It has been a few weeks since we have touched on the subject of onramping of salespeople so it is time to return to this topic. All too often we see management waste an opportunity to set the proper tone with their new hire. They then spend months, even years, trying to correct bad behaviors they allowed in the first place. If you do a search on onramping or onboarding on the web, you will find many articles and all of them at some point will discuss the fact that setting the tone early is very important. So why is this a reoccurring issue for so many new hires? In my reading the… Read More
Continue ReadingiPhone Competition
If you are technical geek of sorts you already know about T-Mobile’s G1 and the Blackberry Thunder as a few of the first phones to try to compete with the iPhone 3G. According to a post on US News & World Report, Blackberry is introducing a new competitor, called the Storm that will offer 2 virtual keyboards. The Storm will be available exclusively to Verizon customers and features a unique clickable screen. They do not have an actual release date yet, just stating that it will be available sometime later this fall.
Continue ReadingLinkedIn Registrations Booming
Seems like LinkedIn is benefiting from the recent financial industries crisis. According to a post at Cheezhead they have had significant increases in registrations and in recommendations: The site has reported a 17 percent increase in registrations in the last two weeks. They are now claiming to reach 28 million users, up one million from last quarter. Reports show that memberships from people representing the financial sector have also doubled after thousands of people have been laid off or threatened with termination as closures and mergers usurp industry leaders and rattle the core of the sector. The site also claims to have seen a 14 percent increase in recommendations, most… Read More
Continue ReadingProspecting Via Email
Salespeopel are always looking for better ways to find new prospects. You don’t have to look far to find articles giving advice about this subject. Some common examples: trying to make phone calls and undoubtedly leaving voice mails are futile, call at different times of the day or develop an email marketing campaign to push traffic to your website. Eyes on Sales has a very good article that gives tips on how to use email for prospecting. However, it doesn’t just write off making calls, as some do, but reinforces the fact that a salesperson needs to use both. Here is a quote from the article by author Craig James: What should we not do… Read More
Continue Reading6 Biggest Applicant Lies
What are the biggest lies that applicants or candidates make through the hiring process? If you are thinking degrees or education…correct, that is one of them. Maybe it’s just me, but why chance losing out on an opportunity by lying about your education? Recruiting Trends has a post that gives the top 6 lies; a subject we have posted on many times – from embellishing a resume to all out lying. Here are the other 5 lies: Job Title Dates of Employment Compensation False degree from diploma mill Lack of Criminal Record I truly wonder why if verifying this information is so easily done through background checks why more applicant’s… Read More
Continue ReadingHow To Size Up Candidates
ManageSmarter has a great article titled, The Ideal Job Candidate: Myth or Reality? that touches on a subject that we have posted on many times. I cannot begin to tell you how many conversations we have around this subject with clients and prospects. Jeff Schmitt has 3 points he writes about when it comes to hiring. As a a hiring manager, I would recommend that you keep these points in mind as you begin a hiring process: Examine yourself. Look at your recruiting effort. Are you still reposting that same job description after another fruitless round of interviews? Unfortunately, this doesn’t change one element: the problem is you haven’t adapted.… Read More
Continue ReadingUsing Social Networks For Conducting Background Checks
In catching up on some posts and articles from the weekend I came across a survey from CareerBuilder on Cheezhead. The survey is looking to see how many hiring managers use social networking sites for conducting background checks. Here are the findings: Of those hiring managers who have screened job candidates via social networking profiles, one-third (34 percent) reported they found content that caused them to dismiss the candidate from consideration. Top areas for concern among these hiring managers included: 41% – candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs 40% – candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information 29% – candidate had poor communication skills 28% –… Read More
Continue ReadingLack Of Attention To Detail
Derrick wrote a series on sales traits last year which transcends sales and applies to everyone. I was catching up on my RSS reader from the Labor Day weekend and came across this perfect example to illustrate the lack of Attention to Detail. According to this post from US News & World Report, employees of media agency Carat learned about a planned layoff by management through an email. Because someone did not have an abundance of the attention to detail trait, an email meant strictly for management accidentally went out to everyone in the company. This is why we stress the use of assessments to “x-ray” a person’s hidden abilities and talents, or lack thereof. Unfortunately… Read More
Continue ReadingTelecommuter-Friendly Companies
A few months ago I posted on the rising trend of telecommuting. The percent of companies that allow working from home has gone up dramatically over the past few years. From our experience, that trend has been accelerating in just the past few months. More companies are offering salespeople the option to work form home a few days a month once they are through their on-ramping process. We are also being asked by sales candidates early in the process if telecommuting is an option. Not all companies and positions have that flexibility, but that shouldn’t preclude you from looking for alternatives. A recent article from the Workforce Management newsletter lists 7 companies… Read More
Continue ReadingLooking To Increase Productivity
In a survey conducted by LifeCare they asked employees to name the one benefit program that would make them more productive on the job. Their response, in a landslide, was a flexible work schedule. Of those surveyed, 63% gave that response, the second most frequent response was enhanced health and wellness programs (10%). I’m not quite sure of the definition of flexible schedule for the survey, but we are big proponents of a flexible schedule. Anytime you can hold an employee accountable for results, instead of the number of hours they work in the office, I can guarantee you will see more motivated, efficient workers.
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