I hate to admit it, but I’m a fan of Jeff Foxworthy and his, “You know you’re a redneck if….” Eyes on Sales has an article by Drew Stevens that puts a spin to Jeff’s famous cliche, “You might be a cold calling nuisance if…” Drew has 10 quick tips that are great reminders that you should review before making a cold call. So here goes, you may be a nuisance if . . . You pick up the telephone and have no idea who you are calling. After hello you begin with chitchat. Speak with conviction and have a purpose for every call. You call and have conversations with… Read More
Continue ReadingBest And Worst Jobs For 2009
I was disappointed when I didn’t see salesperson on the list of best jobs for 2009 at Recruiting Trends, but at least it wasn’t on the list of top 10 worst jobs! Here is the list of top 10 best & worst jobs: 10 BEST RANKED JOBS Mathematician Actuary Statistician Biologist Software Engineer Computer Systems Analyst Historian Sociologist Industrial Designer Accountant 10 WORST RANKED JOBS Lumberjack Dairy Farmer Taxi Driver Seaman Emergency Medical Technician Roofer Garbage Collector Welder Roustabout Ironworker Derrick adds: I just encountered a position for the worst list – trade show salesperson. I heard a call yesterday that was quickly dismissed by the decision maker. I have… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Sales Manager’s Role
What makes a good sales manager is a question we hear all the time from CEO’s, Presidents and Owners. We have worked with hundreds of sales managers over the years and each one brings his or her own strengths and weaknesses. One variable that is oftened overlooked is whether the corporate culture allows the sales manager to do the job for which he or she is being held accountable. Jonathan Farrington has a great quote that not only answers the question of what makes a good sales manager, but is also the foundation of the sales culture of any organization (emphasis mine): The Sales Leader’s role is one of catalyst – constantly helping their team to… Read More
Continue ReadingProper Interview Follow-Up
As an employer what type of follow up should you expect from a candidate? Should you receive a thank you? Should that thank you be a hand written mailed thank you, an email thank you or a quick text on your cell phone? Did that last one get your attention? It did mine as I read a post from Steven Rothberg. The post used a couple of quotes from hiring managers that were offended by candidates sending out an email from a blackberry within minutes of the interview and a text message to the managers cell phone. The hiring manager that received the text felt her “personal space” was infringed on. If… Read More
Continue ReadingOnline Job Ads Down
Recently Cheezhead mentioned that online job ads are down again in November. According to the Conference Board Help-Wanted Online Data Series online job postings declined 70,200 to 4,369,200 in November. Job postings for the September to November period were down 264,000. The data they collected shows declines in the Northeast, the South and the West. In the Northeast Pennsylvania lead with a decline of 19,900 postings and in the south Texas lead with a decline of 37,800. Our state, Minnesota, had the largest decline in the midwest – down 12,600 postings.
Continue ReadingFunny Job Ad Titles
I recently stumbled across this article and blog – 51 Funny Craigslist Job Titles and Listings. Now sometimes a catchy title may catch a candidate’s eye, but most of the time you run the risk of not being taken seriously. Here are a couple that I thought were rather good: Attractive, Busy Professional Seeks Very Attractive Personal Assistant The easiest “SALES JOB” – EVER GONE FISHING WITH DYNAMITE? Get Paid to Wave and Dance!!!
Continue ReadingOdd Resume Inclusions
In first reading this I thought I was reading a line from one of Jeff Foxworthy’s jokes, “You know you are a redneck if you write on your resume, “hobbies include sitting on the levee at night watching alligators.” Nope, this is one of many odd resume inclusions from an article on CareerBuilder. If you have ever run a recruiting process you probably can come up with your own list, but CareerBuilder has put together some beauties: Candidate included that he spent summers on his family’s yacht in Grand Cayman. Candidate attached a letter from her mother. Candidate used pale blue paper with teddy bears around the border. Candidate explained a… Read More
Continue Reading10 Ways To Help Out Your Employees
ManageSmarter has a good article that provides 10 ways that you can help your employees through the economic crisis. There are some simple ideas on the list that a manager should do regardless of the economy. What better way to retain your employees than to show your appreciation for their efforts? Shortening the work week to four days with extended work hours will increase productivity and give a welcome break for people. Consider giving turkeys to employees for Thanksgiving and accompany the gift with a card expressing appreciation for what everyone is doing. Facilitate a car pool, coordinating rides or give a gas cards. Hold regular one-on-one meetings with employees to… Read More
Continue Reading8 Things Not To Do On A Sales Call
I read this post on Bnet and got a chuckle out of a couple of the points and thought I would share this article by Geoffrey James with you. I especially laughed when I read don’t flirt with the admin…who does that?! Anyway, here are the 8 things not to do: Flirt with the admin. It may seem tempting, but unless you’ve got soap-opera-quality looks, chances are you’re only going to annoy (or even alarm) the admin, who will tell the boss. Fix: Stay polite, friendly and respectful. Talk more than you listen. Initial sales calls are all about relationship building and gathering information, which you can’t do if your… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Extended Unemployment Rate
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has put out their numbers for October and the unemployment rate rose to 6.5% and non-farm employment fell by 240,000. The job losses occurred across all industries other than healthcare, which rose by 26,000 for the month. Not surprising, the Healthcare industry has grown in employment by almost 350,000 in the past year alone. Manufacturing took the biggest fall with over 90,000 losses (27,000 of them are the results of strikes in the aerospace sector) with construction employment second, falling by 49,000. But reading a post from Liz Wolgemuth over at US News & World Report provided some interesting facts that I had not seen before. The extension… Read More
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