Understanding the Sales Force

  • Top 13 Requirements to Help You Soar as a Sales Manager

    • January 17, 2019
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    In my last article I shared the top 8 requirements for becoming a great salesperson.  Wow, did that resonate with people and there was a great discussion about it on LinkedIn.  In addition to that, I received a number of emails asking, what are the requirements for becoming a great sales manager?

    I’ll share those in a moment but first, since they were so popular, a few more “do you remember the first time” questions:

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  • The Top 8 Requirements for Becoming a Great Salesperson

    • January 14, 2019
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Do you remember the moment you became a Salesperson?  Not a presenter, Not an order taker, but a true consultative sales professional?

    Here are some guidelines to identify the moment you turned professional. 

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  • Popularity Polls are Just Like Sales Management Tracking Metrics!

    • January 8, 2019
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Have you ever watched a news program where they presented poll results, like the number of people in favor of legalizing marijuana?  The poll shows popular opinion, but not the facts, logic, or impact on arrests, the economy, traffic accidents, unemployment, addiction, death rates, etc.  There is a huge difference between people’s often uninformed opinions, versus what the facts might suggest.  That’s the problem with the statistics I’m going to share in this article.  The stats show what sales managers are doing but those managers are largely uninformed. They don’t know what’s good for them, haven’t been asked or held accountable to doing it differently, and aren’t in any way shape or form following best practices.  John Pattison, Objective Management Group’s COO, mined some data on salespeople who report to sales managers.  I was appalled by what I saw.  Check this out!

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  • Dave Kurlan’s 10 Surefire New Years Resolutions For All Salespeople

    • January 3, 2019
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I’ve compiled a list of resolutions that all salespeople should make and follow.  Some will likely surprise you but they are all necessary to become more successful.  Enjoy the 10 most important elements for New Year’s Resolutions That All Salespeople Must Make.  Here we go!

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  • The Top 10 Sales Articles of 2018

    • December 13, 2018
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
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  • Why are Half of All Sales Reps Still Missing Quota in a Booming US Economy?

    • December 10, 2018
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Between 2010 and 2016, and soaring revenue during 2017-2018, the percentage of reps making quota has not only remained flat, but the percentage hasn’t even returned to pre 2008 rates.  This article attempts to explain why.

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  • How Getting Feedback and Making Adjustments are the Keys to Sales Improvement

    • December 5, 2018
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Becoming great at selling – or anything else for that matter – is about making adjustments. In order to make an adjustment you need feedback – something you see, hear or feel that informs your ability to adjust.  Take Baseball for example.  When I watch my son hit he receives instant feedback from every swing of the bat.  He usually crushes the ball and that suggests that no adjustment is needed.  If he tops the ball or pops it up it is probably an issue with timing.  If he peels the ball to the right, he probably opened his front shoulder too early. If he squares the ball up but doesn’t drive it he probably failed to use his legs. He also has 5 private coaches who coach him or, in other words, provide feedback. 

    That brings us back to selling.  Salespeople need feedback too.

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  • Would Henry Ford be Able to Sell Cars Today?

    • November 29, 2018
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    What would Henry Ford think if he were alive today?  I’m thinking that he would ask, “What the hell happened to my motor car and what are all these SUV’s, crossovers, smart cars, hybrids and electric cars?  And what are all these pictures, icons, buttons, knobs and dials for?”  I think he would also say, “So let me get this straight.  You need to pay for a government issued license and pass an exam to operate it?  You need to register the motor car with the government and pay for that too?  You need to buy insurance before you can use it?  You have to pay an excise tax to your city or town to maintain ownership? And they sell for how much?  Holy shit!  What did they do to my Model T?  I innovated a car, not a home on wheels!” 

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  • Speed Limits, the Flow of Traffic, and Sales Pipelines

    • November 19, 2018
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I don’t get stressed anymore when I’m driving.  All it took was for me to not exceed the speed limit.  I’m not sure whether it was my navigation system repeatedly telling me to “obey all traffic laws” each time I started the car, or my wife reminding me that I needed to be a good role model for our soon-to-be driving 16 year-old son.  I admit that this was much easier for me to do after I gave up my Jaguar for a Lincoln Navigator.  It holds much more baseball equipment!

    There is an exception to not exceeding the speed limit.  When the flow of traffic in all lanes is moving exponentially faster than you are, you must increase your speed to match the flow of traffic or risk getting run over!

    That brings me to pipeline flow.

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  • Data Shows That Only 14% are Qualified for the Easiest Selling Roles

    • November 15, 2018
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Lays Potato Chips.  Movie Theater Popcorn.  Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies.  BBQ Ribs.  Fudge Brownies.  Rolos (a personal favorite from years ago).  All junk food which, after having the first one, you just can’t stop there. You must have more.  Lays even had that as a slogan back in the late 60’s – “Bet you can’t eat just one.”  Back then I couldn’t stop at one.

    Last week I wrote an article that said companies are hiring the wrong salespeople 77% of the time.  It was very popular and there was a great discussion on LinkedIn but similar to the junk food, you couldn’t read that one article and move to another subject.  You need to have some more.

    That article was filled with data to illustrate the differences between good salespeople versus those who actually get hired most of the time.  It was ugly and there were questions about the 77% like, “Where does that come from?”

    Some of the supporting data came from the CSO Insights 2018 Sales Talent Study.  Some of it came from Objective Management Group’s evaluations and assessments of 1.8 million salespeople.  And I’m going to show you some data that most people never get to see.  Take a look at these wild numbers!

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