How to Read Your Prospect Like a Book! by John Boe is a quick read article from Sales Vault with some great tips on understanding the nonverbal cues a prospect/client is sending you. He states:

…that one of the easiest and most effective ways to close sales is to be aware of the prospect’s “buy signals.”

The article gives clues to look for in reading body language, mainly head and facial gestures. For an example:

Head Gestures

• Tilted back = Superior attitude
• Tilted down = Negative and judgmental attitude
• Tilted to one side = Interest

For those of you that know this information already, it is a nice 5 minute refresher. If this topic is new to you, it is well worth the time to read it, print it off and provide a copy to your salespeople. This information can also be used when interviewing candidates.

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From Sales & Marketing Management’s e-newsletter (sorry, no link available):

How to win the talent war:

* Assess current strengths and gaps. Review the talent on hand and what your future needs will be.

* Create a vision and strategy. Identify the tools, processes, and technology you will need to fill your talent gaps. Create a vision that can be embraced by a those who will be asked to do the recruiting work.

* Complete a readiness assessment. Is your organization ready to jump into the talent wars? Is the culture prepared to support the impact of a new talent vision?

* Build the business case. Identify the benefits to following your talent strategy. Be prepared to articulate these as the strategy is rolled out.

* Create an implementation plan. What will you do with talent when you get it? Craft a plan to integrate and measure your acquired talent. Establish metrics that determine whether or not your talent goals are in line with the company’s overall strategy.

The 3rd point and the last point seem to go hand-in-hand. They are both well worth mentioning in that we have seen the lack of these approaches cause tremendous headaches. Most companies want to hire sales superstars and we assist them in that endeavor. The issue materializes when the sales superstar arrives in their new position.

Strong salespeople usually do not blend well into a culture that has adapted to mediocre (or worse) sales performance. The strong salesperson tends to aggressively pursue opportunities and expects the company to be supportive in their quest to secure new customers. Often a company that is not accustomed to this activity tends to undervalue the strong salesperson’s efforts. The most common grievance is a lethargic apathy from the company. Nothing demoralizes a strong salesperson faster than the realization that the culture they are now immersed in does not match their high-powered drive for success.

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Application Etiquette from Sales & Marketing Management briefly provides some stats about when applicants should follow up after submitting their resume.

How long should a job applicant wait to follow up with the hiring manager after submitting a resume?
* 37 percent said one week or less
* 45 percent said one to two weeks
* 9 percent said two to three weeks
* 3 percent said three weeks or more
* 5 percent said don’t follow up at all
* 1 percent said they didn’t know

What’s the best way to follow up? E-mail is the preferred follow up method, followed by telephone, and a handwritten note.

We see hiring through a sales perspective and have some distinct thoughts about this topic. First off, our preference is to see salespeople pick up the telephone and call to respond to an employment ad. This is good sales behavior. It shows that they are confident in using the phone and, hopefully, are calling to qualify the position.

Second, I am shocked that 2 weeks is the preferred amount of time to wait before following up. I would say that 1 week is long enough. Again, we like to see good sales behavior in their follow up. Are they timely? Is their follow up professional? How do they approach the reason for their call or email? These are all valuable questions to address when searching for strong salespeople.

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