Understanding the Sales Force

  • View From the Top – When Salespeople Call on Purchasing

    • February 19, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    The single question that salespeople ask more than any other is, “When I’m with Purchasing, they don’t seem to have a compelling reason to buy and don’t care about our value-add.  What can I do?”  I’ll answer that question shortly.  First, I have an analogy to help you see it from my perspective.

    Take an elevator up at least 20 floors in Manhattan and immediately you’ll notice that the view from the top is mostly yellow – a sea of taxis mixed in with some limos and buses.  From high above Manhattan, I saw these comparisons:

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  • To Salespeople, Demos and Presentations are Like Snack Food

    • February 11, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Prior to learning about healthy eating, I believed a bagel was a healthy alternative to a donut. After I was shown that a carbohydrate converts to sugar in the blood and there wasn’t much difference between bread, bagels or rolls; and donuts, cake or pie, I changed the way that I ate.

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  • Top 5 Insights From Latest Sales Organization Studies

    • February 7, 2013
    • Posted by: Kurlan & Associates, Inc.
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    The folks over at IKO Systems were nice enough to send me a collection of infographics which they call 66 Crazy Sales Figures. I finally had a chance to read through it and found 5 sales figures which, after I combined them, are quite interesting:

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  • Dan Pink Hits and Then Misses the New Key to Sales Performance

    • February 6, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Why do brilliant people, like Dan Pink, look at research and then reach faulty conclusions?   

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  • Sales Hiring Chronicles: The Doctor, The Drug Dealer and The User

    • January 31, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Recruiters think that all of their candidates walk on water.  Clients think that because of our assessment, quality advice and guidance that we walk on water.

    So the recruiter sends 5 of the best candidates ever to the client, who has them assessed, and 3 are not recommended.  The recruiter is upset, “Why are you using that stupid assessment? You don’t need that! I know these candidates and they’re awesome.”  

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  • Top 10 Problems with Veteran Salespeople

    • January 28, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    For companies who want to grow revenue, veteran salespeople cause more problems than any other factor.  After all, if you have a young, energetic group, there’s nowhere to go but up and everyone knows that they need to improve.  On the other hand, veteran salespeople believe that they know everything and everyone and probably could lead the sales training class.  

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  • Baseball’s Huge Impact on Sales Performance

    • January 22, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Let’s use Algebra to get a better handle on sales methodology and where it fits in the grand scheme of things.  Consider the following formula:

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  • Are Your Strategic Partnerships Your Passive Sales Force?

    • January 18, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Today, more than ever before, strategic partnerships, both formal and informal, are an important element of conducting business.  They exist at all levels, including these 10:

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  • Why Accidental Sales Training Works More Effectively

    • January 15, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    We stopped in a parking lot adjacent to a busy highway and when I opened the car door, she leaped out and ran toward the oncoming traffic.  In a panic, we began screaming. What does all that have to do with sales and sales training?

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  • Sales Process – Top 10 Reasons Why Sales are Lost

    • January 14, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    When a salesperson fails to land a deal, sale or order which they expected, projected, forecasted and pre-banked, nine times out of ten, you can lay the blame on one of the following ten conditions:

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