Understanding the Sales Force
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Prospecting Trends for the Sales Force
- July 19, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Three salespeople left voice-mail messages for me today. They were all cold calls, they were all bad, and they were all following up on brochures they dropped off last week. Nothing out of the ordinary here, as one of the callers wanted to know when our copier leases expire, one wanted to know when our commercial real estate lease expires and two wanted to introduce themselves as our new reps.
There are several reasons why they were so bad:
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Disagreement Over Sales Leadership Best Practices?
- July 17, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
When sales leaders initiate the questions, how do they differentiate best practices from stupid practices?
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What Leads to Salespeople Underperforming?
- July 16, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Doesn’t it drive you mad when terrific, yet underperforming salespeople, take time off for their car to be serviced, to bring their pets to the vet, to spend time with visiting family members, to work out of the house, when they feel under the weather, to meet a with a contractor, for the dentist, for their annual physical, etc? Take a vacation – no problem – but if you’re not on vacation, then work for crying out loud!
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How Do Sales Professionals Stay Motivated?
- July 12, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
The most important thing to understand is that when someone must ask how to motivate their salespeople, they may not have the right salespeople!
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When Should You Use a Telemarketing Firm to Schedule Sales Calls?
- July 10, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
If you would like to establish new accounts and generate a significant increase in revenue, there are several things you can do:
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Are (Lack of) Results Due to the Salesperson or the Company?
- July 9, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Whether your salespeople are underperforming or doing well, are they responsible or is it your company, culture, advertising or offerings that’s responsible?
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How Soon Should You Make Changes to Your Sales Force?
- June 28, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
This month’s newsletter from IDC’s Sales Advisory Group lists 5 things which a new Sales VP should do. Some of them are good, but others not so much. Among their points were some that have nothing to do with being new, plus one with which I am in complete disagreement. Consider 4 of their 5 bullet points below:
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When are Salespeople Too Old to Sell Effectively? 10 Conditions
- June 27, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
When it’s time to recruit salespeople, clients have often told me that they want a “less mature, more energetic, and fit” salesperson – code for “younger”.
Like the Beach Boys, who can still pull it off with ease, salespeople can still pull it off with ease as they age, well into their 70’s, as long as the following ten conditions exist:
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Getting Reluctant Salespeople to Fill Their Empty Pipelines
- June 25, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Last week, I wrote this article about the best time to ask salespeople to fill their pipelines. One reader asked how to get salespeople to fill their pipelines.
It’s an interesting question because your real performers don’t have to be asked. They will keep it filled on their own. If you are having difficulty getting salespeople to fill their pipeline, then one of several things may be true:
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Controversial “Best Time” For Salespeople To Fill Their Pipeline
- June 21, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
The obvious answer is to make sure that they fill the pipeline when it begins to empty or is getting close to being empty, right?
Wrong.