In this episode of The Art and Science of Complex Sales, Paul Fuller sits down with Dave Brock, founder of Partners in EXCELLENCE. They unpack the challenges and contradictions facing modern sales teams—from cultural drift to leadership dysfunction—and explore what it really takes to build resilient, high-performing organizations in today’s environment.High Performers Play the Long Game (25:28)

What do the best companies have in common? Dave shares lessons from top-performing organizations across industries. These teams focus on fundamentals, long-term leadership, and curiosity—not shortcuts. He emphasizes that sustained success is built on depth, not hacks or vanity metrics.

High Performers Play the Long Game (25:28)

What do the best companies have in common? Dave shares lessons from top-performing organizations across industries. These teams focus on fundamentals, long-term leadership, and curiosity—not shortcuts. He emphasizes that sustained success is built on depth, not hacks or vanity metrics.

Rethinking Playbooks and Performance (36:59)

Sales playbooks are helpful—but not when they become cages. Dave and Paul discuss how top reps use playbooks as foundations, not scripts. Real performance comes from learning, adapting, and thinking critically. They explore why flexibility, common language, and trust are more important than rigid rules in today’s complex sales environments.

In this episode of The Art and Science of Complex Sales, we’re joined by Tony Cross, CEO of Growth Matters International. Tony shares how sales managers can be the most powerful lever for sales transformation.

The conversation focuses on how to lead teams through uncertainty, coach toward customer buying behavior, and create practical momentum through structured conversations and frameworks. Tony also introduces his "Chalk and Talk" initiative, a live, collaborative coaching experience designed to foster strategic action.Coaching Through Uncertainty (03:38)

Tony explains how sales managers can cut through the noise by staying focused on the fundamentals. Rather than "getting back to basics," he advocates reinforcing foundational one-on-one coaching that helps reps guide customers through complex buying decisions. Uncertainty is high, but clarity can be created through strong leadership.

Aligning with the Buying Process (06:08)

The episode explores why sales teams need to understand how buying decisions are made inside customer organizations. Tony discusses using a draft buying vision to collaborate with buyers and ensure proposals speak to everyone involved, not just the primary contact. This approach builds trust and improves win rates.

Pipeline Coaching with the ICE Model (15:55)

Tony introduces the Identify, Clarify, Explore (ICE) model as a simple yet powerful framework for coaching reps on pipeline health. He explains how sales managers should move beyond metrics like coverage ratios and instead diagnose pipeline challenges by looking at value, volume, velocity, and deal shape.

Sales excellence starts with purpose, is driven by process, and grows through self-awareness. It’s about aligning personal motivation with meaningful business impact. ⁠Zack Bower⁠ and ⁠Nick Massaro⁠ from ⁠Membrain ⁠unpack what sales means to them, why process thinking matters, and how Membrain helps them sell with greater clarity and consistency.

This episode blends introspection and practical insight to show how structure leads to better results for individuals, teams, and businesses alike.