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Winning and Retaining Business When There is Competition

April 30, 2024
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

We were away for most of April, watching our son play his senior year of college baseball. When we left Massachusetts, the calendar said early April, the grass and gardens were still dormant and the weather felt like mid-January with some games played in 25-degree wind chills!

When we returned home three weeks later, we looked outside and saw life! Flowers were in bloom, the Bradford Pears and Crab Apple trees had blossoms, and the green grass had already been mowed a couple of times. Although we weren’t there, nature did its thing without us.

Pivot to sales.

It doesn’t matter whether salespeople are in account management or account executive roles. The sales equivalent of nature at work occurs at both target accounts and existing accounts. When salespeople aren’t physically present or on the phone with decision makers at the account, it is likely that one of their competitors is physically present or on the phone competing for the business or trying to take their business away. Just because a salesperson doesn’t see or hear about it, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

What can you do?

Ominous Signs for Sales Teams and Baseball Can Help

April 15, 2024
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

It seems like a recession is on our doorstep. Most salespeople haven’t experienced selling in a recession since 2009, fifteen years ago. That means there are few experienced recession-proof salespeople, plus those who didn’t figure out how to succeed at recessionary selling back then as well.

What are the twelve biggest challenges?

250 Best Articles on Sales and Sales Leadership by Category

April 4, 2024
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

These are the top 10 articles in 25 categories on sales, sales leadership, sales assessments, sales performance, sales excellence, sales process and more.

10 Unfavorable Selling Conditions That Prevent Sales Success

March 25, 2024
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

When you encounter unfavorable selling conditions, refuse to accept them. This isn’t about moving forward with a couple of favorable conditions, it’s about NOT moving forward unless the conditions become more favorable. Whether or not you wish to admit it, the truth is that when the conditions don’t favor you, the business isn’t coming to you.

New Data: Top Salespeople are 7562% Better at Winning RFPs

March 13, 2024
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

RFPs aren’t going away, and there are two ways that salespeople can approach them, the companies that write them, and the people associated with them:

Passively – in this capacity, they are nothing more than facilitators, waiting for an RFP to drop in their inbox, so they can get it off to the folks who write the proposals. When complete, they email the proposal back to procurement and hope to win.
Proactively – in this capacity, they regularly meet and develop relationships with the appropriate CxO’s and Sr VP’s of manufacturing, engineering, design, IT, IS, Finance, Marketing, HR, R&D, Operations, Facilities, Fulfillment, Distribution, Sales, Learning and Development, Enablement, and any other organizational head they might possibly sell to. They become a resource, an asset, a partner and not only help to write the specifications of the next RFP, but write the specs in such a way that they are the only company that can win the business.

It seems obvious, doesn’t it? Option 1 is stupid and Option 2 is brilliant. But if option 2 is so brilliant and obvious, then why do so many salespeople become so defensive and dug in to option 1?

12 Powerful Sales Lessons from “The Chosen”

February 6, 2024
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

I’ve written hundreds of articles with analogies to sales using athletes, musicians, actors, CEOs, politicians, inventors, songs, movies, TV Shows and their characters and you didn’t need to be a fan of them to appreciate the sales lessons. While watching this enjoyable TV series, I identified eleven solid analogies to sales and selling so we’ll get right to them because I’m sure you aren’t reading my sales articles for my opinions on faith or religion!

Coconut Flakes Help to Improve Sales Effectiveness

November 6, 2023
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

My wife took me to a Vegan restaurant for lunch and I ordered a sandwich that consisted of coconut, lettuce and tomato on multi-grain bread. I not only didn’t hate it, I liked it. I showed my wife that it had bacon in it and she swore it didn’t. She suggested I ask the owner so I asked him about the bacon and he explained that he prepared the coconut flakes to have the look, taste and texture of bacon. Fake bacon.

There are fake salespeople too.

Two Keys for Successful Sales Presentations

October 30, 2023
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

I frequently write about taking a consultative approach, and listening and asking questions are the keys to successful sales presentations.

While watching game 2 of the 2023 World Series, it occurred to me that I still remember and can name every member of the 1967 Boston Red Sox, but I can’t do the same for the 2023 Red Sox. Could the difference be that the ’67 team went to to the World Series while last year’s team finished last in the American League East? It could also be that I was an impressionable 12 year-old that didn’t miss a single pitch that season, while this year’s team wasn’t worth watching. Could it be my short-term memory? Maybe it’s time to start taking Prevagen!

The point is that while I am fascinated by this insight, there is no chance that you care about this unless you relate to it. It’s simply not important to most of you.

Why is it so important for me to make you aware of a statement that is important to me but not important to you?

Salespeople must differentiate between what is important to their prospects and customers, versus what is important only to them.

Milestones in the Sales Process are Like the Stones in a Wall

October 5, 2023
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

An ideal sales process has 4 stages, each with anywhere from 4 to 10 milestones that must be met in order to move to the next stage.

Sales Presentations to Big Companies – the Same as Political Theater

September 22, 2023
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

What really happens on presentation day? Theater. Salespeople validate what the individuals on the committee already believe to be true. If you’re not the one getting the business, nothing you do on that day will change that UNLESS the one who is getting the business screws up big time.