About Merrick
A geologist who ended up in sales. And never looked back.
Not the most obvious career path. But then, the best commercial careers rarely are.
Merrick Walford started his career as a geologist in the oil and gas industry. What followed was 38 years with Schlumberger — working across 25 countries, living in eight of them, moving from operations into management and eventually into the commercial world of sales, business development, and commercial strategy.
The highlight was Romania. Given the opportunity to set up and run one of only two global Commercial Centres from scratch, Merrick discovered a young, vibrant country full of energy and optimism. It turned out to be perfect for an optimist like him.
Before leaving Schlumberger he spent several years in the Sales and Commercial training group, specialising in the commercial aspects of integration, commercial risk, and sales management and coaching. It was here that the methodology took shape — not as a theory, but as something tested in the field across some of the most complex commercial environments in the world.
He took early retirement. And then, as tends to happen with people who genuinely love what they do, promptly started a second career.
The long way round is usually the right way.
What most people get wrong about commercial deals.
Merrick has a view, and he is not shy about sharing it.
Most organisations treat complex opportunities like complicated ones — the same process, just with more steps. That is not the same thing. Complex opportunities require a fundamentally different mindset: one that starts with the relationship, not the transaction; that looks for what the other side actually needs, not just what they are asking for; and that understands that award is not the finish line — it is the beginning
He believes contracting is not about winning. It is about building lasting relationships that neither side wants to break. A lasting relationship is worth more than a single win. If he can help a team see that, he considers it a good day's work.
He also believes — perhaps more unusually for someone who comes from the sell side — that procurement teams are just as under-served as sales teams. Few people in a buying organisation are trained to probe, to ask the right questions, or to think about supplier relationships as long-term commercial partnerships. That gap costs organisations on both sides.
Beyond the work
Based in the south of France. Trying to slow down.
Merrick holds dual French and British nationality and is based in southern France — which goes some way to explaining his European perspective on how business relationships ought to work.
He will tell you that work/life balance has always been a struggle. He likes to stay active. He promised his wife he would slow down. The publication of his first book, the launch of a new website, and a growing speaking and consulting practice suggest that promise is a work in progress.
He is also, by his own admission, an optimist. Which turns out to be a surprisingly useful quality in the world of complex commercial deals.
He wrote the methodology down. Then turned it into a story.
The Book
Selling is More Than Sales is Merrick's first published learning story — a narrative that follows a commercial team through a high-stakes complex opportunity from first contact to contract award. It is the fastest way to understand the thinking before committing to anything else.
A second book is already in progress — focused on delivering and growing a complex contract once it has been awarded.