Understanding the Sales Force

DECEMBER 18, 2013

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan My vision, of how the future of selling is shaping up, appears in today''s (the December 18, 2013) issue of Top Sales Magazine. This issue also features the 2013 Award Winners of the Top Sales & Marketing Awards in 18 Categories. Our Partner, Membrain , won the Gold for Top CRM Tool.

Sales Talent 235

Sales Talent Video Course Up-Sell 235

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

2013 is the year Social Selling became Mission Critical. Social Selling training budgets increased 48% in 2013. Social Selling’s ‘Lead-to-Close’ conversion rate is 5x marketing sourced leads. LinkedIn is by far the #1 tool for social selling. LinkedIn is far and away the most effective tool for social selling.

Social Selling 321

Social Selling Top of Funnel Marketing Ideal Customer Profile 321

SBI Growth

JANUARY 2, 2013

But you can excel in 2013 because of your shortcomings in 2012. And with these answers come chances for improvement in 2013. John Kenney writes a great post on how to Maximize Your "B Player" Sales Talent in 2013 ). “C” Joint tactics and strategy will be required to make the 2013 lead gen target.

Lead Rank 267

Lead Rank Lead Scoring Sales Qualified Lead Lead Gen 267

Understanding the Sales Force

MAY 5, 2014

Top 10 Kurlan Sales Articles of 2013. 13 Most Important Tools for Coaching Salespeople. Top 10 Sales Leadership Tips From 2013. Top 10 Reasons Salespeople Can''t Move the Conversation from Price. Top 6 Factors for Killing a Sales Opportunity or Prospect (c) Copyright 2013 Dave Kurlan' Top 16 Problems with CRM.

Hiring 249

Hiring Sales Management Decision Maker Cold Calling 249

SBI Growth

AUGUST 8, 2012

Sign up for our Make the Number Tour if you would like to see how your peers are allocating people, money and time in 2013. Here is a very practical tool that you can start using immediately. This tool will be discussed by an expert during our tour and an in-depth explanation on how to use it will be provided.

Quota 276

Quota Demand Generation Agencies Marketing Demand Generation 276

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Less than 60 days remain in 2013. Over these remaining weeks, conversations with SVP-Sales have focused on 3 areas: What can I still do to Make the Number in 2013 ? I recommend you read it and download the tool. As 2013 winds down, 2014 naturally ramps up. How should I be preparing to Make the Number in 2014 ?

Hiring 296

Hiring Buyer Persona ROI Follow-up 296

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FEBRUARY 17, 2014

Today there are powerhouse tools for sales intelligence for you to use such as DiscoverOrg , iSell , InsideView , LinkedIn , SalesLoft , Data.com , Radius , and many, many more. These tools have never been easier to use – they do cost money (in most cases above, although some have free versions). Are you doing it?

Cold Calling 277

Cold Calling InsideView Lead Rank Lead Scoring 277

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JANUARY 24, 2014

I use a notepad at my desk, a notebook with me, and the digital app, Evernote to be my tools. But there IS a time when I do write by hand – if I am talking directly to someone in a one-on-one conversation. Post you might find of interest: CRM is the Tool and Sales Follow-Up is Key. That is double-entry.

Ideal Customer Profile 236

Ideal Customer Profile Lead Rank Lead Scoring Outbound 236

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DECEMBER 26, 2013

We customize these for clients based on what is important to the flow of their process, their sales methodology, and specific tools they use. We like those kinds of tools, don’t you? We’d love your thoughts if you already have a tool like this or if you find this to be helpful. It’s appreciative, not pushy.

Scale 231

Scale Hiring Ideal Customer Profile Sales Methodology 231

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MARCH 14, 2014

The next time one of your sales opportunities goes “dark” – meaning that your main contact does not return calls, emails, or smoke signals, and you’re feeling a little desperate, think about strategies and tools to help you sell that support your efforts, such as: Having a single place for all of the information your prospect’s buying team needs.

Decision Maker 229

Decision Maker Lead Rank Lead Scoring Compensation 229

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MARCH 13, 2014

His company does not offer him much support in marketing or social tools. After several conversations, Joe identified a list of 20 people in adjacent industries – so not people who work at competitive companies but rather those at companies that compliment what Joe does. Joe has to be entrepreneurial in order to succeed.

Referrals 238

Referrals Lead Rank Lead Scoring Ideal Customer Profile 238

SBI Growth

DECEMBER 4, 2012

A post for Sales and HR leaders to ensure success of 2013’s Sales compensation plan. As well, a tool is included – a sample rollout communication plan. Fast forward to April of 2013. New processes/procedures/tools that enable the plan – look at new dashboards the Reps will use. Conversation or email to an HR person.

Compensation 292

Compensation Channels Fashion Construction 292

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FEBRUARY 21, 2014

Now we are a mobile society of sellers and we need tools that are simple and easy to use. Recently I had a great conversation with Fred Studer, GM of Microsoft Dynamics at Microsoft. Recently I had a great conversation with Fred Studer, GM of Microsoft Dynamics at Microsoft. Need to look someone up? There’s an app for that too.

Lead Rank 231

Lead Rank Lead Scoring Microsoft Twitter 231

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DECEMBER 27, 2013

Too many sellers are not aware of their sales conversion rate (how many qualified deals do I normally close?) or their prospecting conversion rates (how many decision makers do I need to talk to in order to set up a next meeting / demo / conversation)? Download the summary tip sheet from Part 2 of this series click here.

Lead Rank 255

Lead Rank Lead Scoring Decision Maker Sales Qualified Lead 255

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DECEMBER 7, 2012

Some ideas you might want to think about heading into 2013: Do you have an inbound marketing tool or set of tools to help attract buyers? In addition to the tool(s), do you have a documented process on how to review and rate the leads that come in? Do you have knowledgeable people to support an inbound program?

Leads360 225

Leads360 Closing Inbound Outbound 225

Understanding the Sales Force

MARCH 11, 2013

Email does not replace phone conversations but it is a terrific tool for reaching many people with the same message. ToutApp has been an unbelievable productivity tool, helping me manage email templates, multiple recipient groups and email tracking with ease. c) Copyright 2013 Dave Kurlan

Proposal 295

Proposal Groups Follow-up Objections 295

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

You are preparing for 2013. Will you have any chance of hitting the number in 2013? Using this method will allow leaders to have intelligent conversation surrounding quotas. Here is an example of a quota tool that allows for real time changes. This tool enables speed in the quota planning process.

Territories 275

Territories Quota Hiring Maximizer 275

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JANUARY 31, 2014

Have a note pad at your desk or use a tool like Evernote to track every commitment in one place. Get your sales force on tools that save time, such as Timetrade (for booking appointments or demos). Create email templates for various buyer types and stages of the sales cycle. Macro Sales Productivity Tips. Lead by example.

Opportunity 227

Opportunity Webinar Metrics Lead Rank Lead Scoring 227

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JULY 15, 2013

It is always exciting to hear about new sales tools to help shorten the sales cycle, qualify better, grow social connections, and sell more. Sometimes, though, an old school tool can get the job done as a companion strategy to all the cutting edge technology you are employing. Have a good conversation with a potential buyer.

Inside Sales 194

Inside Sales Hiring Lead Rank Lead Scoring 194

SBI Growth

MAY 5, 2013

The rest of our conversation discussed the top insights most notable for B2b marketers supporting sales organizations. Below I will summarize what was discussed and offer a free tool kit here. 48% of marketers plan to increase inbound marketing spending in 2013. Top Insights. per customer.

Cost per Lead 323

Cost per Lead Inbound Buyer Persona Cost per Acquisition 323

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 4, 2012

They dread the conversation with the CEO where they have to tell him that the team can’t do the job. Download this tool to figure out if you are approaching problematic projects the right way. Get a copy of the tool for free at this event. You’re faced today with some projects you need to get completed going into 2013.

Sales Qualified Lead 267

Sales Qualified Lead Hiring Face-to-face Territories 267

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AUGUST 12, 2013

The three other customers in the aviation space using the tools your company sells and why they won’t ever give them up. Make it a good one – like: How one of your clients now has piece of mind for the first time in years since they started using your security software. It is a strategy that could be a game changer for you.

Inside Sales 213

Inside Sales Lead Rank Lead Scoring Cold Calling 213

SBI Growth

JANUARY 15, 2013

Will upper management be able to rely on your sales revenue forecasts in 2013? Let’s say the 2013 sales revenue target was set at an even $500 million. Download Your Persona Based Forecasting Tool Here. What are their conversion rates through each stage? Download your Persona-Based Forecasting Tool Here.

Forecasting 267

Forecasting Sales Forecasts Buyer Persona How To 267

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Appreciation for a Great Conversation with a Prospect. Let’s say you have a great conversation with a prospective buyer. Most people will not immediately throw out a card showing appreciation for a conversation as well as your business card for at least a couple of months. What social selling tool can do that for you?

Inside Sales 236

Inside Sales Decision Maker Lead Rank Lead Scoring 236

SBI Growth

JULY 23, 2013

By participating, you will get our Social Selling Cheat Sheet to handle 2013’s Top Misconceptions of Social Selling. Both the session and the tool focus on driving revenue through: Persuading the entire leadership team to take action. Social Selling is not simply a tool for driving increased revenue, though.

Social Selling 323

Social Selling Benefit Top of Funnel Guidelines 323

Pointclear

DECEMBER 18, 2012

You can also read his feature article Make 2013 Your Best Sales Year Ever in the January 2013 issue of Success Magazine. Below, you can read highlights from our discussion or use the links to start the video from different parts of the conversation. 2013 Predictions—Why Big Data Shouldn’t Be the Focus.

Lead Rank 201

Lead Rank Social Media Sales Qualified Lead Video 201

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 31, 2014

Part 1 will address: Sales Process - Optimizing Conversions. 3 Critical Conversations. WEBINAR - How to Get the Most from OMG''s Sales Candidate Analyzer Tool February 26, 11 AM ET Register. Image credit: feverpitched / 123RF Stock Photo (c) Copyright 2013 Dave Kurlan' Sales Methodology – Why It Matters.

Hiring 193

Hiring Hubspot Inbound Webinar Metrics 193

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

open rate (Google, 2013). Download the Tool (free event registration required) so that you''ll be able to leverage your database along with my upcoming blog and tool. Here you will get free access to all of our guides, templates and tools to help your social selling efforts. It’s not a new tool in a bag of tricks.

Referrals 331

Referrals LinkedIn Social Selling Cold Calling 331

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FEBRUARY 25, 2014

If you cannot move the conversation forward smoothly, you may be done with that prospect. This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. Ultimately we went a different direction.”.

Hiring 229

Hiring Lead Rank Lead Scoring Inside Sales 229

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NOVEMBER 25, 2013

Have 12 conversations at any level to learn the answers to questions to determine if we may have opportunities at the prospect company. You may have metrics being generated within your CRM tool, such as in Salesforce.com. They need some realistic activity goals and a couple of real stretch goals to work toward attaining.

Inside Sales 217

Inside Sales Lead Rank Lead Scoring Outbound 217

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OCTOBER 11, 2013

There is no doubt that with many new tools to help sellers and sales leaders grow revenues, much can be misrepresented or misinterpreted. Pick up the phone, have a conversation, and let the person know why you’d like an introduction. Social debt is not the way to sell, and it’s not the way to get referrals. What do you think?

Social Selling 219

Social Selling GoldMine Lead Rank Lead Scoring 219

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

In 2013, leveraging social selling & prospecting has become mission critical. Your business development teams are using LinkedIn and you’ve equipped them with the best social selling tools. You will have access to guides, templates and tools to help your social selling efforts. Problem Examination. Did we get that right?

Social Selling 312

Social Selling LinkedIn Lead Rank Ideal Customer Profile 312

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

Yesterday, we had an internal conversation about our website, collateral, videos, blog articles, white papers, emails and of course, phone calls and face-to-face visits. You can have all of the latest systems, processes, tools, and applications, along with the best products and services. c) Copyright 2013 Dave Kurlan'

Face-to-face 266

Face-to-face Ideal Customer Profile Hiring Collateral 266

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AUGUST 9, 2013

Have a good conversation and then update your notes on what IS new with them. Over time you can hone in on more and more that is important in their world and your conversations will be helpful and relevant. When you talk with them, ask them what is new with THEM, rather than focusing the call on what is new with YOU.

Referrals 223

Referrals Networking Lead Rank Lead Scoring 223

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FEBRUARY 12, 2013

2) They tell me that only “some” of their clients are using social tools. I’m excited to present this week at a webinar co-sponsored by Linkedin and DocuSign called, 10 Ways to Utilize Social Selling in 2013. Matt Heinz, who will also present shares some of his favorite social selling tools here.

Social Selling 236

Social Selling Webinar Metrics Retail Outbound 236

SBI Growth

DECEMBER 10, 2013

At this point, your 2013 sales number is essentially decided. Have a conversation with other managers if need be to get a handle on it. There are some ‘B’ Players who have already tapped out and won’t contribute more than they did in 2013. Your thoughts should now turn to 2014. How will you attack the New Year with confidence?

Territories 300

Territories Scale Guidelines Groups 300

Sales and Marketing Management

MARCH 29, 2019

Fueled by a six-fold increase in venture capital investment, the number of jobs requiring AI-related skills has more than quadrupled since 2013. Rather than watch the AI conversation run past you, dive into it, get excited about the possibilities, and imagine how it can work for your industry.

Marketing 209

Marketing Webinar Metrics Software Software 209