Search Results
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Sales and Sales Management – Ideas for Growth
- January 27, 2006
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Today I was asked about the difference between sales training and sales development. They are the same except for one ENORMOUS difference. Sales training takes place in the classroom and is often difficult to apply and put into practice. Sales Development takes place throughout the sales organization from the top executives down through the most junior of salespeople. While sales training is a component of sales development, some of the components that are even more important include:
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How Are Assessments Used
- November 15, 2005
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Since I am an expert on assessments, I get asked to assess the assessments that are out there on a regular basis. Most assessments are quite good as long as they are used as intended. However, users, motivated by marketing and salespeople, are often lured into using an otherwise good assessment in an inappropriate way. This compromises the value of the assessment that now fails to provide the in-depth information, answers and actions that a more appropriate tool would give.
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Embracing Assessments
- September 27, 2005
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
A sales VP from a Fortune 500 company asked what it takes for a company to embrace assessments when the company’s culture was not to use “such things.” Surely, there are some assessments that do fall into the category of “such things” but let us first separate the assessment into two categories: Pre-employment, where most of them fit, and diagnostic, where most don’t fit well unless someone learns how to connect dots that can’t be connected.
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My Turnover’s Bigger Than Your Turnover
- June 21, 2005
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
They both share the same belief in the importance of a consultative approach to selling, have a sales process, and not being order takers. They both have capable sales management. They both pay well, above the industry norm. PM turned over only 2 of 16 salespeople last year while GP turned over 5 of 12. Why such a difference?
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When Big is Bad
- May 12, 2005
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
A recent discussion with a top executive from a Fortune 1000 company provided some great insight – for him – as to the difficulties that large companies face when attempting to optimize their sales organizations.