From Rasmussen Reports - Younger Workers Want More, Connection That Is. Not really a surprise here, but a reinforcement:

On top of everything else, Generation Y employees also prefer more frequent social interaction with their managers. One-quarter (26 percent) would like to socialize with their boss at least monthly. This is compared to 21 percent for Generation X, 16 percent for Baby Boomers and 17 percent for Traditionalists.

That seems to be a strong trend towards socializing amongst the younger workers. If you have a retention problem at your company, this survey provides a good place to start correcting it.

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In the last few of weeks I have been in a doctor’s office numerous times for different procedures. On one of these visits, I read an article in a dermatology magazine but I cannot recall specifics or find it on the web. I did find the the study which was conducted by American Academy of Dermatology. The article stated that 48% of American workers between the ages 18 to 29 have a tattoo or a body piercing other than in the earlobe.

In my prior life I worked in corporate America and remember the issues we ran into with tattoos and tongue piercings. I remember at one point that neither tattoos nor piercings were permitted by the company at all. If someone wanted to work for the company, they had to cover any visible tattoos and/or (usually and) remove any piercings other than in the earlobe. That was years ago and some of those rules were relaxed. But as you search for younger workers, or as they move up in your organization, you may wantto review your corporate dress code.

Do your employees present the desired image for your company in the marketplace and specifically to your customer base? On the other hand, are you losing potentially strong employees due to a dress code policy that stifles the younger generation’s style?

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I never thought I would write this, but you may be too rich if you need a “Santa Gifting Service” - Santa’s ‘Gifting’ Helpers Handle Holiday Shopping for the Wealthy. I read this article and was laughing and mildly disgusted all at once. Here’s why:

To some people, hunting for the perfect gift is more of a hassle than a holiday. Some of the wealthiest consumers across the country turn to consultants to find ultra-exclusive, money-is-no-object gifts from around the world.

First of all, spending money is one of my specialities. I like to say I didn’t earn it to save it. It is usually at that point I realize how blessed I am to have the wife I have (she is a saver). At any rate, I hate to see Christmas reduced to a gift-giving task that is categorized as a “hassle.”

Donum is the company that provides the shopping service to the wealthy. I have never heard of them which is probably a testament to my income. In case you were wondering, here is the pull quote from the founder:

“Donum stands for cutting-edge luxury,” brags Amy Frankel Nau, who founded the company more than a decade ago and is now a consultant to the company. “We are the most exclusive department store in the world, without the four walls.”

This quote got me to thinking, who sells their services? Better yet, what would the ideal salesperson look like in their world. Without profiling the sale, I would have to guess their most successful salespeople are a blend of two specific motivations - Utilitarian and Aesthetic. This is a difficult combination to find due to the relative scarcity of the Aesthetic motivation in sales.

Let me define the Aesthetic motivation so you can see its importance in this role:

• Driven by a passion for form, harmony and beauty
• Appreciate the finer things in life and strive to get them
• Empathetic to the feelings of others
• Aware of fashion and trends
• Susceptible to purchasing the newest and latest products

I think you can easily see why this motivation, tied to the Utilitarian drive for sales success, would be a tremendous fit for this type of sales position.

And one last trivial point from the article, “Donum” means gift in Latin.

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We’re working with a new customer who has brought up a topic which merits discussion. His contention is that he needs a salesperson who is a strong closer since their company competes in a somewhat commoditized market space. A fair conclusion.

But a wrong one.

Closing is the eventual outcome of a selling system but it is not the most critical phase. Qualifying is the stage at which most deals are won or lost. In fact, here is a bit of a shocker - qualified deals close themselves. It’s true. If a salesperson can qualify a prospective deal effectively, they can navigate to a successful close.

Salespeople who only know how to “close” are better suited for working in the holiday kiosks at the local mall. They can quickly jump passerbys and attempt to close them whether the passerby has a need or not. These types of salespeople subscribe to the approach that when all you have is a hammer, everything is a nail.

A salesperson who qualifies an opportunity will determine the prospect’s needs or pains, their budget to fix this pain and their time frame for making the pain go away. These are the pieces of the puzzle that lead to a successfully closed deal. This skill set is far more valuable in comparison to a salesperson who attempts to close any opportunity whether worthwhile or wasteful.

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Millions of vacation days go unused caught my eye this morning. A week before Christmas is a good time to release an article on this topic. One statistic worth noting:

In 2005, U.S. workers left a total of 424 million days on the table, Expedia also found.

That is a lot of days to forfeit. However, that number does speak to the drive of the American worker. I see a number that large and instantly think of what a pioneering, resourceful country we have. Of course, there should be an appropriate level of work-life balance in one’s career especially since there are tangible benefits.

He pointed to findings of the ongoing Framingham Heart Study that women who take two or more vacations a year cut their risk of fatal heart attacks in half.

Yes, I know “ongoing” and “study” dilutes the comment, but it is an eye-catching thesis. We could go into many discussions about work-life balance with this study’s results (once they are published). However, if we take this balance too far, we’ll end up here:

Western Europeans, by contrast, work nine weeks less a year than Americans, on average.

Nine weeks less? My first question is when do they work? My second question - why is Western Europe always propped up as some gold standard for business trends? There is a booming global economy and most countries over there are trying to figure out how to get their unemployment under 10%.

And this article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Rock Star’s condition:

Then there’s “presenteeism.” You know. When you’re at the office, cubicle or shop floor but not attending to your job because you’re sick or seriously distracted.

I’ve seen the Rock Star walk into the office looking like death warmed over, but he has to be ordered to go home before he infects everyone else.

Of course the author has to close with one more Europe reference:

“These are things that are taken for granted in Europe,” de Graaf said. “This country needs a cultural shift to understand that leisure is an important part of life. It’s not a luxury.”

I think it is wonderful that the author believes Europe has a well-developed understanding of leisure. Yet, our economy drives the world. At some level it seems to me that the rest of the world might want to look at the US and how our companies operate. Granted, we have our blemishes, but I suspect that every other country in the world would instantly trade their national economy for ours.

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To Whom it may concern:
I would like to have a great job without being layed off!

Seriously, that is how the cover letter opened. And from the title on another resume:

Professional Job-Seeker

Not the type of title that inspires a long-term employment relationship.

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We talk often at The Hire Sense about a salesperson’s ability to qualify a prospect. There are many points to qualify in any given opportunity, but one of the important items is time frame. Tirekickers abound on the web and often contact companies to learn more about their offerings. Yet, these tirekickers have no intention to make a short-term purchase.

A thought struck me as we work with one of our customers who is searching for a new salesperson. This position involves a technical sale and we have recently sourced a strong candidate that they want to pursue. We were involved in the initial interview and the candidate was quite strong (as we expected). Our customer liked him also and wants to pursue him. Unfortunately, they are in the middle of the myriad of year-end tasks most companies have to complete.

I tell you all this because they had hoped to pursue the candidate after Christmas. Well, the candidate is pursuing other opportunities simultaneously and will be receiving an offer early next week. This is not surprising with the low unemployment level across the country and especially here in Minnesota.

The time frame for a successful hire in today’s marketplace is rapid. If you find a strong candidate, you need to move on them with some speed lest another company close them before you. Our customer is now making adjustments today (Saturday) to be able to pursue the candidate on Tuesday with a final interview.

A good piece of advice - accelerate your hiring process if you want to hire the strongest candidates in this present economy.

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I write this post from a coffee shop in one of Minneapolis’ suburbs. I’m chuckling because just 6 feet from me is a salesperson doing a presentation to a customer while sitting on overstuffed furniture. His laptop is sitting on the coffee table between both people.

This scene is replayed thousands of times every day across the country. My quick analysis is that the salesperson is doing quite well and the customer seems to be sold.

We conduct many meetings in coffee shops and it is a great meeting location for informal sales meetings. I don’t think this is a revelation for many sales managers, but if you aren’t taking advantage of this resource, you may want to reconsider it.

Now back to my latte.

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Interviews are stressful for candidates as we posted this morning. If you want to gain an even more in-depth knowledge of the candidate, take them out for a meal as part of your interview process. Selling Power has a quick article worth the read - Out to Lunch?

In case you were wondering what to watch for at the meal:

Business etiquette expert Barbara Pachter says that by taking a candidate out to a restaurant you will be able to observe interpersonal skills that you may not be able to witness during a more formal interview. First, is the candidate on time? How do they treat the server? What do they order? Are they decisive or indecisive when ordering? Do they keep changing their order? Do they send their meals back? Some red flags to watch for include treating the server as a second-class citizen, ordering the most expensive thing on the menu, ordering alcohol during the meal, and having bad table manners do you really want this person talking with his mouth full or licking his fingers in the middle of a $3 million deal with a potential client?

Licking the fingers - classic. I have sat with some salespeople who smack while they eat which, to me, is about as unprofessional as it gets at any meal.

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Here’s What to Say When Boss Asks: ‘Why Isn’t This Done Yet?’ I’m sure none of you have been asked that question before. I, being an incredible putz, have been asked that question many times.

U.S. office workers get interrupted on the job as often as 11 times an hour, costing as much as $588 billion to U.S. business each year, according to research.

I wonder how they get to that staggering dollar amount.

A typical manager is interrupted six times an hour, one recent study showed, while another found the average cubicle worker is interrupted more than 70 times a day.

The telecommuting trend has a new study to support it. 70 times a day seems incredibly high to me so I suspect it includes emails, IM’s and phone calls. Of course in sales incoming phone calls are usually welcome. Many salespeople are so eager to receive a phone call instead of cold calling they will take an obscene phone call.

This one is going to leave a mark:

Putzier puts the blame on younger Generation X and Generation Y workers. “They are the big-time abusers. If they need something or want something, they don’t pick up the phone and ask for an appointment. They just barge in, and it’s all about them,” he said.

It would appear that Mr. Putzier does not subscribe to open-door management.

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