Understanding the Sales Force
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How You Can Increase Sales During the Summer
- June 3, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
It is concert season and salespeople tend to drag out their own old and inappropriate beliefs about selling in the summer.
For one, they work much less. I understand the need for a summer vacation, but why is the summer any different from when they take their winter vacation? They return from their winter vacation and work really hard, but for some reason, before and after the summer vacation, they hardly work. That’s lazy!
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Connecting the Dots on Sales Management
- May 28, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Do you remember the morning that you couldn’t find your keys, but they were right there on the counter? Or the time that you couldn’t find an article of clothing, but it was hanging right there in your closet the entire time you were looking for it? Or the time you couldn’t find your car in the airport parking garage? And yes, it was right where you parked it. Sometimes, things are right in front of you and you don’t notice them! And that brings us to this sales management topic.
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Whiplash on the Sales Force
- May 26, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
In many cases, difficult prospects are actually easier to sell because there isn’t a whole lot of competition. Most salespeople give up or lose the prospect’s respect before they get remotely close to doing any business with them.
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Why Half of the Sales Force Resigned This Month
- May 20, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
There is a hidden problem that the CEO is unaware of and even the most accurate and predictive sales candidate assessment on the planet – ours – won’t overcome the issue. It’s worse than you can imagine!
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Chris Cagle – Great Example of Intangibles in Sales
- May 18, 2015
- Posted by: Kurlan & Associates, Inc.
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
You probably heard that BB King, the King of the Blues, died last week. My wife and I met him after a performance in 2007 and the meeting inspired this article on work ethic. Last week, on a flight from Dallas to Boston, I was sitting next to Country Music star Chris Cagle, who told me all about his new business. You just have to read his story and the great example of intangibles at work.
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Salespeople as Closers & 10 Other Sales Myths
- May 14, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Just because you think it, that does not make it normal, correct, supportive or useful. Challenge everything you believe to be true in sales and ask whether or not it really needs to be that way. Could you change your results if you changed your beliefs, expectations and thinking?
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How to End the Sales & Marketing Argument
- May 11, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Republicans and Democrats argue all the time. Fans of long-time rival sports teams argue too, regardless of whether the rivalry is at the high school, college or pro level. Players argue with umpires, referees and judges. Kids argue with their parents and everyone argues with their cable company and wireless phone providers. So why is it so hard to understand why marketing argues with sales?
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Do We Have Sales Compensation All Wrong?
- May 6, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Should a salesperson receive the maximum commission on the big deal if there was no other activity, critical KPI’s weren’t met, and the pipeline is essentially empty?
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Should a Salesperson be Punished after a Huge Sale?
- May 4, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
My wife and I watched with a combination of fascination, sadness and shock as the coach of our son’s 12 and under AAU baseball team made them run suicides after the double header they won on Saturday, and again after the double header they won on Sunday. Why would he punish them after winning four games this weekend? And how does this apply to sales? You’ll be amazed by what you read.
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How Can Consultative Selling Already be Dead?
- April 30, 2015
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
In this article for Middle Market Executive,Tom Searcy insists that Consultative Selling is dead. He says that consultative sellers end up with buyers who can only make small decisions, experts end up in purchasing and only industry authorities can reach executive decision-makers. He also says that consultative sellers ask, “What is your pain?”, experts say, “Here is your pain.”, and authorities say, “Here is the pain your industry is having and how you can uniquely overcome it.”
Is he right?
Let’s discuss that right now before your clothes go out of style…