Now this is something I have not seen yet – loaning out your employees during slow periods. Inc.com provides the article: How it works: On the StaffShare website the “seller” company lists the employee’s skills, daily rate, and availability. The cost is £50 (roughly $81.70) a year per candidate. The “buyer” company searches the database, uses the website’s message system to vet candidates and iron out details with the seller, and then a contract is sent electronically. The background behind the idea: “The companies had these redeployment pools of 1,000 people who needed to find other work within the company,” Flaxton says. “So we thought, ‘What if there was a… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Key Word Is Hiring
You don’t have to look far to find disconcerting news about the present economy. This AP story from one of our local papers lays out numbers that paint a vivid picture (emphasis mine): There were nearly 6.4 unemployed workers, on average, for each available job at the end of November, according to Labor Department data released Tuesday. That’s up from 6.1 in October, and a record high. There were 1.7 jobless people for each opening in December 2007, when the recession began. Job openings fell sharply to 2.42 million in November from 2.57 million in October, according to the department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. That may sound like… Read More
Continue ReadingInterview Myths
This article from Yahoo’s Hot Jobs contains 5 hiring myths designed to help candidates perform better in an interview. Myth #1 is excellent for the hiring manager: Myth #1: Be prepared with a list of questions to ask at the close of the interview. There is some truth in this common piece of advice: You should always be prepared, and that usually includes developing questions related to the job. The myth here is that you must wait until it is “your turn” to speak. By waiting until the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, “it becomes an interrogation instead of a conversation,” says Greene. Greene recommends that you… Read More
Continue ReadingA Bad Place To Be In Sales
I do some IT consulting work on the side as a hobby/pastime. Call me a geek. In that arena, I have a customer who has been battling to get some information from a prospective vendor. He wants to use their services but has had trouble getting a response. Finally, today he got a response. His summation was filled with wisdom: Coming in obnoxiously late and extraordinarily high priced is not a good place to be. I couldn’t agree more. And I’ve been there myself in previous sales roles.
Continue ReadingRetention Horizon
Employment in this economy is a wonderful asset, to say the least. However, this abcnews.com story points to an impending problem – retention. Even Americans who are lucky enough to have work in this economy are becoming more unhappy with their jobs, according to a new survey that found only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work. That was the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board research group in more than 22 years of studying the issue. The economy will eventually turn around though it appears it is going to be a slower process in comparison to historical recoveries. When it does turn and hiring picks… Read More
Continue Reading2010 Unemployment
9.3 to 9.7% That’s right, that is the expectation for the 2010 unemployment rate from the Federal Reserve based on this abcnews.com story. I find that number shockingly high, but it is realistic. Then there is this bit of information from Reuters (emphasis mine): Speaking at American Economic Association’s mammoth yearly gathering, experts from a range of political leanings were in surprising agreement when it came to the chances for a robust and sustained expansion: They are slim. Many predicted U.S. gross domestic product would expand less than 2 percent per year over the next 10 years. The depressed economy combined with the high unemployment numbers has started to change… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Stories Of 2009
I, for one, am ready to say good riddance to 2009. This year was the most difficult I can ever remember in terms of revenue, business and the economy. I suppose the one good thing is that it can only get better! However, it is the end of the year and of the decade so I am enjoying the retrospective stories that permeated the media this week. Saleshq.com offers up the top 5 sales stories of 2009. One of them stood out to me: The sales world lost one of its best this year with the death of Billy Mays. One of TV’s most famous pitchmen, Mays was known for… Read More
Continue ReadingMerry Christmas
This video is making its way around the net and I found it quite funny. Merry Christmas from all of us at Select Metrix and The Hire Sense.
Continue Reading2010 Predictions
This is from the Herman Group as they make their predictions each year. I can attest to the first point being valid – I have talked to a handful of salespeople who are waiting out the economy to jump from their current position. These guys have a wonderful grasp of new words and phrases. I always learn about some relatively new word from them. I have taken the liberty of bolding some of them in the pull quote below. 1. Cutbacks and Re-Engineering will continue into 2010 Expect ongoing reductions in force as some employers continue to optimize their workforces and eliminate “redundancy”. We caution these employers to be very… Read More
Continue ReadingChristmas In The Sales World
This is from EyeOnSales.com: Twas the end of the quarter, with my Blackberry dead Not a prospect was stirring, my dashboard pure red. The managers were wringing their hands with despair, With thoughts of their bonuses vanishing into thin air. The VP of sales sat awake in her bed, While visions of mortgages danced in her head. And the CFO in his office, and I on a plane, Were bracing ourselves for the oncoming pain. When there in my Inbox appeared a new subject line, I sprang from the seat with a feeling divine. “Reconsidering Vendors – You’re Still in the Race”, A 400-user license was still mine to chase!… Read More
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