"I was the typical sales guy. Yeah, I'll just go get it. I know everything. And I was successful, but I would have been deadly had I had this operational framework." - John Giese Dennis Sorenson, CEO of Cove Group and host of Think Big, Win Bigger, sits down with serial entrepreneur and business partner John Giese in this first part of a two-part Ambition series. John has built and led multiple businesses as CEO from the ground up, served on several boards, and co-founded Horizons West alongside Dennis. His perspective is forged through decades of real enterprise sales and leadership—not theory. John's core conviction? Ambition without structure is potential left on the table. "I was the typical sales guy," he says. "I was successful, but I would have been deadly had I had this operational framework."

What happens when an $8.5 million company decides to pursue a $900 million contract—and wins half of it in 24 months? That's where this conversation starts. John and Dennis break down why most companies operate off of hope instead of opportunity, why the companies John advises can't see what's possible in front of them, and how slowing down—really slowing down—is exactly what unlocks bigger outcomes. From guerrilla-warfare CEO instincts to the discipline of trusting the process, this is what ambition looks like when it has a plan behind it.

• (00:00) John Giese and the ambition series
• (03:50) John's consulting world in 2023 and the one problem every client shared
• (08:17) How companies fail to see the opportunity sitting right in front of them
• (15:32) The $900 million pursuit and the 24 months that changed everything
• (20:27) Why slowing down is the competitive advantage most sellers never develop
• (25:47) Why seeing the bigger picture gives you patience in any deal
• Share with a sales leader or seller who's ready to build something that lasts. Subscribe to hear all future episodes!

Think Big. Win Bigger is hosted by Dennis Sorenson, CEO of Cove Group, a strategic partner for companies seeking to optimize sales performance and achieve sustainable growth. With deep expertise in enterprise sales and fractional CRO leadership, Dennis specializes in addressing challenges at the point of friction—where inefficiencies, misalignment, or resistance occur within the sales process.

The podcast is built on Process-Driven Sales and the three pillars of Ambition, Strategy, and Execution. Each episode breaks down the systems and operating rhythms that drive predictable performance, giving leaders and sellers practical insights they can use immediately. This is for professionals who are ready to stop improvising, start operating with intention, and build repeatable success over time.

John Giese LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-giese/ Dennis Sorenson: LinkedIn

Cove Group Horizons West

• (00:00:00) - How to Think Big Win Bigger
• (00:00:55) - Think Big Win Bigger
• (00:03:37) - John Sorensen on Dennis Sorenson's Elevation
• (00:08:01) - The Need for Disruption in Utility Infrastructure
• (00:10:33) - The Future of Advisation
• (00:11:46) - Ambition and the Process Driven Approach
• (00:13:00) - Coach Dennis Knows About Ambition
• (00:15:21) - Bradley on Ambition
• (00:22:57) - What Led Me To The Acquisition

When was the last time your sellers stepped back far enough to actually see the full potential of their territory — or have they been too busy fighting uphill toward a number to ever look? Dennis Deal Sorenson, CEO of Cove Group and host of Think Big, Win Bigger, returns for Episode 6 with a practitioner's breakdown of one of the most underused tools in sales planning: white space mapping. A veteran sales strategist and fractional CRO who has coached sellers and teams through ambition planning work for years, Dennis knows what it costs when reps spread themselves thin. How do you stop chasing everything and start competing for what actually moves the needle? This episode is his answer.

Building directly on the ambition thinking framework from Episode 5, Dennis moves from mindset into mechanics — walking through the exact white space exercise he uses with clients, the simple spreadsheet structure behind it, and why "writing things down makes them real." He covers the 80/15/5 account prioritization rule, how to identify hidden revenue across buying centers, and how the law of large numbers creates confidence in your ROI story. He also connects white space directly to the "go high, wide, and deep" relationship strategy that drives executive engagement and positions sellers as strategic partners — not vendors.

• (00:00) Why spreading yourself thin across accounts is a losing game
• (01:25) The 80/15/5 rule for prioritizing where your effort goes
• (03:02) A few big things done very well can change the game
• (06:23) How to build a white space map and see revenue hiding in plain sight
• (17:51) The magic of large numbers and what it means for your ROI story
• Share with a sales leader or seller who's ready to build something that lasts. Subscribe to hear all future episodes!

Think Big. Win Bigger is hosted by Dennis Sorenson, CEO of Cove Group, a strategic partner for companies seeking to optimize sales performance and achieve sustainable growth. With deep expertise in enterprise sales and fractional CRO leadership, Dennis specializes in addressing challenges at the point of friction—where inefficiencies, misalignment, or resistance occur within the sales process.

The podcast is built on Process-Driven Sales and the three pillars of Ambition, Strategy, and Execution. Each episode breaks down the systems and operating rhythms that drive predictable performance, giving leaders and sellers practical insights they can use immediately. This is for professionals who are ready to stop improvising, start operating with intention, and build repeatable success over time.

Dennis Sorenson: LinkedInCove Group Horizons West

• (00:00:00) - Think Big, Win Bigger
• (00:00:32) - Mapping White Space: Ambition Thinking and Results
• (00:03:55) - White Space Mapping: The Strategic Dimension
• (00:12:37) - White Space in Ambition Plan
• (00:19:42) - Episode 6: On Ambition

Are you building a pipeline strong enough to survive when one or two deals go sideways — or are you one bad quarter away from desperation mode? In Episode 5 of Think Big, Win Bigger, Dennis Sorenson — CEO of Cove Group and architect of the Process-Driven Sales framework — takes the mic solo to unpack Ambition: the first and most game-changing of the three core pillars that drive predictable sales performance. A seasoned sales leader and fractional CRO, Dennis has spent his career helping organizations stop playing small and start competing for what they're actually capable of winning. His central conviction? "Ambition thinking is truly a paradigm. It's a different way of thinking." And that shift, he argues, changes everything that comes after it.

This episode covers the Roger Enrico principle — beware of the tyranny of making small changes to small things — and why sellers who play incrementally trap themselves in fragile pipelines and desperation mode. Dennis introduces his mountain metaphor for understanding total account potential, explains the difference between what's real and what's merely realistic, and walks through the critical discovery question: "What would have to be true?" He closes with a concrete time investment model — 80% of effort to your top accounts, 15% to the middle tier, 5% to the rest — and a clear challenge to every seller: divorce your ambition from your quota, and compete for what's real.

• (00:00) Introducing the process-driven framework and the four Ps of sales
• (02:22) Make big changes to big things — the Roger Enrico principle
• (04:21) Ambition is a choice, not a circumstance
• (08:39) The mountain metaphor — real potential vs what feels realistic
• (13:36) What would have to be true — the question that changes discovery
• (15:27) Stop chasing the squirrel — slowing down to win bigger in discovery
• (16:31) Stack ranking accounts and the 80/15/5 time investment model
• (19:21) Building the ambition plan annually and what comes next
• Share with a sales leader or seller who's ready to build something that lasts. Subscribe to hear all future episodes!

Think Big. Win Bigger is hosted by Dennis Sorenson, CEO of Cove Group, a strategic partner for companies seeking to optimize sales performance and achieve sustainable growth. With deep expertise in enterprise sales and fractional CRO leadership, Dennis specializes in addressing challenges at the point of friction—where inefficiencies, misalignment, or resistance occur within the sales process.

The podcast is built on Process-Driven Sales and the three pillars of Ambition, Strategy, and Execution. Each episode breaks down the systems and operating rhythms that drive predictable performance, giving leaders and sellers practical insights they can use immediately. This is for professionals who are ready to stop improvising, start operating with intention, and build repeatable success over time.

Books Referenced:

How Champions Think — Dr. Bob Rotella

Golf Is Not A Game of Perfect — Dr. Bob Rotella

Dennis Sorenson: LinkedIn

Cove Group Horizons West

• (00:00:00) - Sales: Think Big, Win Bigger
• (00:00:38) - Developing an Ambition Mindset
• (00:02:31) - Ambition Thinking and How to Win
• (00:12:48) - What would have to be true to double the business in the next