Understanding the Sales Force

  • Can the Beatles Help You Close Big Deals?

    • January 8, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Some people didn’t care for any of the three and bought from alternative sources.  Some preferred just one or the other.  And some bought from all three.  They were the big winners of their day.  Who were they?  Try The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones.  Check out the following table which, if they were traditional sellers, could have been used to tout their features and benefits.

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  • When, How and Why Salespeople Discount Products and Services

    • January 6, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    When I pick up the dogs, Heather gives me the bill.  When it’s $140, I pay, she gets the dogs for me, and we leave.  However, when the bill is $800, Heather gets really uncomfortable, and begins editing the invoice and always seems to get it under $650. Nice, right?  Only if you’re a customer.  If you’re Bob, the owner, who has no clue she is doing this, what must it be like for him?

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  • Sales Success Secrets From Beyond the Grave

    • January 5, 2010
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Warning. I have included some very controversial material in this article so I’ll start with the easy stuff and finish with the material you may not want to read. I have some insights from three totally unrelated books as well as an unrelated article that I had a chance to read last week. I found common themes that relate directly to sales and sales management success. 

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  • The Holidays are a Great Metaphor for Sales Success

    • December 22, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Which do you anticipate more?

    The gifts that you will receive?  What will it be?  Could it be what you were hoping for?  Will it be smelly socks? Will you have to return it? Will you love it? Will you hate it?

    Or…

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  • Born to Sell? Give me a Break!

    • December 18, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    We all have what we believe are better methodologies, strategies and tactics.  But there are some topics that are just begging for data – not opinion – and the author I seem to target more than any other just wrote one such article on whether great sales pros are born that way.  All opinion.  But based on what?  He doesn’t really say.  He simply uses his two kids as comparison.  The problem is, he is dead wrong and the data says so.

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  • Missing Sales Research and a Call for Sales Superstars

    • December 16, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I read this article on the Best-Kept Secrets of Sales Research.

    First, I wouldn’t call this sales research as much as market intelligence. 

    Second, I wouldn’t exactly call this stuff secretive.

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  • Your Sales and Sales Management Questions Answered Part I

    • December 15, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    In an article last week, I provided the post to a sales competency contest. The final question in that survey asked the participants for any sales issues they needed help with. Today I’ll answer the first four of those questions below:

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  • Sales Assessment Completion Time May Impact Validity of the Findings

    • December 14, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    How would you like to influence the development of our never-ending quest for improvement in our suite of world-class assessment tools?  We constantly seek ways to expand our world-class insights, legendary accuracy, and real-world relevance.

    I just reviewed some new data that shows the percentage of Sales Candidate Assessments that are completed in a particular amount of time.  

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  • Are Sales Cycles Really Getting Shorter?

    • December 11, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I read an article that claimed that winning sales cycles are getting shorter. 

    While I agree with everything else in the article, I questioned the 23% shorter because our substantial data does not support this claim.  So where could the discrepancy be?

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  • Sales Competencies Contest – Win Prizes

    • December 10, 2009
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Speaking of Sales Competencies, Rocky LaGrone was back on Meet the Sales Experts yesterday and what a great show.  In addition to sales competencies we also discussed training and coaching competencies.  I think this episode was one of the fastest moving shows we’ve produced to date.

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