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.… Read More
Continue ReadingBad Wording
The opening line of a candidate’s experience as he listed on his resume: Hired by company to penetrate virgin markets… Honestly, this is a candidate for a high-level sales position. He doesn’t have enough sense to change that sentence?
Continue ReadingHigher Education
Honestly read this under the "Education” section of a resume: Completed Kindergarten on through 12th grade I think that is rather funny. I guess the old axiom that the longest journey starts with the first step is true. Education starts with successfully completing kindergarten.
Continue ReadingFailure
Here is a great Nike commercial via the JustSell.com website: http://www.justsell.com/michael-jordan-on-failure/ The point of the commercial walks right over to the sales world. Michael Jordan’s closing statement from the commercial: I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Here is what sales managers need to understand, some times you need to let a salesperson fail. Now, I’m not talking about a large, important prospect, but rather a prospect that you may know is not going to close or is misaligned in some other way. I’ve come across many sales managers who want to consistently step in and help a struggling salesperson. … Read More
Continue ReadingConventional Wisdom About Sales Managers
Here is an article from Eye on Sales that addresses a common sales management topic – should you promote your top salesperson into the sales manager role? I would argue that the conventional wisdom is to avoid making this mistake. From the article: Sales management mistake #1: Promoting top performers to sales managers Top-performing salespeople are not necessarily top managers. Leaders often fail to evaluate their best sales professionals for their ability and aptitude to manage before placing them in a leadership position. It seems like an easy decision to promote the best, but in reality you might be taking one of your most potent weapons out of the game… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Problem With Hunters
They hunt – plain and simple. You could say it is in their blood. This becomes an issue when you are attempting to hire a sales hunter as I have witnessed this past week. One of our customers zeroed in on a particular candidate who is a strong hunter, but my customer took their time in pursuing him. In that time, he uncovered another opportunity and received an offer. That offer was later placed on hold so he returned to my customer for an interview. They thought he would be a great fit, but the first company came back and made him another offer along with my customer. He went… Read More
Continue ReadingOffice Battles
Thanks to Sierra Miller for sharing some funny passive-aggressive office notes. Check out the photos here. It reminds me of a previous position I had in a technology company. One of the IT guys kept having a similar problem – someone would peruse his lunch in the refrigerator and help themselves to some of the food. The IT guy was a bit high-strung which probably made him a more appealing target for these hijinks. Anyway, one day he does a page all over the entire building and goes off about someone eating his lunch. This was a company with 175 employees – it wasn’t small. He ranted to the entire… Read More
Continue ReadingSourcing Stories
I have been swamped with sourcing activities over the past couple weeks as we work on multiple projects. I am definitely seeing an upclick in hiring activities which is normally preceded by increases in our assessment work. We have seen a tremendous increase in assessments so I take that as a good sign. So a quick sourcing story for you – I’m on the phone with a gentleman and we are deep into the phone interview. He interrupts me to say he needs to step away as his 5 year-old son has gone to the bathroom and the candidate needs to go “wipe his butt.” He proceeds to set the… Read More
Continue ReadingThey Always Reference The Top Salesperson
I’ve encountered a common question in recent interviews which pertains to the current level of performance from the existing sales team. This economy is wreaking havoc on many salespeople in terms of their commissions. Sales candidates are aware of this situation and are diligently asking the question regarding where the current team is performing. I find it to be a most appropriate question. The problem often lies within the hiring manager’s response. It is simply difficult to hide a grossly underperforming sales team. If the economy is cratering their success, the problem is even more difficult to contain in an answer. This usually leads to a pseudo-answer that deflects the… Read More
Continue ReadingHow To Tell You Are In A Bad Economy
From the Herman Trend Alert (emphasis mine): In December, companies with fewer than 300 employees experienced employment growth of 1.54 percent, representing the largest percentage increase since June 2010. 1.54 percent? That is encouraging? I know, I realize there has been little to no growth, but 1.54 percent is almost as miniscule as it can be. This is the largest growth in 18 months. To say it is a difficult employment market would be a monumental understatement.
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