sales management

  • The Secret to Winning Sales Presentations and Public Speaking Success

    • October 28, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I spoke to an Entrepreneurial class at Clark University this week, something I’ve been doing once or twice a year for the past 5 years.  It’s much more difficult than working with experienced C-Level Executives, Sales Leaders, Sales Managers and Salespeople because the kids don’t have the context, reference points or experiences that professionals have.  Despite the difficulty, it’s more fun because they don’t push back, they don’t claim to have heard it before, they don’t say that “it” won’t work in their business, they don’t resist, and they are great learners!

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  • Time and Territory Management for Salespeople

    • October 4, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Aside from requests for Motivational training, Time and Territory management training is one of the most inappropriate requests I receive each week. And I’ve been getting requests like that for more than 25 years!

    Time and Territory management is what sales managers and VP’s ask for when they:

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  • Top 10 Ways to Increase Sales

    • October 3, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I’ll bet that every CEO, President, Director, VP of Sales and Sales Manager asks the “how can we increase sales?” question on a regular basis.  Do you?

    There are as many answers to this question as there are politicians running for US President in 2012.  They include but aren’t limited to:

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  • Does Your Sales Force Have Asthma?

    • September 23, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Both of my parents had Asthma so wouldn’t you think that when I described the sensations to them – my inability to breathe, the burning sensation, and huge fear, they would have recognized the symptoms? They didn’t want me to have Asthma, they didnt’ think I could have Asthma, they didn’t connect the dots to conclude it was Asthma and they didn’t send me to a doctor.  They were in denial.

    The same thing happens with your sales force.  

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  • Effective Sales Models

    • September 15, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I wrote this article about the difference between sales process and sales methodology.  In addition to those two sales infrastructure components, companies should have a sales model.  How is the model different from the other two key components of an effective sales organization?

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  • Stalled Sales Opportunities: When Your Prospect is Hiding

    • September 13, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    This happens to every single salesperson on the planet engaged in a sales cycle of longer than one call.

    “My prospect won’t return my calls”.

    “I can’t get my prospect to the phone”.

    “My prospect is ignoring me”.

    Those of us who train, coach or mentor salespeople probably hear one of those three even more often than “I’m having trouble scheduling appointments.” What should you do when it happens to you or your salespeople?

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  • What Does Sales Longevity Really Mean?

    • September 9, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Objective Management Group has included the Sales Longevity Finding for about a year and clients still ask, “What does it really mean?”

    It’s really 3 things:

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  • You Lost the Sale – What Should Your Salespeople Do Next?

    • August 25, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    I get tremendous satisfaction from helping companies evaluate their sales forces, develop and optimize their processes, improve efficiencies, train and coach their teams, select great salespeople and increase revenue and profit.  But I LOVE to sell.  Agassi hated tennis yet still mastered the sport to become #1 in the world!  You can learn a lot from an example like that!

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  • How to Add Value to Your Sales Offering

    • August 17, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    We often discuss the importance of adding value as well as how to sell and build value. Last week I was asked if I could provide an example of what added value could be.

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  • Top 10 Criteria for a Qualified Sales Presentation

    • August 17, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Salespeople should not be allowed to present until their prospects have yielded the right of way.  Where intelligent pedestrians qualify the opportunity to cross, intelligent salespeople qualify the opportunity to present.

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