Warning – psychology babble coming your way from Fast Company. I encounter this effect often with clients: That judgment is what’s called, in psychology, the Fundamental Attribution Error. Meaning that we tend to attribute people’s behavior to their core character rather than to their situation. So when somebody cuts you off in traffic, you think, “What a jerk!” You don’t think, “I wonder situation he’s in that’s causing him to drive so crazy.” Even though in those times when YOU have driven crazily, it was almost certainly because of the situation you were in—you were late for a job interview or a date. May I make a suggestion? The use… Read More
Continue ReadingBig Personalities In Selling
We’re an assessment company so you can imagine how adamant I am about assessing candidates (not just for sales positions either). However, in sales it is crucial to use assessments to cut through the sales candidates’ well-developed social skills. Unfortunately, many assessment tools focus on personality only which is not a reliable or repeatable predictor of sales success. My experience has been that most people focus on big personalities when it comes to selling. If the person is a good talker, tells funny stories, lights up the room, etc., then they must be a good salesperson. The bigger the personality, the more they will sell. Ok, I grant you that… Read More
Continue ReadingProduct vs. Service Sales
I’ve been seeing this distinction first-hand among salespeople I have encountered of late. I’m not sure there is a clear-cut sales ability towards product vs. service sales, but I do know that certain salespeople have skills and aptitudes that support one over the other. In that vein I give you a quick breakdown of sales traits that come from these two forms of selling. Product Sales -Quantity-focused – the approach is to close frequently and success is measured in total numbers -Speed first – fast, frequent closing is their approach, 1-call closes are their ideal -Off-the-shelf – typically they prefer to sell a pre-designed solution -Discount – their drop-close is… Read More
Continue ReadingEnd My Hiring Misery
Here is a good read from Inc.com on improving your hiring process. The pull quote for me: In my opinion, one of the reasons people do such a poor job in hiring, is that they just want to get it over with,” Matuson says. “Really take your time, do it right, and ask yourself the question, constantly, ‘is this person good enough? Is this really the right person, or am I just trying to end my misery?” Umm, yes, I have seen that first hand on many occasions…from my customers! Anyway, there is some good information in the article along with some cliché advice. Here is some of the good:… Read More
Continue ReadingThrow Away Lines
I read a sales ad today that started with this line: Are you a career-minded salesperson… What does that mean? I bet if I asked 10 people I would get 10 different answers. I call sentences like this “throw away lines” because they do nothing for the ad. It is vitally important when writing ads to only include sentences that describe the position and the type of person who will excel within it. Anything else is wasted space.
Continue ReadingHiring Like A Detective
Yes, the title is a bit quirky, but it is true. A significant portion of successful hiring involves being a good detective. I have always taken that approach when helping our customers find the right salesperson for their position. To be a good detective, you need to be a bit skeptical. Sales candidates blow sunshine. Few have ever missed quota, most state their primary weakness is being a workaholic and all have earned everything they have accomplished. Right. In reality, most have missed their sales quota at some point, many have real weaknesses discussing money and handling rejection and most have benefited from somewhere be it marketing, territory, company market… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Illegality Of Facebook Due Diligence
Well, there isn’t any precedence yet, according to this StarTribune article. Clearly the proper use of social networking sites during background checks for candidates is going to be a tremendously important legal topic soon. This topic has been percolating for some time. The article references an obvious starting point: “We can suggest to employers that they include in their application process some statement that says ‘we do reference checking including use of information in the public domain’ and to make it broad enough that if they discover something online it’s fair game,” Ridley said. I have always been one to note that the Internet IS a public domain so anything… Read More
Continue ReadingWhy Companies Hire
From abcnews.com regarding the “jobs proposal” working its way through Washington: Obama’s proposal has an additional provision that would award $5,000 tax credits to companies that add workers in 2010. Honestly, has anyone in this administration ever run a private company? I’m no economist, but my experience is this – companies hire more workers when revenue increases (i.e. growth). One-time minimal tax credits do not spawn hiring booms. This fact puts the pressure solely on the sales department to find new prospects and close more deals in this depressed economy. No small feat.
Continue ReadingThe Key Word Is Hiring
You don’t have to look far to find disconcerting news about the present economy. This AP story from one of our local papers lays out numbers that paint a vivid picture (emphasis mine): There were nearly 6.4 unemployed workers, on average, for each available job at the end of November, according to Labor Department data released Tuesday. That’s up from 6.1 in October, and a record high. There were 1.7 jobless people for each opening in December 2007, when the recession began. Job openings fell sharply to 2.42 million in November from 2.57 million in October, according to the department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. That may sound like… Read More
Continue ReadingInterview Myths
This article from Yahoo’s Hot Jobs contains 5 hiring myths designed to help candidates perform better in an interview. Myth #1 is excellent for the hiring manager: Myth #1: Be prepared with a list of questions to ask at the close of the interview. There is some truth in this common piece of advice: You should always be prepared, and that usually includes developing questions related to the job. The myth here is that you must wait until it is “your turn” to speak. By waiting until the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, “it becomes an interrogation instead of a conversation,” says Greene. Greene recommends that you… Read More
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