I’ve been dealing with many different sales candidates of late and one thing that is starting to stand out – a candidate’s resourcefulness.  This trait comes shining through on some candidates and is little more than a dull luster on others.  The less resourceful a salesperson, the more wary you should be in considering their candidacy.

This trait has always been important in sales.  Resourcefulness feeds networking, prospecting, qualifying and competitive knowledge.  Recently I have encountered a couple of candidates who just plain lack this ability.

The lack of resourcefulness shows up in not finding email addresses or cell phone numbers.  One salesperson wasn’t able to recall the position for which he was applying (this makes for an arduous phone screen).  Another salesperson wasn’t able to research new leads due to ineptitude using online tools.

These shortcomings are severe weaknesses in the information age.  I’m not sure how to measure this ability though we can get close to it with our assessments (practical thinking and using common sense).  More than likely, this ability has to be experienced in the hiring process so pay close attention during the initial stages of sourcing sales candidates.

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Roustabout, according to Forbes.com.  I didn’t know what a roustabout was/did either.

Roustabouts are the workers who assemble and repair oil and gas field equipment. They do other unskilled work around rigs like cleaning up spilled oil, moving pipes to and from trucks and guiding cranes that move loads around decks.

It’s hard and dirty work, and in the labor hierarchy of oil rigs, roustabouts are a notch below roughnecks.

Don’t you just love the American economy?  Never ceases to amaze me.  Of course, there is always the other side of the coin.  The disappearing jobs:

The disappearing jobs list also reflects the continuing long-term decline of no- and low-skilled manufacturing jobs in the U.S.–sewing machine operators, engine assemblers, machine tool setters, home appliance repairers and textile knitting machine operators.

There are some surprises: Actors and tax examiners show up on the disappearing list, which is topped by entertainers who performed in places like amusement parks and arcades–or at least who used to.

I could name quite a few actors who I would like to see disappear, but that is a post for another day.

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The Career News (sorry, no link) references an article regarding job market growth in 3 specific sectors (my bold):

While hiring in the financial and consumer discretionary sectors has clearly been impacted by the continued fall-out from the mortgage market collapse, the technology, healthcare and defense sectors are all adding to their executive-level ranks nationwide.

There were 12,000 more $100,000+ jobs posted on TheLadders in the first quarter of 2008 than there were in the first quarter of 2007. The recession is grabbing the headlines, but there are always countercyclical segments of the market that thrive in a down economy. The reports are showing a lot of reliance in this marketplace.

This fact is always true – while some markets flounder, others flourish.  In recruiting, selling, job hunting, etc., the key is to focus on the segments that are in strong growth mode.

One other tip is to understand that the media is prone to sensationalism in their reporting.  After all, their business is to keep your viewership, listernership or readership…and to do that they must hold your attention.  Recessions, market collapses, stock market drops, etc. are all sensational vehicles to hold attention.

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This list comes from Brian Tracy via the SellingPower.com Incentives newsletter.  If you have ever managed salespeople, you know how important proper motivation is.  Some days salespeople just don’t have it so you have to step in as their manager and give them that push they need.

The problems start when you find yourself stepping in daily.  At this point, you clearly have a de-motivated salesperson.  If you are at this point, here are some topics to consider:

1. Where am I going?
Salespeople lose their sense of direction when they are unclear on precisely what is expected of them on a daily basis, what their goals and quotas are, how their performance will be measured, and in what time frame. If, as the saying goes, clarity is 95 percent of success, the lack of clarity must be 95 percent of failure.

If you want to see this problem in spades, hire a new salesperson and leave these items undefined.  We have seen it too often of late.

2. How am I doing?
Ken Blanchard says that feedback, not Wheaties, is the “Breakfast of Champions.” On a weekly, daily, even hourly basis, people need to know how their performance measures up against stated goals and quotas. When a rep makes a sale, pick up the phone and offer congratulations. During weekly sales meetings, take the time to summarize the week’s sales results and share how well different team members are doing.

We had one sales manager who did not offer any feedback to his salesperson.  When we asked why, he said he was simply “observing him.”  Frightening.  The concern here is always the same – if you don’t interact with them, you can’t coach them.  If you don’t coach them, they will do things their own way.  It is at this point that the sales manager now loses touch with the critical pieces of information needed to do his or her role (forecasting, market adjustments, share competitive info with the team, new product/service suggestions, etc.).

You can read the entire article to learn all 7 de-motivators.  I highly recommend it.

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Here is a trend I have not heard of – managers without human resources backgrounds being moved into HR Manager roles.  From the Wall Street Journal online:

Of the 15 large-company chief HR officer changes that consultant Brian Wilkerson has tracked in the past five years, about one-third have been filled by non-HR executives, he says. That compares with maybe 10% of such appointments before…

The driver behind this increasing approach is fairly simple:

The shift reflects the increased importance that chief executives and boards place on recruiting, retaining and grooming employees. It also reflects a perception that some traditional HR professionals lack the deep understanding of business and financial issues that CEOs increasingly want, say consultants and recruiters.

“Many organizations are looking for their HR leader to be able to understand in great detail the business and the challenges of the business,”

This approach makes great sense as talented managers from other departments bring a different perspective.  There seems to be some irony if the HR department is fully focused on experience-based hiring.  A manager from outside the HR world brings hope of changing that unwise conventional wisdom.

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I’m not sure the implications of this information, but Inc.com reported that the sheer number of online ads has decreased from last month and last year.

The number of new jobs posted online in June was unchanged from May, marking the fourth straight month of year-over-year declines, the Conference Board reported this week.

Some 3.8 million job openings were advertised online last month, or about 2.5 vacancies for every 100 persons in the labor force, according to data compiled from 1,200 Web-based job boards. That’s down from 2.9 vacancies per 100 persons in May, and 11.2 percent below a year ago, the report said.

I’m not certain what data is used in compiling the number, but I have to think Craig’s List, LinkedIn and Facebook are having some effect on the overall numbers.  Many niche boards are also sprouting up.  Whatever the factors, the hiring pace has slowed down.  Remember, hiring is a trailing indicator so the economy may be rebounding while the hiring numbers show decline.

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From JustSell.com:

Have you ever wondered why hot dogs typically come 10 to the package, while the buns come in batches of eight?

While some suspect that the disparity is a marketing tool meant to increase sales, hot dog historians point to a time when customers purchased meat from a butcher and buns from a baker. Meat was sold by the pound, with the typical frank weighing one–tenth of a pound; 10 franks came in the pound package. But pan sizes dictated that buns be baked in multiples of four. (The eight–bun pan is still the most common
pan size.)

Enjoy the Fourth and eat a dog or two!

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232 years!

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend from all of us at Select Metrix.

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That is a new phrase for me and a humorous one to start the long, holiday weekend.  From JustSell.com’s daily newsletter:

Familiar with the term “PowerPoint singalong”?

According to buzzwhack.com, a PowerPoint singalong is a presentation read from the slides without comments or asides of any kind. (Monotone optional, but not required.)

There’s no telling whether this buzzword has staying power, but it does raise an important point…

When making your next sales presentation, make sure you engage with your audience. Prepare so that you don’t have to read off of your slides and you’re comfortable answering questions and comments.

Have a wonderful Independence Day!

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According to a Workforce Management article the buzz at the SHRM conference inolved rising gas prices and the wide-ranging effects it is having.  In fact, the conference’s opening press event highlighted its recent poll showing how companies are trying to assist their workers.  The two most noted solutions were flexible schedules and telecommuting.  Some of the other ways they are helping are four-day weeks, gas cards and car-pooling.

John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas made a great comment (my bold):

These are more than short-term fixes, Challenger says. They are the beginning of a revolution in the office that will result in productivity being the central value of work, rather the number of hours logged by employees. They also dovetail with other trends like globalization and a 24-hour view of the workday that accommodates all time zones—Asia, Europe and the United States.

“The idea of a set workday or a five-day workweek doesn’t make sense,” Challenger says. “It’s not about the time you put in. It’s about the work you do.”

Businesses often get stuck in a rut.  Some managers find micromanagement to be intoxicating.  These managers tend to veer away from solutions that would give freedom to our people and relinquish perceived control.  I think Challenger is correct – these “old-school” approaches are in for a major overhaul.

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