Dave Kurlan
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Small Improvements, Big Revenue Gains: Golf Lessons for Sales Success
- July 9, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Analogies, Politics and Sales, Understanding the Sales Force
Most salespeople chase big fixes that deliver only incremental gains. What if 10% improvements in three key areas could deliver 33% more revenue? Lessons from the golf course on why discovery and qualification beat polishing presentations every time.
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The Rise of Socialism in Sales: How Equal Outcomes Are Killing Merit and Performance
- July 1, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Analogies, Baseball and Sales, Dinger the Dog, Politics and Sales, Understanding the Sales Force
Socialism has quietly crept into sales organizations through equal-outcome compensation plans, weakened accountability, tenure-based promotions, and identity-focused hiring. The result? Lower performance, entitlement, and frustrated top producers. Here’s what’s happening and what smart leaders can do about it.
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What a Sales Turnaround Has in Common with a Baseball Turnaround
- June 30, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Baseball and Sales, Understanding the Sales Force
The Boston Red Sox flipped their 2026 season with better coaching and approach. Your sales team can do the same. Learn the two key ingredients that create positive momentum and turn around results.
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From the Vault – 130 Additional Articles on Sales and Sales Leadership
- June 26, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Analogies, Politics and Sales, Sales Compensation, Sales Pipeline and Forecast, Sales Process, Understanding the Sales Force
I discovered more than 125 articles that were published in various magazines over the years, many of them in Top Sales Magazine, where I have been a regular contributor for more than 15 years, as well as Selling Power, TED Magazine, Smart Selling and others. They are listed in no particular order, with links (as they become available) to each article. Most are shorter articles – 400 or 800 words – than those I write for Understanding the Sales Force and some go back to 20006. Come back often as more links are added every day!
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The Great AI Sales Clone Experiment (And Why Most Reps Are Striking Out)
- June 23, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Analogies, Sales Pipeline and Forecast, Understanding the Sales Force
When every salesperson uses the same ChatGPT and Claude prompts, they all sound exactly the same. Prospects spot it immediately. Here’s why real coaching beats AI shortcuts and how to actually get better.
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What CEOs Need to Know About Their Sales Teams
- June 16, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Analogies, Baseball and Sales, Best Top 10 Lists, Sales Pipeline and Forecast, Sales Process, Understanding the Sales Force
When it comes to sales, CEOs don’t know what they don’t know. This is the article where you can understand what to expect from your sales team.
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Top 13 Reasons You Lose Sales to the Competition and What to Do About it
- June 15, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Baseball and Sales, Best Top 10 Lists, Understanding the Sales Force
A youth baseball tournament shows why sales teams lose winnable deals to competitors. Discover the top reasons win rates swing wildly, the hidden buyer biases at play, and how to know which opportunities are truly worth pursuing.
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How Most Companies Get Sales Team Structure Wrong
- June 6, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Most companies overcomplicate sales team structure with too many roles and expensive BDR teams. Discover why simplifying to Hunters + Account Managers, fixing channel sales, and addressing weak management + infrastructure delivers far better results.
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How Sales Management Mirrors Little League Baseball
- May 29, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Baseball and Sales, Understanding the Sales Force
Most sales organizations operate just like Little League Baseball — cheap, convenient, and great for the top performers while everyone else stays stuck. Here’s why promoting your best salesperson to manager is usually a costly mistake.
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Why Chasing Whales is Killing Your Sales Pipeline – The Bob Chronicles Part 9 (10 Brutal Truths)
- May 15, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Categories: Analogies, Best Top 10 Lists, Bob Chronicles, Sales Pipeline and Forecast, Understanding the Sales Force
Bob’s pipeline was loaded with whales again. Sound familiar? In this article I break down the 10 brutal truths about why chasing big deals is quietly killing most sales pipelines — from skewed forecasts and low margins to terrible closing rates. If you’re tired of hoping whales will save your quarter, this one’s for you.
