sales tips

  • Top 10 Reasons Salespeople Can’t Move the Conversation from Price

    • July 11, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    There are other factors that could contribute to salespeople regularly finding themselves in a price-sensitive discussion:

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  • The Waffle Cone and the Mass Production of Salespeople

    • July 2, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    For me, today’s waffle cones are a constant disappointment because they always fail to meet my expectations.

    What does this have to do with selling?

    Think about salespeople as a version of the waffle cone.  In some companies, they are made fresh, and in other companies, especially bigger companies, they are mass-produced.

    There are many ways of looking at th

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  • Salespeople Must Stop Snorkeling and Start Scuba Diving

    • May 15, 2013
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    We talk a lot about the importance of using a consultative approach instead of a transactional approach to better differentiate and sell value instead of price.  When we explain consultative selling, we usually emphasize the importance of listening and questioning.  When we further explain effective listening and questioning, it becomes much more difficult to describe in a paragraph or in the absence of a demonstration or role-play.

    Until today.

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  • How Selling is Just Like Driving a Car

    • June 5, 2012
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    If you can make the adjustments when you are driving, then you should be able to make similar adjustments when you are selling.  Those adjustments, in no particular order, include being sure that:

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  • Gaining Sales Traction is Like Talking to Kids

    • February 29, 2012
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    On a recent coaching call, I was explaining how to handle the prospect who doesn’t admit to having an issue on which they need help.  During a first call where the salesperson is taking a consultative approach, it’s not unusual for a prospect to become protective or defensive by denying having issues.  At this point, most (74% according to Objective Management Group) salespeople will choose one of the following three paths:

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  • Sales Courage and Resilience

    • January 3, 2012
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Hope isn’t enough, but faith and courage are.  If salespeople can apply the 20 seconds of courage rule to every challenging or scary situation they encounter, and simply do what they are afraid of, good things will happen.  When things go wrong – and they surely will – if they can have the faith to hang in there for one more minute, one more hour or one more day, knowing that if they do everything in their power (with their fate in their control) rather than relying on hope, they will achieve the desired outcome.

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  • The Biggest Mistake That Salespeople Make at Year End

    • November 30, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Your actions can not be dictated by the time of year.  Your actions must be dictated by where you are in the sales process and the step or stage that must occur next.

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  • Top 10 Questions for Salespeople to Ask and Stay Away From

    • October 12, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    The theme of my recent posts has centered around links sent by readers, asking me to weigh in with a counterpoint to the conclusions drawn in the  articles.  Today, I address yet another Harvard Business Review Blog article (how many misguided HBR Blog articles are there?), this one about the Single Worst Question a salesperson can ask.

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  • Steve Jobs Legacy on Selling – 10 Criteria to Sell Itself

    • October 6, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Steve Jobs left many legacies and I thought it might be useful to discuss the one he left on sales.

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  • Top 15 Questions That Prospects Ask Themselves

    • September 27, 2011
    • Posted by: Dave Kurlan
    • Category: Understanding the Sales Force

    Two questions for you:  Are your salespeople consciously aware of the 3 mindsets and two categories, and have you checked as to whether they have appropriate approaches for each?

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