The Sales Blog

It’s National Sales Lead Management Week

paulmccord — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:50:55 +0000

June 9 through 13 is National Sales Lead Management Week—so taking some time to visit the Sales Lead Management Association site and blog to get the latest on managing leads would be a good way to spend a bit of time this week.

In addition, the association although fairly new has just reached 500 members. If you’re responsible for managing your company’s sales leads and haven’t joined yet, now would be a great time to do during the Sales Lead Management Week.

Quick Job Search Tactics for New Graduates

krisplantrich — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:40:07 +0000

Well, it is June and schools are finishing up for the year. Newly graduated young adults are receiving their diplomas and dreaming of their future successes. Most will enjoy a well deserved, summer of care-free fun and then realize “I’ve graduated…now what?

Four, five or more years of hard academic work must now be put into action. For the graduates that are just starting their job search, they are already behind in the game. Graduates should ideally start looking for a new job before they ever leave the security of their college life.
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Business-to-Business Cold Calling–No, You Don’t Have To

paulmccord — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:54:50 +0000

Last month I conducted a one-hour teleseminar on how to turn business-to-business cold calls into strong, interest generating calls that result in appointments. This was supposed to be a one-time offering since I don’t really work in the area of prospecting via the telephone.

However, the seminar was such a hit and so many have requested that I do it again so that others in their company can attend, I’ve decided to offer it once more during June.

Let me give you some of the reactions from the last teleseminar:
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Develop Successful Networking Strategies

krisplantrich — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:12:59 +0000

I am always curious as to how people have found the jobs they are currently holding. With today’s vast expanse of knowledge and ways of communication available to us, the opportunities seem endless. Almost all of the stories I have heard involve some form of networking. I thought I would share a few stories and add some tips along the way to help others realize the value in networking.

A colleague told one of my favorite stories to me; it is about one of her clients. Her client was reading an article in an industry magazine on a long flight. While the man behind her fiddled in his seat to get more comfortable he spotted the women in front of him reading from a magazine he too had picked up for the flight. Leaning forward, the man started a conversation with the women who was on her way to an interview. They talked for over more than two hours and before the plane touched the ground he had hired her for his own company.
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Asking For Referrals—Don’t Be Mislead by Misguided Trainers

paulmccord — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:57:47 +0000

Take a look at some of the current literature and training on referrals and you’re bound to walk away confused and frustrated. One trainer tells you not to ask for referrals because it signals to your client that you’re weak and can’t find business on your own. Another tells you that referrals are your ‘right’ and your clients have no right to withhold them from you. Another says that when you ask for referrals you’re offending your client and that instead of asking clients for referrals, you should be exchanging referrals with other salespeople like trading cards. Another one tells you that in order to get referrals you must give the client a reward, the bigger, the better. Many others say the ‘secret’ to getting referrals is just to ask.

So, who’s right? Are referrals a sign of weakness? Are your relationships with your clients commodities to be traded on the open market? Are referrals your God given right? Do you really have to bribe a client to get referrals? Or is simply asking the magic formula?
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Rising Gas Prices Make It More Important Than Ever to Have Your Resume Ready

krisplantrich — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:07:59 +0000

With the rising price of gas impacting travel, and prices of food, products, and services across the United States, it can also be the reason for the increasing need to have available a great resume. How are gas prices related to the need for a ready resume? Well, actually it is relative in many ways.

First is the need to find a job if you are currently unemployed. If collecting unemployment the dollar is losing its’ value as the gas price rises. Products cost more, bills are higher, stress is added and the need for a job is obvious.
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Should I Stay or Should I Go? – The Pros and Cons of Working From Home

krisplantrich — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:02:48 +0000

With the invention of the personal computer and the explosion of the internet, employees are finding more and more ways to telecommute or work from home. Seemingly an easy choice; there are definite advantages and disadvantages to telecommuting. Coming from a person with a home office, I can relate first hand to the many pros and cons.

The up-side of working from home starts with the commute! Just a cup of coffee and a few steps and you are in your office and ready to begin your work day. Working from home frees you from traffic, sky-rocketing gas prices, commute time and even time saved by not having to get dressed and ready to work with others. This means you save money on gas, clothing, and the daily cost of lunches, reducing stress and money expended weekly.
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Book Review: PeopleSavvy for Sales Professionals by Gregory Stebbins, Ed.D.

paulmccord — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:38:29 +0000

Seldom do I read a book that I consider to be dangerous. Certainly, there are books that once read, you think, “Wow! I hope a new salesperson doesn’t get hold of this and think this is what sales is all about.” We’ve all read the books, the ones that advocate heavy doses of manipulation, browbeating the customers, twisting their arm, hog tying them until they give in.

Nevertheless, PeopleSavvy For Sales Professionals (Savvy Books, 2007) by Gregory Stebbins, Ed.D. is a dangerous book of a different kind, a danger that Stebbins immediately acknowledges in his introduction. PeopleSavvy deals with the psychological strategies and techniques of selling and developing trust—strategies and techniques that can be used to help create a bond–or to manipulate and deceive.
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Can Your Company Afford to Maintain Its Current Management Philosophy?

paulmccord — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:40:20 +0000

Flip through some random job descriptions for frontline sales managers on CareerBuilder or Monster. Take a look at the job descriptions for frontline sales managers from a number of industries. Look closely at the responsibilities and duties the manager is expected to handle. What do you find?
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One Page or Two?

krisplantrich — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:54:48 +0000

One of the many questions that I frequently hear when working with new clients is in regards to what the rules are for the length of resumes. I especially hear this from new graduates concerned about staying in the one page format. I usually respond with something like, “It really depends, lets take a look at what you’ve got”.

For most new graduates and job seekers with less than two or three years of experience, a one page resume is typical, fitting and usually expected. The new job seekers will benefit from showcasing their educational experience in the top area of the resume, leaving the Professional Experience for the end of the document.
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