/Gartner
Preface: Maria Boulden is one of my closest friends. I suspect much is based on our love of really bad puns. But most of it is how deeply I respect her as a leader. She is currently Vice President of Executive Partner Sales at Gartner. Prior to that, she ran one of the largest segments at Dupont, responsible for billions in annual revenue. Here’s Maria: “I graduated with a degree in chemical engineering with a chemistry minor. And I started my career with a chemical company doing the things you would expect a chemical engineer to do…research, development, manufacturing, operations […]