Understanding the Sales Force

  • Future Red Sox Stars to Sales MVPs: Why One-on-One Coaching Wins

    • July 9, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    one on one coaching

    The Red Sox turned young players into stars with one-on-one coaching, and your sales team can too. Learn why group coaching falls short and how personalized coaching can boost revenue by up to 42%. Ready to hit a sales home run?

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  • The 20-Year Legacy of Baseline Selling: Why Its Sales Process Still Wins in 2025

    • July 1, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    Dave Kurlan baseball

    Celebrating 20 years of Baseline Selling, this article dives into why its staged, buyer-focused sales process remains the most complete framework for predictable, repeatable sales success. From its baseball-inspired origins to its seamless CRM integration with Membrain, discover why Baseline Selling outshines other methodologies.

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  • What CEOs Are Missing In Their Attempts to Grow Revenue

    • June 21, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    leadership team

    CEOs are chasing AI, M&A, and fancy tools to grow revenue in 2025, but they’re missing the real game-changer: their salespeople. While they search for big-picture fixes, the fastest way to crush revenue goals is right in front of them—training reps to close more deals. Our latest blog dives into why developing your sales team is the secret weapon you’re ignoring and how to make it happen. Read it now!

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  • Sell More by Understanding this God, Garden, and Baseball Analogy

    • June 9, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    red sox-yankees-rivalry

    Discover how faith in God, weeding a garden, and the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry reveal powerful lessons for boosting your sales. Learn to trust your process, balance efficiency with precision, and leverage unique strengths to close more deals.

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  • Is Complacency to Blame for Missed Quotas? A Deep Dive into Sales Performance Challenges

    • May 30, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    complacency and missing quota

    Is Complacency to Blame for Missed Quotas? A Deep Dive into Sales Performance Challenges

    Is complacency why 57% of reps miss quota? Data from 2.5 million salespeople shows 64% of the bottom 50% lack the Will to Sell. From poor compensation to lack of motivation and discipline, here’s what’s holding them back—and how to fix it.

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  • New Data: The Top 10% of Salespeople are 619% Stronger Than the Bottom 10%

    • May 24, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    rich getting richer

    New 2025 data reveals a staggering 619% performance gap between the top 10% and bottom 10% of salespeople. While top performers excel in competencies like Relationship Building and Consultative Selling, they’re slipping in areas like Hunting and Closing, influenced by COVID and economic challenges. Dive into the 21 Sales Core Competencies to understand why—and what to do about it.

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  • Why Salespeople Skip the Sales Process (And How It’s Killing Your Revenue)

    • May 19, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    Split-screen graphic of barren tree vs thriving fruit tree showing structured sales process benefits

    Planting a fruit tree requires five simple steps in the right order—mess it up, and you’re left with dirt. Sales is no different, yet only 34% of salespeople follow a structured process. From mistaking methodologies for processes to winging it, discover why salespeople ditch the roadmap and how a proper sales process can boost revenue by 20%.

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  • Car Engines and Gas Prices Can Help Eliminate Obsolete Sales Tactics

    • May 15, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    sales traditions

    In this thought-provoking article, the author questions outdated traditions in automotive and sales industries. From measuring car engine power in horsepower—a term rooted in the 1700s—to gas prices still ending in 9/10 cents, the piece challenges why we cling to archaic practices. It also critiques sales tactics, like pitching over consultative selling, excessive proposals, and weak follow-up questions, urging a shift to modern, effective strategies for 2025.

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