CareerBuilder along with Cars.com performed a survey to find out what cars CEO’s drive. I don’t know if this data has any real application, but I found it interesting: The truth is more CEOs surveyed drive ordinary passenger cars and SUVs than luxury cars; in fact, those who drive Chevys outnumber those in Mercedes. And while most respondents think CEOs spend more than $70,000 on their cars, the average price CEOs in this study payed for their primary vehicle is under $25,000. One-in-four (26%) CEOs surveyed reported they spent less than $20,000 on their primary vehicle. Are you surprised? I’m not for 1 reason – the majority of CEO’s we… Read More
Continue ReadingThe End of Trade Shows
As someone who has attended many trade shows in my career, I was most intrigued by this short note in a recent Sales & Marketing Management email (sorry, no link): How bad are trade shows? A new survey by transportation-services provider BostonCoach reveals 70 percent of attendees harbor some negative feelings about their experiences. From boring presentations to the hassle of travel, trade shows are getting low marks.”The results of this survey have important implications for organizations staging events,” says BostonCoach president and CEO Jonathan P. Danforth. “Producing a truly successful event requires focusing on activities and logistics that extend well beyond the show floor or a meeting room.” Here’s… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Development Plan
Finally – our new Sales Development Plan is now available. This tool will take the volumes of assessment data we gather on a salesperson and transform it into a tactical game plan to develop their sales skills. And now for our shameless plug – No sales manager should be without one for each member of their sales team. Please click here to learn more about this product.
Continue ReadingCover Emails with Attitude
It’s Monday and I’m calling this an anecdote. More fun from the general resume email. This gentleman’s cover email (seems archaic to say cover “letter”) ends with this paragraph: I am a proven closer of large ticket, high margin services. I am a rare-rare breed. If you have a real opportunity, lets talk. If your a recruiter, I will not talk to you unless you can be specific about a REAL opportunity. I laugh every time I read it. The guy is also asking for a minimum base salary of $120K with a commission plan that will match the salary. Is there any greater turn off than unbridled arrogance?
Continue ReadingAnecdote – Well, Lee
Friday, so let’s go to the anecdotes. I had a unique candidate call while conducting phone screens this past week. I talked to a candidate who said my name a thousand times if he said it once. I know, sounds silly, but after a couple questions into the interview, I was worn out from hearing my name so frequently. Let me give you an example from our discussion: “Well, Lee that’s a great question and I wished I could say that I have a quick response for you, Lee, but I need to think about that question for a moment.” With hardly a pause he continued, “Lee, I would say… Read More
Continue ReadingProperly Using Pre-Employment Tests
CareerJournal posted this article – Six Things You Should Know About Pre-Employment Tests – earlier this week. The article is an excellent story for executive-level candidates to read closely. First, an interesting stat: Pre-employment testing is on the rise. In the past five years, 60% of companies have increased their use of workplace-behavior assessments, according to a survey of more than 500 human-resources professionals at U.S. companies… Second, a good point: “If you answer honestly and don’t get the job, it means the position wasn’t a good match for you in the first place,” he says. Third, something we can confirm in our activities: Senior executives are not exempt. In… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Development Plan
It’s Friday so time for a little housecleaning. We will be releasing our new Sales Development Plan on Monday. After a couple delays for last minute feedback, we have finalized it and will roll it out on Monday. The idea behind the tool is to give sales managers a document for tracking their salespeople’s skill development. Each plan will be customized to the salesperson and will identify areas for the sales manager to focus on when working with them. The scope of this project is increasing and we will add further functionality to the development plan in the fall. More to come on that topic later.
Continue ReadingDeath Networking?
The founder of monster.com has started a new social networking site for 50+ year olds. Eons.com is described this way: Instead of career and school sections, Eons.com has interactive games to build brain strength, news on entertainment and hobbies for older people, a personalized longevity calculator and tips to live longer.It also has a nationwide database of obituaries dating back to the 1930s to which people can add photos and comments. In addition to adding photos and videos to obituaries, members of Eons.com can sign up to receive an alert when someone from a particular area dies or in response to pre-defined keywords such as a company or school name.… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Industry-Experience Trap
An interesting article from ere.net titled The Role of the Hiring Manager in Recruiting. The author cuts to the quick in one of his bullet points: The industry-experience trap. Industry experience is not only highly overrated, but it’s also the quickest way to sub-optimize the talent you recruit. If you think of the pool of top-quality, top-quartile talent, the minute you say they must come out of the food industry or the high-tech industry, you’ve reduced that pool of available talent by about 98%! The fact is that for the majority of our jobs, top talent with high learning agility can learn the nuances of our industry, but industry-experienced candidates… Read More
Continue ReadingReinforcing Employees = Less Turnover
I was reading my daily email from the JustSell.com guys and they referenced an interesting study: With help from Gallup, the authors surveyed more than 4 million employees and found that those who give and receive praise: increase their individual productivity increase interaction among colleagues are more likely to stay in their current jobs Gallup research also revealed that the #1 reason most Americans leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated — and 65% of the people surveyed said they did not receive recognition for good work in the past year. In the past year! Granted, some communication styles need more reinforcement than others, but all styles need… Read More
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