Topic

recruitment

A collection of 78 issues

Textbook Buying A Car

All salespeople are lousy buyers. We are generally easily sold, get distracted by the sales technique of the vendor and tend to be unable to apply the mirror of the skills that make us successful sellers. I came across a delightful five-minute snapshot of how you should go about buying

Arm Yourself

Had one too many with a few pals the other night, two of whom were once reps in the paper trade. From various sources, they had alarming evidence that 2009 may prove more economically traumatic than most might have feared. Possibly Europe’s largest supplier was in the process of

The Problem With Perfectionism

This Monday lunchtime I’m finding customers elusive. It seems that most reps on the road are “working from home” at the moment. I’m sure the ‘home’ part is probably true, as for the ‘working’ bit, well…! Still, if most buyers and sellers alike are making the most of

Salesrep Created 'Packages'

These thoughts begin with a friend-of-a-friend tale. I was pondering how to add choice to my offerings in these credit crunch, now recessionary times. Although potentially going against the grain (the one that suggests more choice leads to customer confusion and so lesser, not more sales) in my line I’

Any Sociopathic Tendencies?

With the recent blanket coverage in the UK a pair of horrific child abuse cases warrant, a recent book called The Sociopath Next Door (by Martha Stout) has received a fair amount of analytical airtime. One particular tenet is that you cannot spot a sociopath because they appear so normal

Why Wouldn't It Work?

I was reminded earlier today about a meeting I had with a brief IT chief at a FTSE100 company. The poor fella had the misfortune to arrive immedaitely prior to a tumultuous takeover so didn’t stay long. Anyway, I needed the requisite number of ‘signatures’ including his, so met

Subliminal Keenness Counts

I’ve conducted a few interviews lately, looking to add another winner or two to the Cape Town team. Seeing exclusively graduates, I am astounded at the lack of interest their universities appear to show in helping them gain employment. One striking example of being left to their own devices,

Stop Demoralising High Achievers

Was a little saddened this morning to learn of a terrific rep and all-round good-guy leaving one of my customers. After ten years in his present environment, the family man is moving elsewhere in the global group. The reason for his move should help sales management check their incentive approaches.

Turning The Tables

A surprising source of interview tips came from daytime Goodhope FM this morning. They wheeled an ‘expert’ in called (I think) Kashi to answer listener questions in-between snorily predictable synthetic R&B. The two posers he spent longest on were: Where do you see yourself in five years? and What

It's The Emotion, Stupid

So a choked tear replaces her husband’s focus on the Economy 15 years previously, to conjure a mass-pundit defying victory for Hillary Clinton in the second American presidential candidate eliminator. The evolution of 24 hr new stations really does no justice at all to their potential. They all, even