The Third Clave: Ownership, Intention, and the Standard We Set

Every Clave builds on the last, but Clave 003 marked a shift.

It was not just about adding new frameworks or reinforcing familiar ones. It was about setting a clearer standard for how we show up in front of customers and for what we expect of ourselves as sales professionals.

This session became our most complete and impactful Clave because it connected skill, mindset, and ownership into a single, coherent way of operating. It challenged assumptions that experience alone guarantees effectiveness and proved that growth is possible at any stage when the standard is clear.

Ownership Changes Everything

One of the most meaningful additions to this Clave was a deeper emphasis on ownership.

Not ownership in the abstract sense, but ownership of the conversation itself. Ownership of preparation, ownership of direction, ownership of outcomes.

We spent time naming something that often hides in plain sight: when no one owns the sales experience, the experience owns you. Calls drift, momentum fades, and decisions stall not because customers are difficult, but because leadership is absent.

This message resonated across the room. For those with decades in the industry, it reframed habits that had quietly become defaults. For those earlier in their careers, it established a bar that will shape how they sell going forward.

Ownership became the throughline of the Clave, the lens through which every other concept made sense.

The 4 Rs as a Behavioral Standard

We also articulated what truly differentiates us in the market through the 4 Rs: responsiveness, reliability, relationship, and results.

These are not values to be stated. They are behaviors to be demonstrated.

Many organizations talk about relationships. Some emphasize results. Few consistently deliver all four, and even fewer can explain them clearly to customers in a way that builds confidence.

In Clave 003, we moved beyond surface-level differentiation and into what these principles look like in real conversations, real follow-up, and real accountability. The focus was not on claiming to be different, but on understanding how differentiation is earned.

From Information to Meaning: SPIN and MEDDICC Together

Another critical evolution in this Clave was the way we connected SPIN and MEDDICC.

SPIN helps you gather information. MEDDICC helps you understand what that information means.

Too often, sellers walk away from calls with pages of notes but no clarity. They know what the customer said, but not how it translates into urgency, risk, or priority. This Clave addressed that gap directly.

We reinforced that discovery without interpretation is incomplete. The real work of sales begins when information is synthesized into insight and direction.

Controlling the Experience Without Controlling the Customer

One of the most impactful concepts we explored was the idea of controlling the sales experience by controlling the variables.

We used Walt Disney as the example.

Disney does not control guests through force. It controls the experience through design. From the moment you arrive, the environment guides behavior, reduces uncertainty, and creates clarity.

Sales works the same way.

When sellers fail to set structure, customers are left to navigate ambiguity. When sellers lead with intention, customers feel guided rather than pushed. Control, in this context, is not about dominance. It is about stewardship of the experience.

This reframing helped many participants rethink what confidence and leadership actually look like in a sales conversation.

Intention as the First Act of Leadership

At the center of this Clave was the idea that intention precedes control.

Before any call, a seller should know why the conversation exists, what success looks like, and what must be true by the end of it. Intention is how we reduce randomness and create momentum.

This was not framed as rigid planning, but as deliberate thinking. When intention is clear, presence improves. When presence improves, trust follows.

Presence Is a Skill, Not a Trait

We also introduced the six modes of sales presence: command, connect, story, challenge, calm, and collaborate.

The value of this framework was not in labeling styles, but in recognizing that great sellers move between them intentionally. They do not rely on a single default. They adapt based on the moment, the customer, and the objective.

This concept resonated because it gave language to something experienced sellers often feel but cannot articulate. It also gave newer sellers a roadmap for growth that goes beyond scripts.

A Clave That Raised the Bar

Clave 003 worked because it respected the room.

It did not simplify the craft to accommodate inexperience, nor did it hide behind complexity to impress tenure. It treated sales as a discipline that rewards clarity, ownership, and intentionality.

The result was visible growth across the spectrum, from professionals with forty years in the industry to those just beginning their journey.

Setting the Standard Going Forward

This Clave did more than deliver content. It set a precedent.

Ownership is not optional.
Preparation is expected.
Presence is coachable.
And controlling the experience is part of the role.

That is the standard we are building toward.

And that is the purpose of the Clave.