Combative Conversations…..
Partners in Excellence Blog - Making A Difference
by David Brock
9h ago
Just got off a call with one of the best salespeople I’ve ever worked with. We were prepping for a very difficult customer meeting this afternoon. As we discussed the situation, he described the difficulties this customer had created in the past, he talked about how unreasonable they had been, how they weren’t meeting commitments they had made to him. We also discussed the changing expectations his company had in the relationship with this customer. Without a doubt it was likely to be a very difficult conversation. But as we spoke further he said, “They are going to be very aggressive in this ..read more
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“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Keenan
Partners in Excellence Blog - Making A Difference
by David Brock
9h ago
Preface: Who doesn’t know Keenan? I first met him years ago as he was moving from sales leadership roles into establishing his own training and consulting company. I think what draws me to Keenan and his perspectives is his obsessive focus on the customer. What are their problems, how do we help them better understand them? How do we identify the GAP between where they are and where they need to be? How do we help them close that gap, achieving their goals. With Keenan and his team, selling success is all about the customer, not what we sell. Keenan sums it up well! “When you look at selling ..read more
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What Should We Be Reading?
Partners in Excellence Blog - Making A Difference
by David Brock
2d ago
I was speaking to a group of sales people. During the Q&A, a salesperson asked me, “What are your favorite books on sales? What should we be reading?” There are lots of outstanding books on selling. While the basic principles at the core of high performance selling are the same, each book has a slightly different perspective on how to implement them. But as I reflected on the question, I asked, “What books are your customers reading? Where do your customers go to learn? Where are they going to get insights on how to more effectively grow their businesses and perform?” I then went on, “Per ..read more
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“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Jose Andrade
Partners in Excellence Blog - Making A Difference
by David Brock
3d ago
Preface: Jose Andrade is a thoughtful sales leader with one of the most varied backgrounds I’ve seen. In working with Jose, I’ve come to deeply appreciate how he thinks about driving growth and performance improvement in the teams he leads, and his general approach to selling. He sums it up, “Although I enjoy developing successful sellers, I am still most satisfied when I see that what we sell to customers meets or exceeds their expectations.” Why I’m So Interested In Selling I worked as a sales engineer and trainer for a technology company, where I was exposed to fascinating technology. We r ..read more
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Sales People Create Longer Cycles, Not Customers
Partners in Excellence Blog - Making A Difference
by David Brock
3d ago
We know buying cycles are getting longer.  It’s easy to chalk it up to buyers, blaming them for not focusing, getting distracted, not prioritizing the project, or all sorts of other things. Or we have other excuses. Perhaps it’s the economy, all the social/global disruptions. And then there is always VUCA, a great yet abstract excuse around why things are getting more difficult. It’s easy to find excuses, to blame everyone and everything else about the lengthening sales/buying cycles. But perhaps we should look inwardly. How are sellers contributing to the longer buying and sales cycles ..read more
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“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Orrin Broberg
Partners in Excellence Blog - Making A Difference
by David Brock
3d ago
Preface:  Orrin Broberg has such a diverse and fascinating background in selling.  He has worked in some of the largest organizations through starting his own companies.  Whenever, I talk to Orrin, he is deeply thoughtful about all the business, strategy, leadership, growth issues that arise in our conversations.  But the thing that’s always struck me is is deep involvement, in support of his teams, with the customers.  His final sentence sums things up:  “Call it sales if you want, but to me, it is connecting, understanding, educating, and solving problems. I wa ..read more
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“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Maddy Goldberg
Partners in Excellence Blog - Making A Difference
by David Brock
6d ago
Preface: For those of you who are fortunate enough to know Maddy Goldberg, you might be asking yourself, “I didn’t think Maddy was a sales person…..” In reality, everyone sells! We are always trying to get others to buy into our ideas or strategies, to do things that are important to achieving our goals, to change and move forward. When I first met Maddy, I was immediately struck by her ability to engage people in meaningful ways. She has an ability to listen deeply. She always demonstrates her caring in every interaction. And these are critical in moving forward. Two sentences that are so im ..read more
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“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Spence Wixom
Partners in Excellence Blog - Making A Difference
by David Brock
6d ago
Preface: “Yo dudes and dudettes…..,” in reading this I learned something new about Spence Wixom. I learned he is a surfer and that he was hitting the waves just about 30 miles north of where I was trying to hit the waves…. Wish I had known back then, we could have had some great conversations waiting for the right wave. More seriously, Spence is one of a small number of people I include in my “kitchen table board of directors.” He and I share ideas about the state of selling and how we can drive improvement. His story, is similar to many of the other stories I’ve published. He talks about how ..read more
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“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” Mary Strain
Partners in Excellence Blog - Making A Difference
by David Brock
1w ago
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 in developing a strong sales organi ..read more
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Generative AI, Telling Us What We Already Should Know?
Partners in Excellence Blog - Making A Difference
by David Brock
1w ago
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 ..read more
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