From a CNNMoney.com article this morning (emphasis mine): Private sector employment fell more than expected in September, but the pace of job losses continued to slow, according to a report released Wednesday. Automatic Data Processing, a payroll-processing firm, said private-sector employers cut 254,000 jobs in September, down from a revised 277,000 in August. It was the smallest monthly total since July 2008. The decline was greater than the 200,000 loss economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast. But the difference was “not statistically meaningful,” according to Joel Prakken, an ADP spokesman and chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC. “Not statistically meaningful” – tell that to the 54,000 people who lost their job… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Value Of Cliche Questions
Don’t flame me on the title, there is a method to this madness. I like cliché questions for sales interviews. There, I admitted it. Now, I should clarify, I’m not talking about an entire interview of these questions, but rather some strategic ones sprinkled into your question list. Here is why – if the question is cliché, the candidate should have a sparkling answer. Their answer may be well-rehearsed – that is fine. You, as the interviewer, simply need to drill down on their response to get to the unvarnished truth. However, the catch to this approach is when they don’t have a strong answer. I am always concerned about… Read More
Continue ReadingQ Is For Qualifying Questions
I come across this often – a company wants to hire a superstar salesperson and the hiring manager’s first instinct is to find a loquacious talker. Perhaps you have seen this approach too? Clearly no readers of the Hire Sense would administer this approach in their hiring. Right? Ok, maybe not. The point is that smooth talkers are not categorically the best salespeople. I am appreciative of good communicators, but being good at talking is the lesser part of communication. Being an active listener is more important. This fact is often overlooked in sales hiring. The reason this ability is important is that is supports the foundation of successful selling… Read More
Continue ReadingTwice The Fun
Here’s a headscratcher from an ad I read today, Sept. 10: On September 30, 2009, ABC Company will be upgrading the technology we use to receive job applications. Due to the upgrade, you will be asked to reapply to any jobs you have bid on. Any job applications, resumes, and/or cover letters that are submitted to ABC Company prior to September 30th, will not be converted to the new system. They are advertising for a sales position…today. So my assumption is that if I am a candidate, I can apply today and hope they are so overwhelmed they contact me immediately. Right? Otherwise, I will need to reapply in a… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Trial Hire
I’m back from a needed break in this sour economy. Everywhere I go I ask people about their business. It is fairly consistent – something from “could be better” to “really down.” That economic context allows some freedom for hiring companies to incorporate what I call contextual hiring techniques. These are typically techniques that take longer to measure and allow the hiring company to see the salesperson in action. Some examples: Job Shadowing – just as it sounds, the candidate spends time with an existing sales rep to get an understanding of the position. Peggy McKee at Medical Sales Recruiter has a post on this topic. A friend of mine… Read More
Continue ReadingOverwritten Ads
I keep an eye on the sales employment ads looking for trends, positions, companies and prospects. I admit it. One of the aspects that catches my attention is the sheer length of some of these ads. It seems apparent that some companies simple publish their internal, HR-drive job descriptions as an employment ad. Mistake. Ads that incorporate this style read as an onerous task list as opposed to describing the opportunity and, more importantly, describing the ideal salesperson in his or her terms. The salesperson should read the ad and think to themselves, “Those are my skills, those are my strengths.” Many ads like to list the reporting requirements of… Read More
Continue ReadingShould You Involve Customers In Hiring?
Quite the question, don’t you think? That is the title of this article from Selling Power. I have to confess I was perplexed by the entire thought – how would you as the hiring manager benefit from having your customer help you hire the salesperson? I see nothing but pitfalls in this approach. My first thought is mentioned in the article: “For example, the customer could be shopping around for someone he could squeeze on margins,” she says. “It’s more that they are looking for an easier mark, and that’s not to anyone’s advantage in the long run.” No kidding – there might be a great advantage to the customer… Read More
Continue ReadingOdd Hold
I’m on hold this past week with my website hosting company with some questions about our account. I have a somewhat complex question/request for them which requires the customer service rep to put me on hold to obviously research it. I don’t mind being put on hold as I am ever hopeful they come back with the solution. However, I was a bit shocked by the hold music when she put me on hold the first time. The song was Another One Bites the Dust. I kept waiting for the dial tone as surely she was preparing to hang up on me. I was relieved when she returned. I explained… Read More
Continue ReadingDouble Dippin’
I’ve come across two different instances of a nefarious sales trick that is reviving itself in the telecommuting era. Two different customers recently shared accounts of salespeople who were on their payroll and the payroll of another company. This stickler is that they were allegedly full-time employees for both companies. In one instance, the salesperson was on the West coast while headquarters was back in the East. This guy set up a small office in an office building and had a slider sign on the door. He would simply slide it to reveal the company he was representing that day for that appointment. He also had a company car from… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Future Of Social Networking
The Herman Trend Alert’s topic this week is the future of social networking. An excerpt for you (my bolding): “Social networking is in its infancy”, says David Nour, Relationship Economics CEO and Web 2.0 guru. “We’re on the upward swing of the hype cycle”. Lots of people are discovering the power of Social Networking and investing their time and energy to make it work for them. “The real power and promise of Social Networking is a mass collaboration platform, accelerating one’s ability to get things done”, adds Nour. Enlightened individuals are shifting from “not invented here” to “invented everywhere.” It gives us the opportunity to extend our reach beyond any… Read More
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