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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
There Are No “Shortcuts”
One would think the notions of miracle cures and short cuts to success would have been dispelled decades ago. It seems there is always some huckster promising “miracle cures,” “Do these 5 things and customers will immediately buy—I’ll tell you the secrets to success for $99.95!” “Say these 5 words to get customers to respond……” “It only takes 4 discovery questions to maximize your success in engaging customers….” “Buy this tool to drive response rates up by 500%…..” Often, accompanying these enticing miracle cures is a picture of some one sitting in a private jet, driving their fancy car, dining […]
A Little Whining—When Will We Stop Thinking Buyers Are Stupid
I’ve been away from the blog for a bit. Three continents in 10 days, sitting in yet another airline lounge waiting my next flight. I’m clearing email that has piled up over the just completed transatlantic leg. There are two I’ve just deleted from my inbox. Each is from a supplier that I have had long relationships with. Each is up to their annual demonstration of how stupid they think their customers are. The first is my renewal to the Harvard Business Review. I’ve gone through this annually for at least 10 years. My current subscription is ending and they […]
What Happened To The Follow-Up?
One of the biggest mistakes managers make is lack of follow-up. Recently, I sat in a review meeting. Almost surprisingly, it was very productive. The team was actively engaged, they were talking about important shifts in their strategies and how they would execute with the customers. There was great discussion to make sure everyone was aligned. They agreed on specific next steps and actions (though I had to hint a little at doing this.) Responsibilities were identified. Target completion dates were established, the meeting was adjourned. People left with a great feeling of accomplishment. The manager was pleased with the […]
Advice For The New Sales Manager, What You Need To Know
Moving into the role of Sales Manager is a challenge for everyone. Most people struggle, and if you aren’t struggling, perhaps you should be worried. Often, new managers don’t get great coaching from their managers. Often, new managers don’t pay attention to the coaching they get from their managers. Too often, new managers rush in to change things–because they think that’s what managers do. Too often, new managers rush do the things that made them successful in the past–sell! But selling isn’t the job, maximizing the performance of the people who do sell is their job. As a result, they […]
“Let’s Automate That……”
Once again, I find myself issuing a disclaimer at the outset of a post. I’m an unabashed fan of leveraging technology as much as possible. I sit on the boards or advisory boards of several companies that have great technology solutions for business professionals. However, too often, our automation efforts have the unintended effect of making us worse, dumbing us down. My latest rampage started a couple of days ago. Hank Barnes and I were discussing an idea he had about improving insight delivery and sales performance in the discovery process. He ended up writing a terrific post: “Next” Practice […]
Gartner/CEB Sales And Marketing Conference–Special Announcement
I rarely promote conferences and events, but I have to make an exception with this. Each year are two events I consider, “Must Attend.” I get invited to far too many events, attending some because I’m speaking (kind of have to do that), and others because they are convenient places to meet clients (Dreamforce has become that). But there are only two I attend, primarily, to learn and discuss the most critical issues facing sales, marketing, and business professionals. The Gartner/CEB Sales and Marketing Conference, in Las Vegas, October 9-11, is one of those. The quality of the content, the […]