Posts Tagged ‘Dave Brock’
Always Be Closing!
Closing starts long before the first call we ever make on the customer. It starts with identifying our sweet spot—what problems are we the best in the world at solving, who has those problems. It’s virtually impossible to close, at least successfully, if we aren’t focused on the right customers.
Read More “Checking In” is Not a Next Step!
For those of you that know me, this won’t be a stunning confession, but I really struggle with my impatience. So in deal reviews and pipeline reviews, it’s not unusual for me to interrupt, cutting to the chase, asking, “What’s next, when will it happen?”
Read More Lots of Activity, But No Results!
Everyone I encounter is very busy. Virtually everyone I meet works long hours. Their schedules are filled with meetings, calls, all sorts of things. Many people seem to wear their “busyness” as a badge of honor.
Read More Insight: The Convergence of Strategies
Insight has become the buzzword for engaging today’s buyers. We are supposed to teach our customers—helping them identify new opportunities, areas to improve, problems they may not realize they have.
Read More “Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face.”
Most sales people I speak with claim they have a plan—often I think they thought they had a plan, but really didn’t. But whether they do or don’t, so many sales people get off course in their sales efforts. They encounter difficulty, are put off their plan, and just play catch up through the rest of the buying process.
Read More A Plan Based on “Bluebirds” Is Not a Plan
Bluebirds are parts of what happens with every sales person and in every territory. However, we can’t build a plan based on bluebirds. If we did, our plan is pure wishful thinking.
Read More The Not-So-New Principles of Sales
The discussions that swirl around the profession about new methods, tools, and techniques are exciting. They have the ability to help us improve and improve what we can achieve with customers.
Read More Salesperson as Entrepreneur
When you think about it, sales people have an awesome amount of freedom—but also a huge amount of personal responsibility. In many senses, we really are entrepreneurs.
Read More Why Are They Buying?
Until we and the customer have really internalized why they need to buy, every deal is at risk. What are they trying to achieve? Why are they trying to do it? What are the consequences of not doing it? Why is it important to them now? What’s driving their need to do something?
Read More Unique, Differentiated, But Are You Relevant?
It’s critical that we differentiate our offerings and solutions from the alternatives the customer is considering. Marketing, product management, and sales all spend endless hours trying to figure out that differentiation, to create that edge. But too often we get it wrong.
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