Search Results
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12 Proven Sales Hacks to Increase Sales
- June 25, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
It seems that these days, things are changing faster than we can recognize. Cosby is finally out of the news, but the Marathon Bomber is back in. The terrible winter weather is in our rear view mirror, but now we are dealing with droughts and tornadoes! And in our world, Sales 2.0, a term we haven’t heard in a while, is making the rounds again. In today’s article, we’ll talk about the sales improvements that readers are most interested in.
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Why Some Great Salespeople Produce and Others Don’t
- June 18, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
I was talking with someone who wanted his farmers – salespeople who are assigned to a single enterprise account – to hunt. His idea is to take existing salespeople and have them bring on new accounts instead of hiring additional salespeople to do that. There are certainly pros and cons to that, but do you think it will work? What would it take? What are the chances? If it works, can it be replicated? Let’s take an inside look at the factors, chances and reasons, shall we?
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Chris Cagle – Great Example of Intangibles in Sales
- May 18, 2015
- Posted by: Kurlan & Associates, Inc.
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
You probably heard that BB King, the King of the Blues, died last week. My wife and I met him after a performance in 2007 and the meeting inspired this article on work ethic. Last week, on a flight from Dallas to Boston, I was sitting next to Country Music star Chris Cagle, who told me all about his new business. You just have to read his story and the great example of intangibles at work.
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More Junk Sales Science in HBR Blog
- April 14, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
What do donuts, chips, cake and ice cream have in common with some of the articles that are written and published about salespeople, sales selection and assessments? That’s right, they are all junk and junk is bad for you to consume. Over the years, there has been no better source of junk science written about sales and salespeople than the reputable Harvard Business Review Blog. Recently, they put out another absurdly awful piece, this one written by sales consultant, Steve Martin. As most of these articles do, “What Separates the Strongest Salespeople from the Weakest” attempts to use personality and conditions to differentiate the two groups. This comes on the heels of another horrible article I called out in March 2015, which led to this amazing epic debate on the science of sales, sales assessments, and sales selection. This is why this latest HBR article is yet another example of junk science.
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Beach Ball of Death Predicts Lack of Sales Growth
- March 11, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
And then there is the beach ball I want to share today – the sales beach ball of impending doom. You might be wondering how there could even be a sales beach ball, never mind one that spells impending doom; but, there is.
Last week I saw it for the first time on a slide from a deck that Objective Management Group (OMG) prepares when we evaluate a sales force. This particular slide answered the question, “Why Aren’t We Generating More New Business?”
Here’s the slide:
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Rebuttal to What Elite Salespeople Do Differently
- March 4, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
This article appeared through syndication on some other sites. On CustomerThink, an epic discussion followed this introduction and I have included more than 50 comments that appeared there. It started with this comment from Bob Thompson, who also happens to own the CustomerThink website:
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Science and the Length of Your Sales Cycle
- January 14, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
When Objective Management Group (OMG) evaluates a sales force, 1 of the 26 questions we answer for clients is, Can You Shorten Your Sales Cycle?”
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How Can a Simple Zero Derail a Sale or Deal?
- January 7, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Today, I was coaching a very talented salesperson, one who is even better at getting deals closed. Yesterday, he closed a large deal when late in the day, and completely out of nowhere, he got the dreaded “we changed our mind” email. This is his story.
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Are You Any Good at Evaluating Sales Talent?
- January 7, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Well, are you?
I’ll bet you are. You can probably spot an energetic, motivated, likable, memorable, polished, polite and attractive salesperson from a handshake away. Aren’t those the ones you like best? Aren’t those, especially when they have industry background, the ones you hire? And don’t they all perform just swell?
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Top 10 Reasons Why Your Great New Salesperson Might Fail
- January 7, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
When a great salesperson is recommended by Objective Management Group’s (OMG) Sales Candidate Assessment, and this star has a great track record, and great references, should we expect this person to succeed?