sales performance
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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
…Around 16 years ago, our son was crushing it on his Single A, 7-year-old baseball team. As the season drew to a close, we were notified that there would be an awards ceremony at the field and Michael would be
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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
…Should companies provide sales training for their salespeople and sales management training for their sales leaders? Should individuals be expected to have mastery in the 21 Sales Core Competencies by the time they are hired? Let’s use sports as an
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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
…I didn’t take up golf until I was 50. As someone who played baseball (won a batting title) and tennis (ranked as a junior), I thought it wouldn’t be much of a challenge to hit a ball that was just
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How Half-Measures in Your Sales Process Can Kill Your Win Rate
- October 15, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
…I was scrolling satellite radio stations and something caused me to pause when I heard Dr. Charles Stanley talking about The Lord’s Prayer. He said that if you simply recite it by rote then God won’t listen. He said that
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How the MLB Playoffs Can Help You Rethink Your Sales Team
- September 29, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
…It’s the eve of 2025 MLB playoffs and the Boston Red Sox will play their arch rival, the New York Yankees in a best of three series. The top brass for both teams will finalize their rosters for the first
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How to Spark the Sales Equivalent of a 10-Game Winning Streak
- July 13, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
…Success breeds success.
We begin the week with one of my shorter articles.
Three weeks ago, I wrote that the Red Sox believed that trading Rafael Devers, their best hitter, would make them a better team. Shortly thereafter they
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Fire Your Top Salesperson: The Red Sox Lesson for Better Sales Teams
- June 18, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
…Fire Your Top Salesperson: The Red Sox Lesson for Better Sales Teams
What if firing your top salesperson would make your sales team better?
The Boston Red Sox showed the world how to do it this past weekend. I know
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Why Salespeople Skip the Sales Process (And How It’s Killing Your Revenue)
- May 19, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
…If you were going to plant a fruit tree, you would need to follow a five-step process which includes:
- Dig a hole
- Place the tree and fill the hole
- Fertilize and Water
- Maintain (Sun, water, pruning, fertilizer)
- Harvest
It should
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Shania Twain’s Lesson for Sales Leaders Who Want to Hire Stronger Salespeople
- April 14, 2025
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
…I was driving with the radio on when the Shania Twain song from the 90’s, Don’t Impress Me Much, began to play. I hadn’t heard that song in at least a decade and as I listened to the words,
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7-Steps to Achieve Sales Team Excellence
- October 9, 2024
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
…The Boston Red Sox had a mediocre team in 2024. They had too many left-handed hitters, not enough starting pitching, an undependable bullpen, and by far, the worst defense in the MLB. Sure, they won half their games, but they