We are sourcing for a sales position and are running some ads in different locations. I received an email from a candidate that listed the title of the ad in the subject line – good move. But this is all that was in the body of the email: Would like to learn more, thanx!
Continue ReadingUsing Email In The Sales Process
Using email effectively is an absolute must in today’s business world. It is surprising to me how much email has started to dominate the selling landscape over the past 5 years. That being said, understanding email etiquette is vital to moving a deal through the pipeline. Eyesonsales.com has an article that gives some good guidelines to follow in using email: View email as the new prospecting tool. After you leave a voicemail, follow-up with an email, giving prospects 2 easy ways to respond. Remember, your goal is to connect with the person. Even if they respond “no”, you’ve connected and can respond to try to generate an interest. Keep the sales… Read More
Continue Reading14 Cold Calling Suggestions
Eyesonsales.com has a short article that lays out 14 steps in making successful cold calls. With the lengthening of the sales cycle in regards to the economy, it is important to make sure that your salespeople stay on top of their pipelines. This article has 14 points that can be used as a refresher for your experienced salespeople or as a starting point for your new salespeople. Have a dedicated time each day to prospect. Know the reason for calling before you call: customer benefits, not product features. Leave short voice mail messages. Assume your voice mail messages will never be returned. Always call one level higher in an organization… Read More
Continue ReadingFinding Fibs On A Resume
In reviewing the HRGURU newsletter I ran across a good article on finding fibs in resumes. It gives some sound advice to follow so you are not discovering these lies on the resume after a person starts. The 5 tips: Get an early read about the candidate’s visible profile. Look for a candidate’s public profile by reviewing announcements, articles and other material that often can be found easily online. You do need to gauge how much stock you’ll put into whatever you find—good or bad—because you can’t always believe what you read. Confirm academic credentials early. Gain consensus on the reference checking process. Who is going to perform it and… Read More
Continue ReadingHiring Obstacles
According to the most recent Workforce Recruiting newsletter (sorry no link available), 1,100 employers were asked what the main reason was for them not being able to hire their top candidates over the past two years. Their responses were as follows: 35.9% – Said they went elsewhere for higher perceived pay. 15.5% – Said they went elsewhere for better perceived career development opportunities. 8.0% – Said they went elsewhere for better perceived work/life advantages. 7.1% – Said they went elsewhere for higher perceived long-term incentive/equity compensation. 1.5% – Said they went elsewhere for better perceived benefits. 31.9% – Said they were able to hire the majority of their top candidates.… Read More
Continue ReadingTips For Interviewing Sales Candidates
Too many times the process of hiring a sales person rarely takes priority in a sales manager’s duties – they have enough to do already. Unfortunately, the hiring tasks get pushed to the margins of their day. Any sales manager knows how important it is to hire strong sales people, but it all too often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Dave Stein has 11 spot-on quick tips that can help you set the right priorities and increase your success rate. His tips are: Make sure you know what you are looking for. Prepare your questions in advance. Remain objective during the interview. Trust but verify. Don’t lead the candidate. Push… Read More
Continue ReadingQ4 Job Forecast
Recruiting Trends provides a summary of CareerBuilder and USA Today’s Q4 Job Forecast and there are some interesting trends. First, according to the survey workers are postponing active job searches but are open to a change if the right one comes along. Of the 6,100 workers surveyed, 38% are planning to sit tight for the next year and wait for the economy to swing back while 41% plan on staying until retirement. This “squatting” will create some tension in that 23% of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in the next three months and 34% say they are having a hard time finding qualified candidates, especially in highly-skilled areas. Not… Read More
Continue ReadingCraig’s List Fees
Last week Craig’s List job postings started costing $25 in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami (South Florida), Philadelphia, and Phoenix. These cities joined the following cities that already charge a fee for job postings – Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, NYC, Orange County, Portland, Sacramento, Seattle, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, Washington DC and NYC. I supposed it is not surprising with all the “get rich now” ads that are all over the sites. We are fans of Craig’s List and have had some decent success using their job board. Unfortunately, it does require some patience by the candidates since there is much garbage to sift through on the site. Still, it… Read More
Continue ReadingAsk The Tough Questions
In talking with sales managers over the past month or so there is one reoccurring statement that I am hearing – their sales cycle has been extended in this economy. It isn’t that they are not closing sales, it is just taking a bit longer. Buyers are certainly more deliberate, but as we discussed some of their opportunities, it was clear that their sales people are not asking the difficult questions that lead to a qualified deal. I came across this article from Kelley Robertson quite some time ago and passed it on to one of these sales managers – it is worth bringing it up again. The article provides a… Read More
Continue Reading6 Tips For Sales Managers
Sometimes these quick tip articles provide little usable information. This article at Eyes on Sales is not one of those articles – there are excellent suggestions within the 6 tips (pay special attention to number 1): Lack of Process – The cure for this problem is to take your time to document the processes associated with finding, acquiring and retaining customers. Don’t make the mistake of focusing only on sales processes, as there are sales support, customer service, operations and many other processes that need to be examined through this exercise. Lack of Proactive Funnel Management – The number one problem facing many sales managers in this area is the… Read More
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