sales process
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Salespeople Make This Mistake – The Dumb Question I Was Asked in a Hotel Restaurant
- February 15, 2019
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
I pulled up to the entrance of the Doubletree Hotel, greeted Chris, and we walked into the hotel restaurant. As we approached the table, a well-meaning server asked, are you an Honors member? I said, “yes.”
A moment later she returned and said she couldn’t find me in the system. She asked me to spell my name, went back to her computer, and returned again, saying, “I can’t find your reservation in the system.”
I explained that I wasn’t a hotel guest and we were here for breakfast. “Oh, then you’ll have to pay for your breakfast!”
“OK,” I said. After all, I was expecting to pay for breakfast!
Can you imagine how much simpler it would have been if her first question was, “Are you staying with us?”
Salespeople make the exact same mistake. How do I know? I can prove this with several examples.
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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:
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Do the Least Informed Salespeople Have the Loudest Voices
- January 22, 2019
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Do the least informed among us have the loudest voices?
Consider two very different salespeople working a new opportunity.
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The Top 8 Requirements for Becoming a Great Salesperson
- January 14, 2019
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Do you remember the moment you became a Salesperson? Not a presenter, Not an order taker, but a true consultative sales professional?
Here are some guidelines to identify the moment you turned professional.
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Dave Kurlan’s 10 Surefire New Years Resolutions For All Salespeople
- January 3, 2019
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
I’ve compiled a list of resolutions that all salespeople should make and follow. Some will likely surprise you but they are all necessary to become more successful. Enjoy the 10 most important elements for New Year’s Resolutions That All Salespeople Must Make. Here we go!
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Why are Half of All Sales Reps Still Missing Quota in a Booming US Economy?
- December 10, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Between 2010 and 2016, and soaring revenue during 2017-2018, the percentage of reps making quota has not only remained flat, but the percentage hasn’t even returned to pre 2008 rates. This article attempts to explain why.
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Would Henry Ford be Able to Sell Cars Today?
- November 29, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
What would Henry Ford think if he were alive today? I’m thinking that he would ask, “What the hell happened to my motor car and what are all these SUV’s, crossovers, smart cars, hybrids and electric cars? And what are all these pictures, icons, buttons, knobs and dials for?” I think he would also say, “So let me get this straight. You need to pay for a government issued license and pass an exam to operate it? You need to register the motor car with the government and pay for that too? You need to buy insurance before you can use it? You have to pay an excise tax to your city or town to maintain ownership? And they sell for how much? Holy shit! What did they do to my Model T? I innovated a car, not a home on wheels!”
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How I Realized That Selling is Just a Bunch of Crap
- October 31, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Those are strong words and probably quite surprising coming out of my mouth but I’ll explain it all. Earlier this week I was leading another Sales Leadership Intensive and during a break it came to me.
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Golden Nuggets from the CSO Insights 2018 Sales Talent Study
- October 25, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
I had a chance to review the CSO Insights 2018 Sales Talent Study and extracted some fascinating data. I thought it might be interesting to take their data, overlay some of Objective Management Group’s (OMG) data, and see what we can take away from that.
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The Top 12 Factors that Cause Delayed Closings and What to Do About Them
- September 25, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Delays, delays, delays. Nearly every coaching call with a salesperson is about a delayed closing. Nearly every coaching call with a sales manager is about a salesperson with a delayed closing. Everyone wants to know what to do about the delayed closing but that’s the wrong question. Everyone should be asking these two questions instead.
Was it really delayed or were we overly optimistic about if and when this opportunity would close?
What steps can we take to prevent delayed closings?