“The biggest challenge employers face in recruiting new hires is the competition between companies for talent” notes Worldwide ERC, the association for global workforce mobility management. According to an article on their website, more than 90% of the companies surveyed are having problems recruiting the right people and more than 20% consider the problem severe. They were asked to give the reasons why they have been running into difficulties in hiring talented people – here are their responses (including percentages from the 2002 survey): 2002 2006 Competition with other companies 47% 59% Lack of qualified candidates 48% 50% Cost of living/housing issues 26% 38% Undesirable areas 22% 32% Dual career/family… Read More
Continue ReadingTitle Interpretation
Just read this title for a sales position: Major Regional Account Sales Representative That almost reads like the author was attempting to stuff keywords into the position’s title. As you know, I am finicky about titles since they are so important for online ads. Here is my first impression of this wordy title: Major = big accounts Regional = I’ll have a geographic territory Account = B2B, no consumer sales Sales = understood Representative = warning – mouse nuts position Now when I reread the title, I suspect that they were using “Sales Representative” which didn’t generate much interest. Their solution was to add title words that carry more clout.… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Concrete Organization
Complex sales require complex skills and traits to be successful. This week we look at a somewhat abstract capacity that pays tremendous dividends in long, complex sales cycles. Concrete Organization This capacity deals primarily with the salesperson€™s ability to properly allocate resources to accomplish a goal or plan. It includes the ability to understand the immediate, concrete needs of a situation and to establish an effective action plan for meeting those needs. These resources are not limited to only physical components. This capacity takes into account a person€™s ability to evaluate and utilize both human and physical resources. A salesperson with strength in this trait will be able to systematically… Read More
Continue ReadingCompensation Limitations Part Deux
As you would expect, my interpretations of the articles referenced by Herd Enuff’s comment are much different than the musings of the young lad known as the Velvet Hammer. I’m assuming the young lad chooses to ignore the aforementioned differences between the private and public sector for a reason. Perhaps it’s because of the harsh realities of situations like the Enron scandal. Or maybe the real need for legislation like Sarbanes Oxley, or the latest SEC disclosure rules – designed to protect the “average” investor from greedy C-level execs. Unless you’re a strict libertarian, you’ll have to admit that you enjoy the benefits of our “horrible government intervention” every day.… Read More
Continue ReadingExecutive Salary Caps Continued
I am attempting to stoke this fire some more with Red Bird. One reader posted a comment to yesterday’s post stating this: You guys must be living under a bush somewhere back east. Have you ever heard of the golden parachute? Show up, don€™t do anything, get fired and walk away with millions. It€™s great gig if you can get it. Chew on this http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/03/AR2007010300553.html or this http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2007/04/10/a-53-million-golden-parachute-for-sprints-forsee/ Fair enough – I know this is an emotional topic for many people. However, emotions are not the best option for rational decision-making. I think most people will agree that CEO’s do more than “Show up, don’t do anything, get fired and… Read More
Continue ReadingWhen CEO’s Don’t Communicate
Communication is the balm of corporate success in that it helps maintain cohesiveness. I have worked for companies that had excellent communication throughout the chain-of-command. Although there were problems and disagreements, communication from the leadership team was always thorough and timely. That fact made the culture far more pleasurable a work environment. In many companies, this need for strong communication is devalued. MarketingProfs.com has this article – Wanted: Leadership and People Skills. The gist of the article is the need for finding CEO’s with strong communication abilities. When asked “what do you look for when recruiting talent” at the recent Leaders in London conference, Richard Branson gave this answer: “People… Read More
Continue ReadingCompensation Limitations
The illustrious Mr. Hammer has been attempting to illicit a response from me regarding Executive Compensation. His latest post Why Executive Salary Caps Don€™t Work requires a response. Maybe I missed it in his post, but, I don’t see where Mr. Hammer separates the “Public” domain from the “Private” domain. Two very different worlds. First a confession. I’ve been known to manage and exploit a compensation plan to it’s fullest. Actually, I am quite proud of the fact that I’ve made some CEO, CFO and HR types very, very unhappy. Getting the most out of a compensation plan is EXACTLY what you should expect from a top-level sales person. Exactly… Read More
Continue ReadingWhy Executive Salary Caps Don’t Work
The title of this post is a shot across the bow of Red Bird since he and I go toe-to-toe on this topic. I am a strong proponent of letting the market determine executive pay. I trust the market as the best arbitrator of compensation. The principle works every time it is tried – if the executive is overpaid, he or she will be dismissed. If they are underpaid, he or she will receive an increase. Seems fair to me. I realize I am oversimplifying the issue, but I want to make a point. It does not bother me that the head of Exxon received a $400 million comp package.… Read More
Continue ReadingTop Tactics For Every Sales Call
The stereotypical description of a “good” salesperson is his or her ability to talk. Granted, good communication skills are extremely important in successful selling, but there is far more to it than just that ability. Salesopedia.com posts What to Know Before Every Sales Call which details common sense goals for each sales call. A dramatic shift in selling today involves prospect expectations. A salesperson is expected to understand general market conditions for a prospective company before contacting them. The salesperson also needs to have a general qualifying system to discover the information needed to either move forward or move on. What doesn’t work is the salesperson who believes they can simply… Read More
Continue ReadingTitles Equal Opens
We’ve had a very busy Q1 which has led to many sales positions for which we are actively sourcing right now. Hence, sourcing is foremost on our minds. We are not part of the “anti-online job boards” crowd. We actually find the boards to be quite efficient and effective for finding strong sales candidates. Our approach incorporates other channels simultaneously to broaden our candidate pool, but the boards should not be ignored. That being said, there is a critical piece of information to placing ads that should be maintained. Titles equal opens, plain and simple. I know this fact isn’t a revelation, but many companies still ignore it. We have… Read More
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