Steve Rothberg has a definitive post on his blog CollegeRecruiter.com titled Searching for Entry Level Job Seekers on MySpace. I posted on this topic recently and followed the herd mentality about excluding candidates based on their MySpace information. Steve has a different take on it as he states: MySpace and other social networking sites are valuable recruiting tools because they provide employers with access to a desired demographic group: those who are searching for entry level jobs and internships. The sites also allow employers to connect with people who may not be looking for a job or who have chosen not to use traditional Internet recruitment sites such as CollegeRecruiter.com.… Read More
Continue ReadingAd’s Final Stage=Resumes
Just a quick tip about posting jobs on major boards. We have a couple ads expiring shortly (within days) and are getting swamped with emails. We’ve written about this phenomenon before. At the end of an ad’s posting window, a bubble of responses will flood in to your inbox. We do not get calls, just emails with resumes attached. One of our sales ads received 24 applicant responses alone during the final 24 hours of the posting.
Continue ReadingConnects-to-Close Ratio
Boost Your Conversation-to-Appointment Ratio from Selling Power reads like a companion piece to our post from yesterday. Conversation-to-appointment ratio is what we take a step further and refer to as a connects-to-close ratio. We wrote about this topic in great detail back in January of last year (click here to read the article). The Selling Power author speaks of a truth we have encountered many times: Do you know your conversation-to-appointment ratio? Most sales managers don’t. Moreover, most sales managers probably couldn’t define the metric without some thought. This fact is something we see play out time and time again when we are defining a sale. Many sales managers can… Read More
Continue ReadingJust Like Milking A Cow
Marketingprofs.com posts this fine article – Telling Ain’t Selling. The article is well-written and quotes some fine points from Spin Selling that we are familiar with at Select Metrix. The author provides some wide-ranging references. Check out these excerpts: Like milking a cow, selling can be a delicate operation. While a customer probably won’t threaten you with a hoof, you’re still faced with the fact that the harder you push, the more pushback you get. We’re from Minnesota so this simile is well understood. A reference from later in the article: The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes had it right when he said, “We have two ears and one tongue so… Read More
Continue ReadingPhone Screening Tip
We use phone screens extensively in our sourcing activities. The first advantage to this approach is that it removes some biases from the interviewer. Second, it neutralizes a candidates ability to pour on their rapport-building skills. Thirdly, it is a much shorter time commitment than an in-person interview. I could go on, but you get the point. CareerJournal has reposted this article – Four Tips for Acing Interviews by Phone – which made me think about the candidate side of the phone screen. Tip #3 starts with this point: 3. Prepare in advance. If you’ve scheduled or are anticipating a phone interview, keep notes and your resume at hand, says… Read More
Continue ReadingHow to Hobble a Sales Day
Justsell.com has a helpful daily sales email that contains practical tips. Today’s offering (no link available): Top 3 activities that can hobble a sales day… talking with people who cannot move the sales process along unnecessary research activities What’s too much? There’s really no definitive answer — it’s particular to your sales world. Most people start to get a gut feel for when they should move on — the key is to act on it and make the call. You’d be surprised what you can learn by asking a straightforward question of the person who answers the phone or responds to an email. crafting” or “drafting” a letter, email or… Read More
Continue ReadingHappy Left-Handers Day
I kid you not, today is National Left-Handers Day. In case you are interested in learning way more than you care to, check out www.lefthandersday.com. I write about this because my wife and my son are both left-handed so this topic is of interest to me. And maybe only me. Some quick trivia: Most left-handers draw figures facing to the right There is a high tendency in twins for one to be left-handed Left-handers adjust more readily to seeing underwater 4 of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed And lastly, famous left-handers: Nicole Kidman Oprah Winfrey Jerry Seinfeld Angelina Jolie Tom Cruise Bob Dylan Keanu Reeves… Read More
Continue ReadingTelecommuting Town?
I haven’t heard of the phrase “The Creative Class” but I think I will have to read the book. This BusinessWeek article – The Easiest Commute of All – ties in to the previous post regarding telecommuters. This is fascinating: Mesa del Sol, designed by New Urbanism guru Peter Calthorpe, will be the first place of its kind built from scratch and targeted at the creative class. A big marketing push will be made to coastal knowledge workers looking to cash out of their million-dollar split levels, move inland, and work remotely for their companies. Mansionettes will carry price tags of up to $400,000, about the same as the average… Read More
Continue ReadingTelecommuting Trend
We have discussed telecommuting on many occassions and this morning’s JustSell.com email referenced this survey. Some points of data to consider: While only 23 percent of U.S. employees work from home or are given that option, most of the work force (59 percent) believes that telecommuting at least part-time is the ideal work situation. This includes the 38 percent who think a mix of coming into the office and working from home is preferable and the 21 percent who say working at home is the best. We are seeing this play out in our current sourcing activities. The younger generations are highly receptive to telecommuting and view it as a… Read More
Continue ReadingWhat We Cannot Have
Dan Tudor has a great post on his Landing the Deal blog – “The Takeaway Close”. The takeaway close is a powerful tool for a salesperson when used properly. I used to work for a sales trainer who taught this technique and it is most effective. Here is the gist of why it works: Human psychology is funny: The more you tell somebody they can’t or shouldn’t have something, the more they want it. As powerful as it is, let me explain when it doesn’t work. I’ve gone on sales calls with many salespeople to observe their techniques. The takeaway close is an embarrassingly clumsy technique if there has not… Read More
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