Search Results

  • Do Your Salespeople Have to Give Up Control to Their Prospects?

    • September 17, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I disagree with his article when he implies that we should be resigned to the fact that there isn’t much to be done except building trust until the prospect is ready to engage. 

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  • Xobni as Sales Assistant, Pivots Help Close Sales

    • May 6, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    My guest on yesterday’s edition of Meet the Sales Experts was Matt Brezina, the co-founder of Xobni. Do you have Xobni on your computer?  If you do, you know just how helpful it is.  If you don’t, all you need to know is that it will make you more you MUCH more productive with your Outlook or Blackberry email applications.  Listen to the show to learn more about it or visit their web site.

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  • Secrets of Effective Sales Development

    • March 29, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    “I’ve heard it all before.”

    That comment applies to the music AND it can be attributed to some veteran salespeople after reacting to their first day of sales training.  No matter  what you read about selling, not much has changed in the last 40 years. Even my book, Baseline Selling, is based on concepts that go back as far as 1935.  Did I improve on those concepts?  Yes!  But Selling itself is not a new concept. 

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  • Great Sales Opportunities That Don’t Close

    • March 2, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    If getting opportunities into the pipeline is the most universal sales challenge, then getting opportunities closed comes in a close second. I’m talking about prospects who aren’t ready to say, “yes” but are still “very interested”.  These calls pose problems for salespeople for several reasons:

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  • How to Get Salespeople to Stop Resisting Change

    • March 1, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Some Professional Sales Development Experts are adept at overcoming resistance.  But sales managers not so much.  Salespeople may resist:

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  • Mastering Sales and Sales Management

    • February 16, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    We’re talking about Mastery of things you have a passion for.

    Do you and your salespeople have a passion for sales?  What is the thing you do that is equal to repeated listening, watching or practicing? What do you do to know your material cold? Do you attend training as often as you attend concerts, theater or movies?  Do you listen to sales training as often as you listen to music?  You should be getting exposed to the artist (sales expert) at least twice monthly and listening to their recordings (archives or supplemental material) even more often.  In addition, you should be practicing (role playing like our son does) at least 30 minutes per day!

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  • How to Get Business to Fall From the Sky

    • January 20, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    It’s predictable, phenomenal, and fulfilling. I’m talking about the magic that occurs when you and your salespeople leave their comfort zone and work hard to perform the very activity, behavior and actions which, when left to your own devices, you would choose not to do.  Whether it’s a salesperson who finally:

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  • Are Sales Cycles Really Getting Shorter?

    • December 11, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I read an article that claimed that winning sales cycles are getting shorter. 

    While I agree with everything else in the article, I questioned the 23% shorter because our substantial data does not support this claim.  So where could the discrepancy be?

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  • Options – 7th of the 10 Kurlan Sales Competencies that are Key to Building a Sales Culture

    • October 22, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    This  the 7th in my series on the 10 Kurlan Sales Competencies that are Key to Building a Sales Culture.

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  • Happy Ears or an Empty Sales Pipeline?

    • September 23, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Very often, when an opportunity dies, salespeople will ask their managers or me for help.

    After debriefing, when it’s clear that the opportunity is hopeless, and the salesperson continues to ask for help, still wants to sche

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