Just saw this title to a sales position ad (emphasis mine): Regional Sales Manager Job “Job”…seriously? Don’t do this in your ads. Salespeople, especially young salespeople, are looking for opportunities, careers, even a path. If you promote the position as a job, you will instantly limit the perspective, or upside, of the position.
Continue Reading9 Phrases Emotionally Intelligent People Don’t Use
This list will make you cringe, especially if any of these phrases are in your common parlance. 1. “You look tired.” 2. “Wow, you’ve lost a ton of weight.” 3. “You were too good for her anyway.” 4. “You always…” or “You never…” 5. “You look great for your age.” 6. “As I said before…” 7. “Good luck.” 8. “It’s up to you.” or “Whatever you want.” 9. “Well at least I’ve never _______.” Ha! How good is that list? As a father of teenagers, I am constantly correcting them for using #4. I was a little surprised by #7 so I’ll close with the author’s explanation (which is a… Read More
Continue ReadingForming, Storming And Norming Teams
That is how teambuilding occurs according to the Tuckman model and I agree. Assessing entire sales teams provides me an inside view at teams and how they function and this model plays out consistently. This article covers many interesting topics with a focus on creativity killers. Creativity is difficult to measure or assess, but there are things a sales leader can do to help foster creativity. From the article (emphasis mine): It’s easy to look at models like that and think that cohesion and friendliness should be the ultimate goal. But surprisingly, when it comes to creativity, the best teams fight a little (or even a lot). Structured, task-oriented conflict… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Singular Difference Between Introverts and Extroverts
Stereotypes abound around introverts and extroverts-most of them are simply untrue. The stereotypes go too far in categorizing behaviors. Part of the issue flows from the Myers-Briggs and its binary assignment of introversion/extroversion. You are simply one or the other…completely, according to that tool (of which I am not a big fan). This article provides a succinct, accurate definition based on Jung’s work: Shyness and being outgoing don’t have anything to do with it; it’s more about where we get our energy from. In fact, the differences are pretty simple: Introverts get exhausted by social interaction and need solitude to recharge. Extroverts get anxious when left alone and get energy… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Lost Art of Decorum
Maybe I am aging faster than I will admit, but I have seen a trend in the professional workplace that is unsettling. Decorum. As defined by Webster, it is “correct or proper behavior that shows respect and good manners.” One of the things I tell hiring managers is that the initial candidate interview is as good as it will get. The candidates’ behavior, manners, etiquette, communication, etc. will never exceed their level as observed in that first interview. Therefore, the candidate’s decorum should be exemplary in that interview to the point where it is memorable. Sadly, I simply am not seeing this exemplary decorum nearly as much as I used… Read More
Continue ReadingSilence Kills Deals?
My mouth is still agape after reading this article in the MSP Business Journal – How to close a sales more effectively. The first howler: Anyone involved in sales knows silence can kill deals. If you present your best recommendations to a prospect and stop talking, he might say, “That’s food for thought. Let me think about it. I’ll get back to you.” What? No, not true. The problem the vast majority of salespeople have is the inability to use silence. A pregnant pause is a powerful tool that helps bring forth information. It is important to remember that the person asking the questions is actually the person controlling the… Read More
Continue ReadingTracking Sales Reps 24/7
A sales executive was fired for deleting an app on her cell phone. The details from the Fox News story: A sales executive was fired after she deleted an app on her phone that tracked her every move, allowing her employer to know where she was 24/7. It was only a matter of time until this type of issue surfaced. My personal take is that tracking her 24/7 is an incredible invasion of privacy and her actions were the same ones I would have chosen in that situation. However, let me throw this at you from the former Judge quoted in the article: Judge Andrew Napolitano said that in the… Read More
Continue Reading4 Social Age Selling Skills
I don’t consider myself old, but I am starting to waver on that belief after reading this Selling Power article. I started selling back in the days before cell phones and Internet, when the fax machine was viewed as such a timesaver. Frightening by today’s standards. The article identifies 4 selling skills you need in today’s socially-connected world. Here are the first 3: Social Listening Social Researching Social Networking Those 3 are critical and hopefully most salespeople are aware of these needed skills. However, the 4th point is most interesting: 4. Social Engaging This is the newest skill for sellers. Consequently, it holds the biggest competitive advantage for sellers who… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Lost Art Of Writing
No doubt we live in a technology-based world driven by expedited activities, from instant text messages to YouTube videos on demand. Communication moves fast. One area I believe it hurts is applying for sales positions. I realize an ever-increasing amount of opportunities are found, shared and contacted through LinkedIn, but what of finding opportunities for which you do not have a direct connection. I think this activity is similar to cold calling/contacting. When I am sourcing for sales candidates, I receive many resumes forwarded to me through the job boards and LinkedIn. Resumes. It is rare that I receive a cover letter anymore. For me, receiving a resume is similar… Read More
Continue ReadingRevealing Resumes
We run a systematic hiring process for sales positions. We have refined the process over the past 14 years and have it optimized (even though when we started we were writing newspaper employment ads!). As part of any hiring process, you have to receive resumes of respondents to the ad. This is where things are changing. A new trend I am seeing is resumes with copy and paste information from job descriptions, websites, etc. What I mean is candidates do not take the time to write about their skills and experience in their current or previous roles. They simply use web/marketing copy that they paste into their resume. I have… Read More
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