- December 12, 2024
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
If you’ve been reading this Blog for more than a couple of years (or since 2006) then you know that in December I post the best articles of the past year. This year there are five winning Sales Leadership articles, there are ten winning sales articles. I also included the top five video rants of the year to provide more value for you.
I spent hours reviewing this year’s articles to identify the winners based on views, comments, engagement, likes and related positive (or negative) emails and messages. Some were quite obvious, while others surprised me. I also listed five personal favorites and because of the surprises, two of my favorites are not on the other two lists.
The Top 5 Sales Leadership Articles (unranked):
- Exposing the DIY Sales Organization – This should resonate with most senior executives!
- The Biblical Sales Team Part 1 – Hiring and Firing Salespeople – This was the first article I wrote using the Bible as an analogy for sales leadership, this one from Genesis.
- 7-Steps to Achieve Sales Team Excellence – Anyone can follow this guide which works consistently regardless of industry, company size or target market.
- The Biblical Sales Force Part 2 – On Boarding and Coaching Salespeople – My second article using the Bible as an analogy for sales leadership came from Exodus.
- Getting Salespeople to Prospect When They Aren’t Prospecting – I loved telling this story from my days coaching Little League baseball and using that analogy to discuss reluctant prospectors.
The Top 10 Sales Articles (unranked):
- New Competency Has 10 Attributes for Post 2024 Sales Success – This article makes the case for an important new competency that all salespeople need to integrate into their sales arsenal.
- 20 Ways Salespeople Waste Time and Lose Money – A huge list of areas where salespeople can improve – a lot!
- The Biggest Mistake That Salespeople Make When Closing – I really enjoyed telling this story from our summer vacation that all salespeople must understand relative to closing business!
- 10 Reasons Why You Can’t Outsell an Incumbent – This interesting article has a number of great examples and a solid strategy for taking business from competitors.
- 10 Unfavorable Selling Conditions That Prevent Sales Success – I loved writing this article because it is based on an analogy from a college baseball game that my son played in a snowstorm!
- Homicide Detective Makes Best Case for Sales Process – This might have been the most interesting article I ever wrote and the book I used for the analogy was simply amazing!
- 12 Powerful Sales Lessons from “The Chosen” – As was the case with the Homicide Detective analogy, this article is right up there among the most interesting articles I have ever written with 12 great sales lessons.
- Combining Goal Setting with Sales Competencies – The first article from 2024 introduced my very cool competency/goal/milestone grid! Brilliant if I do say so myself.
- Sales Process for the Anti-Sales Process Crowd – An article for the resistance!
- Whipped Cream! The Easiest Way to Lower Sales Resistance – Gotta love any article that features my dog, Dinger!
Most Popular Article by views: Exposing the DIY Sales Organization (~24,000 views)
Most Popular Article by engagement: Getting Salespeople to Prospect When They Aren’t Prospecting
My 5 Favorite Articles (unranked):
- Homicide Detective Makes Best Case for Sales Process – This might have been the most interesting article I ever wrote and the book I used for the analogy was simply amazing!
- 10 Unfavorable Selling Conditions That Prevent Sales Success – I loved writing this article because it is based on an analogy from a college baseball game that my son played in a snowstorm!
- How I Learned I am a Sales Consulting Imposter – This article was tons and tons of fun to write, and I really loved all the comments, emails and messages I received after posting it!
- 12 Powerful Sales Lessons from “The Chosen” – As was the case with the Homicide Detective analogy, this article is right up there among the most interesting articles I have ever written with 12 great sales lessons.
- My Latest Sales Epiphany From Watching Playoff Baseball – What’s not to like about an article with a baseball analogy, especially this sales leadership article based on the 2024 playoffs?
The Top 5 Video Rants (unranked):
Below: Pushing Back and Challenging Prospects
Below: How Salespeople Can Get Better
Below: Why Do Salespeople Insist on Meeting with Procurement?
Below: Why Sales Training Doesn’t Work
Below: Revenue Sensitivity (2nd appearance on this list)
Most popular video by views:
Below:How Can a Top Salesperson Lack Commitment
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