May 6, 2011
Selling Experience
I have been swamped in sourcing activities recently and have decided to push some random thoughts up to the blog. Here they are:
-Selling for modern-day monopolies (like utilities) is far different than selling in the highly competitive, cost conscious marketplace. Sales candidates with these backgrounds must be screened for their ability to qualify money. I have found that skill set lacking in these candidates.
-Why are candidates turning into stalkers? I realize the job market is still incredibly tight, but I have come across many candidates who simply overdo it. Sense of timing is an aptitude we assess and I am convinced it is more important now then ever.
-First impressions cannot be overstated. I try to coach clients to let an interview run its entire course before coming to conclusions. Still, you can tell this is simply difficult for all of us.
-Slick sells, but earthy makes better salespeople. Some slick salespeople say the right things, have the right look, present the right topics and can’t sell anything but themselves landing on your payroll. The longer I do this, the more I am impressed by earthy, sincere salespeople. The recent shift to relationship-intensive sales has made these salespeople more valuable.
