Attitude is Everything in Sales
Attitude is Everything in Sales
A Viable Compromise.
Now it goes without saying that someone with the right attitude, aptitude, industry experience and sales ability should be the optimum choice. However if you are looking to tick all these boxes on a salary package you can afford, you might be waiting a very long time!
Consider the impact to the business whilst you are waiting indefinitely to get the perfect candidate on board. Perhaps there needs to be a viable compromise between ticking all the boxes, time taken and simply offering the job to whoever is willing to accept it.
Ideal Candidate Profile.
Holding out for the absolutely perfect candidate is rarely a viable option. However it is critical to have a very clear idea of your ideal candidate profile and to rate all candidates against this. This will give you a valid benchmark against which to compare candidates.
How are you going to determine what a viable compromise will be, unless you introduce enough objectivity into the game. Recruitment decisions based purely on subjective elements (I like them, I can get on with them, they like me, etc) are fraught with danger.
The Harsh Reality.
When it comes to recruiting B2B salespeople, many of those on the market are the very ones that you probably don’t want to touch. Many of these can be better at selling themselves at interview than they are likely to be at selling your B2B solutions or services.
Considerable due diligence is to be advised when it comes to selection of the very people that you will rely on to drive your business growth. Getting it wrong can be very costly in terms of direct expense and also in terms of lost business opportunity.
Challenge & Check!
Many interviewers devote too much time to selling the company and opportunity to the candidate. Any candidate that appears really keen may be looked on favourably and the interviewer is effectively blinding themselves to the actual calibre of the candidate.
Effective interviewing is a two way process, demonstrating that both parties are being discerning. Both interviewer and candidate should constructively question and challenge each other throughout the interview – how else will they know whether to proceed or not?
The Good News.
You may at this stage be thinking of your existing sales team and just how many of them will ever make the grade. Well the good news is that many averagely or even poorly performing salespeople can improve, provided they have the right coaching and direction.
In this less than ideal world, sometimes you just need to make the best of what you have, developing those that warrant it and weeding out persistent non-performers over time. However, it’s probably best not to knowingly add to your problems by indiscriminate recruiting!
Please visit the Perform website for further information.
Attitude is Everything in Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Harry Hayden's Website.
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Too many rising sales stars are missed by employers who focus too much on industry experience or track record and too little on attitude and aptitude. People with healthy attitudes and intelligence can usually be educated on the industry or even thought how to sell.
A Viable Compromise.
Now it goes without saying that someone with the right attitude, aptitude, industry experience and sales ability should be the optimum choice. However if you are looking to tick all these boxes on a salary package you can afford, you might be waiting a very long time!
Consider the impact to the business whilst you are waiting indefinitely to get the perfect candidate on board. Perhaps there needs to be a viable compromise between ticking all the boxes, time taken and simply offering the job to whoever is willing to accept it.
Ideal Candidate Profile.
Holding out for the absolutely perfect candidate is rarely a viable option. However it is critical to have a very clear idea of your ideal candidate profile and to rate all candidates against this. This will give you a valid benchmark against which to compare candidates.
How are you going to determine what a viable compromise will be, unless you introduce enough objectivity into the game. Recruitment decisions based purely on subjective elements (I like them, I can get on with them, they like me, etc) are fraught with danger.
The Harsh Reality.
When it comes to recruiting B2B salespeople, many of those on the market are the very ones that you probably don’t want to touch. Many of these can be better at selling themselves at interview than they are likely to be at selling your B2B solutions or services.
Considerable due diligence is to be advised when it comes to selection of the very people that you will rely on to drive your business growth. Getting it wrong can be very costly in terms of direct expense and also in terms of lost business opportunity.
Challenge & Check!
Many interviewers devote too much time to selling the company and opportunity to the candidate. Any candidate that appears really keen may be looked on favourably and the interviewer is effectively blinding themselves to the actual calibre of the candidate.
Effective interviewing is a two way process, demonstrating that both parties are being discerning. Both interviewer and candidate should constructively question and challenge each other throughout the interview – how else will they know whether to proceed or not?
The Good News.
You may at this stage be thinking of your existing sales team and just how many of them will ever make the grade. Well the good news is that many averagely or even poorly performing salespeople can improve, provided they have the right coaching and direction.
In this less than ideal world, sometimes you just need to make the best of what you have, developing those that warrant it and weeding out persistent non-performers over time. However, it’s probably best not to knowingly add to your problems by indiscriminate recruiting!
Please visit the Perform website for further information.
Attitude is Everything in Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Harry Hayden's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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