Understanding the Sales Force

  • Top 5 Keys to Select and Hire Great Salespeople in 2015

    • December 8, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I’m always amused when an email comes through with a message that says something like, “Maybe we should target candidates that aren’t recommended” or “Why do so many candidates lack Commitment?” or “Your assessments are only recommending 1 out of every 5 candidates!” or “The questions don’t fit the role!” or “Thanks for saving us so much time – we would have hired some of these losers last year!”

    I can usually determine, just from the comment of the email, exactly who, by title, must have sent it to us.  Here are some funny examples:

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  • Selling Value – Everything You Always Wanted to Know

    • December 4, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    So if not those topics, then what should we all be writing about – all the time – that would be a real difference maker for salespeople?

    I believe that it’s the importance of and ability to sell value.  Why, you ask? 

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  • Selling Value – Everything You Always Wanted to Know

    • December 3, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Some news stories just don’t go away. Today those stories include Ferguson, Bill Cosby, ISIS and The NFL’s Domestic Abuse Problem. There is also Obamacare, Immigration and Ebola. They remain in the news more because the media continues to milk these stories then readers demand to know more.

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  • Key Sales Strategies for December

    • December 1, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    So let’s discuss December sales strategies.  What can you do to assure that December (a short month with only 17 business days) as well as the 4th quarter and the year finish – all have a strong finish?

    You won’t like my answer at all, but it’s the truth.  

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  • You’re Afraid to Sell Because You Think There is Hope

    • November 24, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    It may have been in episode 4 or 5, in season 1. It was definitely in the HBO series Band of Brothers. Thanks Chris, for recommending it. I can’t believe I’m a decade late watching this!

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  • Top 5 Sales Issues Leaders Should Not Focus On

    • November 19, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Did you ever watch Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or Aaron Rogers have a bad day at Quarterback? Did you notice that the following day, everyone was saying that he sucked? While it’s possible that these three Quarterbacks could have a bad day, most of their bad days are less about them and more about whether or not their offensive lines gave them the time and protection they needed to find an open man and make a good pass. It could also have something to do with whether or not their receivers were able to quickly get open.

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  • Why This Salesperson Failed to Close the Deal

    • November 17, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
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  • Achieve More Accurate Forecasts and Sales Results Today

    • November 12, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Last week, a new client was explaining how he called several of the nearly 300 opportunities that one salesperson had in his pipeline.  My client identified 7 opportunities that had no recent activity, but had been in the pipeline for several months and were supposed to close.  Imagine my client’s surprise when:

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  • Second Secret to Sales Force Excellence

    • November 10, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    One of the stand-out findings that jumps off the pages of our new White Paper is about sales training.  Over the years, many reports have highlighted all of the money that has been wasted on ineffective training.  However, the study on which this White Paper, on Sales Force Excellence, is based was equally clear about this subject.  Most of the companies in the study reported that they offered sales training to their sales force.  But when we looked beyond the obvious, what became most clear revolved around three important distinctions:

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  • Leading a Sales Force is Even More Like Baseball

    • November 6, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I’ve written plenty about the similarity betwen baseball and selling, but today I’m writing about the similarity between baseball and sales leadership.  If you’re not a baseball person, you might not see the same things that I see, most of which can be applied to leading a sales force.  For example,

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