Practical Wisdom from Kahle Way Sales Systems

Only about five percent of sales organizations invest in developing their salespeople.  Those that do are often the industry leaders. Creating and managing a formal program to develop your salespeople is one of your best investments. The Excellence & Influence Community. Learn more here.

There are a lot of 100% commission sales compensation plans around. Should there be?  Think deeply about this as I respond to two questions about sales force compensation. The New Customer Acquisition Course.   The Sales Leader's Excellence & Influence Course

Join with me to examine a couple more of that series of words that a significant percentage of the population would rather not hear – humility and commitment. The Sales Leader's Excellence & Influence Course

Throughout the history of mankind, successful people have been disciplined people.  At some point in their development, they have discovered the power that lies in discipline.  And they chose, with an act of willfulness and intentionality, to pursue disciplines. As a result, they rise above the pack on the basis of the strength of their wills and their ability to discipline themselves to do the ri...

Higher character has been recognized, across generations and cultures, as one of the ideal qualifications for positions of leadership. Until recently. We've discarded the idea of higher character, and are paying the price. The Sales Leader's Excellence & Influence Course

The calls for "lower price" are becoming more frequent and frantic in this age of inflation.  How should you handle them?  Listen as I respond to three questions concerning lower prices.  You may gain a perspective you've never had before. The Sales Leader's Excellence and Influence Course

Value-added means different things to different people. If you are going to be a true value-added seller in the 21st century marketplace, you must be flexible and capable enough to offer different things to different customers, responding to the individual customer's definition of what is valuable to him or her.  The Sales Leader's Excellence & Influence Course. Learn more here.

Our perspectives shape our behavior and set our character.  We can change our perspectives and thereby change our lives.

Here's my answer to two common questions:  How do you sell commodities? and What do you do when the customer is only interested in low price? The Sales Leader's Excellence and Influence Course.  Learn more here.

It's one of the most common laments I hear from principals and sales managers: "I wish I had a more professional sales force." No doubt that thought has passed through your mind at some time in the recent past.  You're not alone, of course.  I hear it regularly from my clients. Let's take a look at what it really means, why it is such a common malady, and what you can do about it. The Sales Leader...

Here's my response to this question:  How can we get inside sales to do some proactive sales activities each day?  We want our inside sales people to use some of their time to shift into the proactive mode to make outbound phone contact to existing and new business. Check out the Sales Manager's Group in the Xi Community here.

Listen to  my reply to this question: "Q.  Dave, I'm from outside the industry, and am accustomed to what I see as a much more professional sales force than what I currently have.  Am I off-base in expecting a professional group of salespeople, as opposed to the 'nice guys' who don't seem to take their professions seriously that I inherited?" Check out the Xi Community.

The rapid change whirling around every company puts great pressure on organizations to change themselves.  Not only must the organization as a whole change, but the individuals within each organization must themselves change, learn and grow more rapidly than at any time in the past. This ability for an organization and its people to change in response to the changing world around them may be the u...

: "Lack of directability is one of the problems common to sales forces.  That means the sales force rarely does what management wants them to do. Instead, they do what they have always done, or they work only in their own best interests instead of the interests of the company. This robs the company of an incredibly powerful strategic asset- a directable sales force.  Here's the first step to overc...

Lots of people understand 'productivity', and 'sales' is easily understood, but when you put the two words together, the concept often becomes baffling.  Sales Productivity can be the key to growing your business and taking market share.  Begin here. Download Kahle's Kaculation here.

: Many sales models are built on the concept of the entrepreneurial salesperson. There was a time when this model was effective, but in today's competitive economy, there are serious difficulties with the entrepreneurial model. Let's consider this together. Check out The Xi Community for Sales Leaders.

If you're paying your sales reps straight commission, you're using an obsolete formula.         If you're paying your sales reps a straight salary, you're also using an obsolete formula.         Both of those formulas are vestiges of an earlier, simpler times.         You may be like thousands of other companies who are using compensation plans that served them well in the past.  Let's dig into th...

While there is a degree of significance to be achieved though one's family, my focus in this article is on a higher level of significance. Having "notable worth or influence" implies that significance of that level is relatively rare. People take note of it.           Suppose you could lay a foundation of significance with your family, and then reached out to 'matter" to a larger world.  Suppose y...

There is something incredibly compelling about being a part of an organization that aspires to something larger and more noble than others of their ilk. Something in the soul of human beings longs to be a part of something that not only strives for a better future but works to enhance the present.            A well-written manifesto taps into that power.  It claims the best for its adherents and a...

When budgets are limited, the single most effective use of training money is not on the salespeople, but rather the sales managers. Let's dig into this. The XI Community Sales Leader's Group: https://www.davekahle.com/leadership-and-b2b-sales-management-groups/

One of the biggest obstacles to the growth and development of a salesperson -- or anyone else – is not their lack of skills and experience, but rather the internal obstacles that hinder their actions.  Dig into what holds you back, so that you can break free. The Xi Community: 

Developing a handful of 'partners' is one of the most effective B2B sales strategies. These are customers who are so committed to you that they form the foundation of your revenue. Dig into the whys and hows of creating partners in this article. The XI Community  

 At its most fundamental level, business is always and only about three things:  Money, people and systems. There is a huge body of content revolving around money in business and there is an equally impressive body of knowledge and infrastructure for the people component.   When it comes to systems, however, there is not nearly the quantity and quality of conversation. And yet effective systems ar...

Very soon we'll be confronting the next wave of change as our companies and our jobs lurch back to something resembling pre-Covid normal.  The question in the back of every executive's mind is this:" How do we handle the post-Covid changes?"  In this podcast, I suggest an approach to using this window of opportunity to make significant, positive changes. The XI Community:  www.davekahle.com/lead/

Our times are uniquely characterized by an unprecedented pace of change.  If we are going to survive and thrive in this environment, we have to do some different things, and do others much better. One of these is the discipline of purposeful learning. It is the ultimate success skill for our age. In this podcast, I share six disciplines to help you master the skill. The XI Community: https://www.d...