Dave Kurlan
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What Businesses Can Learn About Selling From Religions
- September 14, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Ever wonder how religions compete for followers like salespeople pitch a product? From Judaism to atheism, each has a unique value prop to stand out. Here’s how their one-liners stack up, plus a lesson for B2B companies on selling you, not just price.
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Revolutionizing Sales Forecasting with a Baseball Twist
- September 12, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Discover the “Power Alley,” a revolutionary sales forecasting strategy inspired by baseball. Learn how this KPI aligns pipeline, forecast, and revenue to boost accountability and solve CEOs’ biggest frustration.
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Don’t Let MT and Lay-Z Tank Your Sales Team: Lessons from Squirrels
- September 7, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Six years after meeting squirrels Ernest, MT, and Lay-Z, I’m stunned their sales team counterparts—underperforming salespeople—still linger. Learn why leaders hesitate to act and how to build a thriving sales team for 2026.
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Unify Your Sales Message: Lessons from Politics and Balance of Nature
- September 2, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Democrats flood the airwaves with one message, like their cringy 2025 Trump/Musk attack videos, while Republicans’ scattered talking points barely register. Sound like your sales team? Most operate like the GOP—95% of companies lack consistent messaging, per Objective Management Group data. Take Balance of Nature’s “fruits and veggies in a capsule” campaign: real customers, from moms to celebs, passionately amplify one message, driving huge growth. Imagine your salespeople delivering your value prop with that fire! At Kurlan & Associates, we analyze elevator pitches and value propositions to ensure consistency and impact. Sales leaders, review your messaging, make sure your team knows it cold, and enforce it like CRM compliance. Need help crafting a unified, authentic pitch? Read the full post for tips to make your sales messaging win.
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Eggs, Toast, and Bacon Aren’t Original—Neither Is Sloppy Sales Prep
- August 24, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Dave’s cracking up over a restaurant’s “original” eggs, toast, and bacon combo—and calling out salespeople who skip their homework. Learn how AI like Grok can supercharge your prospect research in seconds.
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Why Salespeople Need to be More Like Ducks, Less Like Owls
- August 19, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
While strolling a cozy harbor, I snapped a pic of ducks chilling on a boat, ignoring a fake owl meant to scare them off. Sound familiar? In sales, bluffs like “No Solicitation” signs or “lowest price wins” try to spook salespeople, but falling for them—thanks to Need for Approval or Perceived Risk—means missing out on deals. Be authentic, dodge the fakes, and get to the decision makers!
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8 Movie Scenes to Frame Your Mind for Killer Sales Calls
- August 5, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Discover how clips from classics like CSI, Dumb and Dumber, and Better Call Saul can pump you up, teach active listening, and help close deals—perfect motivation for your next sales call!
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Lessons from Happy Gilmore 2: Why Salespeople Need to Get Serious About Skill-Building
- July 28, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Adam Sandler’s sequel delivers laughs and a sales wake-up call: Like Happy recommitting to golf, why don’t more reps grind on their skills? Explore 10 barriers backed by OMG data on 2.5M assessments, and how training flips the script for growth.
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Brad Pitt’s F1 Character Shows Us How to Tame Sales Mavericks
- July 24, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes in the new F1 movie is the ultimate sales maverick—talented yet rebellious. This article reveals how his journey from lone wolf to team player can guide you. Learn to harness your top producers’ integrity, turn rebels into mentors, or know when to cut ties for a stronger sales crew.
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Wild Shifts in Sales Hiring Drive the Hire Rate From 3% to 0.5%
- July 21, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Struggling to hire sales pros? Dive into real stats from a recent sales manager search: 169 candidates narrowed to 1 hire (0.5% rate). Uncover dramatic changes in response rates, drop-offs, and why a rigorous pipeline with tools like OMG is essential for nailing the right fit.