What Kurlan & Associates does

Kurlan & Associates, Inc. is a private, founder-led sales force development consulting firm founded in 1985 by Dave Kurlan and headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts. The firm specializes in sales team evaluations, sales process optimization, customized sales and sales leadership training, coaching, and recruiting, organized around its proprietary Baseline Selling methodology—a baseball-anchored consultative sales framework codified in Kurlan's best-selling book and reinforced through the firm's self-directed online courses. Sales candidate assessments and recruiting draw on Objective Management Group's validated tools; Dave Kurlan founded OMG in 1990 and led it as CEO until 2022, embedding the firm within OMG's partner ecosystem as a top performer for roughly 35 consecutive years.

The firm's product portfolio spans bespoke consulting engagements, the 3-day in-person Sales Leadership Intensive ($1,495/participant), live interactive online corporate training, the Unlimited Sales Debriefs subscription ($250/month), the Save an Awful Salesperson 6-month coaching program ($7,000–$8,000), and self-directed Thinkific courses priced at $795–$1,495. Revenue is generated through professional services fees, subscription/recurring streams, and one-time course purchases. The company is small (1–10 employees) but reaches a global enterprise client base spanning 200+ industries, with named logos including HubSpot, Staples, Benjamin Moore, Swarovski, Hanover Insurance Group, American Cast Iron Pipe Company, Jeld Wen, and Mainfreight. Go-to-market is content-led, anchored by Dave Kurlan's 2,100+ article blog, keynote circuit presence, and a bi-weekly newsletter, feeding a sales-led motion into customized enterprise engagements.

Name

Kurlan & Associates

Legal name

Kurlan & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://kurlanassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kurlan & Associates is a Westborough, MA-based sales force development consulting firm founded in 1985 by Dave Kurlan. It delivers sales evaluations, training, coaching, recruiting, and process optimization built around its proprietary Baseline Selling methodology, serving enterprise and mid-market clients across 200+ industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sales Consulting and Training Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Management Consulting Services (54161), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Consultative Selling & Discovery (EDABABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solution Selling & Value-Based Selling (EDABABAD), Sales Leadership & Revenue Executive Coaching (EDABANAL), Sales Kickoffs (SKOs) & Revenue Summits (THAHAMAB)

Keywords

• Sales consulting services
• Sales force evaluation
• Sales training programs
• Sales coaching services
• Sales process optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Westborough

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Training Services: Fee-for-service consulting engagements including sales team evaluations, process optimization, training, coaching, and recruiting. Engagements are customized based on client size, industry, and complexity of issues.
2. Self-Directed Online Courses: Subscription and one-time purchase access to online training courses through the Thinkific platform, including Baseline Selling courses and Sales Leadership Intensive.
3. Unlimited Sales Debriefs: Monthly subscription service providing unlimited professional sales debriefs for $250/month. Customers upload call recordings or transcripts and receive comprehensive coaching feedback.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kurlan & Associates provides sales force development services to companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises, including sales candidate assessments, sales force evaluations, customized sales training, sales process optimization, one-on-one coaching, sales recruiting, and pipeline/forecasting consulting. Service delivery is anchored on the proprietary Baseline Selling methodology—a baseball-anchored consultative sales process authored by founder Dave Kurlan—and is supplemented by recurring offerings including online self-directed courses, the Unlimited Sales Debriefs subscription service, and the 6-month Save an Awful Salesperson coaching program.

Product overview

Kurlan & Associates is a sales force development consulting firm founded in 1985, offering a comprehensive suite of services built around its proprietary Baseline Selling methodology—a baseball-anchored sales process and consultative sales methodology. The core offering includes the Baseline Selling book, self-directed online courses (Introduction, Advanced, Complete bundles, and Movie Night), and the Sales Leadership Intensive program. The portfolio encompasses sales candidate assessments and sales force evaluations powered by Objective Management Group (OMG), sales training and sales process optimization, coaching services, and sales recruiting solutions. Additional services include Unlimited Sales Debriefs (a $250/month subscription for call analysis), the Save an Awful Salesperson program (a 6-month coaching turnaround offering), CRM and sales tech stack consulting, inside sales, channel sales, social selling integration, sales methodology training, compensation advisory, and train-the-trainer certification. The company primarily serves B2B organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500 corporations across 200+ industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Baseline Selling: Dave Kurlan's best-selling book and associated sales methodology using baseball analogies for the sales process.
• Understanding the Sales Force
• Unlimited Sales Debriefs
• Save an Awful Salesperson
• STAR
• Sales Leadership Intensive

Products and services

• Sales Candidate Assessments Sales-specific candidate assessments using OMG's (Objective Management Group) validated, predictive tools to identify candidates likely to succeed in sales roles; for HR leaders and sales managers hiring sales talent.
• Sales Force Evaluations In-depth evaluations of salespeople, systems, processes, and strategies to assess sales team performance and produce a roadmap for sales development; for enterprise sales leaders and CROs/CSOs.
• Sales Training Results-oriented, customized or module-based training for sales, sales management, business development, and professional service firms based on the Baseline Selling methodology; delivered to enterprise sales teams and individual contributors.
• Sales Process Optimization Development and optimization of formal, structured, customized sales processes merged with the Baseline Selling methodology; for companies seeking consistent, repeatable revenue execution.
• Sales Coaching One-on-one coaching services for salespeople, sales managers, sales leaders, and C-Level executives delivered by veteran sales development experts with 40+ years of combined experience.
• Sales Recruiting Sales-specific recruiting process development plus turnkey fee-for-service recruiting for key sales positions, leveraging the proprietary STAR process and OMG sales candidate assessments.
• Baseline Selling – The Book Best-selling book by Dave Kurlan that uses baseball metaphors to teach a memorable, intuitive consultative sales methodology; available through Amazon and the firm website.
• Self-Directed Online Courses Online courses including Introduction to Baseline Selling ($795), Advanced Baseline Selling, Baseline Selling Complete Bundle ($1,495), Movie Night for Salespeople, Sales Leadership Intensive, and Coaching Salespeople courses delivered through the Thinkific platform; for individuals and teams seeking on-demand training.
• Sales Leadership Intensive Top-rated sales leadership symposium focused on coaching, accountability, motivation strategies, and developing sales leaders to grow revenue and profit; offered in 3-day in-person format (next scheduled September 14-15, 2026 at $1,495 per participant), virtual live format, and self-directed online format.
• Unlimited Sales Debriefs Monthly subscription service at $250/month providing unlimited professional debriefs of sales call recordings or transcripts, with each session producing 2-5 pages of coaching feedback; cancel anytime.
• Save an Awful Salesperson Program 6-month structured coaching program ($7,000-$8,000) designed to transform underperforming salespeople into producers through evaluation, customized improvement plan, bi-weekly coaching sessions, progress reviews, and results-based guarantee.
• Corporate Training (Live Interactive Online) Live interactive instructor-led online training based on Baseline Selling methodology that delivers consultative sales training for virtual selling over video platforms; for enterprise sales teams.
• Sales Force Architecture Comprehensive redesign and optimization of sales force including optimization of roles, models, processes, selection criteria, alignment, execution, development, and compensation.
• Sales Pipeline and Forecasting Consulting Pipeline optimization, metrics development, forecasting criteria, and CRM application recommendations to achieve accurate sales data and reporting.
• CRM and Sales Tech Stack Consulting CRM selection, installation, integration, and training services, including recommendation and implementation of Membrain CRM as a simpler alternative to Salesforce.
• Sales Methodology Training Consultative sales methodology training that teaches how salespeople should move from one step to the next in the sales cycle, complementing the Baseline Selling process.
• Sales Compensation Advisory Advisory services on sales compensation methods, incentives, and motivation strategies to align with changing salesperson motivational needs.
• Social Selling Integration strategies for combining social selling with traditional sales force approaches, including LinkedIn and email best practices.
• Inside Sales Training and consulting for companies building or optimizing inside sales teams to maximize cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
• Channel Sales Channel sales strategy development including channel partner commitment, collaborative sales calls, coaching, and selling efficiency improvements.
• Train the Trainer Certification Certification program for internal trainers to deliver Baseline Selling training throughout organizations with diverse audiences, products, services, markets, and geographies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Consistent sales coaching leads to a 28% increase in sales
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MembraincoreTechnology or IntegrationKurlan & Associates partnered with Membrain to deliver CRM the way CRM should be. Membrain emphasizes opportunities rather than accounts, pipeline rather than data-entry, accurate forecasts, flexibility, and customization. Kurlan uses Membrain internally as well, considering it a simple yet powerful application that focuses on what CRM needs to be: a pipeline management tool.
• Objective Management Group (OMG)coreTechnology or IntegrationObjective Management Group is the industry leader in sales force evaluations and sales candidate assessments. Their world-class suite of sales-specific assessment tools helps companies make good, intelligent, timely decisions about hiring and sales organization evolution. Dave Kurlan was the founder and CEO of OMG until 2022.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sandler Training: Global sales training and consulting franchise specializing in a proprietary consultative sales methodology; directly competes with Kurlan's Baseline Selling approach in the same enterprise and SMB segments.
• RAIN Group: Sales training and consulting firm offering proprietary methodologies, workshops, and coaching for sales teams and leaders; comparable in target customer (B2B sales orgs) and service model.
• Richardson Sales Performance: Sales training and performance improvement company providing customized sales methodology, coaching, and consulting; competes in the same enterprise sales training category as Kurlan.
• Sales Gravy (Jeb Blount): Sales training, coaching, and content brand built around a single renowned sales author; closely mirrors Kurlan's founder-led content-plus-training business model.
• The Sales Board (Sales Readiness Group): Sales assessment, hiring, and readiness firm; directly comparable to Kurlan's OMG-powered assessment and evaluation offerings for sales force optimization.

Broad incumbents

• Objective Management Group (OMG): Industry-leading sales force evaluation and assessment company founded by Dave Kurlan; Kurlan & Associates is a top OMG partner, making OMG both a technology supplier and a closely related competitor in assessments.
• Dale Carnegie Training: Established global training provider with a broad curriculum including sales, leadership, and communication; overlaps with Kurlan in corporate sales training at enterprise scale.
• FranklinCovey: Large enterprise training and consulting firm offering sales performance, leadership, and execution programs; comparable in serving Fortune 500 buyers seeking sales and leadership development.
• BTS (Business Training Solutions): Global sales force effectiveness and strategy execution consulting firm; comparable in delivering customized sales transformation programs to enterprise clients.

Others

• Membrain: CRM and sales effectiveness platform partner of Kurlan & Associates; adjacent ecosystem player rather than direct competitor, but represents the sales tech stack category Kurlan advises clients on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/kurlanandassociates
• Xx.com/KurlanAssoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kurlan & Associates