Business has its own pet language, doesn’t it? Much like sports, there are some favorite clichés that are common speak in most office buildings. Yahoo does a good job of chronicling some of the worst. A couple examples: Synergize Say what? This word has infiltrated nearly every cube and conference room in the country. The fault here can largely be placed on one seminal advice author. In Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, the No. 6 habit is Synergize. Of the habit, Covey writes, "To put it simply, synergy means two heads are better than one." Covey readers might recall getting the same advice in simpler terms several… Read More
Continue ReadingInterview Question Psychosis
Let me be honest, I have sat in on some interviews that were borderline psychotic. Questions from left field, overt anger and emotions, lying responses that were easily observed…and those were the good ones. In all seriousness, interviewing is difficult and being a good interviewer is even more challenging. Most managers do not spend their time honing their interview skills. This fact often leads to bizarre questions. It also leads to bizarre question patterns. Every year there seems to be a list of the oddest interview questions from the year – it is a guilty pleasure of mine to read them. Perhaps you would enjoy the list also? To whet… Read More
Continue ReadingA Hiring Boom
Well, it is good to be back at it after a nice Christmas break with the family. It is even better to come back to read an article like this one from CNNMoney.com. How about this: "We’re looking at some leading indicators on employment, and they’re all flashing green lights," said Bernard Baumohl of the Economic Outlook Group, a Princeton, N.J. research firm. Though most economists still expect a painfully high unemployment rate of about 9% at the end of this year, Baumohl and others think that stat masks more important signs of strength. Baumohl and some other economists forecast between 2.5 million and 3 million jobs being added to… Read More
Continue ReadingThe President’s Club
This is a funny story from Yahoo: The company that makes Hot Tamales candy offered its sales team an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii if it met its annual goals, and a trip to the nation’s arctic tundra if it didn’t. The Just Born team did not meet its target and, on Tuesday, about two dozen salespeople gathered inside the 19-story Radisson hotel — the tallest building in frozen Fargo. Outside, the temperature was 7 degrees. The ground had 2 feet of snow. It gets better: They are trying to make the best of it, with a little humor. They planned tours of two North Dakota wineries and a winter extravaganza… Read More
Continue ReadingGotcha Questions
Do you know what I mean by “gotcha questions?” These are the questions designed to trap, trick or zap a candidate. These types of questions are often used by interviewers who believe they need to “win” the interview. I know it sounds odd and uncommon (I certainly hope it is), but I have sat through interviews where the gotcha questions have been asked. Interview questions are a tricky sort. Almost everyone enjoys reading interview questions in hope of discovering an effective one. However, we incorporate assessments into our process which provides an x-ray of the candidate’s abilities, motivations, aptitudes, style, etc. The power in this approach is that it identifies… Read More
Continue ReadingEmotional Decision Making
This excerpt is from the Herman Trend Alert and it highlights a very important fact for all salespeople (emphasis mine): "Loyalty will focus more on emotions than on rational, incentive-based initiatives." According to behavioral economists, economic decision-making is 70 percent emotional and 30 percent rational. Thus, the loyalty programs that touch us emotionally will work the best; those that focus on the emotional side of the decision making process will create connected, passionate, and engaged customers. Expect to see more emotional appeals that involve our families, relationships, those in need, etc. I’m going to breeze right past the “behavioral economists” title (sounds like a great description for a salesperson) and… Read More
Continue ReadingIntroverted Leaders
Great article here from the Harvard Business Review titled The Hidden Advantages of Quiet Bosses. Oh, where to begin on this one? I have seen this thought process play out firsthand with many customers and even in my own career. In the sales world, extroverts are generally held in higher regard than introverts – that has been my experience. This same value structure typically plays out in promoting salespeople into sale management roles. The extroverts often get the position. However, here is a differing position put forward in the article: To be sure, extroverted leaders have important strengths. However, they also tend to command the center of attention and take… Read More
Continue ReadingHappy Thanksgiving!
Here at Select Metrix we have much for which to be thankful. The news of the recessionary economy and the unstable world can be overwhelming in today’s media. But this drumbeat can be distracting – from your good health, your warm home, your loving family. My hope for you is safe travel to a joyous home filled with family, friends and mirth. Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving from all of us at Select Metrix!
Continue ReadingKeep It Clear
I have sat through some interviews which have been enlightening in terms of the struggles of hiring managers who do not hire often. One of the blatant deficiencies I observed was this – a lack of good questions. Is there anything more important than questions in interviewing an external candidate? Even an internal candidate. Here is one instance of what I observed – a rather inexperienced manager asked esoteric questions that left me scratching my head. The candidate did a good job attempting to answer the question without embarrassing the hiring manager. One question took almost 2 minutes for the hiring manager to ask! The question included an analogy, an… Read More
Continue ReadingCreative Resume Writing
I have a friend who is a Director of Sales for a medium-sized company. A few months ago, he had a major issue with one of his salespeople in another Midwestern state. The salesperson cursed out a customer on the phone (the customer was “pestering” him by calling his cell phone more than 1 time in the same day). He was let go by my friend. Now it turns out that this salesperson is pushing his resume out to prospective employers. One of them called to verify his employment and had some interesting facts. Salesperson claimed to be a Sales Manager (he wasn’t) Salesperson claimed to win the President’s Award… Read More
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