JustSell.com offers a list of words to avoid in your qualifying activities (both written and spoken). This is a pet peeve of mine so I was elated to see such a comprehensive list. A few of my favorites, or should I say least favorite? a lot better cheap close early expensive in a minute / second / while occasionally probably soon sort of very I would add “really” to the list. Ok, why is this important? I’ll let the JustSell guys explain: Asked, “When can you have that for me?” in a business setting, a specific date and time is your best answer. Anyone in a leadership role will tell… Read More
Continue ReadingA Different View Of The Video Game Generation
Last week I posted on an article that discussed generational trends and specifically Gen Y and the effect of video game playing on their work habits. Steven Rothberg from CollegeRecruiter.com added a comment to that post that I wanted to share. Steven provides the most insightful commentary on Gen Y that I have read so I always consider his expert-level commentary. I thought his comment on my post was as good or better than the original article: Some may argue that video games are ruining the minds of this generation, but I feel that they’re not ruining the minds but instead changing them. The mind of someone of Gen Y… Read More
Continue ReadingOnline Job Ads Decrease
No question the economy is slowing down so this article from Forbes.com is not surprising: The Conference Board found there was a total of 3,733,200 online-advertised job vacancies, a 0.6% decline from March 2007 and the first year-on-year fall in total numbers since the index began in 2005. The Board said the decline reflects a slowing in annual growth in 42 states, with 14 states showing negative growth. Yes, I know, the index is only a few years old, but there is enough data to show the present-day trend. Here is some anecdotal information from the survey: The online-ad volume in California dropped 118,000, or 19%, below its March 2007… Read More
Continue ReadingSimulation Training And Hiring
Lee and I recently attended certification training for one of the assessments we use and found the training to be quite good. The part that made it memorable is the fact that we were asked to use the assessments in real-life scenarios. That type of training sticks, according to the Wall Street Journal’s Simulation Shows What It’s Like to Be Boss: That realistic feeling is a big reason companies such as NetApp use simulations to help train managers in complex subjects such as strategic thinking. Experts say adults absorb information better when they use it, not just hear it. There is a quote from earlier in the article that is… Read More
Continue ReadingRelocate This
Here is a picture of my backyard this morning: This is no April Fool’s joke – 7″ of snow yesterday and last night. Honestly, do you wonder why we normally recruit locals for Minnesota-based sales positions?
Continue ReadingWomen Sell Better
That isn’t my commentary, it is from the author of the Inc.com blog Sold!. His reasoning: And there are some very good reasons why I believe woman are better suited for selling. Among them: o In their personal lives and in business they tend to create relationships better. o They tend to sell based on personal input and business input rather than just business. o They listen. o They don’t have a sales history that they are tied to, so “new” works for them. o In many areas, women who are good in sales are still enough of a rarity to create a buzz. Ok, it pays to be provocative… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Essence of Sales Management
This is a tough topic because there isn’t a cookie-cutter sales manager template that fits for all companies. Our experience has been that smaller-sized companies tend to expect the sales manager to carry a significant quota while larger companies expect the sales manager to manage without carrying a personal quota. The department quota/goals are a different story. Nonetheless, ManageSmarter.com offers up a well-constructed guide to sales management titled Executive Guide: Improving Sales from Managers to Salespeople. A point that often gets overlooked in companies is the essence of strong sales management. This excerpt sums it up nicely: 4. Track where your management team members are spending their time. As previously… Read More
Continue ReadingA Reason To Web Commute
Is there a better anecdotal piece of information to support web commuting – $5.20 per gallon gas: Five dollars and 20 cents for a gallon of gas. The number says a lot. Yes, it may be the most expensive gas in America. But $5.20 doesn’t begin to explain essence — the rich, off-beat, some might say, eccentric, essence of Gorda, Calif.
Continue ReadingAvoid Posting Job Descriptions
Part of what I do every day is hunt through the local sales position ads. There are always some ads that contain more words than a doctoral thesis. Posting an internal job description for a sales position is the wrong move. One aspect of sourcing that we observer is the salesperson’s ability to qualify, in this case, the opportunity. If we post all the information about the position, the salesperson doesn’t have to work to find specific information. I’ve said this before, it is amazing how much you can learn during an initial 10 min. phone screen. An overwritten ad negates this fact to some extent. One other item we… Read More
Continue ReadingAssessments Shorten Interviews
I’ve read many sales technique articles recently that discuss how to approach a prospect. Salespeople are expected to have a cursory knowledge of the company itself, it’s market and, to some extent, whether or not they have a solution that may be a fit for this prospective customer. Gone are the days of cold calling a prospect and asking what it is their company does. I think everyone can agree with that paragraph. So why do companies still expect hiring managers to go through the added discovery of sorting out communication styles, motivations and skill sets? Granted, most managers want to verify these items, but assessments provide a starting point… Read More
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