Brad Lochman spent years working in sales management and other contributor roles. But by the time he was 29 he had taken on his first management role. “[I] learned a ton of lessons, then returned to senior sales roles, then back again to sales management, gradually evolving my skillset and levels of management,” he tells The Software Report.
Despite bouncing around and climbing the ranks, he never lost sight of what a salesperson needs to succeed at a granular level. As a sales leader, he drew on his own experience to do everything needed to ensure success for his teams. Lochman has spent over 20 years in sales, exploring various segments within the industry. "That has provided me a broad lens and allowed me to take a consultative approach,” he concedes.
Today, Lochman is the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at QGenda, the leading cloud-based automated physician scheduling software.
The global pandemic has been an incredibly busy time for QGenda, but Lochman counts the company’s response as one of its biggest highlights. How the company has managed the thread of the COVID-19 outbreak as a sales and marketing organization is something he’s particularly proud of.
“Despite calling on those most directly impacted by this year's patient surge— frontline healthcare providers—we've been able to shine a light on our value and ability to assist,” he explains. “As a result of that, hard work, and creativity, we have clear visibility into meeting our initial bookings expectations for this fiscal year.”
Lochman has honed his skills over the decades and even before he mentions his penchant for organization and prioritization, it’s clear that he’s always two steps ahead. “There will always be more thrown at you than you can tackle in a given day; the skill is to make sound decisions about what truly requires your attention and focus,” he said.
Many of these skills, he attributes to his mentors, most notably John King, SVP at McKesson, and Steve McGraw, CEO at Reach Health. They imparted lessons on negotiations, sales tactics, and navigating an executive board. But his most important life lessons come from someone closer to home. “My father, a CEO himself, had an enormous impact on my business career before he passed away.”
In a candid moment, Lochman admits his father’s death was one of the most challenging moments in his life. “He was a role model for me,” he explains. “He always put his family first despite a successful and demanding career and was a source of great intelligence about the business world.” His passing led Lochman to question his own career path, leading to a journey of self-discovery that has ultimately “been a source of strength.”
He takes this lesson of empathy into his personal life, too, imparting emotional and professional intelligence teachings to his own kids. Family is a virtue to Lochman, and he makes time to spend time with them at their lake house on Lake Hartwell to recharge and destress.
It comes as no surprise that despite his love for sales, at the heart of what makes Lochman a great leader is his empathic approach. It’s an asset he cites as a useful tool to help manage his team and as the key to successful negotiations.
