sales process

  • How Can Anyone Spend That Much Time on Sales Coaching?

    • November 4, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    According to Objective Management Group’s considerable data, only 15% of all sales managers spend as much as 25% of their time on coaching and the time they do spend on coaching is generally ineffective.  Two more statistics from OMG reveal that 18% of them shouldn’t even be in sales management, and 34% of them aren’t trainable because they lack the incentive to change.  And one last statistic, a whopping 84% of sales managers just plain suck!

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  • Election Day – Like Decision Making Day for a Sales Opportunity?

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

    Politicians get elected one vote at a time.  Salespeople win sales one prospect at a time. 

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  • My Sales Process, Strategies and Tactics in Your Voice

    • October 10, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Our son has this comedy routine by John Pinette down cold. He heard it once and can now do it for anyone.

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  • Professional Sales and the All-Star Jazz Performance

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

    Professional Selling is just like being in an All-Star Jazz Ensemble.  It’s being so good and so experienced, that one can perform perfectly, on demand, in any environment, despite tremendous pressure, regardless of product knowledge and expertise.

    How many of your salespeople have this capability?

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  • Sales Just Can’t be This Easy…Can it?

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

    Last month, Reuters posted this article, describing research by Columbia University, which determined that both men and women are more likely to respond positively – and buy – when touched by a woman.

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  • 5 Advantages That Overcome Inequities on the Sales Force

    • June 28, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    There are five areas where the sales force can develop a huge advantage over its competitors:

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  • Compelling Reasons for Your Salespeople to Go Mobile

    • June 14, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Good Sales Managers know how important it is for their salespeople to uncover needs.

    But it goes way beyond needs. 

    As I detail in Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball, it requires that your salespeople learn about their prospects’ compelling reasons to buy.  Not just their needs. The issues, problems and frustrations – and even the consequences – that would cause them to spend money and spend it with your company, instead of your competitor.

    But it goes well beyond compelling reasons.

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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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  • Top 10 Rules for Getting Salespeople to Follow Your Sales Process

    • March 8, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    A lady approached the priest after the service and felt terrible because she had been leaving early to tend to her sick husband.  The priest said that this didn’t apply to her; she was already making a sacrifice by attending, and should care for her husband.  She paused and finally said, “But he passed away three years ago!”

    This story got me wondering about the widespread misuse of the sales process. 

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  • What Makes You Think You Have a Sales or Recruiting Process?

    • January 22, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    It’s true.  Executives brag about their processes.  “Oh, yes, we spent the last 15 years developing our process and it’s wonderful – wait until you see it!”  It never matters whether they’re talking about a recruiting process or a sales process, the common denominator is the pride they take in what they created.

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