Bruce Stephan

Captain
DISC Type : DS

Business Strategy Leader at Nexstar Network

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area, United States

Overview

Bruce Stephan is a growth-focused business leader specializing in building high-performing teams and impactful marketing and sales strategies. As a Business Strategy Leader at Nexstar Network, he leverages his B2B and B2C expertise from roles at HNI, Pinnacle, and Andersen Windows. Colleagues describe him as inspiring, creative, and collaborative.

Outside of his professional life, Bruce is committed to community service, holding a position as a Board Member for the non-profit organization Community Thread. His intellectual interests include following the latest business insights from publications like the Harvard Business Review.

Unique fact: Bruce once successfully elevated a customer service department from a standard call center into a strategic sales and marketing support group.

Personality Overview

Consummate Professional

Dynamic But Sincere

Output-Driven

They are very professional in their approach and can weigh multiple perspectives together.  Reading between the lines and seeing beyond your words comes naturally to them. They might take some time to make their mind up but once they do, they don't change it easily.

Topics They Care About

Customer Journey
He has built his career around understanding customer touchpoints and using those insights to craft strategies that resonate from awareness to post-purchase support.
Go-to-Market Strategy
He has direct experience realigning marketing organizations and GTM strategies to better align with business objectives and get closer to the customer.
Team Leadership
A core focus of his career is building and leading high-performing teams, with multiple recommendations highlighting his inspirational and effective management style.

Media Appearances

Bruce has no verified media appearances

Work History

1-2025
Business Strategy Leader at Nexstar Network
1-2021
Business Consultant at Shrpa Group
12-2023 - 1-2025
Senior Vice President Marketing at HNI Corporation
4-2023 - 9-2024
Board Member at Community Thread
6-2021 - 12-2023
VP of Marketing at Pinnacle Climate Technologies

Education

2012 - 2015
Master of Business Administration (MBA) from University of St. Thomas - Opus College of Business
1989 - 1992
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) from University of Minnesota

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 4 Location : Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area, United States Job Level : Junior Designation : Business Strategy Leader at Nexstar Network
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Insights For Selling To Bruce

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Ask them at the end if they see a strong value prop in your product; expect an honest answer
  • Use phrases like 'your team deserves', 'best in class' etc.
  • Let them know of potential risks but suggest mitigation methods alongside

DONT's

  • Don't take their patience for granted, avoid long-winding sermons
  • Don't get into pricing discussions early on, steer conversation towards proven results
  • Don't shy away from asking hard questions, but be extra polite

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Bruce is

  • Strong proof of impact and their conviction will matter the most, but they wouldn't want to act unilaterally either
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Bruce

  • They will say no if they are not convinced but you will have to prompt them.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Bruce move?

  • They will want to understand things well but can move fast once they have a clear picture.
  • Can Bruce take some risk or not?

  • They have good risk tolerance but are likely to think it through once or twice.

You And Bruce

Personality Compatibility


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