Here is a bullet point from a sales employment ad:

Home based office experience a major plus!

Can you imagine reading that point just 5 years ago?

Comments(0)

The Wall Street Journal provides an article that does a nice job of laying out the upcoming shortage of workers.  The focus is upon the different generations and the general drive behind each.  The article is rather rudimentary, but it provides a clean view of the problem.

First:

Americans of childbearing age simply are not producing enough kids to meet the economy’s future need for workers, notably in fast-growing fields such as medicine and engineering. The shortfall is coming largely because the fabled baby boom generation was so huge—75 million Americans born in the 18 years from 1946 to 1964—that no other generation can be expected to match it any time soon.

Ok, that point leads to this:

They are being replaced by two younger generations, each with its own desires regarding the opportunities and rewards available at work. The challenge for hiring managers is to figure out what these workers’ needs are, so that employers will be able to find them, hire them, and keep them on the job.

Retention is going to be a top business initiative over the next couple of decades which is a simply outcome of supply and demand.

The baby boomers: They place a heavy emphasis on work and successfully climbing the corporate ladder. Work is an anchor in their lives.

The Gen Xers, born between 1965 and 1980: They enjoy work but are more concerned about the work-life balance.

Generation Y, also known as Millennials, born after 1980 and now age 28 or younger: They often have different priorities than their Gen X and baby boomer counterparts, Smith says.

“Because of their reliance on technology, [Millennials] think they can work at any time and any place and believe they should be evaluated on the basis of work produced—not on how, when or where they got it done. Curiously, most Millennials want long-term relationships with employers, but on their own terms,” Smith says.

And finally, here is the rub we have seen between Baby Boomer managers and Gen Y employees:

The Millennials respond poorly to those who act in an authoritarian manner and those who expect to be respected due to higher rank alone. They believe they can learn quickly, take on significant responsibility and make major contributions far sooner than baby boomers think they can.

Exactly.  There has to be a balance between the boomer manager allowing the Gen Y worker to grow quickly in the role and the Gen Y worker not expecting too much, too fast.  There is distinct tension between these two goals.

As they see, read the entire thing.

Comments(1)

Most modern calendars mar the sweet simplicity of our lives by reminding us that each day that passes is the anniversary of some perfectly uninteresting event.

-Oscar Wilde

We have made it through another year of posting and pontificating.  Today, The Hire Sense turns two.  Thanks to all of you for allowing us the chance to share our thoughts, opinions, anecdotes and suggestions in this format.

Comments(0)

First we posted on the 7 Deadly Sins of Salespeople over a year ago.  Now comes the follow up – leaders, or sales managers.  Each item has a full paragraph explanation to it which I have removed for space.  However, 3 of them warranted the full paragraph:

1. Passiveness

2. Unaccountability

3. Thoughtlessness
Leaders think. They acknowledge they are making assumptions when they make them and that they are considering opinion rather than dress it up as a fact. They do not apply business models from other industries or businesses without considering whether their external operating environment, strengths and weaknesses are or can be made to be similar. They do not use buzzwords without knowing what they mean. They do not use buzzwords without how implementing them will affect their operation, in detail.

4. Affectation

5. Greed
Leaders share. Leaders share the glory of success. They see equity, not as a democratic ideal, but as part of what it means to be fair. They recognise that people need to feel valued to be motivated. They also share the workload and authority, understanding that independence and achievement is a strong reward.

6. Laziness

7. Inconsistency
Leaders are persistent and resilient. They set a goal, devise a strategy and execute the strategy. The strategy is changed consciously. The strategy is not changed unconsciously by reactive decisions. They do not allow their mood or the mood of their subordinates to change what they assert.

Number 7 resonates with me.  I have worked for more than one sales manager who changed courses on almost a daily basis.  I can’t begin to tell you how frustrating that was.  Not only would he change direction, he would change the entire focus (markets, products, marketing, target companies, etc.).

We were selling a high-end software package which exasperated the problem.  It took time to develop suspects into prospects (demonstration-intensive sale) and our market was fairly horizontal (which allowed him to jump into any area).  It is still frustrating to me as I write this almost 10 years after the fact!

Comments(0)

From the outstanding resume file – a resume I received yesterday for a Project Manager position:

Personal Attributes
I am highly enthusiastic, hard working, opinionated and motivated to work under my own initiative or as part of a team.

1. I have extensive practical experience of fault-finding…

Which explains why his team wants him to work on his own initiative. In all fairness, the candidate goes on to finish item #1 with:

…and problem solving systematically.

Certainly  a lot easier to do once you’ve established blame.

There’s a sentence later in the letter that suggests English isn’t a strong suit –

My team were involved in maintenance, repairing and servicing of general electronic equipment down to component level, I was responsible for a team of ten technical staffs, managing them on a day to day basis, and helping them with any problems, and ensuring the team achieved their targets within set deadlines and planning work for staff and monitoring the progress, defining where appropriate, providing regular reports to my company board and conveying practical solution on designing systems to my R&D department and risk assessment of my work.

Well if that doesn’t get him an interview, perhaps his response to the ‘Are you willing to relocate?’ question will:

Yes, London 100% and Minneapolis 50%

That’s a shame, because our position requires 100% attendance, which might be tough if the candidate is always in England, but maybe it’s like that old Superman episode (and I mean Steve Reeves, not the guy from Smallville) where Superman splits himself in two through force of will.

The kicker is probably not as funny as the writing – the position the candidate is responding to has not been on an active job board for at least a week. But with credentials like that, who cares if you take your time responding to the opportunity?

Comments(0)

Apparently the answer to that question depends upon whom you ask.  From an older RecruitingTrends.com article:

Furthermore, executives’ innate understanding of what defines flexible work strategies varies. While the largest percentage (45%) define it as pertaining to time, 31% view it as something to do with an employee’s location, and another 23% see flexible work arrangements as something other than time or location.

I would fall in the “Flexible location” group in terms of defining it.  It would appear that this relatively new phrase requires a better definition.  Or perhaps all new phrases and terms begin with some ambiguity.

Comments(0)

Selling Power offers a short, but excellent article that provides 5 subtle ways to build credibility.  We often talk about establishing rapport with prospects and then building credibility.  This is sales 101, but it is surprisingly sparse in sales situations (emphasis mine):

Of the five elements which are essential to building genuine trust (character, competence, confidence, credibility, and congruence), a Persuasion Institute poll found 44 percent of respondents said credibility was most important – yet it was established only 11.4 percent of the time.

So here are the author’s suggestions:

1.  
   1. Admit weakness. Nothing’s perfect. Prospects know your company and your product are weak in some areas. You boost your credibility when you admit to those weaknesses rather than trying to sweep them under the table. Even better: turn a perceived weakness into a desired benefit. For instance, if your software doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a competing product, point it out. Then point out how the simplicity of your product boosts usage and data entry accuracy.
   2. Borrow credibility. When your prospect doesn’t know you or you believe your credibility with them is low, borrow the credibility of another to boost your own. Ask yourself: who could endorse or recommend you? Who has credibility with your prospect and would be willing to call and introduce you? What relevant testimonials can you share that would boost your credibility?
   3. Stay positive. When you bad-mouth the competition, your credibility heads south faster than you can say “no sale.” It’s just like your mom always told you: talking badly about someone else does not make you look better. In fact, it has the opposite effect. Sure, there are some instances where a prospect legitimately needs to be warned about the competition; in these cases, provide ways for the prospect to discover the problem for themselves, says Mortensen.
   4. Subtly reveal qualifications. If you have expertise, education, experience, or other qualifications that make you an expert in an area, find ways to reveal it without coming across as a braggart or conveying a sense of superiority to your prospect. When audiences accept you as an expert, says Mortensen, you’ll have their undivided attention.
   5. Stay calm. Have you ever seen a highly successful CEO or lawyer rushed and flustered? No way. They are always composed, even in the middle of a crisis. Likewise, sales professionals who stay calm and poised come across as highly competent and credible. So no matter how flustered you feel, never let anyone see it.

I particularly appreciate that last point.  There is something impressive about a businessperson who remains calm and measured even during a stressful situation.

Comments(0)

What emails do you open?  The “From” field and subject line are the first draw for most people and a determinant for gaining a higher open rate.  MarketingProfs.com has an informative article that breaks down examples of awesome and awful email subject lines.  The article is a good read and worth your time.

I’ll skip to the end where the author, Josh Nason, provides a handful of tips for writing effective subject lines:

• Don’t discount the importance of the From name. Keep it your company name and not an individual’s name or drawn-out term. In addition, keep your company name out of the subject line: It’s redundant—a waste of valuable real estate.
• There is no point to using all caps in a subject line. OK? (Unless it’s “OK.”)
• Write a compelling subject line that won’t deceive people. If people aren’t opening it, that’s OK, as you’ll have many more campaigns to intrigue them. If you break the receiver’s trust early, you’ll have to work twice as hard to get it back. Never forget the Golden Rule.
• Most important, have some fun with subject lines! If you’re struggling that much with how to talk to your audience in a single-sentence format, give it to someone else to writes. Just make sure that you don’t explain the task in all caps, please.

And here are a couple of examples from the article:

From: AAA Northern New England
Subject: AAA Newsletter—February 2008

Ah, the dreaded (Company X) Newsletter with the month and date. Fun! When I opened up the newsletter, there were all kinds of great discount offers; but, instead, this subject line reads more “library” than “block party.”

From: Bob Marley
Subject: Comedian Bob Marley Returns To Boston!!

It’s a direct statement that his fans in that area would likely open. Since “Bob Marley” is already in the From line, there’s no need to repeat in the subject line. I’d try “Boston dates coming up soon!” instead. Why waste the valuable real estate?

Comments(2)

The management landscape is changing drastically as more salespeople move to remote/home offices within their territory.  Yet, many aspects of sales seems to be moving more towards relationship-based sales.  Yes, relationships have always been a key part of selling, but it seems to be the greater piece today.  Information flows freely on the Internet so the differentiation between companies is being pushed onto their salespeople.  So we have arrived at the place where relationship-driven salespeople work remotely instead of at the corporate office.

The strain of this new arrangement falls squarely on the sales manager.  The modern-days sales manager has to work with limitations that were less common just 10 years ago.  The greatest impact is in communication as seen in this Wall Street Journal article:

“It’s about relationships and understanding nuances and building trust,” he says.

Working with distant employees makes that process harder, because you can’t see the subtleties of how people react and it’s harder to create a bond with people you can’t grab a cup of coffee with.

The article then brings up a good point regarding technical aptitude for communicating remotely:

Communicate each person’s role and business objectives regularly, and establish agreed-upon ways to resolve conflicts and solve problems early on, says Mr. Eicher. Find out how technically savvy your remote employees are — and get them trained in technologies you plan to use to keep in touch, he says. Remote employees should be comfortable with voice over Internet protocol, or VOIP; video streaming; and instant messaging.

A remote salesperson without a basic understanding of these technologies will struggle…greatly.  The gist of the article states that managers still have to get out and do the face-to-face time.  This approach is especially critical for newly hired salespeople:

“Having that first face-to-face meeting of the team — building relationships, reviewing roles and performance objectives — better enables far-flung employees to work effectively,” he says. And, he adds, that first meeting can help subvert the hesitation people have connecting with and asking for things from people they don’t know very well.

That is true.  We had a customer hire a remote salesperson who they only brought in to the facility one time.  The salesperson ended up getting lost in the onramping process.  The manager was not available and their was no set structure to the communication.  In the end, the salesperson left within 90 days due mainly to a feeling of apathy from the corporate-based sales manager.

Comments(0)

That is how long you have to hook a person on a cold voicemail message according to this article on Salesopedia (my bold):

6 Interesting Sales Prospecting Statistics

1.  In a recent survey 95% of salespeople said they can sell – they just need to get in front of more prospects.
2.  Effective prospecting blends both marketing & selling.
3.  Most salespeople HATE to prospect.
4.  The best prospectors often close more business than the best salespeople.
5.  Nearly 60% of high performing prospectors consider the phone ESSENTIAL to their prospecting success.
6.  Decision makers listen to only 9 seconds of a “cold” voicemail before deciding to press delete?

Good points all of them.  If you only have 9 sec., does it make sense to spend it stating your name and contact information?  My thought is that it makes more sense to take an approach that buys you another 9 seconds.  Whatever your approach, know that your window is smaller than you may have expected.

Comments(2)