objective management group
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Latest Research on Personality Assessments for Sales Selection
- April 15, 2013
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Two articles caught my attention today.
The first, 10 Traits of Successful Salespeople, was typical of the misinformation that often passes for must-read information:
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Missing on the “Secrets to Developing Successful Sales Managers”
- February 21, 2013
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
An interesting article, Secrets to Developing Successful Sales Managers, by Xactly’s CEO, Christopher Cabrera, was posted on Selling Power’s 2/19/13 blog. I suggest that you read it first, returning to this article for the analysis.
I thought that the first half of the article was spot on.
I thought that the second half was as bad as the first half was good.
Here’s why:
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Dan Pink Hits and Then Misses the New Key to Sales Performance
- February 6, 2013
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Why do brilliant people, like Dan Pink, look at research and then reach faulty conclusions?
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Top 10 Problems with Veteran Salespeople
- January 28, 2013
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
For companies who want to grow revenue, veteran salespeople cause more problems than any other factor. After all, if you have a young, energetic group, there’s nowhere to go but up and everyone knows that they need to improve. On the other hand, veteran salespeople believe that they know everything and everyone and probably could lead the sales training class.
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Why Assessments Will Never Work for Some Companies
- December 11, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Assessments are awesome, especially when you choose the right ones, for the right purpose, at the right time. Despite the availability of some terrific assessments, they won’t work for every company.
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2 Keys to Selling Success from Ann Romney and Chris Christie
- August 29, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
I have been delivering that message for more than 20 years, not to citizens who must vote for a candidate, but to sales leadership, sales management and salespeople who let their need for approval – their need to be liked – interfere with every facet of what they do.
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The Other Rejection – How Salespeople Struggle to Cope
- May 9, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
I gave this some thought and identified the following 10 reactions to Passive Rejection:
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10 Reasons – Don’t Worry When Sales Candidates Don’t Take the Test
- January 19, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Recent statistics show that only 34% of the candidates are taking the assessment without additional prompts. Isn’t that awful?
Maybe – let’s explore it further.
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Top 20 Conditions that Dictate a Sales Force Evaluation
- June 29, 2011
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
One of our Partners recently said, “We know how comprehensive a sales force evaluation can be, and we know how it works. We know how powerful the findings and insights are, but when are the conditions right?”
So, the Top 20 Conditions for a Sales Force Evaluation
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Can Sales Candidate Assessments Drive Results?
- May 13, 2011
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
They claimed that salespeople who scored highest on their assessments had 69% higher close rates. That’s impressive, right? But their assessment didn’t drive the results. Those salespeople drove the results. Their assessment simply indicated that those salespeople would be more successful. That is what an assessment is supposed to do! They could just as easily said, “Our assessments do what they’re supposed to do!”
So let’s take a closer look at a 69% higher close. It means that if the salespeople with a lower score close 1 of every 10 opportunities, then the strong salespeople, who scored highest on the assessment, will close 69% more of their 10 opportunities, or 1.69. It’s not nearly as impressive as it sounds, is it?