I’ve been swamped phone screening sales candidates this week and have seen many levels of ability. One thing that has been clear is the candidate’s ability to qualify money. This is a big issue for some salespeople in that they are uncomfortable discussing money.

One move I like to use is to provide a wide range on the salary to see what they do with it. If they ask me about compensation (surprising how many do not), I give them a range like $40K to $80K salary. That is a wide range so I expect them to qualify it further:

-What will it take to be closer to the $80K end?
-How will the final salary be determined?
-Which end of that range would you place me?

Any question to drill down on my vague response would be appropriate. I realize candidates want to be polite and professional, but a candidate who can qualify the money in a professional manner stands head and shoulders above the ones who cannot.

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Ok, bit of a laugh here from an ad I read this morning. The ad doesn’t mention the company name and lists 10 bullet points describing the position’s requirements. The last bullet (and line) in the ad caught my attention:

Experience in sanitation or portable toilets business is a plus

Do you think maybe the author was attempting to sneak that point through like a Phil Niekro fastball?

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As the unfortunate recipient of some heinously impossible sales quotas in my day, I am most intrigued by this week’s trait as it pertains to Sales Managers (and a few from my past that I would enjoy assessing on this topic).

Realistic Goal Setting For Others
The ability to set goals for others that can be achieved using available resources and operating within a projected timeframe. This trait includes the ability to utilize previous measurable performance in the establishing of goals and/or quotas.

A sales manager with strength in this capacity is adept at understanding the potential of another individual, weighting the requirements of a job against their abilities and setting realistic/attainable goals for them to pursue.

A weakness in this area indicates a sales manager who may not have enough confidence to set goals at the proper level. They may not have the drive to encourage others to achieve established goals. They may not be able to clearly see what is happening to be able to form an accurate view of the situation.

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can be found at the supermarket according to the latest Harris Interactive poll (h/t JustSell.com).

This year€™s annual Harris Poll ranking industries on how well they serve consumers finds that the supermarket industry does the best job according to U.S. adults. Fully 92 percent of adults think supermarkets generally do a good job, and only eight percent think they do a bad job, giving them a net positive score of 84 percentage points.

Other industries that receive high net scores are:

• online search engines (77 points positive);
• computer hardware companies (64 points positive);
• computer software companies (61 points positive);
• hospitals (58 points positive);
• banks (56 points positive); and
• packaged food companies (55 points positive)

Who knew?  Well, I guess the 10 year trend has always had supermarkets at the top so I guess Harris Interactive knew.

One key point I learned from a sales trainer long ago is that the number 1 reason why customers leave is because they do not feel appreciated any more.  He used to repeatedly state, “Your top customer is your competition’s top prospect.”

I found that to be too true when I worked at a company with a lackluster customer service department.  We used to refer to them as the “customer prevention department.”

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