Ah, this week we look at a trait that tends to be foreign to many salespeople. But that need is changing as the market factors become more complex. If your sale typically includes a complex, detailed offering, this trait is definitely one to measure in all candidates. Attention To Detail This is the ability to notice and dedicate mental resources towards details. This trait includes recognizing the component parts of a procedure or object and verifying the correctness or error in an individual part or procedure. A salesperson with strength in this trait will likely be thorough in the execution of their job responsibilities. They will define each job function… Read More
Continue ReadingInterview Etiquette – When To Cancel
I am on the road this week in Dallas interviewing candidates with one of our clients and a situation came up in the last 24 hours that speaks to proper etiquette during the interview/hiring process. There are certain expected behaviors that should be followed by both the employer and the candidate in any process. Yesterday, I received a phone call in the evening from a candidate who wanted to tell me that she was canceling our interview scheduled with her for early this morning. She knew that I was traveling from Minneapolis to Dallas and had even confirmed her interview with us late in the afternoon the day before. So… Read More
Continue ReadingKinetic vs. Potential
I’m not physicist, but I remember some teaching in class regarding the difference between kinetic energy (an object in motion) and potential energy (stored energy within an object). Salespeople are similar in that you want to hire the ones with kinetic energy and not the ones with only potential energy. I’m going to stay on this theme since it is so important to successful sales hiring – filtering candidates based on their resume does not allow for determining these two “energies.” Hiring managers attempt to divine kinetic energy from a document that is written to imply kinetic energy/activity. But is it true or is it an embellishment? Or was it… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Allure Of The Resume
When was the last time you read through a marketing piece concerning a product or service you were considering to purchase? Imagine you are in the market to buy a new vehicle. Do you read through the brochure and accept every statement as objectively true? Or how about attending a trade show and picking up a pamphlet at a booth? Do you consider that information to be an advocate’s view or not? Most people view this information as propaganda and rightly so. Yet when it comes to resumes, many hiring managers use this embellished “product” sheet as the definitive filter for interviews. That’s a mistake that leads to inconsistent sales… Read More
Continue ReadingHow To Lose Revenue
CareerBuilder.com offers a short article titled The Cost of Leaving a Position Unfilled. Now that is an important understanding when it comes to hiring salespeople – the choice to do nothing comes with a price. First a reason that drives our business: When you receive the green light to make a new hire, your company needs you to move on it right away. It is easy for a hiring manager to sit back and tell themselves, as well as those counting on them, that they will get around to beginning the recruitment process shortly. Exactly. Most sales managers were not hired to spend the balance of each day hiring salespeople. … Read More
Continue ReadingAnother Ad Writing Mistake
This is straight from an ad for a sales executive – the opening line: YOU MUST HAVE ____________ SALES EXPERIENCE TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION. The rest of the ad is in normal case so the upper case is, in effect, screaming. I would not recommend using upper case sentences in any ad. Starting a sales ad with this type of statement is an invitation to recycle mediocrity from within your industry. The best method for hiring strong salespeople is to look for the skills and traits you need to be successful in your typical sale. Experience does not equate to success. Companies think their is less training with industry… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Empathetic Outlook
This week we look at a critical sales trait that involves the salesperson’s ability to read the other person. Obviously, this ability has a tremendous impact on success. One key note – there is a fine line between too much empathy and not enough. This key factor is an aptitude we measure in all salespeople. Empathetic Outlook This is the ability to perceive and understand the feelings and attitudes of others – to place oneself €œin-the-shoes€ of another and to be able to view a situation from their perspective. It involves being conscious of how one€™s actions will impact others. A salesperson with strength in this trait will be able… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Skills Always Trump Style
There is a myth regarding strong salespeople that they have to be outgoing. I contributed a short piece to an article earlier this year in regards to this exact error. And then I read this quick blurb for Selling Power’s Identifying the Skills You Want in a Candidate: Sure salespeople need to be outgoing and driven €“ those are a given, but what about qualities that people need to have to fit in your particular position? No, that is not a given and not a truth. Writing in such generalities is not accurate because selling style is not as important as sales skills. Style is simply a matter of how… Read More
Continue ReadingTitle Interpretation
Just read this title for a sales position: Major Regional Account Sales Representative That almost reads like the author was attempting to stuff keywords into the position’s title. As you know, I am finicky about titles since they are so important for online ads. Here is my first impression of this wordy title: Major = big accounts Regional = I’ll have a geographic territory Account = B2B, no consumer sales Sales = understood Representative = warning – mouse nuts position Now when I reread the title, I suspect that they were using “Sales Representative” which didn’t generate much interest. Their solution was to add title words that carry more clout.… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Concrete Organization
Complex sales require complex skills and traits to be successful. This week we look at a somewhat abstract capacity that pays tremendous dividends in long, complex sales cycles. Concrete Organization This capacity deals primarily with the salesperson€™s ability to properly allocate resources to accomplish a goal or plan. It includes the ability to understand the immediate, concrete needs of a situation and to establish an effective action plan for meeting those needs. These resources are not limited to only physical components. This capacity takes into account a person€™s ability to evaluate and utilize both human and physical resources. A salesperson with strength in this trait will be able to systematically… Read More
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