Search Results

  • Can Too Many Opportunities be a Negative for Salespeople?

    • April 2, 2012
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Many of us in this space write about the obvious importance of filling the sales pipeline and keeping it filled. But what about too many opportunities in a salesperson’s pipeline?  Isn’t that a positive?

    Maybe not.

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  • How Many of Your Salespeople are Addicted to This?

    • December 14, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Do your salespeople have a hopium addiction?

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  • The Difference Between Sales Commitment and Desire

    • November 18, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I was explaining this difference to a client and the two findings, which we were comparing, were striking in their contrast.

    The candidate in question scored 100 (off the charts) on Desire (how badly he wants to succeed in sales); yet, as low as he was high – 16 – on Commitment – his willingness to do what it takes to succeed in sales. So as you might expect, the client asked, “How can he score so high in Desire but so low in Commitment?”

    Great question.

    I’ll explain it in exactly the same fashion I explained it to him.

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  • Most Salespeople Suck at Selling – Is it Worse Than Ever?

    • August 26, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    What is your approach to get people to call you back after you have left 2 or 3 messages?”

    In the past month, there have been 47 comments, one of the most popular topics I’ve seen there.  Some of the replies have been on target but most are embarrassing to read.  These are sales management executives and this is a “what salespeople must learn to do in their 1st week in sales” topic.  Most salespeople do not have the skills to consistently get new prospects to the phone!

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  • Top 10 Criteria for a Qualified Sales Presentation

    • August 17, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Salespeople should not be allowed to present until their prospects have yielded the right of way.  Where intelligent pedestrians qualify the opportunity to cross, intelligent salespeople qualify the opportunity to present.

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  • What it Takes to Make Your Sales Pipeline Accurate & Predictive

    • August 5, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Yesterday, while speaking in DC, I asked my usual questions, but the response to one of the questions left me scratching my head.  It wasn’t a new question; as a matter of fact, I’ve been asking it for years.  And, as you can see below, I’ve been writing about the pipeline in various ways for years:

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  • 25 or 6 to 4 and your Sales Force

    • August 1, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    That 14-year swing is huge.  You can’t afford to have your salespeople behaving like facilitators, order takers, account managers and amateurs – ever.  You need them to be proactive – selling consultatively, everywhere, and always.

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  • Top 5 Sales Presentation Tips

    • July 18, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    The one area where salespeople appear to be most comfortable and confident is when they are presenting. That is when they feel like they are in control and, unlike listening and asking questions, it is when they believe they can do a great job. The problem is that most salespeople do not understand how to present in the most effective ways. Here are some examples of what they do wrong and some easy to learn adjustments:

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  • Top 8 Reasons Your Biggest Sale May Not be Your Best Sale

    • July 12, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Sometimes your biggest sale isn’t your best sale.  When biggest isn’t best, sometimes it is because:

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