This week we look at a trait that is important when assessing sales candidates for complex, long sales cycle positions. Proactive or reactive is the difference in this highly valued sales trait. Proactive ThinkingThe ability of a salesperson to evaluate future implications of current decisions and actions. This would include examining the long-range effects of a decision. The ability to mentally create the scenarios and outcomes of situations that could develop from decisions or plans of action. A salesperson with strength in this capacity will tend to evaluate current situations, needs and actions based on how they will change in the future. A salesperson with weakness in this area will tend to… Read More
Continue ReadingAre Leads Dying On The Vine?
There is an interesting article in the recent Career Concepts USA newsletter (sorry, no newsletter link). Career Concepts USA offers recruiting solutions through Career Fairs, Sourcing, and Partnership Services. They have an article on research done by Salesnet.com which found that 87% of all leads are not pursued by salespeople. Boy is that a frightening statistic, think about all the money that is spent to develop leads and then they are never pursued. We often hear from salespeople that their company doesn’t do enough lead production. Here are the main reasons why leads are not pursued as stated in the article: -Lag time between prospect interest and sales contact. -Lack… Read More
Continue ReadingReference Checks
I came across an article on Monster this morning that identifies fives mistakes you want to avoid for reference checks. The article is a quick read, but here are the five mistakes to avoid: Not Checking at All Lack of Consistency Making the Job Offer Contingent on a Reference Check Not Requiring References Who Have Worked Directly with the Candidate Asking Leading questions and Failing to Ask Follow-Up Questions In point 3 the author has this to say: References should be checked much earlier in the process than many employers actually perform them. Once the top two or three candidates have been identified through resume screenings and initial interviews, references… Read More
Continue ReadingJust Getting Started
The decision has been made. The offer has been extended. The offer has been accepted, and the start date is just around the corner. The “newbie” is joining the sales team. Now what? That can be a bit of a scary question for the sales manager responsible for the success of a new hire. Hiring a candidate that has been and properly assessed, profiled, interviewed and evaluated is an excellent foundation for success. But hold on. It’s just the start to the process. As you might guess, an industry term to address these situations has already been crafted . “Onboarding” is the most commonly used term to reference the plan… Read More
Continue ReadingOnline Employment Stats
Interesting statistics from Selling Power’s The Fast Trend: Online Recruiting Services which references a Monster.com survey regarding online ads. Obviously Monster.com has a horse in the race on this topic, but their stats are somewhat surprising. “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2003, 62 percent of households had at least one computer, up from 56 percent two years before, and that number is growing every day. The workforce is online. More than 80 percent of those aged 18 to 49 and 67 percent of those aged 50 to 64 are online. Online employment sites captured 22 percent of the employment recruiting market in 2004, up from just 1 percent… Read More
Continue ReadingChanging Bait
Here is an article from Selling Power that is spot on – Fishing for Recruits? The first step, says Silverman, is to get creative with your titles. “You can write a great job description, but if it’s buried under a boring title such as ‘Account Manager,’ no one is going to click on it. A good title [like a good headline] is going to create a call to action. He’s right. The days of counting words, employment ad shorthand and simple position titles are gone. I still see companies using this approach as I stated in a previous post. Stop now and make the adjustments. The only part of an… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Skills Trump All Others
There is something about industry experience that is seductive to many hiring managers. The allure of a salesperson who has been “in the industry” for some time is almost irresistible. The same infatuation seems to exist with salespeople once they are on the payroll. The salesperson’s ability to understand the company’s product and service offering is important to the position. But why are many new salespeople judged by their level of product/service understanding? Is this really the best determinant of sales success? In a word, no. At the risk of being overly simplistic, salespeople are hired to . . . sell. Their sales skills trump all other skills. These skills… Read More
Continue ReadingA New Addition
We are continuing to grow here at Select Metrix and The Hire Sense. Let me be the first to introduce you to the newest member of our team – Mike Cardinal. Mike will be heading up our new offerings which will revolve around sales management. Mike has almost 30 years of experience in the sales and sales management arena and will be a strong addition to our team. One of the first orders of business will be a significant change to our hiring process and specifically our warranty. More to come on that topic later this week. Mike will also be contributing to The Hire Sense with his expertise in… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Job Search Equation
From the StarTribune’s Beyond The Basic Job Search Rules: His company (Jericho Communications) has conducted research that shows on average it takes one month for every $10,000 in salary in order to find a new job. So, if you’re looking for a $50,000 per year position, it could take up to five months €” if you work at it daily. I haven’t heard of that equation before reading this article. We work on the company side of hiring, but I suspect this equation holds water for candidates? My initial take on sales positions is that candidates find opportunities faster than this rate. Of course, a strong salesperson can find a… Read More
Continue ReadingImproving Job Ads
From CareerJournal.com’s Employers Try Plain English To Improve Quality of Job Ads: Traditional job descriptions, some recruiters say, emphasize qualifications, but skimp on describing the work, the challenges and the company culture. This topic has been a sore spot for me for many years. I read many sales ads during the week and find many of them lacking. Crafting an effective sales is difficult and takes a fair amount of work. Many ads read like 1980’s retreads. Some solid advice: The new ads can also help recruit a broader pool of promising candidates because they don’t set strict education and work-experience requirements. HealthEast Care System, a Minnesota hospital group, began… Read More
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