Dave Kurlan

  • My Prediction – What’s in Store for Sales Teams in 2021?

    • January 8, 2021
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    When I made my predictions for 2020 I’m pretty sure I didn’t predict a pandemic.  Making predictions isn’t easy. 

    In the US, sales teams are coming off three robust years of sales growth and while revenue was up during that time, the percentage of salespeople hitting quotas was not.  That means the top 20% were not only carrying the load, they carried more of the load.

    That dynamic growth hit an iron barrier last spring when COVID became the unexpected economic disrupter, but the second half comeback was quite impressive.  What does 2021 have in store for those of us in the sales world?  In the US, how will Democrat control of all three branches of government affect sales and selling?  And how long before that kicks in?

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  • 2021 Challenge:  Put a Little Beatles Into Your Selling!

    • January 4, 2021
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    The only thing that would make the Beatles different today is technology.  The sound quality would be SO much better.  It wouldn’t change their songs but the songs would sound better.  It wouldn’t eliminate the work they did to write the songs but they would get the songs transcribed and notated more quickly.  They would still have to record their music but the recording would be digital which would make mixing much easier.

    Isn’t this all pretty much the same as sales?  Let’s take a run-through.

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  • Key to Successfully Hiring Salespeople: Getting it Right Versus Getting it Over With

    • December 21, 2020
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Recruiting salespeople doesn’t need to be difficult or complicated, but it is a process and needs to be completed thoroughly and correctly.  Ask yourself this question: eighteen months from now, would you prefer to have spent five months to get it right and have a productive new salesperson, or three months getting it over with, only to have to do it again four months later, and again four months after that. 

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  • The Nutcracker in 2020 and 3 Critical Year-End Lessons for Salespeople and Their Managers

    • December 15, 2020
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    But this is 2020 and everything is different. That is as true for the ballet as it is for my article.  So while we won’t be in Boston, we will stream a performance on TV and while there may not be any in-person sales calls, virtual sales calls can be quite satisfying in December.  Today’s article explores the three most likely December scenes in which you may find yourself as well as what you must watch for.

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  • My Dog Has Better Listening Skills Than Most Salespeople and I’ll Prove It

    • December 10, 2020
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Prospects don’t pay a lot of attention so the less you say the better.  It helps them listen and comprehend more of what you share with them when you use fewer words.  But prospects aren’t the only ones who don’t listen.  Salespeople don’t listen very well either.  As a matter of fact, my dog has better listening skills than most salespeople because my dog knows what to listen for. Don’t believe me?  I’ll prove it in the video below.

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  • How a Mug of Dunkin Can Help You More Effectively Sell Value

    • December 9, 2020
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    This is another Bob story. Bob was on a sales call and the prospect told him that they were looking for the lowest price.  I hope you hate it when that happens.  It’s a bad thing because while Bob was supposed to be selling value, a price-based conversation is transactional yet he’s supposed to be taking a consultative approach to support the value he provides.  Would you like to guess what Bob did instead?  Yup, he got them his best price.  Ugh!

    So what should Bob have done instead to turn this around and not waste everyone’s time?

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  • The $225,000 Selling Mistake Most Salespeople Make

    • December 7, 2020
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    While colleagues and supervisors shared their enthusiasm for this exciting moment, my first reaction was, “And why do you think this is good news?” 

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  • There is More Than One Type of Bias in Hiring Salespeople

    • December 4, 2020
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Biases drive decision making.  You have them.  I have them.  We all have them.  Most of the time those biases are fine but when it comes to hiring, and specifically sales hiring, bias can get you in a heap of trouble.

    While some biases simply cause bad hiring decisions, others have led to the growth of the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) role in companies. This article attempts to explain and make sense of the various biases, how they affect selection, and how that correlates to sales success.

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  • Found! The Caliper vs OMG Comparison: Which Sales Candidate Assessment is More Predictive?

    • December 1, 2020
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Almost nine years in the making, this article compares OMG with Caliper and I did update it so that the information on both assessments is current.

    I compared two assessments for the same candidate: one from Objective Management Group (OMG) and one from Caliper.  Not being one to pass up opportunities like this, I conducted another comparison where OMG recommended this person for the role and Caliper did not. 

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  • 2020’s Ten Must Read Sales and Sales Leadership Articles

    • November 30, 2020
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
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