In a recent a recent Workforce Management newsletter it had quick article that caught my eye. It was titled: Who’s Tough and Who’s Not (sorry no link available) and looks to see what is the toughest group in corporate America.

PsyMax Solutions, a human capital assessment company in Cleveland conducted a survey and reached its conclusions after studying the responses of more than 2,000 employees. It found that middle managers are the most resilient, are better able to accept criticism, manage stress and bounce back from frustration and disappointments.

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Through some of my sourcing efforts this past week I came across several lists for the top cities for relocating. The Employee Relocation Council (ERC) and Primacy Relocation have been conducting these survey’s for a few years. From what I found, they publish a yearly list of the top 50 cities for Families by market size and the top 100 cities for singles.

Our home state of Minnesota did not place any cities in the top 50 for families, but Minneapolis/St. Paul came in at 77 on the list of top 100 cities for singles. Here is the criteria used for each of the lists:

Families
Tax Rates
Average House Prices & Appreciation
Cost of Living
Ability to Qualify for In-State Tuition
Service Quality of Local Utilities
Auto Taxes
Per-Capita Volunteerism
Quantity of Fun
Family-Friendly Events and Venues
Fee and Occupancy Rates for Temporary Housing and Mini-Storage
Quality and Availability of Elder-Care
Commute Times

Singles
Local Percentage and Growth Trends of Unmarried Residents Aged 25-34
Male-Female Ratios
The Number of Newcomers to the Area
Diversity and Density of Population
Job Growth vs. Unemployment Rates
Apartment Rental Costs
Fee and Occupancy Rates for Temporary Housing and Mini-Storage
Higher Education Costs
Service Quality of Local Utilities
Auto Taxes
Per-Capita Volunteerism
Quality and Quantity of Collegiate and Professional Sports with Fun, Fan-Friendly Venues
Number of Starbucks and Other Coffee Shops
Quality or Popularity of Restaurants, Nightspots, Health Clubs, and Online Dating
Moderate Climates

It suprised me that the list of criteria for singles was larger than that of families. For anyone that has kids (especially teenagers), you know that there are many items missing off this list. In observing my twin teenage boys, malls and movie theaters come to mind. Perhaps for the purpose of the survey those two were lumped into the category of “family-friendly events and venues.” (try hanging out with your teenager at the mall – they would rather die)

In all seriousness, the Twin Cities are extremely family friendly. Our burdensome tax rate must be dragging us down in the rankings.

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We are fans of Jeff Thull’s approach to selling as we commented in a post from this past summer. Now Thull has a new article in the latest SMT enewsletter – The Science and Art of Go For The No Selling. I recommend you read the entire article, but here are some excerpts:

Probably the most debilitating myth ever perpetuated on the world of selling is: A good salesperson can sell anything to anybody. But those of us pursuing a complex sale should be taking the opposite approach.

Provocative you say? The reasoning:

Selling has become such a complex process that if you don’t consider “no sale” as a valid outcome and go for the no right away, you could end up wasting valuable time, company resources and delaying access to more lucrative opportunities. Real professionals recognize that a no – after a quality diagnosis, wins the potential customers respect, leaves the door open for future business and frees you up to pursue a better match. You should always ask yourself, Is there someplace better I could be?

And finally, the tease of the article:

Today’s environment – characterized by long sales cycles, multiple layers of decision and influence, and numerous perspectives – has become so complex that the very nature of selling has changed.

You will have to read the article to discover his solution. It is worth your time.

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I know you will hear it often today, but please take the time today to get to the polls and cast your vote. All of us at The Hire Sense will be taking time today to perform this civic responsibility that much of the world does not have the freedom to enjoy.

See you at the polls.

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