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Dave Stein

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CEO and Founder, ES Research Group, Inc.

367 points

After a career as a sales consultant, trainer, and author, I'm now CEO of ES Research Group, Inc., which I founded in 2005.

ESR publishes independent evaluations and comparisons of sales training companies and their programs and services. (Think ...

After a career as a sales consultant, trainer, and author, I'm now CEO of ES Research Group, Inc., which I founded in 2005.

ESR publishes independent evaluations and comparisons of sales training companies and their programs and services. (Think Consumer Reports, JD Powers, or Gartner.)

We also work with companies to help them understand their own sales challenges and guide them through the sales training provider evaluation and selection process.

Finally, ESR coaches sales training companies on growth and effectiveness strategies and tactics.

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WEB: Dave Stein's Blog

Jan. 26, 2012

Dave Stein and 12 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Innovation and Continuous Improvement In Sales [10/5 @ 9 am]

With so much focus on marketing & sales alignment why is the issue still so prevalent? Could it be simply a symptom of greater problems?

Here is what we've learned at ESR: If the Chief Marketing Officer and the Chief Sales Officer aren't aligned in their goals and objectives, strategies, and philosophy, the teams that work for them won't be aligned, and there is very little that any one inside ... more

Dec. 19, 2011

Dave Stein and 5 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Sales Training Blunders of 2011 [12/19 @ 11 am]

What are some of your worst sales training stories?

Sean, it was the little pieces of tissue stuck to my cuts that made all the difference. more

Sales Management

Sept. 29, 2011

Dave Stein and 24 other people answered this question

Why don't more sales organizations invest in sales training courses?

Tim, I'm with you all the way on this. You're frustration is well-justified.
I wrote a post a while back on the "fit of irony," as you describe it, about the CIO at GE. The interviewer asked him: ”I would presume that as much as you ... more

Sales Management

Sales Organization

July 21, 2011

Dave Stein asked a question at this roundtable

Successful Strategies in B2B Social Media [7/21 @ 11 am]

I don't question that 80% of adult Internet users are engaged in social media. Question...

Marketing Strategies

July 8, 2011

Dave Stein and 9 other people answered this question

How do you train a sales rep to overcome their fear of rejection?

Hi Lauren,
You probably shouldn't be hiring someone for a sales job if they have a fear of rejection. Resilience, courage, and tenacity are three traits we test for for most sales positions.
If a salesperson does have many/most of the rest of the important traits and ... more

Sales Management

July 1, 2011

Dave Stein and 20 other people answered this question

Should a sales candidate have to provide W-2s from previous sales jobs to substantiate performance?

I'm with you Kristina. If you let the candidate know at the beginning of the hiring cycle what all the steps are and the purpose, there are no surprises. In addition, fakers will likely drop out at that point, saving time, money, and the horrible ... more

Human Resources

June 24, 2011

Dave Stein published a post

ESR Launches Virtual Sales Training Survey. Invitation to Participate

Learning & Development

Training and Development

June 21, 2011

Dave Stein and 4 other people answered this question

What is your interview process for hiring sales reps?

What works for hiring sales people is a formal process that includes (among other components):
1. Understanding the requirements for successful selling. What capabilities, skills and behaviors are required for customers to buy from a sales person in that role.
2. Building a profile with the required ... more

Human Resources

June 20, 2011

Dave Stein and 7 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Tactics to Radically Improve Your Sales Performance [6/17 @ 11 am]

What specific tactics have you seen dramatically improve a sales team's performance?

I think all the key points have been made.
Dave's point, "First, sales performance improvement cannot be a tactical initiative--it has to be a strategic initiative that every one in the organization focus on constantly," is second most important, in my mind.
Most important is, "..extraordinarily strong ... more

Sales Management

June 9, 2011

Dave Stein and 3 other people answered this question

How do you develop sales people who not only can talk well about the product but who believe in it.

I agree with Dan. HIRE BETTER!
Passion and enthusiasm are traits. You can't teach a sales rep how to possess those characteristics. If those are important to you in a salesperson, include them in the profile for that job role and then validate, through psychometric tests, ... more

Sales Management

June 8, 2011

Dave Stein and 6 other people answered this question

When interviewing a candidate, how do you verify the claims they are making are true?

Hi Dave,
As you know there is a parallel discussion going on about one aspect of verifying claims -- W-2s from past positions. http://focus.com/c/GtD/
That being said, we highly recommend:
* Structured interviews based on profiles/behavioral models. It's very hard for candidates to lie and misrepresent their capabilities ... more

Human Resources

Sales Management

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