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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
Let’s Put Marketing On Commission!
My friend, Dan McDade, President ofPointClear, has been leading an interesting discussion at Focus. He asked me the question, “would sales people be willing to share commissions with marketing if marketing was perceived to have done a better job for sales?” (it’s a good discussion, I recommend reading it.) My immediate reaction was, “Isn’t marketing’s job to be supporting sales? Why do we need to pay them some of sales’ commissions if they do their job well?” I still maintain that position, but Dan’s question started me thinking. What would happen if we put marketing on a commission plan, what […]
Does Success Blind Us To The Real Opportunity?
My friend, Gary Hart, were having an email conversation about performance. We were talking about an organization both of us know well that outwardly seemed to be successful. They were meeting their numbers, managers were proud, but both Gary and I saw they could be doing so much more. Often I get into conversations with very successful sales professionals or leaders. They have a track record of meeting their goals, consistently meeting quota. Justifiably, they’re proud. But then, I pose the question, “Are you achieving enough? Are you reaching your full potential?” Often, the reaction is, “What do you mean? […]
Are We Too Glib In Talking About Sales Performance Management?
Let me make a confession up front. I copped out on the title of this post, if I had really been honest and courageous, I would have titled this, “Am I Being Too Glib In Talking About Sales Performance Management?” If you are a regular follower of this blog, you know I talk about this very frequently, tossing the term out as though it’s easily understood and implemented, if you just do a few simple and logical things. We all tend to do the same thing, we tend to be glib in talking about it without really talking about IT. […]
How About Hanging Out Where Your Customers Hang Out?
When I started my sales career, I sold computers to large banks on Wall Street. It seemed obvious at the time–and since–that the way to really understand what was going on in the industry and with my customers was to hang out where they did. I started going to things like the American Bankers Association meetings, I read their journal. That was where you really learned what was going on in the industry. I have lunch in the cafeteria’s of my customers, talking to people, learning what was going on. In some cases, I found it funny, my customers would […]
You’ve Got New Ideas, New Programs, But What Are You Stopping?
I’ve spent much of my time over the past few weeks participating in a number of sales kick-off meetings. January is always a great month (at least for those on an calendar fiscal year). It’s when we get to start all over. Whatever happened last year is behind us. We start anew, we have new quotas, perhaps some shifts in strategies and priorities, and many new sales programs and initiatives. Hmmm…. many new programs and initiatives…. This is where I start becoming a little concerned. In too many of the meetings, executives, product managers, marketing people, sales executives talk with […]
What Kind Of Example Do You Set For Your People?
Yesterday afternoon, I was in JFK waiting to board a plane. I’d had a long day, nothing to eat, and a 6 hour flight with only the prospects for a bag of peanuts in front of me. Even though it was only about 20 minutes until boarding, I decided to stop in the restaurant next to the gate. I asked the hostess if 20 minutes was enough time to order, get served and eat. She reassured me that I could and seated me. I was near the kitchen, 10 feet away from me, the manager stood with a huddle of […]