Ep. 123 - Relationships Are Your Real Sales Strategy - Doug C. Brown

In this episode of Future Fuzz, host Vince Quinn chats with Doug C. Brown, a veteran sales strategist and CEO of CEO Sales Strategies. Doug shares insights from over 40 years of sales experience, exploring the mindset required to achieve predictable revenue growth. Learn how to define truthful goals, track the right metrics, overcome resistance to change, and harness the power of strategic content (like video podcasts) to build trust, credibility, and lasting business relationships.
Guest Bio
Doug C. Brown is the CEO of CEO Sales Strategies and the creator of the "Double Your Sales" methodology. With more than four decades of experience in sales leadership and consultancy, Doug specializes in creating predictable and measurable revenue growth. His customized, math-driven approach has helped companies dramatically boost performance, like increasing sales close rates by 143% and growing product sales by over 4,150% in six months (as recounted in the podcast transcript).
Takeaways
- Set Clear, Truthful Revenue Goals: Define realistic targets based on data, not wishful thinking, avoiding the trap of overly ambitious objectives that nobody truly wants.
- Track the Right KPIs: Measure outbound touches, connection rates, appointment conversion, presentation-to-close metrics, upsells, follow-ups, and referrals, usually 8–11 key indicators.
- Embrace a Growth Mindset Through Change: Leaders must be willing to shift gears, even if it means stepping back before stepping forward. Be open to market shifts and personal adaptation.
- Understand Emotional Triggers in Sales: Buyers evaluate both Business ROI and Personal ROI. Your messaging must address both the rational and emotional motivations.
- Lower Fear, Raise Confidence: Don't try to rush people from fear to sale, first help them reach a neutral mindset where reasoning and trust can emerge.
- Use Media to Build Credibility: Doug’s video podcast opened doors to speaking engagements, investor relationships, and higher-visibility opportunities, showcasing how being visible builds trust and authority.
- Leverage Transfer of Trust: Being featured on respected platforms (like Future Fuzz) transfers credibility to Doug, giving him a competitive advantage.
- Relationships Power Sales: Ultimately, business is about human connections. Content and presence help you surface those relationships.
Chapters
00:00 Vince’s intro & Doug’s welcome
01:38 What is CEO Sales Strategies?
02:51 Key sales metrics to track
04:52 How to begin with the right growth mindset
07:49 Accepting change to grow
08:28 Understanding buyer motivations: Problem, Opportunity, Goal
09:25 Value perception: Business ROI vs Personal ROI
11:05 Moving from fear to neutral for effective persuasion
13:20 Why emotional resistance makes change so hard
14:12 Persuasion lessons from real-life examples
15:12 Building relationships through podcast visibility
17:00 How content and visibility build credibility
22:31 Corporate vs human sales, relationships are everything
25:08 Closing remarks & how to connect with Doug
Connect with Doug C. Brown on LinkedIn
Connect with Vince Quinn on Linkedin
You can also reach him via email: doug@ceosalesstrategies.com or his cell at 832‑549‑4836 (no spam, please).