Yes, according to an article on CareerBuilder. There are more numbers and stats in the article than you can shake a stick at, but I thought I would share a couple with you (FYI, it is cold and rainy here in Minnesota today). One-in-ten workers say that they tend to be less productive when there is gloomy weather outside. Inclement weather can also result in higher absences. One-in-five workers (21 percent) have called in sick because of not wanting to travel to work in bad weather. Workers in the Northeast were the most likely to call in sick due to bad weather (32 percent) compared to the South (21 percent),… Read More
Continue ReadingDistributed Decision Making
We have written much about the flattened org chart that the younger generations subscribe. The extremely veridical, military-like chain-of-command days are waning in the modern work world. The decision-making distribution of authority is having a tremendous impact on slow-to-react companies. I encountered this shift years ago working for a company that was headed up by older managers. My group made a presentation to management to streamline the complex business model we were running. Instead of a near-impossible vertical structure, we recommended distributing the decision process to the different business groups. The approach, which we thought made the most sense in terms of efficiency, was to have managers individually guide each… Read More
Continue ReadingWho To Promote Into Management
CareerJournal.com offers When Managers Neglect To Coach Their Talent which covers a principle we incorporate into our process. “The role of people-managers — who develop talent and create sustained profits for companies — isn’t as valued as it should be,” says Mr. Harter, co-author with Rodd Wagner, also of Gallup, of “12: The Elements of Great Managing.” If it were, he adds, companies wouldn’t promote to management those who succeeded at a prior job but don’t have the foggiest idea about how to motivate people. Blame the top executives who simply grade their managers on their financial results rather than on how well they groom and retain good employees. The… Read More
Continue ReadingAre Leads Dying On The Vine?
There is an interesting article in the recent Career Concepts USA newsletter (sorry, no newsletter link). Career Concepts USA offers recruiting solutions through Career Fairs, Sourcing, and Partnership Services. They have an article on research done by Salesnet.com which found that 87% of all leads are not pursued by salespeople. Boy is that a frightening statistic, think about all the money that is spent to develop leads and then they are never pursued. We often hear from salespeople that their company doesn’t do enough lead production. Here are the main reasons why leads are not pursued as stated in the article: -Lag time between prospect interest and sales contact. -Lack… Read More
Continue ReadingJust Getting Started
The decision has been made. The offer has been extended. The offer has been accepted, and the start date is just around the corner. The “newbie” is joining the sales team. Now what? That can be a bit of a scary question for the sales manager responsible for the success of a new hire. Hiring a candidate that has been and properly assessed, profiled, interviewed and evaluated is an excellent foundation for success. But hold on. It’s just the start to the process. As you might guess, an industry term to address these situations has already been crafted . “Onboarding” is the most commonly used term to reference the plan… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Skills Trump All Others
There is something about industry experience that is seductive to many hiring managers. The allure of a salesperson who has been “in the industry” for some time is almost irresistible. The same infatuation seems to exist with salespeople once they are on the payroll. The salesperson’s ability to understand the company’s product and service offering is important to the position. But why are many new salespeople judged by their level of product/service understanding? Is this really the best determinant of sales success? In a word, no. At the risk of being overly simplistic, salespeople are hired to . . . sell. Their sales skills trump all other skills. These skills… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Barf Factor
I started laughing out loud when I read this title for an article in Sales Vault’s weekly newsletter. I just got off the phone with a persistent telemarketer who did it to me. So what is this “Barf Factor?” The author, Kelly Roberston, describes it as: Too many sales people mistakenly believe that they should open their conversation with a background and history of their company. Or, a complete description of their products, services, or solutions. It’s seems like they can’t control what comes out of their mouth once they open it. They puke. They barf. They spew all over themselves. Exactly what the telemarketer had just done to me.… Read More
Continue ReadingCEO Boot Camp
Seriously. From abcnews.com’s Basic Training For Business Types: The most domineering boss has a way of melting in the presence of the drill instructor’s flush cheeks. And the royal waistline loses some of its cache when draped in mesh gym shorts “Yeah, we break down their egos real quick,” said Senior Drill Instructor Matt Terlop. Terlop is a former U.S. Border Patrol agent, and the lead drill instructor at CEO Boot Camp. This is almost surreal. I enjoy the concept and was hooked into reading the entire article when I read this line: “We want this to be an excuse-free environment,” Terlop warns. Amen to that. All sales departments should… Read More
Continue ReadingWhen a Raise is De-Motivating
We are asked from time to time about the best way to conduct an employee compensation review. I have to relay a story to you regarding a friend’s annual review. Here’s how it played out. She sat down with her manager and recieved a very positive review. She was told she was one of their better employees – recieving 3’s and 4’s out of 5 in all performance areas. In fact, my friend is the top person in her territory and the territory is ranked 2nd out of 8 in a large corporation. Everything was going well and she received a lot of verbal praise about her performance. Then the… Read More
Continue ReadingExtreme Makeover – Sales Edition
Seems like I am encountering many articles and posts regarding under-performing salespeople. Now SalesforceXP.com offers Move Bad Salespeople Up Or Out. The author offers 5 strong steps to get the mediocre salesperson performing. His first step is one we fully endorse: Never lose sight of the ABR principle: Always Be Recruiting. If you have five strong candidates in the pipeline, you don’t have to endure a low performer. But if you have no bench, you may opt to keep a warm body around €“ even if that body hasn’t sold anything in weeks. That is an area in which we can be of assistance. There is much truth in this… Read More
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