Newspaper subscriptions are plummeting and have been for some time. I think it is pretty clear that this trend is going to continue as newspapers struggle to redefine their product. The future for them appears to be online according to Media Daily News: WHILE THEIR PRINT EDITIONS CONTINUED to slide, newspapers enjoyed an online audience boom in 2007, according to the Newspaper Association of America, which says the total unique audience for newspaper Web sites increased 9% in the fourth quarter to an average 62.8 million per month, compared to the same period in 2006. The figure from October, when 63.2 million people visited a newspaper Web site, is an… Read More
Continue ReadingWho Reads Blogs?
Kevin Wheeler has a good article on the ERE website today titled What Makes a Blog Work? There is excellent information within the article if you are looking to start your own blog (something I strongly encourage). Here is a juicy tidbit: A survey published last fall by Forrester’s Charlene Li indicates that “24% of Gen Yers read blogs, which is twice as often as the 12% of Gen Xers (ages 27-40) and three times the 7% of Young Boomers (ages 41-50) that read blogs.” Those types of stats are always fascinating to me. After that, Wheeler provides 4 tips that all have merit: Short and Fun Personal Story-based Authenticity… Read More
Continue ReadingBright Spots In A Bad Economy
Yahoo HotJobs has a story out today titled Recession-Proof Jobs in 2008. First, I love this old media trick: Economists at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley say the U.S. is heading for its first-blown recession in 16 years, and a recent CNN poll found that 57 percent of the public believe the U.S. is in a recession already, with the economy topping the list of voter’s worries. 16 years? How about 8 years ago with the tech bubble? Are we in a recession if CNN does a poll and people say we are? Please, I would prefer to read what measurements show that we are in a recession today. Enough… Read More
Continue ReadingDressed For Success-Take Two
Ok, the whole candidate attire topic seems to be floating around the areas of the web I patrol. CareerJournal.com offers a follow up article titled Tassels, Pantsuits and Other Interview Fashion Faux-Pas. Great title. Here is a quick description of the debate from the article: Perhaps it’s lamentable that a person should be judged on how he maintains his car interior or what he wears. “I’ve encountered far too many empty suits who are perfectly groomed but have little relevant knowledge,” wrote Marty Robins, an attorney in Buffalo Grove, Ill. “Conversely, many people who emphasize keeping current their technical skills and industry knowledge do not have time to spend preening… Read More
Continue ReadingHiring Well Sounds Simple
CNNMoney.com’s quick-hitter advice article titled 7 ways to avoid employees from hell offers some simple advice. How about this one: Hire well Even the lowest-level prospect – the kind who is typically hired quickly – should be thoroughly vetted by at least two interviewers. Check references. Well, yes, “hiring well” is the key to strong employees. Eating well is also a key to losing weight…but that doesn’t make it easy to do. Two interviewers is a good start. Objective assessments are a better plan. Having a structured hiring process is the best plan.
Continue ReadingForwarding Failures
CareerJournal.com offers up this article – Avoid These Email Blunders To Prevent Career Derailment – that speaks to some simple-sounding errors. You know, email has been around for some time now, but I am still impressed by how many blunders are still made today. This particular graph grabbed my attention: Don’t spoil your boss’s image. If your boss asks you in an email to speak to a coworker about a problem he or she has with that individual, forwarding the message blindly (and the incriminating language in it) is like setting it in stone. It will not only offend the recipient of the email but could also get you in… Read More
Continue ReadingBuckling Under A Price Discussion
Money is a difficult topic for many salespeople to handle with a prospect. Some salespeople buckle and collapse with large discounts while others simply avoid the topic as long as possible. As a sales manager, there are few things as uncomfortable as watching one of your salespeople crash and burn when qualifying money. Lee Salz offers a good article on Salesopedia covering this topic. Salz cuts right to the bone on why this topic is so critical: If you don’t believe you are providing a fair, competitive price for the solution, my question is why are you presenting it anyway? One would hope that you have integrity so why present… Read More
Continue ReadingFact Or Fiction About The Google Generation?
I haven’t heard that moniker until now – “Google Generation.” These are kids born after 1993 so they are a handful of year away from hitting the workplace. Yet, there is some interesting research out there that debunks some conventional wisdom and reinforces others. First the debunking (emphasis mine): It’s true that young people prefer interactive systems to passive ones and that they are generally competent with technology, but it’s not true that students today are “expert searchers.” In fact, the report calls this “a dangerous myth.” Knowing how to use Facebook doesn’t make one an Internet search god, and the report concludes that a literature review shows no movement… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Perfect Stall
Our local Pioneer Press offers an article about HD radio which intrigues me. There are some interesting developments in the technology. One of them is this: More important, the radios have an iTunes tagging feature, developed with Apple’s help and being tested in the San Francisco Bay area. This means users can press a button to tag songs they like, save that information to their docked iPods, and later transfer this info to their iTunes software on their computers. They then can buy the songs on Apple’s music store. That is a fantastic idea. However, I truly enjoyed this perfect stall that comes later in the article: “We’re definitely taking… Read More
Continue ReadingUse Anti-Bonding When Hiring Salespeople
Here is an interesting article from Columbia Business Times titled The Mysteries Of Hiring Salespeople Unlocked. Good title. The short article has some excellent advice and some marginal suggestions. From the excellent column (emphasis mine): 3. Unlearn your present interviewing system. First, throw away the hiring profile assessment you are using now (are you using one?), and instead find one that measures sales skills, adversity, toughness and, most important, whether this applicant will sell for you in your industry. Second, remember this applicant was someone else’s salesperson. Salespeople who “turn over” get good at giving you answers you like to hear. Third, instead of using your natural bonding skills, try… Read More
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