I’m a nerd and I appreciate other nerds, especially if they are in sales and double that appreciation if they are successful. Roberge by all accounts has been highly successful and his approach to sales has been very systematic and what’s really important here; it’s repeatable and teachable.

52 Weeks of Book Reviews. Week #37 – The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million by Mark Roberge @markroberge

I’m a strange combination of attributes for a sales professional myself. I’m a member of Mensa, the High IQ society and I’m a terrible introvert with a penchant for excel and video games. These attributes usually lend themselves to more of the sit at home and code while drinking mountain dew type’s of lifestyles, but instead, I’ve decided to make my living interacting with others on a daily basis. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment. The thing is, though that it’s no longer punishment and I’ve successfully taken my weaknesses and turned them into my strengths. I feel like the swordsman from The Princess Bride who fights with his left hand until he feels it’s necessary to do otherwise. In fact, I am not really left handed and neither is Roberge. If you don’t get the reference it’s ok. It’s a nerd thing. What I really mean is that it’s ideal to force yourself to become really good at something you aren’t and to learn it from another perspective, that’s how the status quo gets broken up.

Roberge has a system that is written down, methodical and would be easy to repeat. He may not be the best at mindset or teaching others how to feel the moment. In today’s world, I think this formula is better suited to a fast-paced digitally connected audience. Roberge leads a team at Hubspot and after reading the book I’m actually thinking of hiring them to assist with my own website and marketing needs. Online selling isn’t the same as pounding the pavement, it’s much more targeted and much more efficient. I’m pretty sure I’ll fill out a form online and get a sales call instantly, which is what I’d expect. Everyone is online, not just online but online from their phone more than their computer. We can target the transient online presence and use the data to track almost everything. The information that’s available to a startup is amazing, you don’t have to be a Google to have analytics at your fingertips. Sales jobs can be scienced out until they look like art. You can use the data in meaningful ways to hold your team accountable, lead to better coaching, to set up better systems, train and prospect all in a more efficient manner.

I love all the mindset and communication coaches that talk about persuasion and the correct sales tactics to use at the right time, but I also love the numbers and the data-driven actions that a system like the Sales Acceleration Formula will guide. These 2 ideas can live side by side. I believe Star Wars happened a long time ago and that Star Trek is the future so the 2 franchises happen in the same universe. If Star Wars and Star Trek can coexist, then so can the Old Sales and the New Sales. Roberge is firmly New Sales in my book, but he takes a healthy dose of the Old Sales and applies it in a way that makes sense. Check it out, you’ll see what I mean.