I have a friend who is one of the steadiest guys in the world. He is extremely talented, has worked for some large companies and has an impressive list of degrees. However, he has been working on his career path since the moment he graduated college in 1992. He has worked for 4-5 year stints at a few companies before joining a company now that is the realization of his chosen path. The humorous aspect of his journey is that his employer is an old company. Their initial review of his stellar resume was this – he is a jobhopper. I still laugh when I think about that line applied… Read More
Continue ReadingPushing The Sales Cycle
Salespeople are finely-tuned into the economy since it can have a direct impact on their wallet. The fact is many salespeople who falter during an economic downturn get let go. That is a lot of pressure to handle even for strong salespeople. ManageSmarter.com offers up this article – Chronicles of a Sales Leader: Tough Times Call for Solid Leadership – that provides guidance to sales managers in handling salespeople who are under pressure. The author’s first point is perfectly stated (my bold): 1. Don’t abandon the client. As pressure to hit your numbers increases, a tendency to push the sales cycle ahead of the client’s buying cycle is a frequent… Read More
Continue ReadingSquatting On A Sale
Maybe that title isn’t the best turn of phrase. One effect we see often is alleged hunters in sales positions loaded with daily rejection. I’m not talking about the long-term, relationship-based sale that ends up with a soft no. I’m talking along the lines of a cold call-driven, commoditized market. These types of markets have been known to break good hunters. The break occurs once the salesperson acquires a handful of decent accounts. The salesperson begins to morph into a farmer with the approach of gaining more business from those few accounts. My experience has been that these salespeople get worn down from the rejection of constantly churning through cold… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Open Door Ruse
Sometimes the best advice is simply stated which is true of this Inc.com post titled The Fallacy of an Open-Door Policy. This topic catches my attention in that some of the worst managers I worked for claimed profusely that they had an open-door policy. They stated it, but we sales reps all knew it was a ruse. I think the author strikes a perfect chord with this: You need to create an environment where people can speak up in any venue. I’ve had some of my most important communications with employees driving in the car, standing in the lunchroom, or walking through the shop floor. How true…and difficult to put… Read More
Continue ReadingGen Y Is Empowered
Not my words, but rather a quote from this Selling Power article: “If I had to use one word to describe Generation Y, it’s empowered,” says Ann Fishman, president of Generation Targeted Marketing Corporation, a specialized marketing firm providing insight into consumer preferences, trends, and buying habits affecting the six generations of Americans. “This is a generation who has a tremendous amount of self-confidence. They are civic minded, optimistic, and want to be involved in their futures. They are going to come on very strong. And now for some tips: Fishman notes a few things to keep in mind when going through the hiring process with this group. First, Generation… Read More
Continue ReadingSpell Check Ain’t So Common
The title of a resume I found online: Experience Hard Warker
Continue Reading14 “Top” Interview Questions
CareerBuilder.com has put out another link-bait article titled Top Interview Questions. I wonder if they send this version out to their employer customers and a modified version out to the jobseekers in a separate email? Anyway, here is the list: What circumstance brings you here today? This is one of the best opening questions ever. This open ended question surprises many candidates. If they do not respond quickly, just sit quietly and wait for the response. Some candidates reveal problems with their current employer, potential insubordination, and both positive or negative character traits. How would your best friend describe you? What would you say are your 2 greatest weaknesses? How… Read More
Continue Reading3 Steps To Successful Negotiation
We’re in the middle of a couple negotiations between our customers and their top sales candidate selection. The companies are smaller and these positions are fairly important within the department so they are not “slotted” pay ranges that are more common in larger companies. Both negotiations have similar topics (salary and commission plans are always prevalent in sales negotiations) but different approaches by the candidates. Call it serendipity, but I came across a timely SalesHQ article titled How To Structure A Negotiation. The author, Jonathan Farrington, provides 3 important steps for any negotiation whether it be for a potential hire or a potential customer: The recommended structure for negotiations is:… Read More
Continue ReadingSelling To The C Level
We here that phrase often – must have experience selling to the (insert executive/C level/CEO here). But how many positions actually sell to this level? What do CEO’s actually purchase for their company? Financial planners sell to the C level. High-end insurance salespeople sell to the C level. However, most positions do not sell at that level. One value for a salesperson is the ability to enter at that level and then be sent down to the correct mid-level manager with a referral from the C level contact. Yet even that “kicked down” ability is overstated. The real value is being able to discover the decision process within the company. … Read More
Continue ReadingRedefining The Sales Funnel
This video from Selling Power discusses a unique look at the traditional sales funnel. The author in the video states that the sales funnel has to be thrown out and redesigned based on the prospect’s process. The 4 minute video is an excellent discussion on this topic: If you have trouble with the video, here is the link to watch it on the Selling Power website.
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