Author: Steve Blogs

The Wolf, the Eagle, and the Sheep: What Does It Have to Do with Sales? In the 2001 movie Training Day, the lead character, Alonzo Harris, a Los Angeles police officer played by Denzel Washington, makes these memorable statements: “You got to decide whether you’re a wolf… or a sheep” “A wolf doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of sheep.” Although the character who delivers the line is hardly a model of integrity, the quote itself has an interesting message about confidence, independence, and conviction. The basic idea is that people who are confident in their abilities and committed to a particular mission should...

18 August, 2026

What Surprised Me Most About Sales I have been asked this question many times over the years, and it has never been easy to answer. After more than three decades in enterprise sales, sales leadership, and executive management, I have learned countless lessons. But because the question asks what surprised me most, one experience stands above the rest. I entered sales in an unconventional way. I was an accountant for a major hotel chain and had recently passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination. My career path seemed well defined, and I had no intention of leaving the accounting profession. Then an unexpected...

05 August, 2026

I joined a large consumer goods market research company as Vice President of Client Services (Sales), replacing a highly respected executive who had led the sales organization for more than twenty-five years. He was understandably surprised that he was being replaced, but that is a story for another day. For more than fifty years, the company had been the undisputed leader in its industry. It enjoyed an enviable reputation, a loyal customer base, and dominant market share. But dominance can create complacency. A fast-growing start-up entered the market with superior technology, faster delivery of customized research, and significantly lower prices. Customers quickly...

21 July, 2026

A Day of Green Lights Have you ever had one of those mornings when everything seems to go your way? You wake up refreshed, enjoy a good breakfast, and then drive to work—or wherever the day is taking you—without hitting a single red light. I have had those days, and they always seem to lift my spirits. With every green light, my confidence grows, a smile settles on my face, and the day begins to feel full of promise. When the Lights Turn Red Of course, there are days when the opposite happens. I get in the car and meet one red light...

07 July, 2026

During my career, I have managed or worked with more than 1,000 sales pros, ranging from top performers to those who struggled to meet expectations. I studied high performers closely so I could better identify, hire, coach, and retain them. In my first book, Above Quota Performance,1 I described thirty characteristics they often shared. One important trait, however, did not make that list: while some top performers were highly coachable, many strongly resisted change. At one company, I first achieved success as a salesperson and later became Vice President of Sales. Our sales model assigned separate representatives to each product. As...

26 June, 2026

Waymo and Autonomous Vehicles: Technology in Search of a Problem? We recently visited San Francisco and were amazed by the prevalence of Waymo autonomous vehicles throughout the downtown area. For those unfamiliar with them, Waymo operates self-driving robotaxis that transport passengers 24 hours a day without a human driver behind the wheel. The company describes itself as “the world’s first autonomous ride-hailing service.” Waymo, owned by Alphabet (Google), has developed undeniably impressive technology. Watching these vehicles navigate busy city streets is fascinating. They obey traffic laws, maneuver smoothly through traffic, and appear to handle complex driving situations with remarkable precision. According to...

22 June, 2026

Recently, my family attended a graduation ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of San Francisco. What I witnessed left a lasting and alarming impression—not because of the graduation itself, but because it reflected broader generational and political changes taking place throughout America. At the beginning of the ceremony, the audience stood to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Seated in front of us was a Muslim family celebrating the graduation of a daughter. While most attendees stood, members of that family remained seated. Their lack of patriotism was apparent. During the ceremony, one graduate draped a Palestinian flag over...

22 June, 2026

The Counterfeit Epidemic in the Celebrity Autograph Market The autograph market is booming, with signed memorabilia from celebrities, athletes, and historical figures selling for extraordinary sums. But where demand and money surge, fraud follows—and the flood of counterfeit autographs has become impossible to ignore I have some familiarity with the autograph market from my years both as an investor in a sports memorabilia and baseball card store and as a longtime hobbyist collector. Based on that experience, I can say with confidence that the autograph industry is saturated with forgeries. Counterfeit signatures routinely appear in retail stores, at memorabilia shows, and across...

19 May, 2026

So, Who Exactly is the Key Decision Maker, aka Economic Buyer? While many use the term “key decision maker,” I prefer the term “economic buyer,” as popularized by sales trainers and authors Robert Miller and Stephen Heiman.1 There is always one person—or sometimes a small group—who fulfills this role for a given sales opportunity. They possess both influence and authority. They can approve a deal when others cannot, and just as easily veto a decision that others support. While they may not attend every meeting, they are typically present when a final recommendation or proposal is presented. In recent years, particularly in enterprise...

12 May, 2026

The Myth of “Anything’s Possible” Can an amateur golfer sink a 50-foot putt while blindfolded? Sure. It’s also possible to survive going over Niagara Falls—and a small number of people actually have.1 But in both cases, the keyword is possible, not probable. A professional golfer sinks a 50-foot putt only about 3 percent of the time.2 What do you think the odds are for an amateur to do it blindfolded? Slim to none. And that’s where sales is different. Sales Is Not a Game of Luck In enterprise sales, “anything’s possible” is not a strategy. Success is not random, and it certainly isn’t accidental. In my experience, sales...

06 May, 2026
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