by Nikki Barrister
With competition for job placements as fierce as ever, particularly in the sales recruitment sector, it is important that organisations are taking on the most suitable candidates to avoid encountering any problems down the road.
One means of doing this effectively is to utilise personality questionnaires, also known as psychometrics, to ensure the employee is the right fit for an organisation.
According to Rob Scott, managing director of Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment, these questionnaires can avoid the problem of a company taking on a sales employee whose approach to the job does not correlate with that of the organisation.
He gives the following example: “The classic new business oriented ‘hunter’ profile that many companies intuitively feel their business needs may lack the attention to detail, organisational and planning skills that their business needs.”
In this instance, psychometrics can help organisations to recruit sales professionals with both the skills and experience required, as well as the right attitude and working methods to fit their business, Mr Scott added.
His comments follow the publication of a recent survey by Manpower, which found that sales professionals remain the second most in-demand group of workers on the planet, with firms continuing to find the positions hard to fill.
Aaron Wallis offer hundreds of sales jobs together with some of the most comprehensive sales tips and career advice available to UK sales jobseekers. Achieve the sales career you deserve.
By: Toni Duval
During this time of economic uncertainty for many Americans, it seems that the people who are coping have a variety of skills on which to base their career development. Many people may not agree with what I’m about to say, but in many fields, being a generalist pays off better than being a specialist.
Women seem to come hardwired this way. As mothers, wives and girlfriends, women are inherently innate generalists. Women today are educated, diverse and fearless. However, I think that many men could benefit from this work style as well.
People who capitalize on this strength gain the respect of their peers. They become resourceful, respectful and reliable. Those who manage others with a continuous learning attitude will encourage their team members to learn and develop. They have high expectations and encourage people to meet them.
No matter the job, no matter the industry or business, after you learn your job and you do it well, learn the other jobs, too. The more valuable you are, the harder you are to replace. In this and every economy, being invaluable is a good thing to be. Let’s look at some tips to help you get the diversity you are seeking.
First, learn your job. Before you can start to add value, learn the job you were hired to do. Avoid getting ahead of yourself. I often meet people who are new in their job and in a few cases, their enthusiasm to impress others with their knowledge turns others off. Their intent is good, but the impact may be damaging. Remember, you may only get one chance to make a good first impression on your new co-workers. Ask questions in a way that fits in with your new role. Don’t be shy about saying you don’t fully comprehend something. But once you’ve mastered the primary tasks of your job, start looking for ways to improve.
Second, create a development plan. Schedule time to discuss your development with your manager. Create an informal plan based on your view of the job and the level of skill. Ask for your manager’s input as well as your trainer or other employees you work with. When you sit for your first performance review, incorporate your development plan into your goals and objectives by formalizing the plan with your manager.
Third, build your internal and external network. Never underestimate the power of developing relationships with your co-workers. When I first went to work for a large corporate training department, I accepted a project that allowed me to meet with other trainers throughout the company and share expertise. I was able to call on those same people later in my career when I needed help or guidance. In addition, you should become a member of a trade association or other organizations that lets you benchmark your talents with those outside your organization. This also is a way to keep up your knowledge of industry trends and concerns. My trade association has a wonderful monthly magazine that I use regularly.
Fourth, look for opportunities to work with people from other parts of the organization. When someone gets promoted, send them a congratulations email. Take time to know the people who are upstream and downstream from your part of the business. Try to get feedback from others about your effectiveness. Look for ways to make work easier for others.
Last, look for and use resources that are made available to you by your company. Most mid- to large-sized companies offer training workshops and other learning events. Take advantage of such opportunities. Read the company newsletters. Join the bowling league (if you bowl). Ask questions at the all-employee meeting.
By: Carolyn Nye
Sending timely and relevant communications to your email file is a necessity in driving qualified traffic to your site. Simply increasing your traffic numbers may be the first step, but it won’t mean anything until those visitors convert into buyers. Below are four tips to optimize your email program to help increase its conversion rate.
1. Emphasize Landing Pages
Landing pages may be the most critical element in converting email traffic of any kind. Whether emailing prospects for an acquisition campaign, or emailing your best customers for product offers, the flow-through from the email to the landing page is critical. Enforce the marketing message and make visitors feel like they are in the right place after clicking through. The page should give subscribers all the information they need — while quickly directing the visitor to the checkout process with as few clicks as possible.
Two easy ways to tell if your landing pages are converting well from your email campaigns are:
- Bounce rates. Check the bounce rates of the landing page; higher than normal rates indicate a problem with the page.
- Monitor click-through and conversion rates. Compare the click-through rates to the conversion rates. If you experience a high click-through rate but a low conversion rate, chances are your customers are getting lost after clicking from an email.
2. Segment Your File
Understanding the characteristics that make up your email file will allow you to develop an appropriate segmentation strategy. Sending targeted communications that speak to that customer on a more personal basis will, in most instances, improve your conversion rates versus a simple blanket message to everyone.
3. Choose the Right Offer
Testing your offers can give helpful insights into what motivates your subscribers to purchase and what they value on your site. For some sites, a simple percentage or dollars off works best, while others may find a clearance or free gift to be more effective. For premium or luxury products, a discounted-price offer may actually backfire, as customers may construe it as cheapening the brand. Testing offers will quickly identify which are most effective and give you a better insight into what your subscribers will respond to.
4. View Email as a Long-term Relationship
Because email has a reputation for being effective with a good return on investment, many marketers become disappointed when they see the initial results of one email that don’t live up to expectations. Every site has a different sales cycle and simply looking at the immediate metrics of one campaign is not enough to establish the effectiveness. Sometimes it takes a few additional nudges or touch points to ultimately convert a customer. Sending a promotional email will drive traffic, but perhaps a triggered email follow-up to those who clicked through — and then abandoned the cart — or sending another type of triggered message will be the right combination to convert your visitor. Don’t be afraid to overwhelm a site visitor with more than one message. It may be that last message that works to convert the visitor.
Summary
Taking the time to ensure your email program is as efficient and effective as possible is the objective of many sites. All the work involved in crafting the email itself will be wasted if the email does not do its ultimate objective: Convert visitors into buyers.
By: Dan Schawbel
It used to be that if you had the right technical skills, you could count on a job. Then, as companies received numerous resumes for fewer open positions, they started looking at “soft skills” in addition to “hard skills.”
After the economy tanked, and with the rise of social networking, we are seeing a new type of skill emerge based on a professional’s online influence. If you want to compete in the new global economy, you will have to constantly and persistently develop each of these skill sets.
Soft skills
Employers are looking for workers who are great communicators, team players and skillful leaders. They also want workers can be flexible, adapt to change and work independently. A recent study by EMC Research shows that 75 percent of employers think that your writing ability is valuable and 79 percent value your analytical skills.
Hard skills
These skills fulfill job descriptions — and without them, your resume won’t even be looked at. To gain these skills, you can take classes or online tutorials. While some might have natural talents, most people require practice in order to master their trade.
Online influence
The number of followers and friends you have on your social networks carries a lot of weight. Employers want to hire people who are already established and can help them communicate. Companies understand that those with larger networks are more productive and can generate new business, recruit top talent and market their brand.
By: Ted Coine
CEOs, is your company growing? Are you trying to increase your recruiting success? If so, here’s an essential multiple-choice quiz for all of your employees – every single one. I’ll explain down below. First, read over the quiz.
Question:
How willing are you to refer this company to your friends and acquaintances? Please rank us as a workplace from 1-5 stars.
Answer (please pick one):
Five Stars: I love working for this company, and am happy to refer it to my friends and acquaintances. They’d be lucky to work here, too!
Four Stars: This is a very good company, though a bit shy of perfect. If my friend needed a new situation, yes, I would refer it to them. If they’re already employed and content where they are, then probably not.
Three Stars: This company’s fine. To help a friend in a bind, yes, I would recommend they work here. There are better places to work, though, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend this firm if they have other options.
Two Stars: Unless my friend is desperate to pay the bills immediately, or deeply unhappy in an abusive workplace right now, no, I would not recommend they come to work here. It’s best if they look elsewhere.
One Star: I wouldn’t wish this workplace on my worst enemy. Seriously. I couldn’t look my friend in the eye if they got a job here because of me.
That’s it. That’s the quiz. As I said, if you’re serious about growing your company through recruitment of talented individuals, and if you’re impressed enough with the staff you have that you’d like more of the same, I recommend you give it to everyone you employ, regardless of position.
Now, here’s why.
If you’ve read Five-Star Customer Service or attended one of my talks on that topic, you’ve probably heard me ask this question about customer service: “Why would you open the front door of your business and invite customers through if you’re going to leave the back door wide open for them to walk right out again?”
The front door: new customers walk through there. You entice them to do so through your marketing and sales efforts. The back door? That represents customers not coming back to buy from you a second time, or renew their contracts as the case may be.
The way you grow your business is to keep folks coming in the front door at a nice steady clip, and then impress them so much that they never want to leave – essentially locking that exit door up tight. Better yet, of course, you impress them so much that they bring you their friends. That is how you grow a business organically.
This same idea works for talent management. You recruit employees just the same as you recruit new customers. You might even be good at it. But if they learn to hate your company once they’re onboarded, if they are leaving in droves – hell, that’s just dumb, isn’t it? Even a slow-but-steady trickle out that back door is bad for your firm! So the first order of business for a savvy employer is, make sure folks stay happy once they’re with you. Otherwise, why bother recruiting them at all?
Your people’s attitude toward your company shows in their eagerness, ambivalence, or downright reluctance to bring you their friends. If they like working for you and if they trust you (part and parcel, I argue), then they’ll be your best recruiters regardless of any incentive you might offer. If not? Not. So save yourself the cash of a referral bonus and show them love instead. Love all day every day, not just when you ask them to refer their friends.
CEOs: how much do the people you already have like working for you? And how do you really know? You can measure whatever signs of productivity or profitability you like. But if you don’t have a clear, objective answer for this one question? You’re not doing a very good job leading your company.
Strong words? Sure. But somebody had to tell you.