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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,” Mary Strain
Preface: Mary Strain’s story is actually two stories in one. The first is her father’s passion for selling and how Mary learned from him, developing a strong passion for selling. But before I let you move onto her story, I need to add to it. I met Mary years ago when she was Director of Programs for an educational not-for-profit in New York City. She had spent many years as a teacher, and was now responsible for delivering very innovative educational programs to K-12 schools. When I started working with the organization, one of the clear needs they had were […]
Generative AI, Telling Us What We Already Should Know?
Our feeds are filled with hacks, prompts, “cheat sheets” offering things like, “What are key decision maker roles for this….? What are qualifying questions….? What are trends…..? How do I handle objections….?” I take these hacks, trying them out myself. At best, I get responses that are mediocre and non specific. For example, “CFOs care about these things…..” Well duhhhh! I refine them, suggesting a certain industry or market. The responses are the same, but with the addition, “CFOs in the industrial products sector care about these things….” They are the same, the only change is the addition of the […]
“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Ned Miller
Preface: Ned Miller is one of my closest friends/mentors. The first Saturday of every month, we reserve an hour or so to catch up on things, to share ideas. Ned’s always patient in listening to my horrible puns and jokes. Every Sunday, Ned takes the time to send me a quick reflection or thought. I do reflect on them, they help me pay attention to the important stuff going on. As a result, it’s not surprising to see this sentence in his story, “The collaborative nature of selling has always been appealing to me, as has the imperative to keep […]
It’s Not How, It’s What, Why, Who!*
We have become masters at describing our “how.” That is, we present all the capabilities of our products and solutions, the “how” of achieving a goal or solving the problem. We provide endless content, demos, and discussions focused on the capabilities of our products. But are we addressing the most important issues our customers face? At some point, the “how” is important. But it’s irrelevant until they first have answered, for themselves, the “what, why, and who.” The what and why are closely intertwined. Until the customer has clearly answered the questions, “What are the key issues we seek to […]
“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Enrico Nebbia
Preface: I met Enrico Nebbia as a result of publishing these artices. He reached out, asking if he could share his story. Like many others, selling wasn’t something he naturally gravitated to. But over a career, he eventually found himself thrilled with selling. One line stood out, “But the most powerful reason is because sales make me feel useful.” This is the question David Brock has asked a few salespeople… I also respond to the invitation. In several previous posts, I had already alluded to some of these aspects but had never gone into so much detail. I’m afraid […]
“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Chris Palmissano
Preface: Chris Palmissano and I “met” a number of years ago. We started sharing ideas about sales performance, particulalry in some of his early leadership and entrepreneurial roles. We continue those conversations to today. A line that stood out, “If you accept sales is about moving people, then it becomes easy to stay positive about selling. You start to see sales everywhere.” Why am I interested in selling? Selling is about moving people. I heard a story on a podcast about how an insurance salesperson wasn’t able to convince a pair of young parents they needed or could benefit from […]