From Human Resource Executive Online’s Uncertain Economy, Uneven Hiring (emphasis mine): Richard Fanelli, president of Fanelli McClain Design Studios, a commercial interior planning and design firm located in Fairfax, Va., says that his company is not hiring right now, but they’re scouting. “We have to have the workload to support new hires,” he says. “But if I were to find the right person, I might hire them and then market harder to justify the hire.” That is an interesting turn of phrase, isn’t it? “Scouting” is an excellent verb to use in this context. This is a practice we preach, but most companies don’t scout consistently. This lack of consistency… Read More
Continue ReadingOnramping Is Everything
This ManageSmarter.com article – On-Board Your Sales Hires Faster – hits me where I live. We ran into a serious issue with one of our customers where a salesperson we placed was terminated after 60 days. I won’t go into specifics, but this gentleman never had a chance. One anecdotal point – he never received business cards. You get the picture. We are working with our customer this week to establish a formalized onramping program for the next salesperson in this role. Much, or even all, of the problems that developed were due to this small company not understanding what needs to happen to successfully launch a new salesperson. Some… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Resource – Sales Gravy
Don’t you love that title, Sales Gravy? This site is a sales resource that I was not aware of until I received a call from Jeb Blount who runs the site. Sales Gravy is the fastest growing international networking community for Sales Professionals. Sales Gravy is your portal to All Things Sales.We believe that Sales Professionals are the Elite Athletes of the Business world and this site is designed and dedicated to helping our members gain the Winning Edge! There are many resources on the site and I have to confess I have not had a chance to browse through all of them. The Sales Tools and Resources is the… Read More
Continue ReadingReading The Boss’ Body Language
What the Boss’ Body Language Says is from Yahoo Hot Jobs and is well worth the read. I’m a sucker for these tells, to use poker parlance. A quick taste from the short article: Eyes, Head, and Face Positive: Looks you directly in the eye. Muscles around the eye are relaxed. Facial muscles are relaxed. Lips are their normal size. Pleasant face and friendly smile. Negative: Rapid eye movement, does not look at you; has a cold, glaring, staring, or glazed-over look. Blinks more than normal. Raises one eyebrow as if in disbelief or doubt. Facial muscles are tight; lips thin out. Jaw muscles and clenched, and temple or neck… Read More
Continue Reading6 Sales Myths
This article is from ManageSmarter.com and it debunks 6 very common sales myths. My absolute favorite from the short article: Myth: If sales understood the product better, sales would increase. Reality: Actually, if everyone in the company—e.g., marketing, product developers, IT, and fulfillment, to name a few—understood sales better, sales would increase. That reality is perfectly stated and true. Successful selling, or should I say unsuccessful selling, has more to do with sales technique than it does with product knowledge. However, we have encountered many companies where the other departments felt they could direct the sales department. The common theme in those companies is that these departments believe they know… Read More
Continue ReadingToughest Sales Objection – Indifference
Clayton has a post on his Salesopedia blog that references some recent survey results from their highly-visited site. One result jumps off the screen: What’s the toughest objection? Indifference …….. 64.7% Price …………….. 26.5% Timing …………… 8.8% Isn’t that the truth? We used to work for a sales trainer who always stressed that indifference is the worst outcome of a sales call. Salespeople know what to do with a yes (after writing that, I wondered if there are salespeople who don’t know what to do with a yes…), they know what to do with a no, but no one is certain of what to do with a maybe. As a… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Power of Humbition
Interesting article here from BusinessWeek.com titled Talent and “Humbition” that discusses a common problem with hiring superstars – they tend to have a me-first mentality. Part of that mentality is what makes them successful, but there are stars out there who approach their work with a humbleness that is inspiring. Here is a good point in regards to this approach: First, to CEOs, HR directors, and the founders of startups: The best-run companies I know are indeed obsessed with filling their companies with great people. But they also believe that recruiting stars doesn’t mean succumbing to a me-first star system. They understand that what it means to be great is… Read More
Continue ReadingTime And Title
I’m digging around the resume pile again and came across a title that I actually enjoyed (slightly edited by me): Sales Pro Seeking New Dragons To Slay I know, it is a bit quirky, but it stands out which is important in it’s own right. I opened up the resume to look at the details inside and found this piece of information under the Education section (redacted by me): _________ University 1986-2001 Liberal Arts So much for the good title.
Continue ReadingSmall Company Rewards
One of the real draws of working at a smaller company is the opportunity to have direct access to management-level decisions. As larger companies trim their payrolls, skilled employees will enter the candidate pool. These candidates may find a smaller company provides new opportunities for their personal skill set. The Wall Street Journal discusses this topic in Moving to a Small Company Can Lead to Big Rewards: That close proximity to upper management often leads to quicker action. Mr. Macdonald, the former Bristol-Myers worker, says he has the power to get things done more expeditiously at his new employer, Acorda Therapeutics Inc. in Hawthorne, N.Y. “There’s less bureaucracy,” he says.… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Problem With Gen Y
BusinessWeek.com offers up a scathing discussion of Gen Y in Getting to Know Gen Why. I’m no expert on Gen Y, but this article takes them out to the woodshed (had to throw in an old school saying). What you hear is: “They don’t want to pay their dues, play by the rules, or give their best to any project unless they are sure it will get them a promotion, a raise, or some kind of recognition. And then if they aren’t totally happy, or if you look at them wrong, they’ll bolt for the next job!” And this: Today’s students memorize names, dates, and algebraic equations, but they graduate… Read More
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