We never, ever phone screen a sales candidate without asking some form of this question: Why are you looking for a new opportunity? This question is revealing especially if you drill down a bit on their initial response. You will learn much about the candidate. We also ask it of previous positions – why did they decide to leave those positions. Listen closely to their response. Just in time comes this line from an email cover (emphasis mine): The company is closing their doors in Minnesota and abolishing all positions. Therefore that is why I am seeking new employment. Dramatic. This respondent certainly gets right to the point on the… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Can vs. Can’t Approach
One client of ours told me a sales hiring story that led them to us. The sales manager followed the conventional hiring process – post an ad, sort the resumes, interview the candidates from the “yes” resume pile. He chose a salesperson with a glowing resume who absolutely won him over in the interview. He knew he had made a mistake a couple months into her employment. It turns out that this salesperson could not handle making calls in the presence of other people. What I mean is that her phone-intensive position was located in a cube farm with her peers all around her. She was incredibly uncomfortable talking to… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Leading Others
This week’s trait focuses on an important sales manager trait. The aptitude to lead others works in concert with many other traits and motivations, but the natural ability to lead can be identified and measured through our assessments. Leading OthersThe ability to organize and motivate salespeople to get things accomplished where everyone feels a sense of order and direction. Effective leadership depends on a fine mixture of capacities that must match the environment in which the sales manager is asked to perform. Regardless of that mixture, every leader must be able to gain the trust of others and be able to solve problems among/for the group. A sales manager with strength… Read More
Continue ReadingA Quick Screening Tip
I’m working through another week consisting of one phone screen after another. There are few things that are more revealing than spending time on the phone with sales candidates. One topic I enjoy hearing is a candidate who clearly has experience building a territory from nothing to a significant revenue level. This ability is highly valuable and it doesn’t take long to discover if the candidate has truly done it or not. The candidates who have done it have detailed accounts of successes and failures in growing the revenue. Drill down a level or two on their responses and you will hear either past-tense experiences or theoretical strategies. Listen for… Read More
Continue ReadingAwful Interview Questions
I have a weakness for this topic so I was pleased to read today’s ERE.net article titled Results-Focused Interviews. Remember, these are all questions that people submitted to the website as their best questions to use in an interview. I am not making these up: “If a spaceship were to land outside this office and you were asked to get in, would you? Why?” (Is an acceptable answer, “Because they had a ray gun?”) “Am I a good interviewer? Why or why not?” (Well, if you have to ask me, maybe we ought to switch chairs.) “If you were a part of a car, which part would you be and… Read More
Continue ReadingFocus On Your Selling System
SellingPower.com offers up an interesting article in their CRM newsletter – Is CRM Really Improving Sales Productivity? The short answer is no for a handful of reasons. One item resonated with me: Mike Bosworth, author of the bestseller CustomerCentric Selling (Wiley, 2005) argues that the sales process must be adapted to customer buying processes prior to being automated. But that€™s not what€™s happening. Instead, when sales managers see sales productivity dropping, they€™re likely to turn to CRM in an attempt to make their existing, traditional process more efficient. That€™s like stepping on the accelerator when you€™re heading for a cliff. He’s right – there is no reason to automate a… Read More
Continue ReadingSimple Sign Of A Schmoozer
I’m working through many phone screens today and came across a respondent who displayed one of the hallmarks of a schmoozer. A question I often like to lead with is some variation of this: “Give me an overview of your skills and how they would fit into this position based on the ad that you read.” A simple question that assumes they are familiar with the ad. Yet, you would be surprised how often the candidate does not have the ad in front of them or how little they remember from the ad. Some respondents are wise enough to state they don’t have the ad in front of them so… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Toughest Positions To Hire
CareerBuilder.com’s article Today’s Hardest-to-Fill Jobs lists the top 10 hardest-to-fill jobs. First, a little background: According to a recent survey by recruitment firm Manpower Inc., the answer is no. The survey says 41 percent of U.S. employers are struggling to find qualified job candidates because of a lack of available talent. And then the top 10 positions: 1. Sales Representative2. Teacher3. Mechanic4. Technician5. Management/Executive6. Truck Driver7. Driver/Delivery8. Accountant9. Laborer10. Machine Operator Yes, sales rep is the most difficult position to hire. There are always sales candidates available, but it is far more difficult to identify the right salesperson. We can help.
Continue ReadingThe Mature Hiring Trend
We’ve been talking about the talent shortage topic for some time and it is only going to become more prominent over the next decade. The Christian Science Monitor offers this story – ‘Age friendly’ workplaces on the rise – that defines a growing strategy – making your company culture more “age friendly.” Here’s why that approach is so important: Already, 10,000 baby boomers are turning 50 every day, a trend the US Census Bureau says will continue for the next decade. As the age for collecting full Social Security benefits climbs to 67, and as some pensions become less secure, more people will need to keep working. But many employers… Read More
Continue Reading5 Futuristic Jobs
This is fascinating – CNNMoney.com has a short slide show presentation in their article 5 Dream jobs of the future. They are: Disease Mapper Robot Programmer Information Engineer Radiosurgeon Second Life Lawyer Yes, that last one is correct. Here is part of the description: Count Stevan Lieberman among the virtual world’s earning elite. Instead of trying to practice purely virtual law–which few if any lawyers have turned into real money–Lieberman has taken a hybrid approach, using Second Life as a meet-and-greet area for new clients, who then take their real-world legal needs offline. And since he took in $7,000 in fees in the first two weeks after hanging up his… Read More
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