This story will do down in the annals of management malfeasance. A good friend of mine works for a small company that had an atrocious employee. This employee couldn’t show up on time (if at all), didn’t seem to know what she was doing and created great dissent within the team. Unfortunately, the owner made the emotional hire and didn’t want to admit his error, at least not in a timely manner. So this employee continued her employment with my friend’s company for almost 6 mos. and the stories that surrounded her were almost unbelievable. She missed work all together and offered these excuses: overslept reaction to medication robbed while… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Employment Rate
I was having an economic discussion with my father this past weekend and we got on to the topic of the unemployment rate. I remember hearing John Sumser in talk last year state that having a national unemployment number is pointless. Unemployment is local – it depends upon the region and, even more, the city in which you are employed. I agree completely with that premise. The current national unemployment number is listed at 9.8%, but there is much discussion about what the real number is. I have heard that it is closer to 16% if you factor in the people who have stopped looking and/or had their unemployment benefits… Read More
Continue ReadingHumble Ad Writing
Honestly, I came across this title to a sales ad: I make more money in a month than you make all year Fantastic! That is one humble title. As you can imagine, the ad is written in a casual, confrontational style to challenge the most aggressive sales candidates. I wouldn’t write an ad this way, but true confession – I got a kick out of it.
Continue ReadingWho’s Your Friend?
I’m sure you have encountered those people who you wonder if they have any social skills whatsoever. I used to work with a guy who would walk in to any conversation between people and just start talking about his topic. No waiting, no gentle interruption – he just walked in and started firing away. Totally annoying. In that light comes this article from CNNMoney.com. The pull quote from the Q & A article: For one, my old boss, who laid me off from my last job with no warning (and no severance pay), has sent me a friend request. That is some hubris on the boss’ part. However, I have… Read More
Continue ReadingSpin Defined
From a CNNMoney.com article this morning (emphasis mine): Private sector employment fell more than expected in September, but the pace of job losses continued to slow, according to a report released Wednesday. Automatic Data Processing, a payroll-processing firm, said private-sector employers cut 254,000 jobs in September, down from a revised 277,000 in August. It was the smallest monthly total since July 2008. The decline was greater than the 200,000 loss economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast. But the difference was “not statistically meaningful,” according to Joel Prakken, an ADP spokesman and chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC. “Not statistically meaningful” – tell that to the 54,000 people who lost their job… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Value Of Cliche Questions
Don’t flame me on the title, there is a method to this madness. I like cliché questions for sales interviews. There, I admitted it. Now, I should clarify, I’m not talking about an entire interview of these questions, but rather some strategic ones sprinkled into your question list. Here is why – if the question is cliché, the candidate should have a sparkling answer. Their answer may be well-rehearsed – that is fine. You, as the interviewer, simply need to drill down on their response to get to the unvarnished truth. However, the catch to this approach is when they don’t have a strong answer. I am always concerned about… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Leadership Paradox
Good leaders must be good followers. That is paradoxical, isn’t it? This article from CNNMoney.com chronicles an M.B.A. students journeys from grad school to the Marines to a tour of duty in Iraq and back to grad school. It is a fascinating first-hand account (h/t to JustSell.com). This is profound (emphasis mine): In many ways there’s probably no better preparation I could have had for the business world than joining the Marine Corps. The Marines teach you how to be both a leader and a follower. I don’t have to lead in every situation – but I’ve come to enjoy stepping up in a time of chaos. When I’m working… Read More
Continue ReadingQ Is For Qualifying Questions
I come across this often – a company wants to hire a superstar salesperson and the hiring manager’s first instinct is to find a loquacious talker. Perhaps you have seen this approach too? Clearly no readers of the Hire Sense would administer this approach in their hiring. Right? Ok, maybe not. The point is that smooth talkers are not categorically the best salespeople. I am appreciative of good communicators, but being good at talking is the lesser part of communication. Being an active listener is more important. This fact is often overlooked in sales hiring. The reason this ability is important is that is supports the foundation of successful selling… Read More
Continue ReadingTwice The Fun
Here’s a headscratcher from an ad I read today, Sept. 10: On September 30, 2009, ABC Company will be upgrading the technology we use to receive job applications. Due to the upgrade, you will be asked to reapply to any jobs you have bid on. Any job applications, resumes, and/or cover letters that are submitted to ABC Company prior to September 30th, will not be converted to the new system. They are advertising for a sales position…today. So my assumption is that if I am a candidate, I can apply today and hope they are so overwhelmed they contact me immediately. Right? Otherwise, I will need to reapply in a… Read More
Continue ReadingHiring A Robot
This is an actual title from a sales ad I read this past weekend: TSM-IL (203684-022) Good grief. Unless you are hiring a specific model of robot, do not do this when writing your title.
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