We run a systematic hiring process for sales positions. We have refined the process over the past 14 years and have it optimized (even though when we started we were writing newspaper employment ads!). As part of any hiring process, you have to receive resumes of respondents to the ad. This is where things are changing. A new trend I am seeing is resumes with copy and paste information from job descriptions, websites, etc. What I mean is candidates do not take the time to write about their skills and experience in their current or previous roles. They simply use web/marketing copy that they paste into their resume. I have… Read More
Continue ReadingApproaching Via The Ad
I recently read this line in an approach email/ad for a sales position: Do you have open availability that includes holidays, days, nights and weekends? To be honest, it appears to be a retail position, but my word, I would not lead with that fact in an ad. Think of that sentence…what times are not covered by that statement? I would not recommend ever making a job appear to be a 24/7 proposition.
Continue ReadingHow GPA’s Matter In Hiring
They don’t. That is the conclusion from Google based on their own internal research. Some info from the New York Times article: “One of the things we’ve seen from all our data crunching is that G.P.A.’s are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless — no correlation at all except for brand-new college grads, where there’s a slight correlation,” Bock said. “Google famously used to ask everyone for a transcript and G.P.A.’s and test scores, but we don’t anymore, unless you’re just a few years out of school. We found that they don’t predict anything. Mind you, this is research from inside Google – they know… Read More
Continue ReadingInterrogating A Prospect
Questions are the backbone of qualifying any sales opportunity. Yet, many salespeople seem to flounder with this approach and I believe it comes from over coaching/training. Ask this series of questions, use this linguistic trick, turn the tables on them…improper use of these “moves” stands out to every prospect. To that point, here is an excellent excerpt from a recent Eye on Sales article: We’ve all been taught the difference between closed-end and open-ended questions. We’ve been given instructions on when to use which type question. Some trainers have given us formulas; others have given us specific questions to ask. It’s these detailed guidelines that seem to get many sellers… Read More
Continue Reading6 Practices of Innovative Companies
From the Herman Trend Newsletter: BCG also highlights six practices of the most innovative companies and explores how those practices have played out at innovation leaders across a range of industries: 1) Get the customer involved early. 2) Use data to drive tough decision-making. 3) Think strategically about tradeoffs. 4) Ensure senior leadership commitment. 5) Envision innovation as a holistic system. 6) Optimize intellectual property to create value. I think that is a spot-on list. I was drawn to number 3 – think strategically about tradeoffs. In dealing with smaller, entrepreneurial companies, I see the founders often fail in this area (fail to the point of liquidating). It is critical… Read More
Continue ReadingTattoos Hurt You
I’ve written about this before, but it keeps coming around – tattoos hurt your chances of landing a job according to this salary.com article. I am a bit old to participate in the tattoo craze so I probably come across as a stodgy old man on this topic. However, the millennials seem to be enthralled with tattoos even in open sight. To give you proof: A recent study from the Pew Research Center found nearly 40% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo… Think about that stat – 40%! That is more than a fad. But here is where the problem develops: The… Read More
Continue Reading3 Ways The Brain Handles Info
This article is from Eye on Sales with some key points about how our brains handle information (emphasis mine): It all goes back to how your brain is wired to work. Despite how advanced our technology has become, the brain inside your head is brilliantly primitive. There are really only three ways that our brain handles any information that it receives: If it’s boring or expected, the brain ignores it. If it’s too complex, the brain dramatically summarizes it. If it’s threatening, the brain makes you fight or run. So what you’re saying doesn’t really matter. Especially if the brain in the person listening to you is feeling threatened or… Read More
Continue ReadingManaging Paradoxes
From the Herman Trend Alert email newsletter (sorry, no link): Agile Thinking Skills. In this period of sustained economic and political uncertainty, and, agile thinking and the ability to prepare for multiple scenarios is vital. In industries that face significant regulatory and environmental challenges, including life sciences, and energy and mining, the ability to prepare for multiple scenarios is especially important—72 percent and 71 percent respectively, compared with 55 percent for the overall population of respondents. To succeed in the changing marketplace of the future, HR executives also placed a high premium on innovative thinking (46.0 percent), dealing with complexity and managing paradoxes (42.9 percent). I couldn’t agree more with… Read More
Continue Reading5 Tips For Hiring A Sales Manager
This Selling Power article is a quick, solid read. The 5 tips are all on point with this one being my favorite: 2) Metrics without context. Your candidate noted that his or her team closed $2 million in sales last year. That’s great. But what was the quota? What were the expectations? Was this half of what your potential new hire and the team were expected to do? Or did they not only exceed quota, but also outperform every other sales team at the company? Don’t rely on metrics alone; your candidate should provide context that tells the whole story. So much of resume information is devoid of context yet… Read More
Continue ReadingOverpaid Jobs?
I grow tired of these comparison articles that look at pay for positions based on the median. It is almost impossible to compare roles across companies, markets, industries, etc. However, there is always one position within a company that takes the main blow…CEO. I’ve been fortunate to work with quite a few highly-skilled CEO’s and been provided the opportunity to see their typical day. The CEO position is extremely difficult even in the “easiest” of positions. So here comes Salary.com with The 8 Most Overpaid & Underpaid Jobs. And, of course, CEO’s are one of the overpaid positions. A good CEO helps an organization meet its goals, improves profits, makes… Read More
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