Understanding the Sales Force

  • Top 15 Questions That Prospects Ask Themselves

    • September 27, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Two questions for you:  Are your salespeople consciously aware of the 3 mindsets and two categories, and have you checked as to whether they have appropriate approaches for each?

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  • Does Moneyball Work for the Sales Force?

    • September 26, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    It’s funny – the way those statisticians arrived at the new baseball statistics are similar to the old sales metrics we used where we calculated the number of attempts, conversations, first meetings, presentations, and proposals required to close 1 deal.  But those metrics are not enough anymore and attempts and conversations are no longer the default method for how sales opportunities come to be.

    What if we included the following new KPI’s as the Sales Force’s version of Moneyball?

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  • Does Your Sales Force Have Asthma?

    • September 23, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Both of my parents had Asthma so wouldn’t you think that when I described the sensations to them – my inability to breathe, the burning sensation, and huge fear, they would have recognized the symptoms? They didn’t want me to have Asthma, they didnt’ think I could have Asthma, they didn’t connect the dots to conclude it was Asthma and they didn’t send me to a doctor.  They were in denial.

    The same thing happens with your sales force.  

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  • Cold Calling Example – Best and Worst in a Single Sales Call

    • September 22, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Your salespeople will only get a small percentage of their messages returned but when they do, make sure they are offering their prospects value on that call.  Their messaging must be in the context of helping rather than selling and they must be able to overcome the resistance that is sure to be present with a blind returned call.

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  • Red Sox and the Sales Force – Winning and Losing is Contagious

    • September 21, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Of course you can coach, train and develop SOME of the wannabes, but only if they are Committed, Motivated wannabes, that you can hold accountable.

    Either way, winning is contagious  and you must do everything in your power to create a winning environment where success is expected and anything less is not acceptable.

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  • Top 11 Reasons Why Salespeople Fail to Close Sales

    • September 19, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    The reason I’m bringing this up is that in most companies, when certain stages of the sales process are not being exectued as they should, executives often don’t know why.  That’s one of the many reasons why we evaluate Sales Forces – to identify root causes of the known (and unknown) problems.  

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  • Sales Selection – Would You Choose Bob or Mary?

    • September 16, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    As is the trend in the automobile industry these days, there is a hybrid, the best of both worlds, with all the charm of Bob and all the resolve of Mary.  But my opening question didn’t include the ‘A’ player as one of the choices.  If you had to choose Bob or Mary, who would you select?

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  • Effective Sales Models

    • September 15, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I wrote this article about the difference between sales process and sales methodology.  In addition to those two sales infrastructure components, companies should have a sales model.  How is the model different from the other two key components of an effective sales organization?

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  • Stalled Sales Opportunities: When Your Prospect is Hiding

    • September 13, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    This happens to every single salesperson on the planet engaged in a sales cycle of longer than one call.

    “My prospect won’t return my calls”.

    “I can’t get my prospect to the phone”.

    “My prospect is ignoring me”.

    Those of us who train, coach or mentor salespeople probably hear one of those three even more often than “I’m having trouble scheduling appointments.” What should you do when it happens to you or your salespeople?

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  • How Many Salespeople Should Report to a Sales Manager?

    • September 12, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    How many salespeople should report to a sales manager?

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