The Business Acumen Podcast

Acumen Learning
  • 5.0 (15)
  • Business

The Business Acumen Podcast helps leaders, teams, and sellers understand how business really works.Most professionals are good at their role but don’t fully understand how their work connects to company performance. That gap leads to misalignment, missed opportunities, and slower growth.We simplify complex business and financial concepts, break down industries, and show how to apply business acumen in real situations, especially in sales and leadership.Listen to think like a business leader, make better decisions, and gain a clear edge in your career.Hosted by Acumen Learning, a firm that has taught business acumen to 34 of the Fortune 50.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    How to Sell Using Business Acumen: A Chevron Case Study with Brent Barclay

    Understanding your customer’s business is one of the most important things you can do before an executive sales conversation. In Business Acumen for Sales Success, we introduce a practical framework that helps sales professionals move beyond product-focused conversations and become trusted business advisors: Understand the BusinessAnalyze the Five DriversUnderstand the BuyerAlign Your Value PropositionFocus on Business OutcomesBecome a Trusted AdvisorIn this episode, Stephen H. Covey and Brent Barclay put that framework into practice using Chevron’s latest earnings call as a real-world case study. Rather than analyzing Chevron from an investor’s perspective, they demonstrate how a salesperson can use an earnings call to better understand a customer’s business, prepare for executive conversations, and connect their solution to the outcomes that matter most. In this conversation, you’ll learn: How to research a customer before your first meetingWhat Chevron’s latest earnings call reveals about the company’s strategic prioritiesHow to identify the business drivers that matter mostWhy different stakeholders care about different business outcomesHow to align your value proposition with what executives are trying to accomplishHow to connect your solution to meaningful business outcomesHow to move from vendor to trusted business advisorPractical ways to apply this same framework to any customer or industryWhether you’re selling into the energy industry or a completely different market, the framework is the same. The better you understand your customer’s business, the more relevant your conversations become. This episode demonstrates how to apply the framework from Business Acumen for Sales Success to a real company. If you’re looking to improve executive conversations, create more value for your customers, and become a trusted business advisor, this episode provides a practical example you can begin using immediately.  Resources Mentioned: Join our monthly “How to Listen to an Earnings Call” webinars Chevron’s most recent earnings call analysis Books: Seeing The Big Picture Business Acumen for Sales Success

    23 min

  2. Jun 23

    How to Listen to an Earnings Call (And Why It Can Accelerate Your Career) with Brent Barclay

    Most employees never listen to their company’s earnings calls. Many assume they’re only for investors, analysts, or finance professionals. But what if earnings calls are actually one of the best ways to understand strategy, build business acumen, and accelerate your career? In this episode, Brent Barclay, COO of Acumen Learning, explains why earnings calls are one of the most underutilized learning tools in business. He shares a simple framework for understanding what executives are communicating, how to connect company strategy to your role, and why employees who consistently engage with earnings calls often build more credibility inside their organizations. Whether you’re a leader, salesperson, manager, individual contributor, or simply someone who wants to understand business at a deeper level, this episode provides a practical roadmap for getting started. In this conversation, Brent explains: Why so many people avoid earnings calls and what they’re missingHow earnings calls help employees understand strategy and prioritiesThe simple five-driver framework used to analyze any businessWhat executives are really communicating during earnings callsHow to identify the most important business drivers and metricsWhy sales professionals should listen to their customers’ earnings callsHow earnings calls help build credibility, business acumen, and career growthCommon patterns Brent has observed after reviewing hundreds of earnings calls across industriesWhy developing an ownership mentality changes the way you approach your workThis episode isn’t about becoming a financial analyst. It’s about learning to see the bigger picture, understand how your company creates value, and make better decisions every day. If you want to think more strategically, connect your work to business outcomes, and better understand how successful organizations operate, this episode is a great place to start. Resources Mentioned: Join our monthly “How to Listen to an Earnings Call” webinars Books: Seeing The Big Picture Business Acumen for Sales Success

    21 min

  3. May 12

    Why Most Sales Conversations Fail at the Executive Level with Kevin Cope & Ben Cook

    Most salespeople understand their product. Far fewer understand the business realities their customers are dealing with. In this episode, Kevin Cope and Ben Cook discuss their new book, Business Acumen for Sales Success, and the patterns they’ve seen after working with sales organizations for more than two decades. The problem usually isn’t effort or product knowledge. It’s that too many sales conversations fail to connect to what executives actually care about. In this conversation, they break down: Why sales methodologies often stop short of teaching true business understandingThe biggest reasons deals stall in executive conversationsHow top salespeople think differently than average performersHow to quickly understand a customer’s business before a meetingWhy the five business drivers create more relevant sales conversationsHow business acumen shifts sellers from vendor to trusted business partnerWhy every customer conversation should sound differentThis episode is not about replacing your sales methodology. It’s about making it more relevant, more strategic, and more connected to what matters most to your customer. If you want to lead stronger executive conversations and sell at a higher level, this episode will change the way you prepare and think about sales. To learn more visit: acumenlearning.com or check out our books Seeing The Big Picture & Business Acumen for Sales Success

    32 min

  4. Apr 21

    How to Apply Business Acumen in Sales and Leadership with Ben Cook

    Understanding business acumen is one thing. Applying it in real conversations, decisions, and leadership situations is what actually drives results. In this episode, Ben Cook, President of Acumen Learning, breaks down how to use the five business drivers in day-to-day work across sales, leadership, and team alignment. Most professionals understand their role, but struggle to connect it to what the business is actually trying to achieve. That’s where this framework becomes practical. In this conversation, Ben explains: How to prepare for sales conversations by understanding what actually matters to your customerWhy most sales pitches miss the mark and how to adapt your messageHow the five drivers help you think through industry, role, and business stageHow leaders use the framework to align teams and execute strategyWhy framing strategy correctly can change how teams respond and engageHow individuals can use this thinking to communicate more effectively and accelerate their careerThis episode moves beyond theory and shows how business acumen becomes a practical advantage in real situations. If you want to lead better conversations, align your work to what matters, and operate at a higher level, this is where it starts. To learn more visit: acumenlearning.com or check out our books Seeing The Big Picture & Business Acumen for Sales Success

    36 min

  5. Apr 7

    The 5 Business Drivers Explained Simply with Kevin Cope

    Business is often more complex than it needs to be. In this episode, Kevin Cope breaks down a simple framework that helps you understand how any business actually works. The five business drivers. Cash. Profit. Assets. Growth. People. These are the core elements every company is managing, whether people realize it or not. Most employees hear financial updates, strategy discussions, or earnings calls and struggle to connect the dots. This framework changes that. In this conversation, Kevin explains: Why business often feels confusing and hard to followThe gap between how leaders think and how most employees understand the businessWhere the five business drivers came fromHow each driver connects to real decisions inside a companyWhy this framework helps you see the bigger pictureThis is the model at the center of everything Acumen Learning teaches. Once you understand it, you start to think differently, ask better questions, and make better decisions. If you’ve ever felt like you’re missing the big picture, this episode will help you see it clearly. To learn more visit: acumenlearning.com or check out our books Seeing The Big Picture & Business Acumen for Sales Success Timestamps: 02:05 Genesis of the 5 business drivers  12:39 Cash 20:40 Profit 25:30 Assets 31:08 Growth 35:10 People  38:40 The 5 drivers in action

    48 min

  6. Apr 7

    The Business Acumen Gap That Led to Acumen Learning with Stephen M.R. Covey & Kevin Cope

    Why do so many capable teams struggle to make good business decisions? In this episode, Stephen M.R. Covey and Kevin Cope share the story behind the founding of Acumen Learning and the problem they couldn’t ignore. Even inside a highly successful organization, they saw a disconnect. People were talented and motivated, but they didn’t fully understand how the business made money. That gap created misalignment, poor decisions, and real financial strain. What followed was a shift in thinking that changed everything. In this conversation, they break down: The early challenges inside the Covey Leadership organizationWhy “no margin, no mission” became a turning pointHow improving business acumen helped turn the business aroundThe realization that this gap exists in nearly every companyWhat it actually took to build Acumen Learning from the ground upThis episode sets the foundation for the rest of the podcast. If you want to understand why business acumen matters and where it all started, this is the place to begin. To learn more visit: acumenlearning.com or check out our books Seeing The Big Picture & Business Acumen for Sales Success

    42 min

  7. Apr 7

    Who This Podcast Is For

    Most professionals are good at their job but don’t fully understand how their work connects to company performance. That gap leads to misalignment, missed opportunities, and slower growth.   In this short introduction, Stephen H Covey explains what this podcast is about, who it’s for, and what you can expect. This podcast is built for: Leaders who want better alignment and decision-makingSales professionals who need to understand their customers’ businessTeams that want to connect their work to real business outcomesYou’ll hear: Conversations with Acumen Learning leadersInterviews with executives from leading organizationsIndustry breakdowns and real-world examplesA simple framework built around the five business drivers: cash, profit, assets, growth, and people  If you want to understand how business really works and gain an edge in your career, this podcast is for you. To learn more visit: acumenlearning.com or check out our books Seeing The Big Picture & Business Acumen for Sales Success

    3 min
  • 7 Episodes

5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

The Business Acumen Podcast helps leaders, teams, and sellers understand how business really works.Most professionals are good at their role but don’t fully understand how their work connects to company performance. That gap leads to misalignment, missed opportunities, and slower growth.We simplify complex business and financial concepts, break down industries, and show how to apply business acumen in real situations, especially in sales and leadership.Listen to think like a business leader, make better decisions, and gain a clear edge in your career.Hosted by Acumen Learning, a firm that has taught business acumen to 34 of the Fortune 50.

Information

  • Creator
    Acumen Learning
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Business Acumen Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Business Acumen Podcast

You Might Also Like