Search Results
-
Salespeople With This Weakness Score 47% Worse at Reaching Decision Makers
- October 16, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Sales Data and Science, Understanding the Sales Force
A lot of the salespeople I coach have a weakness in their Sales DNA – their need to be liked. Approximately 58% of all salespeople have this weakness and on average, salespeople score 76% in that competency. Elite salespeople have an average score of 87% and weak salespeople have an average score of 69%.
What would it look like if we were to pivot this data and look only at the group who have it as a weakness? When we filter the results by the need to be liked, there are some very interesting scores. Could it be that the need to be liked – by itself – is a predictor of sales success? Maybe. We know that if the salesperson is in an account management role, the need to be liked is an asset. However, in any kind of producer role, especially in a consultative process or methodology, it will get in the way. Take a look at this data!
-
Which 4 Sales Competencies Best Differentiate Top from Bottom Salespeople?
- October 9, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Sales Data and Science, Understanding the Sales Force
I reviewed data from nearly 511,000 sales evaluations and assessments from among the that Objective Management Group (OMG) has produced to date. I compared 21 Sales Core Competencies (you can see much of that data here) of the top 5% (elite) with the bottom 50% of all salespeople. Then I identified the 4 competencies with the biggest gaps and you can see those in the image below.
-
Finally! Science Reveals the Actual Impact of Sales Coaching
- September 7, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Sales Data and Science, Understanding the Sales Force
You must have heard the joke that 73.6% of statistics are made up!
I have read and even reported that sales leaders who coach their salespeople see a boost in revenue of around 27%. It sounds like a realistic number but I have not seen any science to back it up. Until now. Check this out!
-
New Data Shows That Elite Salespeople are 700% Less Likely to Do This
- August 20, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Sales Data and Science, Understanding the Sales Force
How effective are salespeople when it comes to creating urgency? I’m not talking about salespeople who create urgency by telling their prospects that if they don’t order today the price will go up or it won’t be available. I’m talking about salespeople who create urgency by asking questions to uncover problems, the consequences and cost of which, create urgency.
-
Elite Salespeople are 26 Times More Effective at This Competency Than Weak Salespeople
- August 14, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Sales Data and Science, Understanding the Sales Force
Elite salespeople don’t need to close and weak salespeople suck at closing. Want proof? Let’s review some data from 1831605 evaluations and assessments of salespeople conducted by Objective Management Group (OMG). You can see and play with the data here.
-
New Data Shows Sales Weaknesses Cause Powerful Chain Reactions in Salespeople
- May 30, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Sales Data and Science, Understanding the Sales Force
I have written extensively about Sales DNA over the years and today we will view Sales DNA from the perspective of sitting inside of a chemistry lab.
Sales DNA is the combination of strengths (or weaknesses) that support (or sabotage) the execution of sales process, sales strategy and sales tactics. Objective Management Group (OMG) measures and includes the 6 most powerful of those strands of Sales DNA in its 21 Sales Core Competencies. While I usually discuss the impact of these weaknesses, we have never conducted a lab experiment like this before!
-
Discovered – Data Reveals the Second Biggest Obstacle to Closing More Sales
- May 7, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Sales Data and Science, Understanding the Sales Force
Whichever way you turn, wherever you look, and whatever you listen to there is data. Polls, surveys, metrics, analytics, analyses, white papers, graphs, charts, infographics, tables, spreadsheets and more. There is data everywhere. 5 of my last 10 articles were based on data and I know that my regular readers love the articles that are based on data so I am writing about data again today.
-
Discovered – Data Reveals the Biggest Obstacle to Closing More Sales
- April 30, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Sales Data and Science, Understanding the Sales Force
Humans have been waiting for thousands of years to discover the secrets of life. Why are we here? Why do bad things happen? What happens after we die? Is Heaven real? What is God’s plan for us?
While many experts have attempted to answer all of these questions, most of us lack proof. There’s no data. If we wake up tomorrow morning and suddenly there are not only answers to these questions, but science-based proof, that would be a game-changer for us.
Likewise, every day most companies try to determine why their salespeople don’t close more business, why so many opportunities die on the vine, and what they need to do differently to change their results. They try everything! Most leaders think it’s an issue of closing skills. It’s not. Others think it’s about prospecting. While that has an impact on the size and quality of the pipeline, it has little to do with results. But I have discovered the cause, will show you the data, and discuss how to fix it.
-
Improper Use of BANT Will Cause You to Kill Opportunities
- April 26, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
I received an email asking me to check out an article on the Salesforce.com blog that features an infographic they hoped I would promote.
The article focuses on the middle of the funnel and the handoff between marketing and sales. In doing so, they discuss MQL’s (Marketing Qualified Leads) and SQL’s (Sales Qualified Leads). While I don’t have an issue with the infographic, I have huge issues with the content of the article and if you follow the advice in this article, you’ll have far fewer MQL’s that your salespeople can turn into SQL’s.
Here’s why.
-
Improve Your Win Rate and Shorten Your Sales Cycle by Doing This
- April 11, 2018
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
In September I wrote this article on the difference between asking good, tough and great questions.
I included examples all three types of question in the article.
There is also a proper sequence: Good question. Tough Question. Great question.
You will get immediate feedback on how effective your questions are: Your prospects will say, “Good question” when you ask one. They will say, “Great question” when you ask one. And they will stop and struggle before answering one of your tough questions.
Many salespeople make the mistake of preparing questions in advance. Salespeople who do that might be able to stumble onto one good question. But great questions and tough questions must be spontaneous and in response to something your prospect already said when they answered prior questions.
I’ll share a role-play from a training program that wonderfully demonstrates what I’m talking about as well as the kind of listening skills required in order to ask good, tough and great questions.
