Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 9, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan If you would like more accurate forecasting, a good first step would be to either evaluate your sales force to identify the problems that are causing the inaccurate forecasts, or to attend my premier sales leadership conference next month in Boston. (c)

Pipeline 260

Pipeline Proposal Forecasting Analysis 260

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 10, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Finally, if you want your best work to be even more impacting , and want to feel better about the work you are doing to attract, select, hire, on-board, retain, develop and coach great salespeople , attend my Sales Leadership Event next month in Boston. (c)

Hiring 180

Hiring Hubspot Sales Leadership Coaching 180

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan I'm very impressed with candidates who are capable of these 10 things: push back and challenge me without starting an argument. ask intelligent questions that aren't about benefits. talk concisely versus ramble. explain rather than claim. express rather than state. be memorable instead of forgetable.

Exact 220

Exact Benefit Sales Conversion 220

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 24, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan If you simply eliminate the concept of obstacles, and approach all situations as opportunities, your entire world changes, doesn't it? That is the real magic that John Robinson can manifest! Thank you, John. (c)

Face-to-face 205

Face-to-face Conference Exact Opportunity 205

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Does it drive you nuts when you need salespeople to follow up on leads and they don't have time, don't ask questions, don't strategize, but they have preconceived notions about outcomes? If the leads were from C-Level Executives, but small companies rather than large, would your salespeople react differently?

Leads 196

Leads Marketing Qualified Lead Follow-up Coaching 196

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan If sales leadership can strategize like football head coaches, and sales managers take on tactical responsibilities, like a baseball managers do, we would see more effective, productive, consistent sales organizations. (c)

Strategy 180

Strategy Sports Sales Leadership Coaching 180

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 9, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Combine that with the Gold Medal winner for best Sales Assessment Tool and you have a turnkey solution that identifies winning salespeople like the Dominican Republic turns out baseball players. Best practices exist for a reason.

Hiring 221

Hiring Travel Compensation Course 221

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 22, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Your salespeople simply put the CD in the computer, watch the screen, and listen to the audio (only one program at a time) twice daily for 21 days. The weakness is gone. Salesmind sells for just $99. If you are interested in getting SalesMind for your and/or your salespeople you can email me. (c)

Buying Cycle 192

Buying Cycle Sales Methodology Incentives Incentive 192

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Also, the February issue of Top Sales World News (I'm on the cover but not sure why) is available for download. Inside there's a link to a short interview with me on the topic of, "Are Salespeople Still Cold-Calling? The Ugly Truth". (c)

CRM 233

CRM LandSlide Margin Cold Calling 233

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

photo credit John Biever on SportsIllustrated.CNN.com) (c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan You can always perform better. Accomplish the goals. Every day is meaningful. The pressure is always on. Go Patriots!

Sales Management 175

Sales Management Coaching Sales Meeting 175

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan If you can't make EcSell's Sales Coaching Summit in April, Kurlan & Associates is hosting its annual Sales Leadership Symposium on May 10-11 in Boston, MA. If you are interested in attending or sending a team to this event, please contact me by email. (c)

Education 169

Education Cold Calling Sales Coaching Coaching 169

Understanding the Sales Force

MARCH 7, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan If you can't make that event, I'll be hosting Kurlan and Associates, Inc. 's s annual 2-Day Sales Leadership Symposium in May. The registration page isn't ready yet, so for now, you can send an email if you're interested in attending. (c)

Decision Maker 205

Decision Maker Pipeline Account Coaching 205

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 12, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan I will be working with sales leaders in Boston May 10 and 11 to help them develop the mastery to overcome problems like this. Please join us for the premier sales leadership event of the year. If you are interested in attending, notify me by email and I'll get you a preferred rate! (c)

Consultative Selling 192

Consultative Selling Proposal Analysis Coaching 192

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 25, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Cold calling is slowly but surely declining in use but some salespeople have discarded it before its time. Reevaluate what your salespeople are doing, how they are doing it, and make sure that the emphasis is on the result, not the method. (c)

Cold Calling 240

Cold Calling Real Estate Insurance Insurance 240

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 6, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan I wrote this article two years ago to illustrate exactly how you can make this possible. Sales Force Compensation is just one of many important topics we will discuss at Kurlan and Associate, Inc.'s s Sales Leadership Event May 10-11 in Boston. (c)

Compensation 195

Compensation Salary Commission Positioning 195

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 24, 2014

After his football career ended, Chatham went back to school and received an MBA from Babson in 2011. They were discussing the very recent resignations of 3 coaches from this year''s Patriots team and the co-hosts asked, "Would you like to coach?". With that in hand, he said that he would prefer a front office job and wishes to become a GM.

Sales Management 214

Sales Management Webinar Metrics Coaching Sports 214

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 30, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan With option 2, the company uses the information from a sales force evaluation to make an intelligent hiring decision and provides the new Sales VP with the equivalent of 18 months worth of observation - only much deeper and wider than he could ever learn on his own - on his very first day.

Hiring 203

Hiring Company Report Exact 203

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 3, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Ultimately, the issue has nothing to do with gender or even age. It's simply about commitment and desire for sales success and whether a company has managed to hire the right salespeople in the right roles. (c)

Hiring 207

Hiring Incentives Incentive Comparison 207

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 9, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Stein will host additional panel discussions on a variety of topics during January and February. To register for my session click here. For information and/or to register for the other sessions, click here. (c)

Salary 140

Salary Government Commission Motivation 140

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 2, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan If you have another call scheduled immediately after this call, don't schedule it unless you can fit a buffer time slot betweent the scheduled calls. Be conscious of the time and force yourself to slow down. An abundance of opportunities should be a good thing but it's very easy to make them go bad. (c)

Opportunity 175

Opportunity Sales Qualified Lead Conference Pipeline 175

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 16, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Why would you go back when the track record says nothing will change?". The key, as always, is to deal with the potential issue up-front, before it happens, when there is little pressure and less chance of resistance. (c)

Promotion 192

Promotion Loyalty Motivation Inside Sales 192

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 4, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Personality tests can only report on what they can measure and they can only measure the responses to their questions. Unfortunately, the questions are asked in social settings rather than sales settings and the findings have very ittle relevance to sales. (c)

Hiring 184

Hiring Cold Calling Selling Skills Consultative Selling 184

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 19, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Do you have and use the skills necessary for being able to conduct a thorough, intensive, challenging 30 minute interview and know at that point whether you have found your next salesperson? (c)

Hiring 203

Hiring Face-to-face Exact Opportunity 203

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 2, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan If you have another call scheduled immediately afterward, don't schedule it unless you can fit a buffer time slot between the scheduled calls. Be conscious of time and force yourself to slow down. An abundance of opportunities could be a positive, but could very easily become negative. (c)

Opportunity 156

Opportunity Sales Qualified Lead Conference Pipeline 156

Understanding the Sales Force

MAY 2, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan This is the last week to register! We'll also demonstrate how to master the art of coaching salespeople. Hope to see you there. Email me if you would like to attend. (c)

Sales Coaching 180

Sales Coaching Coaching Hiring Scale 180

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 16, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan You can get some of the best sales leadership and sales management training and tools next month at my annual sales leadership symposium. I would love to have you join us. Click here for details and if you would like to attend, email me for a preferred rate. (c)

Hiring 188

Hiring Territories Compensation Forecasting 188

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 23, 2013

Our "old" tool won the Gold Medal for Top Sales Assessment Tool in 2011 and 2012. Speaking of science, if you weren''t already following me and OMG, our highly accurate and predictive sales specific tools are legendary.

Decision Maker 169

Decision Maker Sales Leadership Forecasting Analysis 169

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Salespeople won't be able to accomplish this outcome though, unless they can imagine that they are talking with their kids, make the second effort, and have the patience to take baby steps until they get the desired level of engagement. (c)

Sports 163

Sports Follow-up Course Coaching 163

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 27, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan I believe that you and your salespeople will discover that when they actually engage in selling, the deals are special. When they simply take orders, or discount to buy the business, the deals are routine. (c)

Discount 163

Discount How To Exercises Analysis 163

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

So while the economy isn''t creating a confidence-fest, it shouldn''t be having any more of an impact than it has in the years 2011-2012. That has to include 2008-2010 when the economy was really in the tank. Decrease in Demand - If you''re selling typewriters or newspapers, sure.

Travel 251

Travel Decision Maker Insurance Insurance 251

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 28, 2014

I previously wrote this article about sales models in 2011. Earlier this month, I wrote this article about Sales Methodology and today''s article focuses on successful Sales Models. On its own, the concept of a sales model can be confusing, especially when you mention it in the same breath as sales process and sales methodology.

Lead Rank 240

Lead Rank Sales Methodology Cold Calling Sales Qualified Lead 240

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 5, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Type 3 - They have been thoroughly trained on model, process and methodology, the entire sales force follows it and can apply it, sales management is able to coach to it and hold their salespeople accountable to it and their results are sky rocketing.

Travel 156

Travel Follow-up Sales Groups 156

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 26, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan I'll be helping sales leaders with most of the issues discussed in this article and much more at next month's Sales Leadership Intensive in Boston. Email me if you are interested in attending. (c)

Quota 216

Quota Territories Compensation Sales Cycle 216

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan Your system for coaching - the frequency, duration and process - should remain consistent but it is important to remember these variations. All of the people you coach or should be coaching are unique individuals and need you to work with them in a way that is most beneficial to them, not you. (c)

Coaching 175

Coaching Examples Sales Coaching Margin 175

Understanding the Sales Force

OCTOBER 15, 2013

However, within one week you should know the top-of-the-funnel metrics like attempts to conversations and conversations to meetings and whether those have changed since 2011. For those, you''ll have to head into 2014 and leave margin for error. By the way, they have! This is one of the advantages of pipeline management and CRM.

Top of Funnel 271

Top of Funnel Margin Sales Cycle Retention 271

Understanding the Sales Force

MARCH 2, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan While sales issues like model, methodology, process, pipeline, metrics and selection tend to be management issues, skill gaps and weaknesses tend to be more individually targeted.

Lead Rank 211

Lead Rank Motivation Sales Pipeline 211

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 25, 2012

c) Copyright 2011 Dave Kurlan When the opportunity finally makes it to procurement, only the terms need to be negotiated. Don't believe everything you read. Just because it's printed doesn't mean it's good. (c)

Company 188

Company Decision Maker Revenue Webinar Metrics 188