This week we look at a trait that is important when assessing sales candidates for complex, long sales cycle positions. Proactive or reactive is the difference in this highly valued sales trait. Proactive ThinkingThe ability of a salesperson to evaluate future implications of current decisions and actions. This would include examining the long-range effects of a decision. The ability to mentally create the scenarios and outcomes of situations that could develop from decisions or plans of action. A salesperson with strength in this capacity will tend to evaluate current situations, needs and actions based on how they will change in the future. A salesperson with weakness in this area will tend to… Read More
Continue ReadingOnline Employment Stats
Interesting statistics from Selling Power’s The Fast Trend: Online Recruiting Services which references a Monster.com survey regarding online ads. Obviously Monster.com has a horse in the race on this topic, but their stats are somewhat surprising. “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2003, 62 percent of households had at least one computer, up from 56 percent two years before, and that number is growing every day. The workforce is online. More than 80 percent of those aged 18 to 49 and 67 percent of those aged 50 to 64 are online. Online employment sites captured 22 percent of the employment recruiting market in 2004, up from just 1 percent… Read More
Continue ReadingChanging Bait
Here is an article from Selling Power that is spot on – Fishing for Recruits? The first step, says Silverman, is to get creative with your titles. “You can write a great job description, but if it’s buried under a boring title such as ‘Account Manager,’ no one is going to click on it. A good title [like a good headline] is going to create a call to action. He’s right. The days of counting words, employment ad shorthand and simple position titles are gone. I still see companies using this approach as I stated in a previous post. Stop now and make the adjustments. The only part of an… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Skills Trump All Others
There is something about industry experience that is seductive to many hiring managers. The allure of a salesperson who has been “in the industry” for some time is almost irresistible. The same infatuation seems to exist with salespeople once they are on the payroll. The salesperson’s ability to understand the company’s product and service offering is important to the position. But why are many new salespeople judged by their level of product/service understanding? Is this really the best determinant of sales success? In a word, no. At the risk of being overly simplistic, salespeople are hired to . . . sell. Their sales skills trump all other skills. These skills… Read More
Continue ReadingA New Addition
We are continuing to grow here at Select Metrix and The Hire Sense. Let me be the first to introduce you to the newest member of our team – Mike Cardinal. Mike will be heading up our new offerings which will revolve around sales management. Mike has almost 30 years of experience in the sales and sales management arena and will be a strong addition to our team. One of the first orders of business will be a significant change to our hiring process and specifically our warranty. More to come on that topic later this week. Mike will also be contributing to The Hire Sense with his expertise in… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Job Search Equation
From the StarTribune’s Beyond The Basic Job Search Rules: His company (Jericho Communications) has conducted research that shows on average it takes one month for every $10,000 in salary in order to find a new job. So, if you’re looking for a $50,000 per year position, it could take up to five months €” if you work at it daily. I haven’t heard of that equation before reading this article. We work on the company side of hiring, but I suspect this equation holds water for candidates? My initial take on sales positions is that candidates find opportunities faster than this rate. Of course, a strong salesperson can find a… Read More
Continue ReadingImproving Job Ads
From CareerJournal.com’s Employers Try Plain English To Improve Quality of Job Ads: Traditional job descriptions, some recruiters say, emphasize qualifications, but skimp on describing the work, the challenges and the company culture. This topic has been a sore spot for me for many years. I read many sales ads during the week and find many of them lacking. Crafting an effective sales is difficult and takes a fair amount of work. Many ads read like 1980’s retreads. Some solid advice: The new ads can also help recruit a broader pool of promising candidates because they don’t set strict education and work-experience requirements. HealthEast Care System, a Minnesota hospital group, began… Read More
Continue ReadingCEO Boot Camp
Seriously. From abcnews.com’s Basic Training For Business Types: The most domineering boss has a way of melting in the presence of the drill instructor’s flush cheeks. And the royal waistline loses some of its cache when draped in mesh gym shorts “Yeah, we break down their egos real quick,” said Senior Drill Instructor Matt Terlop. Terlop is a former U.S. Border Patrol agent, and the lead drill instructor at CEO Boot Camp. This is almost surreal. I enjoy the concept and was hooked into reading the entire article when I read this line: “We want this to be an excuse-free environment,” Terlop warns. Amen to that. All sales departments should… Read More
Continue ReadingEspresso U
We are coffee house aficionados as I have mentioned in previous posts. One of my goals is to be a barista some day. Now a Pioneer Press article describes a coffee university – Enrollment grows at Espresso U. I now have a new motivator! In case you doubted the appeal of coffee: Nationally, the number of coffee houses has nearly doubled in the past six years. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America, there are almost 24,000 coffee houses in the U.S., up from 13,800 in 2001. The addition of wireless internet has made them a business hot spot. Yesterday the Rock Star and myself were working at Panera… Read More
Continue ReadingExtreme Makeover – Sales Edition
Seems like I am encountering many articles and posts regarding under-performing salespeople. Now SalesforceXP.com offers Move Bad Salespeople Up Or Out. The author offers 5 strong steps to get the mediocre salesperson performing. His first step is one we fully endorse: Never lose sight of the ABR principle: Always Be Recruiting. If you have five strong candidates in the pipeline, you don’t have to endure a low performer. But if you have no bench, you may opt to keep a warm body around €“ even if that body hasn’t sold anything in weeks. That is an area in which we can be of assistance. There is much truth in this… Read More
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