sales management
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Why Do So Many Salespeople Fail to Make Quota?
- April 26, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
The statistics are staggering. In some sectors, fewer than 25% of all salespeople will make quota. Even best-in-class companies are lucky when fewer than 80% of their salespeople make quota. Are you OK with it when your own salespeople fail to make quota? There are a number of possible reasons for this widespread mediocrity and failure and, depending on the company, some or all of them may apply.
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Sales Team Morale is Overrated
- March 2, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Someone posted the question, “Are you already behind on your YTD sales goals?”.
One responses was another question, “What are some different ways you keep morale high when the team is behind on goals?”
I responded to this question with the following answer:
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What Makes a Lead a Good Lead?
- February 22, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
A dozen leads came in today and among them were leads from DELL and Bose. Both are large companies and might even make great clients but are they good leads? That all depends on who you ask.
So I pretended to ask 6 salespeople that I’ve worked with over the past several years. I pretended to say, “I have leads from DELL and Bose – are you interested in either of them?” And here is how the imaginary conversation went from there:
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10 Sales Coaching Examples
- February 13, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Your system for coaching – the frequency, duration and process – should remain consistent, but it is important to remember these variations. All of the people whom you coach or should be coaching are unique individuals and need you to work with them in a way that is most beneficial to them, not you.
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Sales Strategy and Tactics – Thoughts from the Super Bowl
- February 6, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
In my opinion, football is the sport based more on strategy while baseball is the sport based more on tactics.
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Great Sales Management Advice from Football’s Greatest
- February 3, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Sales Managers could learn a thing or two from Bill Belichick! Like:
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New Penn State Coach – Just Like Dysfunctional Sales Management
- January 6, 2012
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Bill O’Brien. One coach – two full time jobs. Both teams need his immediate, undivided attention and won’t get all that they need. Given the dual roles, how do you feel about the Patriots’ chances of another Super Bowl? Given this conflict of interest, how do you feel about Penn State’s ability to have a quality recruiting season?
This happens quite frequently in my world – the sales force.
In most small businesses, the President or owner is responsible for running the company and by default, manages the sales force too. The problem? Unskilled sales management is being provided on demand and that is always quite ineffective.
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How Many of Your Salespeople are Addicted to This?
- December 14, 2011
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Do your salespeople have a hopium addiction?
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Are You Part of the Problem with your Salespeople?
- November 15, 2011
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
One of the things I always stress with sales leadership teams is that before they can coach effectively, before they can really hold people accountable to agreed upon metrics, before they can really motivate people to perform, and before they can develop their people, they must first shape their environment. That’s the hard part. After that has been accomplished, the actual coaching, motivating, development and accountability can be enjoyable and productive because of the resulting cooperation.
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Embarassed by This Sales Article in The Economist?
- October 31, 2011
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
On October 22, The Economist published an article called, The Art of Selling – The Death of the Salesman Has been Greatly Exaggerated. Is the Economist really that far out of touch? I wrote the last of my 5-part Death of Selling Has Been Exaggerated articles 5 years ago! And how long has it been since anyone referred to salespeople at “salesmen”?