Search Results
-
A Properly Constructed Sales Process Can Help You Experience the Euphoria of a Walk-Off Win
- June 15, 2021
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
The walk-off win in baseball, the buzzer beater in basketball and the field goal with no time on the clock in football are all terrific metaphors for certain types of wins in sales. Some deals are sure things from the get go and others stand no chance of going your way. However, some huge opportunities are truly nail-biters and could go either way. When those opportunities are finally decided and you win, they too are euphoric.
-
The Correlation Between Milestones, Sales Process and Sales Success
- October 26, 2020
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Back in the early 90’s, in the very early days of OMG, only 9% of all salespeople had and/or followed a sales process. While that has improved dramatically in the last 30 years, to 45%, it is still way too low. Check out these findings.
-
Sales Process and Why So Many Salespeople Lose Their Way
- October 17, 2019
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Last night I was on Interstate 90, the MassPike, driving home from the airport in a wind-driven rainstorm. It was so bad I couldn’t see the white lines that divide the three lanes nor could I see the Jersey barriers dividing the eastbound from the westbound traffic. It was almost as scary as the plane’s rocky decent from 30,000 feet in gale-force winds last night or driving in a blizzard!
The inability to see where I was and where I was going is what most salespeople experience when they sell. Most salespeople don’t have a formal, structured, milestone-centric sales process to follow so they can’t possibly know where they are, and where they need to go.
Consider the following alarming statistics from Objective Management Group’s evaluations and assessments of 1,908,143 salespeople with regard to sales process:
-
I’m Sorry But Your Sales Process Sucks
- February 1, 2019
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Perhaps you saw this too. Yesterday, a post appeared in my LinkedIn feed that talked about the power of sales process. The article was clearly written to support the author’s technology application, which helps track sales KPI’s; so they should know a little about the topic of sales process.
Towards the end of the article, they provided a sample of what an effective sales process should look like. The following text is exactly what they wrote:
-
Kurlan Associates and Membrain Release Unprecedented Sales Process Plugin for CRM
- May 4, 2017
- Posted by: Kurlan & Associates, Inc.
- Category: News
Westborough, Massachusetts USA – May 4, 2017 – US-based Kurlan Associates, global leaders in sales process development and sales training, announced today, a joint initiative with Membrain, makers of the global sales effectiveness platform. This innovative platform incorporates top-rated Baseline Selling®, including its innovative best practice sales process and methodology, as well as its integrated sales enablement materials to guide salespeople to higher levels of performance. The framework is now available inside CRMs through Membrain’s plug-in, or directly through Membrain’s stand-alone platform.
-
Sales Process – It’s All about the Shoes, Silly
- June 28, 2016
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
I’ve written dozens of articles on Sales Process an you can read many of them right here. If you pay attention, you can even see how my thinking has changed over the last 10 years. While I have never wavered on the importance of sales process, I have modified my thinking on why it’s so important, what it must consist of, how it should work, and how it should be integrated into CRM.
-
The 3 Most Important Questions about Sales Process and My Answers
- May 9, 2016
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
With sales process finally getting the necessary attention, we should turn our attention to the three related issues that need to be addressed. Which sales process should you select, and into which CRM application should it be integrated and how can it be customized?
-
Driving, Asking Questions, Inside Sales, and Sales Process with a Twist
- September 8, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
“You’ve been driving a car since you were a teenager, but your cars have always had an automatic transmission and you’ve always driven on standard roads. Now we will ask you to drive a much larger car, drive it at faster speeds, on an obstacle course, with people in your way. Oh, and one more thing – for the first time, you’ll be driving a six-speed manual transmission. You might be afraid to take your foot off the clutch and put the car into first gear because, if you’re not careful, you might kill those people standing in front of your car!
“That’s how salespeople sometimes feel when they need to be liked and are expected to ask their prospects some really difficult questions. Salespeople think someone will be killed – and they worry that it might be them!”
-
Increase Sales by 20% – Guide to Creating an Effective Sales Process
- September 3, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Earlier this week I received this inquiry form from our “Ask a Sales Expert” page:
Someone from my team always responds to these inquiries and it was my turn. I want to share the correspondence, but it’s even more important to read the accompanying explanation, interpretation, warning and lesson. If I can help you to understand this and get your sales process correct, the data suggests that there is a corresponding 20% increase to sales!
-
Why Inbound and Inside Sales Experts Think Sales Process is Dead Too
- August 18, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
I love and use some of their tools and services and recommend them to clients too. But the key word here is tools. They support and enhance selling. Tools don’t replace selling.