Search Results

  • New: The 21 Sales Core Competencies for 2020 And Beyond
    • September 27, 2020
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Like Apple, OMG updates its assessments on a non-stop basis but rolls out significant updates a couple of times per year.  Last week OMG introduced the latest revision to the 21 Sales Core Competencies.

    There are thirty competencies in all, each with between six and twelve attributes but some are more important than others and OMG measures twenty-one of them in the following three categories:

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  • The Official 2017 List of 21 Sales Core Competencies
    • March 15, 2017
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    These days, changes happen faster than ever and the same can be said about professional selling.  Selling is evolving, the rules of business are changing, there is more information available on line than there was last week and sales organizations must evolve accordingly.

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  • Growing New Sales Meetings/Pipeline: What Works and What Doesn’t
    • April 27, 2026
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    Professional illustration showing why cold emails fail and phone calls succeed for growing sales meetings and pipeline.

    Struggling with inconsistent sales meetings? See why cold emails from lead-gen companies fail (with real examples) and discover the proven method that actually grows your B2B sales pipeline — picking up the phone. Learn what works and what doesn’t in 2026.

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  • Coaching and The Truth About AI in Sales: Great at “Or,” Terrible at “And”
    • March 19, 2026
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    Futuristic AI robot holding smartphone with neural network data and code in background, symbolizing strengths and limitations of AI in sales prospecting
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  • Why You Don’t Convert More Leads to Sales
    • March 17, 2026
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    Professional strategist creating LinkedIn content on laptop, planning post formats like text, carousels, and video for 2026 algorithm success

    Learn how to optimize your LinkedIn presence in 2026: Choose the best content format (short posts, long-form, carousels, videos) using 8 variables like algorithm dwell time, goals, demographics, and effort. Sales leadership insights inside.

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  • The Fatal Flaw that Causes Strong Salespeople to Strike Out
    • February 16, 2026
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    Businessman in suit striking out at baseball plate with umpire making dramatic out sign, illustrating fatal flaw in strong salespeople

    Discover the hidden fatal flaw that turns strong, high-performing salespeople into strikeout artists. Even top hitters like Babe Ruth racked up Ks—same goes for sales pros who score too high on “Doesn’t Need Approval” without relationship-building skills. Don’t hire the danger zone combo.

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  • Biased Polls and Poor Sales Questions: 83% of Salespeople Fail at This
    • January 29, 2026
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    OMG data showing only 17% of salespeople strong in consultative selling questions, displayed on business dashboard

    New OMG data reveals only 17% of salespeople are strong in Consultative Selling—especially at asking great, tough questions. See how biased poll questions mirror weak sales probes, and why specific competitor-weakness questions win more deals. Percentile breakdowns + fixes inside.

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  • Bosch, Bounces and Why You Should Call Prospects Who Said No
    • January 19, 2026
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    bosch

    A surprising 30% of executive contacts turned over in the past year — meaning yesterday’s “no” often belongs to someone who’s no longer there. Using real email bounce data and lessons from shows like Bosch, this article shows why persistent prospecting is simple math, not heroic effort.

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  • The $370 Fuse: Broken Trash Compactor Offers Lessons to Fix Sales Problems
    • January 12, 2026
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    repair tech

    A $1 blown fuse cost me $370 in service fees because I misdiagnosed the problem. Sound familiar? Sales leaders often do the same thing—blaming negotiating, closing, prospecting, or new business acquisition—when the real issues are deeper: poor qualifying, weak differentiation, missing KPIs, and lack of accountability. Stop treating symptoms and start solving root causes.

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  • What Salespeople Can Learn from Harry Potter
    • January 6, 2026
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    sell more

    Kick off 2026 with a killer January by mastering the first 10 seconds of every cold call. Inspired by the jaw-dropping magic of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway, Dave Kurlan reveals why most salespeople sound boring, stiff, or scripted — and how to deliver a “magical” opener that grabs prospects instantly and books more meetings.

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