This is a new trend, I think: As unemployment numbers hit historic highs, “pink slip” parties are popping up in big cities around the country. Hundreds of axed employees are going to happy hour meet-and-greets, where one can enjoy a drink and discuss career prospects with eager recruiters. People are finding creative ways to stand out above the pack. In order to get a job in this economy, people have to get out there. And while there are no guarantees of gaining anything more than good conversations and a few contacts, some pink slip attendees have had success in finding new employment. Pink slip parties offer those on the prowl… Read More
Continue ReadingGaps In Agility
Cuts, layoffs, workforce reductions…the stories are everywhere in the media today as this economy takes it’s toll on business. Clearly it appears that more cuts are underway in March and will be reflected in the next labor statistics report. This approach is needed during a recession so no company can be blamed for taking this drastic move. But how far should companies cut? There are no easy answers to that question, but I think there is a general principle companies should follow. Reduce only enough to make your company agile in this marketplace while minimizing your gaps in performance. Here is an excerpt from last week’s Herman Trend Alert (sorry,… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Enormous Forecast
Shrinking revenue reports are the fear of most sales managers. This fear is further intensified during this economy. There are salespeople who are attempting to leverage this fear by submitting an inflated forecast. These salespeople provide forecasts that are filled with large deals that are welded to the 90 days out category. The sales managers who buy into this approach are trading accuracy for enormity as they submit the aggregate forecast from their team. I suppose the sales manager’s thought is that the salespeople will get shot before he or she is shot. Perhaps, but the business pays a tremendous price for this obfuscation. There are two antidotes to this… Read More
Continue ReadingCopy-Paste Before Proofing
Proofread your ads – a simple, simple task that seems to be ignored by some companies. From an ad I read this morning (my editing): A fast growing ______________ is seeking one great sales person to take the Minneapolis/St. Paul market to the next level. Innocuous enough, but when you read through the ad you find this requirement: Organization, computer proficiency, a valid Massachusetts driver’s license and proof of insurance required. That is going to drastically reduce their candidate pool in the Twin Cities. I wouldn’t recommend writing the entire ad in bold font either, but that seems minor compared to the Massachusetts license requirement.
Continue ReadingA Compelling Job Ad Title
This is leverage: Financial Advisor for FORTUNE magazine’s No. 2 “Best Company To Work For“ Financial advisor in this day and age = tough sell. Fortune’s no. 2 company to work for = compelling. Kudos to Edward Jones for a well-titled employment ad.
Continue ReadingAn Awful Approach
I receive many email approaches each day which often leads to studying each one’s strategy. Here is the opening line from one I received today: WANT TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS? Lazy. Insulting. Those are the first two words that come to mind when I read that opening. I suspect the author’s belief is that everyone will agree to the opening question so it will be effective. It isn’t. The opening approach needs to warrant the reader’s attention, but don’t do it in an insulting manner. The question has a subtle intimation that the person doesn’t know how to do it…but you do. That is a bad position in which to… Read More
Continue ReadingGet The Culture Right…
everything else falls into place. -Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com Now that is an interesting position, isn’t it? The article is from Human Resource Executive online and features a brief look at Mr. Hsieh’s “unorthodox” HR strategy. “We do two [job] interviews — the first for skills and the second for cultural fit,” he said, adding that the company has opted to not hire many talented candidates and has fired employees because they didn’t fit the culture or weren’t passionate enough about customer service. Fifty percent of the company’s performance review focuses on culture fit, he said. To ensure employees are committed to Zappos’ core values, it offers new hires… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Little r Relationship
SellingPower.com offers up a spot-on short article about maintaining customer relationships in this economy. The pressure on salespeople is extremely high right now in two regards – there are limited opportunities to close new business and the business world continues its radical information shift thanks to the Internet. First off, companies have slowed down their purchasing, but they are still purchasing. I think this fact gets lost in the doom-and-gloom reporting that saturates our senses. The tactical truth is that salespeople are going to have to unhook business from their competition to increase their sales. Many order-taking salespeople will fail miserably in this endeavor. Second, prospects are far more informed… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Downward Spiral To Commoditization
We’re fans of Jeff Thull here at The Hire Sense and his latest article on the Salesopedia.com only supports our belief. Anyone who has been in sales longer than a day has seen a sea change in the customer relationship over the past couple of years. Rapid commoditization is a huge problem even for “unique” solutions. Here is the crux of what is happening (emphasis mine): Seeking competitive differentiation through increasing uniqueness and complexity can be a deadly double-edged sword, especially if building that differentiation exceeds the needs and understanding of your customers. You and your competition may believe you have a high-value product or service, but if your customers… Read More
Continue ReadingA Port In The Storm
If ever there was a time to make a move into the healthcare sales market, now is it. According to RecruitingTrends.com: “Healthcare continued to add jobs in February, with a gain of 27,000. Job growth occurred in ambulatory healthcare (16,000) and in hospitals (7,000). Employment gains in the industry averaged 30,000 a month in 2008,” the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this and last month alongside news that the nation’s overall number of unemployed individuals increased by 5 million over the last year. Select Metrix is located in the Twin Cities which is home to United Health Group, Medtronic and most of the other medical device players. This market… Read More
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