sales process
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The Prospect Isn’t Talking with Any Other Salespeople
- April 4, 2011
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
It’s not that this can’t happen. Some people don’t need to compare, talk with three companies, look at several options or get three quotes. I don’t. Most great salespeople don’t. And your salespeople should never assume that a prospect NEEDS to shop around.
On the other hand, when the salesperson says, “They aren’t talking with anyone else”, and it turns out that they were, you have to wonder how the salesperson missed it.
There are several reasons why it could get missed. They include:
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Getting Deals Closed – End of Quarter Sales Gone Mad
- March 3, 2011
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
In the 26 years that I’ve been helping companies grow and develop sales and revenue, I have rarely met with an executive for the first time and not heard about —it.
It all begins around week 11 of the quarter. A frenzy of calls, increased activity, sales management and sometimes C-Level intervention, discounts, offers that can’t be refused, and more. For 3 weeks every quarter, the entire sales force – hell, the entire company – takes on a do whatever it takes attitude to bring those deals in house.
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Sales Effectiveness – IDC and CEB Draw Conflicting Conclusions
- February 24, 2011
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
The latest IDC Study says that of the customers who changed vendors last year, 65% did so because they either had a poor relationship with their vendor or a better relationship with the new vendor. One of their conclusions is that companies need to do a better job teaching their salespeople how to develop relationship building skills, especially in the C-Level.
The latest Corporate Executive Board study starts out with this headline: “Most companies are betting that reps who focus on building stronger customer relationships will rebuild sales. They’re wrong—here’s why.”
So why are these two studies coming to two different conclusions?
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What The Salesperson Saw (or Didn’t) – A Question about Sales Calls
- December 10, 2010
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
It’s one thing to have eyes, but our salespeople need to use them too. Typically, their mouths are moving so fast and so often, and the sound of their own voice is so compelling (to them), that their eyes are neutralized. This is similar to what happens on a long drive when you suddenly realize you drove 10 miles past your exit and have no idea how you got that far without noticing.
What do your salespeople miss on their sales calls?
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How to Determine if Your Sales Process is Effective
- December 8, 2010
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Can you reverse engineer your sales calls?
OTHER THAN THE PART OF YOUR SALES CALL THAT INVOLVES PRESENTING, could you break down and explain, each step, strategy, tactic, question, response and milestone met, in the order they occurred, why they were chosen, and the resulting reaction of each occurrence, AFTER you’ve completed an entire sales cycle?
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The App Store Provides Insights into Your Company’s Sales Challenges
- November 30, 2010
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Is there any possibility that someone could go wrong buying from you? Is buying from your company the safest choice? Is it the easiest choice? Is it the traditional choice? Is it free or very low priced? Is it the tried and true choice?
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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?