We have been discussing telecommuting in the sales world over the past year and have seen it appear in our sourcing efforts as a common topic. Inc.com looks into this trend in their article The Benefits of Telecommuting. The focus of the article is in the realm of IT professionals. That group is obviously an early adopter of technology trends so this isn’t surprising: In a survey of 1,400 chief information officers, 44 percent said their company’s IT workforce is telecommuting at a rate the same as or higher than five years ago, according to Robert Half Technology, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based technology-consulting firm. Many IT workers fall to the… Read More
Continue ReadingCEO Compensation
The CEO-bashing that has occurred regarding their compensation is a sore spot for me – especially since the criticism is leveled by people who have never spent a single day as a CEO. Now I catch up to this Foxnews.com story – Oprah Highest-Paid Star; Simon Cowell a Distant Number Two. Do you know how much Oprah makes per year? $260 Million. A year! Where is the outrage? If I am not mistaken, Oprah is the CEO of her production company. This number is her salary – what about her benefits and perks? The second highest television salary is $215 MILLION less than her salary! The mainstream media goes to… Read More
Continue ReadingSelling Is In The Small Things
I was reading some blogs, email messages and newsletters regarding many different topics and I realized something about successful selling that is often overlooked. Sales is tough – I don’t think anyone would disagree with that premise. It requires a unique blend of abilities that are simply not common in the general population. Unfortunately, many underachieving salespeople look for a monumental solution to their sales struggles…a silver bullet, if you will. Rarely does one exist (I’ve yet to find even one). Success in selling simply comes from a series of small things that lead to something big. What I mean is that the most successful salespeople we evaluate are usually the… Read More
Continue ReadingCandidates Are Discussing Benefits Earlier
I remember 5-6 years ago we would consider a benefits discussion from a sales candidate a bit of a red flag. If the candidate was asking about benefits early in the process, we became suspicious that they were looking to retire on the company’s payroll. Oh how times have changed. The fact that more of this cost is being pushed to the employee makes this topic a valid one for early in a hiring process. We still prefer to have candidates discuss the commission plan, market position and value proposition, but benefits are a real cost in the equation. From Inc.com comes this article with survey results that are not… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Long Range Planning
Longer sales cycles require salespeople and sales managers with abilities that match that time horizon. This week’s trait is important for any sales position that is asked to navigate an extended sale. Long Range Planning This is the ability to identify long-range goals and design realistic plans to attain them. It is the ability to see the big picture and then determine the direction to take and resources to use to attain future goals. A salesperson with strength in this capacity is able to effectively €œsee into the future,€ forecast needs and comprehend how certain situations or procedures will meet those needs. A weakness in this area might be due… Read More
Continue ReadingRecess For Adults
Salary.com released its annual poll regarding time wasted by employees. It appears that after 3 years of polling, 1.7 to 2.0 hours seems to be the steady average for an 8.5 hour day. The poll seems somewhat silly to me, but I did enjoy these closing graphs: Companies should look on wasted time as comparable to a recess for adults, which can make them more productive in the long run, he said. €œThere is always room for wasting time during the day,€ he said. €œAt some point, you have to step off the treadmill and recharge the batteries. €¦ Not all wasted time is a net loss.€
Continue ReadingMissing The Boat On Blogging
Inc.com’s article Business Owners Rank Internet as Most Important Marketing Tool speaks to the marketing efforts of small companies. The poll only involved 250 business owners so it is a small sample size, but let me unpack the article this way: While e-mail may top the list of Internet-related activities, many small businesses have begun implementing online advertising strategies. Of survey respondents, 59 percent use online ads and 68 percent utilize search engine optimization “sometimes” or “often.” Business owners are making efforts to increase their Internet presence. Forty-four percent say they plan on spending more on Internet tools this year compared to 2006, while 27 percent plan to spend the same amount… Read More
Continue ReadingA Simple Reward For All
Every company can offer a reward similar to what is offered in this Pioneer Press story – Time off is a great summer motivator at small businesses. Simple. Valued. This is a good approach for any business in developing reward programs especially for Gen Y workers (emphasis mine): Owners do have other ways of motivating staffers in the summer, by catering breakfasts or lunches or sponsoring picnics, trips to museums and other social events. The point is to help make working during the summer more palatable, and, more important, to boost morale in a way that will result in increased productivity all year long. … Besides improving morale and motivating… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Most Annoying Office Habits
From Yahoo! Finance comes this article – How Loud is too Loud? As you might guess, the loud phone talker topped the survey as the most annoying office habit. Being an auditory person, I can agree with that one. I’m always telling the Rock Star to use his indoor voice since his voice carries a country mile. Despite the laundry list of complaints, the loud talker wins the award for most annoying. Of 2,318 people surveyed in March 2006 by Harris Interactive and Randstad, 32% say an office loud talker is their biggest pet peeve. Coming in a close second at 30% is using an annoying cellphone ringtone; 22% said… Read More
Continue ReadingTop 4 Suggestions For New Sales Managers
SMT (Sales & Marketing Training) has an article in its recent newsletter that surveyed its members for advice they would give to new sales managers. The author has provided the top 4 pieces of advice: Assessing talent is a first step Coaching the €œcoachable€ spending appropriate time on those individuals Avoid falling into the trap of €œwhat made you successful as a rep€ will make you successful as a manager Setting expectations and goals I couldn’t agree more with these 4 items, especially the first one. The contributors expanded on their suggestions: €œAssess the strengths, weaknesses and development needs of your team. Review your team by your success measures. Set… Read More
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