Dave Kurlan’s Understanding the Sales Force Blog

  • 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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  • Top Sales Article of 2025
    • January 6, 2026
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: News

    Dave Kurlan's article, Deadly Negotiation Strategies - The Bob Chronicles Part 8 - earned the Gold Medal for Top Sales Article of 2025.

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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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  • The 42 Best Sales and Sales Leadership Articles, Videos and Innovations of 2025
    • December 17, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    top sales articles of 2025

    Celebrate 20 years of sales wisdom on Understanding the Sales Force with Dave Kurlan's 2025 roundup! Dive into the Top 10 Video Rants that roast common pitfalls (from demo disasters to quota mysteries), the Top 7 game-changing innovations like the Sales Cholesterol diagnostic and SCAM/SCAR retention radar, and three killer Top 10 lists: Dave's personal faves (golf analogies to BANT takedowns), Grok's picks (cringe sales moments to grit audits), and engagement champs (Trump economy tips to duck-vs-owl hacks). Capping it off? The undisputed #1: "The Sales Cholesterol Analogy," the only article nailing three lists. Merry holidays—here's to bolder selling in 2026!

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  • The Nutcracker Ballet Has 3 Relevant Sales Competencies
    • December 15, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    Christmas nutcracker

    During a first sales call, suppose your salespeople hear one prospect say, “This has been a very interesting and productive conversation and we might have some interest in this.”  And imagine another prospect at the same meeting says, “We’ll get back to you next month and let you know what kind of progress we’ve made.”  And still a third might say, “In the meantime, please send us a proposal with references and timeline.”

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  • 2025 in Review
    • December 8, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: News

    The 2025 Kurlan & Associates year in review has been posted.

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  • Why 72% of Sales Reps Miss Quota: The Participation Trophy PTSD in the C-Suite
    • December 5, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    participation trophy

    Why do 72% of sales reps miss quota—and still keep their jobs? Blame the participation trophy mindset creeping into the C-suite, aka Participation Trophy Stifling Determination (PTSD). From Little League fails to sales floor flops, here's how to crush it with real accountability in 2026.

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  • Is Your Sales SCAM Leaving a SCAR on Your Sales Team?
    • December 1, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    sales scam

    Remember high school free periods vs. rigid bells? Your sales team's dealing with the same drama—SCAM cultures and SCAR comp plans that fit half the reps and flop the rest. Time to offer options and slash turnover. (Read how!)

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  • Let the Sales Conversation Wander: Evolving Chats Unlock Powerful Sales Discovery
    • November 24, 2025
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force
    let sales conversations wander

    When Monday morning hit and I had zero article ideas queued up—first time in 20 years, post-surgery aside—I panicked a bit. Then, cruising in the car with Beatles tunes blasting, I pinged Grok with a wild card: "How many songs did Lennon and McCartney write?" What unfolded was a total detour: We tallied their 1,200+ jams, stacked 'em against my 2k sales rants, dove into Dolly Parton's marathon, Nutcracker team-sync lessons, Eagles live magic over studio polish... and boom, this post was born. No script, just flow. And that's the secret sauce for killer sales discovery too—ditch the grocery-list questions, let the chat evolve, and uncover those hidden "must-haves" that seal deals. Data from OMG? Only 27% of reps nail qualifying, but the pros? They're 4x more likely to crush quotas. Here's how to jam like a pro.

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