Sales Coaching
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Attention C-Suite! Revenue by Salesperson is Faulty Data
- March 16, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Attention C-Suite: Raw revenue by salesperson is often faulty data—like ignoring outliers in judging. Apply a trimmed mean lens to uncover hidden truths (inherited accounts, one-off deals), diagnose real effectiveness, and unlock 33% revenue growth via smart training & coaching.
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Why Only 27% of Salespeople Hear the Voice That Matters
- March 12, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Whose voice are you hearing when you’re on a sales call—yours, your coach’s, God’s… or your prospect’s? Most reps never hear the one that actually matters. Here’s why that’s killing their discovery, how the top 10% do it differently, and the simple move that turns you into the person who finally gets the buyer.
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Sound Check for Sales: 3 Best Practices That Need a 2026 Overhaul
- March 12, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Sales closing is dead—time for a 2026 overhaul. Dave Kurlan shares why ‘finalizing’ replaces outdated closing, how fluid scoring and proper staging fix broken pipelines, and why buyer journeys need real discovery, not facilitation. No-BS tips to boost forecasts, shorten cycles, and win more.
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Scarred for Life: Sales Lessons That Make Your Company Unstoppable
- February 23, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
When a Steely Dan tune came on the radio, it got me thinking about how they tried to be all things to all people — jazz chords, pure rock, easy listening — and ended up respected by no one. Same fate hit George Benson and Al Jarreau when they crossed over.
One year after my quadruple bypass left me scarred for life, I realized sales has the exact same scars: chasing the wrong-size deals out of ego, staring at an empty pipeline, over-facilitating prospects, and misalignment with the real decision maker.
Get properly scarred for life and those painful mistakes will never happen again. -
Top Sales Article of 2025
- January 6, 2026
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: News
Dave Kurlan’s article, Deadly Negotiation Strategies – The Bob Chronicles Part 8 – earned the Gold Medal for Top Sales Article of 2025.
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Why 72% of Sales Reps Miss Quota: The Participation Trophy PTSD in the C-Suite
- December 5, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Why do 72% of sales reps miss quota—and still keep their jobs? Blame the participation trophy mindset creeping into the C-suite, aka Participation Trophy Stifling Determination (PTSD). From Little League fails to sales floor flops, here’s how to crush it with real accountability in 2026.
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Let the Sales Conversation Wander: Evolving Chats Unlock Powerful Sales Discovery
- November 24, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
When Monday morning hit and I had zero article ideas queued up—first time in 20 years, post-surgery aside—I panicked a bit. Then, cruising in the car with Beatles tunes blasting, I pinged Grok with a wild card: “How many songs did Lennon and McCartney write?” What unfolded was a total detour: We tallied their 1,200+ jams, stacked ’em against my 2k sales rants, dove into Dolly Parton’s marathon, Nutcracker team-sync lessons, Eagles live magic over studio polish… and boom, this post was born. No script, just flow. And that’s the secret sauce for killer sales discovery too—ditch the grocery-list questions, let the chat evolve, and uncover those hidden “must-haves” that seal deals. Data from OMG? Only 27% of reps nail qualifying, but the pros? They’re 4x more likely to crush quotas. Here’s how to jam like a pro.
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From Practice Range to Sales Mastery: The 8 Requirements for Game-Changing Sales Training
- November 17, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
In sales, just like in sports, anyone can start playing—but mastery takes real effort. Drawing parallels from baseball sandlots to golf courses, this article explores why most salespeople plateau early and why companies must step up with proper training. Discover the 8 essential requirements for sales training that delivers measurable results, from clear expectations to proven content, and why skipping it keeps teams stuck in mediocrity.
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How a Trip Back 50 Years Uncovered my Secret to Sales Success
- November 9, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Ever wonder how a nostalgic skim through 1972’s Top 40 hits could unlock a game-changing sales insight? I didn’t realize during my 40 years in the sales training business that pattern recognition is my ultimate secret weapon. From clashing tunes like The Doobie Brothers’ “Listen to the Music” vs. The Band’s “Don’t Do It,” to weather vibes, loneliness flips, and political nods, spotting patterns is like a BS detector for prospects. Dive into a real sales chat example where catching contradictions sparks urgency and closes deals. Capped by Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now”—talk about fate!
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The Golf to Sales Analogy: When You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
- November 4, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Discover how a late start in golf taught me the ultimate sales lesson: “I didn’t know what I didn’t know.” From clueless reps sending premature proposals to managers without accountability, this post reveals the blind spots killing sales performance—and how a savvy CEO fixed it all.