sales test

  • Cultural Differences with a Sales Force Evaluation

    • April 21, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I was in New Orleans speaking at the Gazelles Coaches Summit, a prelude to the Fortune Magazine Sales Summit. I was asked a question about cultural differences with the Sales Force Evaluation: Is the lack of Money Motivation on an entire sales force in Ireland a cultural difference? My questioner went on to say that the good people of Ireland, when asked if they would like a cup of tea, need to be asked three times before they’ll say yes – even though they really want that cup of tea.

    The Money Motivation issue has only three possible outcomes:

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  • Don’t Make Assumptions About Sales Candidates

    • March 31, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I have previously shared many instances of sales candidate assessments coming to life with their email, voice mails and interview antics following the taking of our assessment.  While the following email is another example of that, it is an even better example of what happens when a skeptical client finally realizes it:

    The client wrote:

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  • The Secret – The Ancient Scrolls and its Impact on the Sales Force

    • March 24, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Since this book is not the Kabbalah itself, rather a Cliff Notes version, it tends to read more like a self-help book. It is far more powerful than a self-help book though as it points to a number of rules that will cause a transformation in one’s life.

    Seven of the desired behaviors are consistent with the philosophies in Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball as well as Objective Management Group’s Sales Assessments:

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  • Former IBM Pro Lashes Out Over Sales Assessment

    • February 17, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    A CEO of a fairly large-sized but under-performing OEM asked us to evaluate his sales force.  One of the three regional managers, who assessed as poorly as any regional manager could, called to complain about his results.  In addition to calling me a toad, Bob said that in the eighties he used to sell and manage at IBM and he led the top performing team.  He finished by letting me know that we didn’t know what we were talking about and, by the way, he would be picking me up at the airport for the kick-off of their national training initiative.

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  • The Sales Assessment as Crystal Ball

    • October 16, 2008
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Not all sales assessments are created equal.

    That’s an understatement.

    Yet it’s when a client pushes back – not when they look at the recommendation or prediction and accept it – that we get an opportunity to bring our sales assessment to life.

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  • Top 5 Reasons Why the OMG Sales Assessment is More Predictive

    • October 1, 2008
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I was asked why Objective Management Group’s (OMG) assessments are so much more predictive of sales success and future performance than behavioral styles assessments and personality assessments.  There is more than one answer to this question and I’ll try to explain the top 5 answers below:

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