Understanding the Sales Force

New Data Shows That Top Salespeople are 2800% Better at Disrupting the Flow

Dave Kurlan — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 21:25:04 GMT

Fish, rafts, kayaks, canoes, sailboats and swimmers all find much more success when they are moving with the wind or the current rather than going against it.

Using the Most Powerful Sales Tool to Get What You Want

Dave Kurlan — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 10:00:00 GMT

My wife and I have been binge watching a TV series called Blacklist which rivals 24 for its drama and intensity. James Spader stars as international bad-guy Ray Reddington. He's on the top of the FBI's most-wanted list but works with the agency to help them track down bad-guys that are as bad as he is. Somehow, he gets the FBI to help him get what he wants and he gets the bad guys to give him what he wants from them. Everybody gets what they want because he is so good at using leverage.

Change in Approach Leads to 304% Increase in Sales Effectiveness

Dave Kurlan — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 10:00:00 GMT

You're famished and someone suggests that you go on a 2-day fast!

You're late, it's a two-hour ride by car to your destination and someone suggests that you walk!

You're exhausted and ready for a nap and someone suggests you should clean out your basement!

You've decided to eat better and lay-off carbs, and someone suggests ordering pizza!

These are all crazy opposites of what you were focused on and they cause you to ask, "whaaat?"

So now you'll understand how I responded when, during a two-day training program, I was asked about messaging for a talk track.

You're Normal and Your Sucky Salespeople are Probably Normal Too!

Dave Kurlan — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 20:50:33 GMT

Do salespeople report up to you? Do you get frustrated with half to three quarters of them?

Did You Know That The Beatles Taught us About Selling?

Dave Kurlan — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 10:00:00 GMT

While this should be a fun, end of summer article I'm guessing that you don't actually believe that the Beatles taught us about selling.

The Beatles recorded 18 songs where the lyrics talked about selling plus I included two bonus titles by other artists to bring the total to 20!

The Beatles.

Can you name the song that went on and on about building relationships? Of course you can. It was:

I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND

Can you name the song about prospects who refuse to schedule a first meeting or appointment with a salesperson?

YOU WON'T SEE ME (Time after time you refuse to even listen)

How Big of a Role Does Age Play in Sales Effectiveness?

Dave Kurlan — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 20:54:23 GMT

I'll be 64 in November which means that just like everyone else, I'm getting older.

There are certain things that younger people do that change when they get older. For example, younger adults :

go to bars and night clubs but tend to choose dinners out or nights at home binge watching TV when they become more mature
go to concerts but tend to choose movies when they get older
backpack across the US or Europe but tend to choose cruises as they age
want freedom at work but are more open to structure and accountability when they become more mature
focus on themselves but tend to focus on their children and then their grandchildren when they become older

The same applies to salespeople. Young salespeople (0-2 years experience) tend to wing it, while older salespeople (20 or more years experience) tend to be more skilled and structured. Want proof? Let's dig into the data.

The Bearded Lady, My Shaving Pattern and Your Sales Pipeline

Dave Kurlan — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 10:01:00 GMT

I can grow a pretty decent five o'clock shadow - above my upper lip and only after about a week. Unlike the bearded lady at the circus, when it comes to facial hair, there's really not much there!

How All Those Trucks on the Road Can Help You Stop Discounting

Dave Kurlan — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 10:00:00 GMT

We've been doing a lot of traveling this summer to baseball tournaments (30-second video showing how one playoff game ended), college baseball showcases and back. During these travels, one thing has become abundantly clear. Trucks and construction. Lots of trucks. Lots of construction. Lots of congestion on the roads because of all those tractor trailers.

If you heard that inventory levels are low, it's certainly not because companies have stopped buying. It's because the supply chain is busier and stronger than ever and as a result of all of the buying, our roadways are jammed with trucks shipping products to distributors, retailers, warehouses and fulfillment centers. Don't believe a word of it when you hear an economy related objection or put-off. Business isn't off, inventories aren't purposely low, money isn't tight, companies aren't on buying freezes, and the economy isn't tanking. If you aren't reading or hearing how historically great the economy is right now, you're listening to, watching or reading the wrong news outlets. Business is booming and procurement departments would like nothing more than for you to buy into the fake news, hoping that your next move will be an incentive.

I have an awful lot to say about incentives to buy!

The Best Salespeople are 791% Better at This Than Weak Salespeople

Dave Kurlan — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 22:55:44 GMT

The first contractor got a proposal to us within a few days, the second contractor got a proposal to us later the same day and the third contractor gave us a price on the spot. On the responsive scale, the third contractor was the best.

Certainly, responsiveness is not the only criteria that prospects weigh as part of their decision-making process. They may also consider:

Trustworthiness
Timeline of the deliverable(s)
Referrals
Expertise
Credibility
Personality
Understanding of your needs
Fit
Price
Chemistry
Ease of working with
Capabilities
Your comfort level
Reputation
Proximity
Flexibility

The list isn't complete as I'm sure there are more.

Although price is only one of 18 criteria listed, it's the only objection salespeople ask for help with. Salespeople don't ask if we can help with the reputation objection, chemistry objection or personality objection. With salespeople it's always about price.

The Best Salespeople are 2733% More Likely to Have This Than the Worst Salespeople

Dave Kurlan — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 23:25:38 GMT

86% of all salespeople have beliefs that don't support ideal sales outcomes. That's important because beliefs influence behavior, and appropriate sales behavior drives results. Think about sales process, sales methodology, sales strategy and sales tactics. Salespeople who have the ability to execute those four elements of success are less dependent on their knowledge of selling than what they believe. While most salespeople have self-limiting beliefs, it should not surprise you that only 18% of the elite salespeople - the top 5% - have self-limiting beliefs. But it drops off rapidly from there. Below I have listed the percentage of salespeople with self-limiting Beliefs by performance levels.