The play “Death of a Salesman” won another round of awards recently. It reminds me of the most common question we get, “Are they a good sales person?”. The most common phrase we hear from candidates is that they are “Born to Sell!” That’s drivel. Everyone is born to sell! It’s in our nature, built into our society and subconsciously taught to our children. Just think about how children start out. They don’t even hear the word “No”, they just ask again and again until they get what they want, the most basic sales presentation that was ever created. We sell people on our wants, needs and desires and to get our way. Right or wrong, fact based or not, we grow up pushing our agenda, selling our way through life.

So what makes a good sales person? It’s simple once you understand that we are all born to sell. A good sales person is the one who focuses on the needs of their client out of a desire to sincerely help them get what they want. It’s the sincere part that’s hard to spot. Sales training “Teaches” the process to focus on what the client wants but following the process doesn’t make them a good sales person. A good sales person is the one who will stop the process and tell their client not to move forward, not to buy, because they see it’s not right for the client even when the client doesn’t realize that. Of course that highlights the real problem, who wants to hire a sales person that would do that?

So, the real question that you need to ask yourself as a hiring manager is what kind of a sales person you want on your team? One that will focus on the client or your quota first! Your answer will reveal perhaps more about yourself than you care to admit. The same goes for a sales person, where is your focus? So when considering the question in the future first define for yourself what a “Good Sales Person” is and then you’ll have an easier time acting accordingly.

Thanks! Give us a call to discuss today!

Ken Ballard
Global Recruiters of Concord (925) 691-5300 Office
 

As the Vice President or CEO of an organization, have you ever considered the winning strategies of other successful and leading organizations? While there are many contributing factors to why some organizations succeed and others fail, one crucial key to success is strategic job placement. Strategic job placement ensures that every employee occupies a position within the organization that matches and compliments their job skills and characteristics, so motivating them to higher performance levels.

Strategic Hiring

Why hire a C team when you can hire an A team? C team members “get by” in their positions, possess little motivation and generate weak job performance. A team members refuse to settle into inadequate positions, are motivated, and strive to work to their highest potential.

When interviewing candidates for an open position, the only candidates you should be contacting for a second interview are those that have demonstrated superior performance skills. Refer to the twenty-three job skills that are universally recognized, and only hire employees with skills matching the position.

Each job position is unique, and the same is true for every employee. An employee that is motivated by giving back to others and contributing to society is best suited in a position that allows them to make a positive contribution, in conjunction with earning a profit for the organization.

Personal accountability, accountability for others, and self-management skills are all possessed by superior performers. C team employees that run into a problem on the job expect, and wait, for someone else to fix the problem. The inability to self-manage and problem solve costs organizations needless amounts of time and money.

An A team member has the ability to identify and rectify a problem before it gets out of hand, without being instructed to do so. If the employee cannot rectify the problem, they make sure it’s brought to a supervisor’s attention in a timely manner. Hiring an A team member is an effective way to train for and fill managerial positions of the future, due to their leadership qualities.

Benefits of Strategic Hiring

Turnover Expense Reduction: High employee turnover rates affect organizations both in terms of finance and in terms of motivation. C team members lack a sense of professional happiness and are more likely to frequently change jobs than an A team member.

High Performer Retention: High performers are happier in their positions and motivated to contribute to the organization. They are more likely to stay within the organization and systematically work their way up into higher positions with more responsibility.

Preparation of Key Leaders: Leaders possess the skills to motivate, teach, and listen to other high performers.

Focus: Organizations that succeed build upon and maintain strategic planning. A team members achieve the goals set before them, keeping them focused on achieving the long-term goals in the organization’s strategic plan.

Setting the Standard for High Performance: An organization comprised of A team members set the standard for new employees, motivating them to meet and sustain levels of high performance.

Lasting Effects

Using strategic hiring and job matching allows employers to get to know employees in more depth, including areas where the employee excels, and areas where they are lacking in skills. As the employee develops and progresses through the organization, their job skills and characteristics are reassessed to implement relevant training and redefine job role and responsibilities.

Employing high performance employees attracts other high performers because they are happy within the organization and are not afraid to share this information with others. Strategic hiring leads to engaged and productive employees who feel valued and will benefit the organization throughout the time spent with the company. Job matching is the key strategy to being a successful and leading organization.
 

Written for us by our associate Gary Sorrell, Sorrell Associates, LLC. Copyright protected worldwide. All rights reserved.

Once you have used the skills of positive thinking in your life to overcome a situation, you will be rewarded with feelings of satisfaction and achievement. You will feel satisfied with yourself and the situation due to the pride that comes from a job well done. The feelings of achievement will come from your knowledge that you personally were responsible for believing in and working toward the final outcome.

The external benefits that come from adopting a manner of positive thinking are more positive relationships, higher trust levels from your customers, increased sales, increased success, higher employee output, quicker conflict resolution and increased opportunities.

These external benefits are, in part, due to the internal traits you now possess. For example, your new positive thinking skills will help you believe in and strengthen your personal relationships. When you feel good about something, those feelings rub off on those around you causing them to also feel good about the situation at hand. When others are influenced to feel good around you, they subconsciously seek your company.

Positive thinking can also enhance your personal relationships because it causes you to feel better about yourself. The more you like yourself and the better you feel about yourself, the more comfortable you are being with someone and being admired by them. By thinking positively about yourself, you open your life up to closer, more rewarding relationships.

Your new skills can also help you win the trust of your customers even though your contact with them is initially limited to the sales letter that they read on your web site, or the content that fills each page. While every web site features some sort of "sales letter" on the home page, it’s a fact of business that some of these letters are wildly successful while others fall dismally short of reaching their goal. The biggest problem with these unsuccessful sales letters isn’t usually their content, but rather, the way that content is delivered.

Once you learn how to use these positive words to influence your customers, you can write web copy, sales letters and email messages that inspire your customers to buy. Simply put, trust can be inspired through the written word, and that trust can turn shoppers into buyers.

Every day presents another opportunity to become a better manager. Starting today helps your business become more successful tomorrow. There are basic ways to achieve goals and exceed your expectations.

Select the best qualified people for your team. Bringing in diversified talent creates a fusion of stellar ideas and experiences. Know how to motivate team members to bring out their finer qualities and develop them further.

Build a terrific team that works well together. Have staff members share their innovative concepts. Create an environment of mutual respect where people listen to each other and feel free to communicate. Provide training, encouragement and enthusiasm every day.

People look up to a positive leader who offers direction. Reach out to help whenever and wherever possible. Strive to eliminate confusion and define responsibilities. Enlist assistance on major projects and encourage team members to take on challenges. View the glass as half full, rather than half empty and your team will do the same.

Be a clear communicator. Say what you mean and always mean what you say. Practice communication skills with associates, team members, friends and family. Networking is an excellent way to improve your ability to communicate.

Improve your money management abilities. Read about finances and talk to the corporate accountant. Take time to figure out company and individual accomplishment by dollars and cents.

Another way to boost business finances is having better time management skills. Time is money, so manage it wisely. Make employees accountable for their time, so they realize the importance of productivity.

Continually strive to do better and be a good example to staff members. Improve yourself; know your weak points and work to improve them. Find ways to learn more and fearlessly take on additional responsibilities.

Recognize the relevancy of taking a break to recharge your energy levels. Management is stressful and gets overwhelming. Everyone needs to take time out to get a fresh perspective.

The best managers always behave in an ethical manner. Never succumb to temptation. Refuse to engage in scandalous behavior and your staff will do the same.

Finally, have self-awareness and empathy for others. Maintain an optimistic attitude no matter what happens personally or professionally.

Written for us by our associate Gary Sorrell, Sorrell Associates, LLC. Copyright protected worldwide. All rights reserved.