Understanding the Sales Force

  • Can Sales Candidate Assessments Drive Results?

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

    They claimed that salespeople who scored highest on their assessments had 69% higher close rates.  That’s impressive, right?  But their assessment didn’t drive the results. Those salespeople drove the results.  Their assessment simply indicated that those salespeople would be more successful.  That is what an assessment is supposed to do!  They could just as easily said, “Our assessments do what they’re supposed to do!”

    So let’s take a closer look at a 69% higher close.  It means that if the salespeople with a lower score close 1 of every 10 opportunities, then the strong salespeople, who scored highest on the assessment, will close 69% more of their 10 opportunities, or 1.69.  It’s not nearly as impressive as it sounds, is it?  

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  • Get Your Veteran Salespeople to Take Baby Steps

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

    You cannot script these questions.  Your salespeople must be able to identify the questioning opportunities in real time while their prospects are responding to the question currently in play.  This requires VERY focused listening, note taking, and patience.  And the biggest challenge?  Your salespeople must avoid the temptation to jump to a different question topic, jump to presentation, or jump in with a solution!

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  • Do Stories Make a Difference When Selling?

    • May 10, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Perhaps you have some stories that you always share – to make a point, lower resistance, show a different perspective, break up a technical presentation, provide examples, or explain what you do.  

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  • Selling is All in the Timing

    • May 9, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Selling is like cooking.  

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  • The Longest Sales Cycle Ever – How They Closed the Deal

    • May 3, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    If only your salespeople had that kind of commitment and staying power.  If only they were able to somehow get connected to their target prospects.  If only they could close the big ones on the first call.  It’s OK to dream big.  It’s OK to think about possibilities like this. It’s OK to want your salespeople to do more, more quickly, more often, and with more success.  Until your desires become expectations, you won’t do anything to change the behaviors that lead to results.

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  • The New Way To Train and Develop Salespeople – Does it Work?

    • May 2, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    The impact of these changes is that salespeople receive less information, less often, but focus more, for a longer period of time, on each important component of the sales process.  The net result is that they reach their potential and generate more revenue more quickly than in the past.  One hour – one topic – one thing to practice – two weeks to practice it.

    Simple.  Effective.  It works.   So the formula is LESS, LESS OFTEN = MORE, MORE QUICKLY.

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  • Salespeople Failing to Get Prospects to the Phone

    • April 28, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    This is a great example of why so many salespeople waste so much time chasing down their prospects and why prospects do such a fantastic job of avoiding these calls and emails.

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  • Bad Things That Happen When You Leave it Up to Your Salespeople

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

    Here are the 10 most common things that your salespeople will do when they aren’t managed effectively, or, in many cases, when they are only managed on an as needed basis.

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  • Does Fear Prevent Salespeople From Executing Your Sales Plan?

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

    These are just a few examples of self-limiting sales management beliefs!  Is it possible that you or your sales managers have some of them?

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  • Is it Good to Have Perfectionists on Your Sales Force?

    • April 20, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    The best thing about perfectionists on your sales force is that you don’t usually have to worry about their administrative accuracy. Their emails, letters, proposals and quotes are well done and not prone to typos. The information they input into your CRM or SFA is accurate and done on a timely basis. Their call reports are meticulous and submitted on time. What’s not to like about that?

    The downside of course. And what’s that?

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