Understanding the Sales Force

  • Starting with the Sales Management Team – Is it a Bad Decision?

    • August 21, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Companies typically have 5 reasons for starting with the sales managers:

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  • Why You Must Understand This about Desire for Sales Success

    • August 20, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    One of the most frequent questions we get from clients has to do with the second most important finding on Objective Management Group’s (OMG) sales and sales management evaluations.  “This is one of my top salespeople – how can she possibly lack Desire for sales success?”

    It’s a great question and I hope to explain it fully here.

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  • Getting Emotional at Dunkin Donuts, and Over Social Selling

    • August 18, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    My sudden inability to comprehend what was taking place is what happens when your mind is elsewhere.  It happens to salespeople when they aren’t able to stay in the moment, maintain complete focus on what their prospects are saying, and respond without thinking several moves ahead or, more typically, about what they want to say.  It’s a form of being emotional.

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  • Top 10 Reasons Why Inbound Cannot Replace Sales

    • August 15, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Well, it’s really happened now.

    I was following a discussion in the Hubspot VAR Group on LinkedIn, where the question posed to the group was whether or not the first sales hire should be a sales or a marketing person.

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  • Top 10 Mistakes Salespeople Make on the Phone (Funny Read)

    • August 13, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Earlier this week, I wrote the “Get Your Butt Out of Your Head” article. At that same tournament, I heard an even funnier story from its director. He told us about a team who went 0-7, losing each game by the mercy rule. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, if a team is losing by 12 runs or more after 4 full innings, the game is stopped, showing mercy to the team who was getting slaughtered.

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  • Top 5 Mistakes Salespeople Make When Under Pressure

    • August 11, 2014
    • Posted by: Kurlan & Associates, Inc.
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Before I unveil the top 5 mistakes, you might be interested to know that last week, Top Sales World Magazine went from monthly to weekly. I was featured on the cover, but I’m most hopeful that everyone will read Jonathan Farrington’s interview with me. He got me to be very outspoken about what’s taking place right now in our industry and I believe that everyone will benefit from reading it.

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  • As Good as Your Last Successful Hire – 10 Tips for Consistency

    • July 31, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
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  • Rejection: Does Selling Cause More Anxiety Than Dating?

    • July 29, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Today, the abundance of technology and its place in selling has allowed fear of rejection to become much like it was in the golden days of dating.  Salespeople now wonder to themselves, “Will they reply to my email?”  Will they text me back?”  “Will they accept my LinkedIn invitation?”  “Will anyone retweet my tweet?”  “Will they like me on Facebook?”   

    Let’s call it Neorejection.  

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  • Does Efficiency or DNA Help to Increase Sales?

    • July 24, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    Does Efficiency or DNA Help to Increase Sales?

    The Salesforce Blog published a new article of mine today – Read How to Create Perfect Sales Conditions.  It’s really an article about how to use tools and efficiency to increase your focus and sales. Speaking of efficiency, Kyle Dougherty, from Prialto, sent me this very cool video today. Talk about a tool that helps you to be efficient!

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  • Look for Potential in the Next Generation of Sales Hires

    • July 22, 2014
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Make-up is nice to have.  DNA, Competencies, Will to Sell and Potential are must-haves.  OMG is uniquely able to determine and accurately predict whether or not a candidate’s combination of will, competencies, and DNA will allow them to succeed in a particular sales role, in your business and industry, selling to your ideal decision-maker, against your competition, with your pricing, sales cycle and challenges.  It’s all about potential.

    There are eight findings that point to potential:

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