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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
Social Networking—Lot’s of Friends, No One Wants To Know Me
I’m ashamed to admit it, but I am a relative newbie in Social Networking. I’ve belonged to LinkedIn for years, but really haven’t paid attention to it until the past 6 months.About 18 months ago, at Jeff Pulver’s suggestion, I joined Facebook, I’m still trying to figure out how to use it, though it has enriched my relationships with my nieces and nephews—somehow they think I am marginally cooler. I know what a wall, is, I’m still struggling with pokes. Someone poked me for the first time the other day, I didn’t know whether to say “Ouch,” jump, poke back […]
Top Sales Experts Launches New Resource For Sales Professionals!!
I’ve mentioned my affiliation withTop Sales Experts (TSE). It’s a fantastic group of people, whose opinions I value. It’s been an honor to be associated with them as a “Top Sales Expert.” I am delighted to report that Tuesday, February 10 is the Launch date for TSE 2.0. Mark it on your calendar! What is the TSE 2.0 Launch all about? Well, I am not at liberty to reveal details just yet. The final pieces are clicking into place – literally—as I write this post. However, I can tell you it will be a valuable resource for sales professionals and […]
Focus On Your Customer’s Need To Buy, Not Your Need To Sell!
All sales people, today, sell solutions. At least that’s what most sales people say they are doing. If sales people are really acting consultatively, selling solutions, why are so many customers sick of sales pitches? We hear customers saying: “They (the sales people) always come in here pitching their latest products andtechnologies without telling me how it solves our problems.” “They say they have solutions before they even know my problems.” “The sales person doesn’t understand my business.” “They tell me about the products, I have to figure out whether it will solve my problems!” “They just want to push […]
Surviving Through Tough Times, Things We’ve Learned
A client called my attention to an article that I wrote during the last downturn, the Internet Bubble. As I re-read it, it is still applicable. The past year has created new professional and personal challenges. Almost every business faces tough new realities. Focusing their strategies and sharpening execution are the top priorities of most of the executives we work with. I thought it useful share a few of the things we have learned with our clients or observed in the performances of other companies over the past year: Down markets bring all past “sins” to the forefront. The robust […]
It’s Not Your Customer’s Responsibility To Do Your Job!
Yes, this is another post about what professional sales is all about. It seems too many of us just spend our time talking about how fantastic our products/services are; how much superior we are to the competition; how the customer cannot afford not to buy our products and services. We focus our time on presenting FAB’s: Features, Advantages, Benefits. We spend most of our time on the pitch and too little time understanding what the customer is trying to achieve. Yet later, mostly when we lose the deal, often when our customers raise objections, we can’t understand why they just […]
Dramatically Increase Sales!
Seth Godin seems to come up with the simplest and thought provoking ideas. I can’t improve on it, so I will only repeat it. But I encourage you to go to his site, and read this and the 100’s of others he has. Seth’s idea for the “Easiest Cheap Way To Dramatically Increase Sales:” Call or write your customers, saying: “I know that times might be tough for you. Is there anything I can do to pitch in and help?” Thank you, Seth!