Growth Insights for CEOs
Advice for CEOs on Growth and Scaling
Bob Sherlock
Bob Sherlock often works with companies serving business markets that face one of two challenges: · An innovative offering that isn’t ramping up sales fast enough · Getting squeezed on price Bob solves those problems by helping clients find their Hidden Value, message it so that prospects perceive that value, and pricing to get paid for it. As a result, his clients can grow sales and margins at the same time. Bob’s experience includes consulting at Marketwerks and The ProAction Group, and founding and running a venture-funded logistics service provider operating a network of automated, unmanned delivery drop points. Earlier, Sherlock was CMO for Wickes Inc., a distributor and retailer of building materials.
Recent Posts

Your Buyers Have Already Shortlisted You—Or They Haven't
Wed, Sep 2, 2026 | Posted by Sabrina Donley
Executive Takeaways
- 95% of B2B buyers purchase from the vendors on their initial shortlist, formed before any formal buying process begins.
- That shortlist is increasingly built inside AI platforms your analytics can't see.
- AI referral traffic is roughly 1% of total website traffic, yet 15% or more of conversions appear to originate from AI-influenced research, a gap standard attribution misses entirely.
- If you're not on the Day One list, spend alone won't fix it.
Part 3 of our four-part series on the evolving AI search landscape and what B2B leaders need to know to stay competitive.
Recent Posts

Sold, not Bought: The Marketing of Unfamiliar Solutions
Mon, Nov 20, 2017 — Several years ago I met Davis, an executive in Ohio, who segmented his product lines into “Bought, not Sold” and “Sold, not Bought.” “Bought” products, he said, were familiar to prospective buyers. They had self-diagnosed what they needed and self-prescribed a product solution for that need. Often, they’d previously purchased a product in the category. By contrast, a “Sold” product presented an unfamiliar solution—so the prospect couldn’t self-prescribe, and may not have self-diagnosed. In fact, their need could be latent and wouldn’t be recognized without prompting.
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