I picked up a business card this week from a business associate that had this tagline on it:

Were Quality Is #1

Absolutely not kidding.

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I just read an ad for a mid-level sales position.  Interesting part was the location listed in the ad:

Milwaukie, WI

The hiring company is based in Fresno, CA which is, I suppose, in relative proximity to Milwaukie, OR.  However, the Wisconsin town of the same name is spelled “Milwaukee.”

In hiring, details matter.

(And wouldn’t you think Monster would have a checker of some form for these errors?)

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From Shine on Yahoo comes one of those surveys that makes me think we are over-surveying (emphasis mine):

…96% of Americans report experiencing rudeness at work, and 48% say they are treated uncivilly at least once a week.

This kind of manners meltdown can have a direct effect on the bottom line. According to surveys conducted by Pearson and her colleagues, 48% of poorly treated employees have intentionally decreased their productivity and 12% say the boorish behavior compelled them to quit. Workplace rudeness costs employers an average of $50,000 per worker. “There are very high costs associated with even seemingly inconsequential inconsiderate words and actions,” adds Pearson.

Insert yawn here (maybe that was “boorish behavior” on my part).  $50K per worker due to rudeness?  Where does that number come from?  I have a hard time believing that one.

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Remember back a few years ago when Radio Shack fired employees via email?  Well, here comes another tone-deaf approach by retail management.  I think the title of the Inc.com article explains it well – PetSmart Fires Employee Who Brought Dog to Work.

Here it is:

Eric Favetta, a 31-year-old PetSmart employee, was fired for "theft of services" after bringing his dog to work during an overnight shift he’d picked up as a favor to his manager, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

…

Favetta – a former military dog handler who’d worked at PetSmart for 18 months – didn’t want his 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, Gizmo, to be home alone all day and night. So he put Gizmo in the Secaucus, New Jersey store’s doggie day care facility. The store was empty, and Favetta checked in on his pet every 15 minutes.

Two weeks later, store and district managers requested a written report of his overnight shift. He complied – and promptly was fired for "theft of service."

“I was shocked,” Favetta told the Star Ledger. “It makes me sick that because I brought my dog to work with me when the store was closed to do the company a favor, I was called a thief and terminated.” "Theft of service" was just a convenient excuse to axe him because he didn’t get along with his manager, he argues, noting that he opened the store and handled money without incident.

Astounding.  In all fairness to PetSmart, they did change course and offer Mr. Favetta his job back and a transfer to another store.  I am still amazed that the corporate people did not see the irony and idiocy of this situation.

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I do some IT consulting work on the side as a hobby/pastime.  Call me a geek.  In that arena, I have a customer who has been battling to get some information from a prospective vendor.  He wants to use their services but has had trouble getting a response.  Finally, today he got a response.  His summation was filled with wisdom:

Coming in obnoxiously late and extraordinarily high priced is not a good place to be.

I couldn’t agree more.  And I’ve been there myself in previous sales roles.

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This video is making its way around the net and I found it quite funny.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Select Metrix and The Hire Sense.

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This is from EyeOnSales.com:

Twas the end of the quarter, with my Blackberry dead
Not a prospect was stirring, my dashboard pure red.
The managers were wringing their hands with despair,
With thoughts of their bonuses vanishing into thin air.

The VP of sales sat awake in her bed,
While visions of mortgages danced in her head.
And the CFO in his office, and I on a plane,
Were bracing ourselves for the oncoming pain.

When there in my Inbox appeared a new subject line,
I sprang from the seat with a feeling divine.
“Reconsidering Vendors – You’re Still in the Race”,
A 400-user license was still mine to chase!

The head of the project had reopened bids
The original victor had costs they had hid.
Please be there on Friday to talk with the team,
My value proposition had found new esteem.

With well-rehearsed banter, and names memorized
Internal champions gave credence in my quest for the prize.
My travel all set, accommodations in place,
I practiced and researched, all to meet face-to-face!

“Now HR! now, Sales Group! now, Accounting and IT!
On, Biz Dev! on, Admin! on Marketing and EVP’s!
From clerks in the mailroom to the C-Level suite!
I have a solution, your needs it all meets!”

As handshakes were tendered and details were smoothed,
A lone IT director suddenly came into his groove.
“It’s not an on-premise, I don’t know if I trust,
Security is foremost, an end-all, a must!”

And then, in a flash, my hopes came to rest
On a man with a Linux logo sewn on his chest.
“Let me talk to your guys,” he said with stern voice
“I have to say SaaS is never my first choice.”

The meeting then ended without pen put to paper,
I’d have to sit tight, waiting as my hopes tapered .
Talking in 1’s and 0’s and data encryption,
The IT director held up the decision.

His questions were cutting, his mind sharp and agile!
He wanted the details, how robust? how fragile?
His stream of questions were insistent and loud,
As our CTO talked proxies, permissions and clouds.

The stub of a pencil held tight in his teeth,
He looked at me sideways and to my relief
Broke into a smile and announced “I’m convinced”,
Your platform meets all our base requirements!

An agreement was drawn up, signed the next day,
And with a few pen strokes the quarter was saved!
A good sleep I had on my direct flight back,
On Monday the office gathered ‘round in a pack.

They asked “How did you do it?”  “Who did you know?”,
My secret was Landslide and its sales process flow!
And then I heard the CEO’s assistant,
“Mr. Brown wants to see you, right this instant!”

I received a promotion, right on the spot,
And two weeks PTO for the business I brought.
I decided to vacation well south of the border,
“Happy selling to all, and to all a good quarter!”

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Great article from Yahoo Finance.  I think I have worked with some salespeople in the past who had this same compensation program:

Anthony Armatys is facing up to six years in prison for his dumb move. But he’s not the only dummy in this story.

Armatys accepted a job in 2002 with telecom equipment maker Avaya but then changed his mind before he started. He was already in the payroll system however, and the company started depositing his six-figure salary into his checking account.

For five years, Armatys did not notify Avaya of its error, but his attempt to make an early withdrawal from his 401(k) prompted an investigation that led to his arrest.

In October Armatys pleaded guilty to theft and was ordered to repay the $470,995.53 in compensation he received. He faces full sentencing in January.

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From a sales ad I read this morning:

Blackberry device is needed, but optional.

Apparently coherent writing is needed, but optional.

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Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving from all of us at Select Metrix!

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