I’m traveling for business this week (I’m in Tewksbury, MA as I type) and heard a sales discussion in the lobby this morning. One salesperson was working hard to convince 2 others about, well, I’m not sure the exact pitch, but it did involve purchasing produce. Hear is what caught my ear during the salesperson’s pitch: Nobody knows more about tangerines than Jim… Absolutes = unbelievable. Absolutes like always, never, nobody, etc. trigger an effect in prospects to disprove or doubt it especially if they are not familiar with the absolute being stated. Jim may know more than anyone else, but I am skeptical. Instantly I start wondering about who… Read More
Continue ReadingThey May Not Be High Tech
Honestly, I read this line on the “about us” page of an engineering company’s website: All information and engineering is conducted using networked personal computer workstations. Do you think that even warrants a single line on a website? The context of the sentence was to support their cutting-edge approach. As a candidate, I would have some serious concerns after reading that sentence.
Continue ReadingPat
Don’t get me wrong, I love email. However, there is a downside to it. I am emailing with someone today and I have no idea what gender they are. The fact that it is -25 degrees F here today may be impacting my cognitive ability which is fine as long as my car starts.
Continue ReadingDeath Of The Fax
Just a simple thought here – when will the fax machine go away? I talk to prospects and collect their contact information for our CRM. I had the thought, “Why do I ask for their fax number?” Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I sent a fax to a prospect or customer. I scan it in and email it…again, that way I have a record of it in our CRM software. My outside number is 5 years until it goes down to the level of the typewriter.
Continue ReadingProper Interview Follow-Up
As an employer what type of follow up should you expect from a candidate? Should you receive a thank you? Should that thank you be a hand written mailed thank you, an email thank you or a quick text on your cell phone? Did that last one get your attention? It did mine as I read a post from Steven Rothberg. The post used a couple of quotes from hiring managers that were offended by candidates sending out an email from a blackberry within minutes of the interview and a text message to the managers cell phone. The hiring manager that received the text felt her “personal space” was infringed on. If… Read More
Continue ReadingBBD-Pay For Customer Service
BBD=Bad Business Decision. I am always amazed that companies want to charge for customer service, but obviously it must work for them. I can see where computer customer service is a difficult thing since you often have uniformed end-users. However, this abcnews.com story is over-the-top (my bold): Many consumers are used to getting customer service on the phone from international call centers, but now some companies are offering domestic aid for a price. I just laugh when I read it. Extra charges for domestic support just seems insulting to me as a consumer. Again, I may be really out of touch on this one. The article continues with worse news:… Read More
Continue ReadingLiars For Candidates
Remember the old joke, you can tell when they are lying because their lips are moving? Selling Power provides this article which opens with this statement: Did you know that 50 percent of candidates lie on their resumes? (This includes people who omit things, stretch the truth, and those who outright lie.) That seems optimistic to me. This lying problem is rampant in hiring as we have seen first-hand. I think candidates believe they can state things that are difficult to verify with the legal restrictions in this country. How can you verify that they turned around a territory? How do you know they were the lead person on a… Read More
Continue Reading10 Ways To Help Out Your Employees
ManageSmarter has a good article that provides 10 ways that you can help your employees through the economic crisis. There are some simple ideas on the list that a manager should do regardless of the economy. What better way to retain your employees than to show your appreciation for their efforts? Shortening the work week to four days with extended work hours will increase productivity and give a welcome break for people. Consider giving turkeys to employees for Thanksgiving and accompany the gift with a card expressing appreciation for what everyone is doing. Facilitate a car pool, coordinating rides or give a gas cards. Hold regular one-on-one meetings with employees to… Read More
Continue ReadingAre You Really Running A Behavioral-Based Interview?
Behavioral-based interviewing has been the buzz in hiring for the past few years and rightly so. This technique brings real-world clarity to a sales interview as opposed to theoretical, positional answers. Selling Power provides a good article to assist you in your interview strategy. In order to ensure you are using a behavioral-based approach (emphasis mine): “A lot of people think that they are conducting behavioral-based interviewing when they’re really not,” says Wolf, who defines behavioral-based questions as questions that allow candidates to relate real situations and demonstrate how their strengths and weaknesses are exhibited on the job. “Many times hiring managers are asking theoretical questions, such as, ‘How would… Read More
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
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