I always seem to get drawn into articles with lots of stats in them. I came across 2 short, but interesting articles in last week’s newsletter from Workforce Management. The first article was from a survey conducted by human resources firm Adecco North America. In the article, they cite increased stress stemming from putting in longer hours at work. It finds that about 29% of employees report logging longer hours than they did a year ago, with a reported 32% experiencing on-the-job stress. The second article was from Kronos Inc. and Harris Interactive. Their joint survey that employees who are satisfied with their employer are more apt to extend themselves… Read More
Continue ReadingAnecdote – Online Dating? Part Deux
Friday anecdotes and the saga continues. This week I thought I would bring you up to speed on this post – Anecdote – Online Dating? I have received the following 2 emails from him since the first post. Please take note of the very similar writing styles in all 6 of the emails. I received this email just a week after the first one. I have procen track record in sales to C-level, HR Managers, VP, etc Proven track record in extended sales cycles Please contact me! Travel is not a problem. Best Regards I then received this one over the Labor Day Weekend. Lee…I have proven experience in sales…and… Read More
Continue ReadingDoes Six Sigma Have a Place in Sales?
An article on Six Sigma in Selling Power’s newsletter caught my interest. We are all quite familiar with Six Sigma in manufacturing and engineering, but Six Sigma and sales? It seems a little far fetched. The article is based on Michael Webb’s (founder of Sales Performance Consultants) sales process which is broken down into 5 steps. Webb contends that Six Sigma “applies science to the art of sales to consistently improve results.” The 5 steps are: Step #1: Define Step #2: Measure Step #3: Analyze Step #4: Improve Step #5: Control Interesting. There was a link to his website so naturally I clicked on it and poked around a bit.… Read More
Continue ReadingTop 50 Sales Websites
Selling Power’s September issue has a compilation of the Top 50 Sales Websites. They have it broken down into the following categories; Sales Training, Lead Management, Sales Meetings, CRM, Sales Technology and Hiring & Testing. It’s a great resource for anyone in sales to add to their tool box. Selling Power provides the website, a link to get to their site and a quick summary of the service they provide. However, the thoroughness of their list must be called into question. Select Metrix did not make the list. Hopefully they will have this oversight corrected by next year. 😉
Continue ReadingMarketing to Baby-Boomers Part 2
From this week’s SHRM Newsletter: EEOC Backs Targeted Recruitment of Older Workers. We have written several posts related to this subject (Marketing to Baby-Boomers, 76 and 44). The article contains several points of valuable information. EEOC’s Aug. 11 proposed rule change is in response to a Supreme Court decision two years ago (General Dynamics Land Systems Inc. v. Cline, 540 U.S. 581 (2004)), which concluded that there is no such thing under the ADEA as reverse age discrimination. While the current rule prohibits job advertisements favoring older persons, the proposed rule would make it permissible to encourage older people to apply. Employers may post help wanted notices or advertisements expressing… Read More
Continue ReadingEffective Communication for Managers
Uncommon to most of our Labor Day weekends, we relaxed and visited with family instead of the usual getting kids ready to start school on Tuesday. So with that enjoyable break, I am finally catching up on my reading. One of my RSS feeds is from Keith Rosen, author of Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cold Calling. His post on The Best Managers Are Fully Accountable For Their Communication is definitely worth reading, but let me share his 7 Tips to Strengthen Communication with you. Am I taking full responsibility for the message being heard by the other person? (Remember that it doesn’t matter what you say, it only matters what… Read More
Continue ReadingAnecdote – Communications Major?
Is it Labor Day weekend yet? Let’s go with an anecdote for now. I received this email with only a resume attached for a position that was advertised on Monster. In the ad, candidates were asked if interested to call or email Lee. Our client needed a salesperson with excellent communication skills. Their sales cycle is 1-2 years and it is a complex sale requiring formal written and verbal presentations to multiple people. Here is what I received in my inbox: Lee- I am a Communications Major with more that 10 years experience. I am sending a cover letter and resume for your consideration to fill this position. Please contact… Read More
Continue ReadingWhen Photoshop is a Verb
At the risk of piling on about Katie Couric’s doctored photo in the news, I thought I would reference a prescient post regarding Work & Health. If you look at the article’s stats, perhaps Katie’s new anchor position is getting to her. Personally, I thought she looked great in the first picture. I’d write more but I am off to photoshop my own image before uploading it to this site.
Continue ReadingFuzzy Phrases
I came across an interesting article on fuzzy phrases in this week’s newsletter from Sales Vault and it is well worth the time to read. The author’s definition of a fuzzy phrase is something that really says nothing. You feel like you might have heard something of substance, but after analysis (usually after the call is over) you realize they just said nothing. They are his pet peeve as I am sure they are for all sales people. His suggestion is to ask for clarification. When you hear any statement that is vague or wishy-washy, ask for clarification. If it’s something that needs to be done or discussed, I’ll always… Read More
Continue ReadingBlogs & Recruiting
Blogs Could Become Newest Recruiting Tool from the SHRM website (membership required): Blogs offer businesses an excellent and interactive communication tool. For example Microsoft has close to 3,000 blogs posted by the company’s employees. Blogs can give an insiders view of a company’s work environment to potential job candidates. This is extremely important with the younger generations (ed.-see our article), it is as important to understand the culture as it is the responsibilities of the position. For this reason companies that don’t have employee blogs could find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in recruiting. Honeywell Corp. is a good example of a company that uses blogs as a recruiting device.… Read More
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