We are now establishing a theme for today’s posts. BusinessWeek.com offers this article regarding body language – It’s Not Your Mouth That Speaks Volumes. I’ve read these stats before but I always find them remarkable: Only a small percentage of communication involves actual words: 7%, to be exact. In fact, 55% of communication is visual (body language, eye contact) and 38% is vocal (pitch, speed, volume, tone of voice). The world’s best business communicators have strong body language: a commanding presence that reflects confidence, competence, and charisma. Do you ever stop and think of that percentage – only 7% of in-person communication is your choice of words. That’s amazingly minute.… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Body Language Of Interviews
You Can Say Too Much Without Even Speaking – this is so true. This article dovetails nicely with our Sales Traits Series posted earlier today. From CareerJournal.com: No matter what a job candidate might say, using the wrong body language can make them appear disinterested or even deceitful to recruiters. I sat through an interview recently with a candidate who maintained eye contact without blinking. Ok, that may be an overstatement, but I was quite put-off by his intensity. Thankfully, I don’t think is mattered much to our customer. That faux pas just happens to be the first one listed in this article: 1. Maintain the right amount of eye… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Understanding Attitude
This week we look at a subtle, but powerful, aptitude for successful selling. Salespeople with this trait are often described as being able to “read a situation” with amazing insight. Understanding Attitude The ability to read between the lines in understanding such things as body language, reticence, stress and emotions. Essentially, the capacity to grasp the intangible aspects of a complex situation. A salesperson with strength in this area will utilize more than simply words to gather information about another. A weakness in this area indicates a lack of ability to measure another’s attitude through indirect signs or signals.
Continue ReadingFilling The Leadership Gap
CareerJournal.com provides an interesting look at one Minnesota company in Manager Shortage Spurs Firms to Grow Their Own. Schwan found itself with a significant shortage of leadership talent that is symptomatic of the national hiring landscape. The tight labor market puts a premium on retaining top talent and raises the cost of outside hires. And leaner corporate structures make it harder for managers to naturally hone their skills through incremental steps up the ladder; companies must instead formally teach them. Demographics play a role, too: The looming retirement of baby boomers is forcing companies to think about replacements. Schwan has developed an internal solution to combat this problem: Schwan is… Read More
Continue ReadingDealing With The Insufferably Arrogant
No, I’m not talking about Trump. Selling Power has an article titled How to Handle the Devil without Getting Burned. We’ve blogged often about the most insufferable salesperson we have encountered in our years of working with sales departments. Now that I have read this quick article, I have found the perfect description of him. Often there’s a rep who is good, who knows he is good, and who repeatedly lets others know about it. This is a person who is arrogant, abrasive, and obnoxious with co-workers, and who sometimes bullies those beneath him or her on the totem pole, says Graham Scott. Yet when the person is a top… Read More
Continue ReadingA New Sales Title
Here is a sales position title from an employment ad: Inside-Outside Sales Representative I have never seen that one before. I would suggest picking the more appropriate distinction, inside or outside, and sticking solely with that title.
Continue ReadingBusiness Reputation Rankings
The Justsell.com guys lead us to an interesting link from The Wall Street Journal – Reputation Rankings. The list consists of the eighth annual survey of U.S. corporations with the best and worst reputations. The top 10: Microsoft Johnson & Johnson 3M Google Coca-Cola General Mills United Parcel Service Sony Toyota Motor Procter & Gamble
Continue ReadingEngaging Gen Y Employees
BusinessWeek.com’s How to Keep Your Team Talking is a bit of a how-to guide on running a brainstorming meeting. That, to me, is not as intriguing as looking at the management implications of properly handling Gen Y workers. The younger generations crave involvement in their work roles. They crave a purpose, a meaning, a mission more so than any generation before them. This mission goes beyond monetary rewards. They long to make a difference in the world through their work. This distinction is important because it points to the fact that they long to be engaged (to borrow a buzzword from the article). The idea behind engagement-mania is that when… Read More
Continue ReadingSelling Credibility
Marketingprofs.com offers up an insightful article from Jeff Thull that deals with one of the most important aspects of selling – credibility. Here is the setup (emphasis mine): Now the sobering question, “How different are your two best competitors’ credibility stories from your own company’s credibility story?” Unfortunately, other than a few minor elements, they are likely to sound quite similar. Therefore, telling the credibility story suggests that you and your competitors are more equal than you are different. This type of credibility is what we refer to as “expected credibility.” In other words, people expect you wouldn’t be in business if you couldn’t provide the above credibility story. They… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Phone Screening Essentials
I have read numerous article over the past few weeks about phone interviewing or screening sales candidates and every one of them miss the mark. Instead of going at what is wrong with each of these articles, I will give you some essentials that make this an effective step in our hiring process. These are the steps we incorporate into each recruitment process we run for our clients. These techniques have been developed through conducting thousands of sales interviews and phone screens over the past few years. What are the main requirements of the job? I am not talking about the job description. Instead, think about a wish list, so… Read More
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