Search Results

  • 2 Keys to Selling Success from Ann Romney and Chris Christie

    • August 29, 2012
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I have been delivering that message for more than 20 years, not to citizens who must vote for a candidate, but to sales leadership, sales management and salespeople who let their need for approval – their need to be liked – interfere with every facet of what they do.

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  • 6 Keys to Make All Sales Calls Easy Sales Calls

    • August 28, 2012
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Your salespeople can have more easy calls, but you’ll have to change up a few things.  

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  • Is Showmanship a Lost Art in Selling?

    • August 15, 2012
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Showmanship is missing from most modern sales presentations.  Demos tend to be about products, technologies, capabilities and the company story.  Sales calls are about listening, asking questions and qualifying.  But what ever happened to showmanship?

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  • The Unusual Case of Arturo – How He Sabotaged His Own Sales

    • July 26, 2012
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Solving the problem was actually quite easy.  I explained to Arturo that his prospects were wondering, “If he doesn’t follow up when he is trying to get the business, what kind of follow-up will I get after he has the business?  He doesn’t appear to care very much or be very reliable, so I don’t think I will buy from him.”

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  • Does Your Sales Force Look Like This?

    • April 12, 2012
    • Posted by: Kurlan & Associates, Inc.
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I shared just a few of the charts, graphs and tables, which we include in a sales force evaluation when we are answering common, but difficult, business questions such as:

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  • 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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