The Secret Of Top Performing Sales Teams

whispering secret man womanWhile sales success is in many ways an individual pursuit, a salesperson is usually a part of a sales team as well.  Even though there might be healthy competition between members of a sales team, many of the same team dynamics that apply to other departments, apply for the sales department as well.  Interesting research has been done on what factors go into separating top performing teams from bottom performing teams.

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review looked at this research¹, which showed that there was one factor that stood out as the greatest difference between top and bottom performing teams…the ratio of positive to negative comments among the team members.  (Top performing teams were defined by financial performance, customer satisfaction ratings and 360 degree feedback ratings.)  It’s interesting that the positive comments were not just by managers, but by the members of the team, to each other. Positivity top performing teams

Among top performing teams the researchers found that the average was 6 positive comments for every 1 negative comment. Conversely, on bottom performing teams, there were an average of 3 negative comments for every one positive comment.  Ouch!

Positivity bottom performing teamsObviously, this is a huge difference.  It’s not hard to imagine the difference in environments and how this would play out in an office.  Don’t you think you would sell more in a supportive environment where you feel like your co-workers are pulling for you and noticing great work?

(The same researchers did studies on positivity ratios needed for individuals to thrive, as well.  See my earlier post, “The Number 1 Thing Your Employees Want More Of…”)

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Study after study points to the same conclusions; positive feedback is what motivates people to improve, repeat top performance behaviors, and continue striving for success.

Positive feedback can come in the form of praise or recognition, private or public, verbal or written.  EVERYONE needs it – whether the person is a seasoned pro or a rookie just starting on the job.  EVERYONE NEEDS IT AND EVERYONE BENEFITS FROM IT.

For some people, positive feedback comes naturally.  For others, it may be that they simply forget to do it, or are not sure how or when to do it.

Managers should encourage co-workers to do this and set the example as well.  As with any feedback you give, strive to make it specific to a particular action or event, timely (as close to when it happened as possible), and of course, it should always be sincere.  Smile and nod sincerely when you are listening – let them know with your non-verbal actions that you appreciate them.  Listed below are some quick ways team members can give support to each other with a positive comment:

  • Great job on that project!
  • You should really be proud of yourself.
  • Wow, tell me about how you did this!
  • I’ve learned a lot from you.
  • Thanks for sharing that info with me.
  • You are so good at that, will you help me get better?
  • Can I ask your opinion on this?
  • Great catch on that mistake, you saved the day.
  • Let’s try your idea!
  • Thank  you for listening.
  • Thank you for helping.
  • I keep hearing great things about you.
  • You really make things happen!
  • You are so creative.
  • You are a great problem solver.
  • I can see how much hard work you put into this.
  • How do you manage so many things at once?
  • You are always prepared for anything.

Now go out there and start spreading those positive comments!

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¹ “The Role of Positivity and Connectivity in the Performance of Business Teams: A Nonlinear Dynamics Model” by Emily Heaphy & Marcial Losada  American Behavioral Scientist.
See Related Articles:

10 Phrases your Salespeople Want To Hear

Steve Jobs on Hiring And Managing Talent People

20 Low-Cost or No-Cost Ways To Increase Employee Engagement

Tips For Coaching your Salespeople

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An infographic on the power of praise:

The power of praise infographic

Salesperson Turnover: Is Your Manager Hiring The Wrong People Or Did You Hire The Wrong Manager?

TurnoverUnwanted turnover on a sales team can be a fatal blow to achieving revenue goals.  Unfortunately, many sales managers still have the mindset that turnover or “churn” is to be expected, especially in rookie sales positions.  I couldn’t disagree more.  Not only shouldn’t it be expected, it shouldn’t be tolerated either.  If you are a sales manager with a high turnover ratio (or the manager of someone who does) you need to find out the reasons and quickly.  Not only does this churn cost you thousands of dollars in recruitment and training costs, and untold thousands of dollars in lost opportunities costs, but it also is damaging to morale and makes your company look bad in the eyes of your customers.

So, back to the original question, is the sales manager hiring the wrong people or is the sales manager the problem (or both)?  To find out the answers, here are the questions you need to ask…

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1.  IS THERE ANYTHING HAPPENING IN THE MARKET THAT COULD LEGITIMATELY BE THE CAUSE OF AN INCREASE IN TURNOVER?   Is your turnover significantly higher than your competitors?  Have there been any major changes in the market or your industry?

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Exit Interviews Sign2.  ARE YOU DOING EXIT INTERVIEWS?   YOU MUST!  An exit interview should be done by an HR representative for every salesperson who leaves, whether the person is fired or leaves voluntarily.  Or, you can use an online service to do this.  (Questionpro.com is one that is free and has exit interview templates you can customize.)  You need this information to help diagnose and get to the root of the problem.

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3.  ARE YOU DOING 360 SURVEYS WITH EXISTING SALESPEOPLE?   This is an important tool in revealing many potential problems before it’s too late.  Again this can be done online and anonymous with free tools such as freeonlinesurveys.com.   The following questions are ones that will help you determine whether you have a hiring problem or a management problem, and where the issue(s) may be:

  • Did you receive the initial training and onboarding needed to be successful in the position?360-degree-feedback
  • Do you feel you are getting the on-going managerial coaching and training you need?
  • Do you have the tools and resources to be successful in your sales role?
  • Are you recognized for excellent performance?
  • Is poor performance addressed and confronted quickly?
  • Do you feel you have a career path with the company?
  • Do you feel you are continuing to develop your professional skills and knowledge?
  • Was your compensation package presented to you accurately?  
  • Has the company and your manager lived up to what you expected when hired?
  • Are you proud of what you sell and do you feel the company has a solid reputation in the business community?
  • Do you believe your manager is invested in your success and can help you achieve your goals?
  • Does your sales manager meet with you on a regular basis and communicate information you need to know?

Woman on dollar sign

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4.  ARE YOU PAYING YOUR SALESPEOPLE APPROPRIATELY?  You need to analyze your comp plan and consider the following questions:

  • What is the likely amount a salesperson will make the first year under this plan?
  • Is this competitive with what the salesperson could make with an industry competitor?  What about a sales position with another industry?
  • Are you asking the salesperson to take all the risk?
  • Is the comp plan designed to launch the person successfully or is it full of potential roadblocks?
  • Is the comp plan straightforward and easy to understand?

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5.  ARE YOU SETTING AND MANAGING EXPECTATIONS IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS?  Starting a new job is fraught with stress coming from all areas of a person’s life.  The last thing you want is for that new salesperson to feel he was misled (whether intentional or not) about the position.  The sales manager must make sure she is 100% transparent about the pros and cons of the job, what the salesperson should expect in the first 30 days, 6 months, one year, and very clear about what expectations the manager has of performance.  This should be continually reiterated in each interview and spelled out in writing in the offer letter.

Guy with checklist

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6.  ARE YOU FOLLOWING A SET HIRING PROCESS DESIGNED TO FIT TALENTS TO TASK?  This means having a set hiring process in place which is specifically designed to identify a person’s talents and skills; then determining if those are a fit for your sales position.  The following is the process I use and have found to be effective:

  • Define the sales position.  What exactly will the salesperson be asked to do?  What are the requirements of the job?  
  • Based on the above information, what talents, skills, and experience does the salesperson need to have on day 1?  What are the skills you are willing to train for?  This doesn’t mean describe your “IDEAL” candidate.  This means list the “deal breakers” those competencies the person MUST have to be considered and those that you would “like” but don’t have to have.
  • Based on those requirements, vet every application you receive against those and only proceed with candidates who meet those requirements.
  • Do preliminary phone interviews FIRST with those candidates whose applications/resumes you have vetted.  The phone interview should be 20-30 minutes and you should use a prepared list of behavioral based interview questions.  (see related article  “My 25 Favorite Salesperson Interview Questions”)  Every person you phone screen should be asked the same questions so that you can fairly assess the answers and stay in EEOC compliance.
  • Do face-to-face interviews with those candidates who have “passed” your screening interview.  These in-person interviews should also be comprised of a set list of behavioral based questions that are the same for each candidate.
  • The candidates should interview with a minimum of two people in the company.  Ideally interviews should include the sales manager, the sales manager’s manager, an existing sales person, and an H.R. or manager from a different department that interacts with sales.  The interviewer should take specific notes on the candidates’ answers.  Then all interviewers should give their evaluation of the candidate to the sales manager or fill out a candidate evaluation form.
  • Use a validated, PREDICTIVE, sales assessment for final candidates.  Sales assessments are key to increasing your successful hires.  Only 14% of sales people hired based on only interview information are successful hires.  A good sales assessment should boost that number to about 80%.
  • Evaluate ALL the information you have on a candidate before offering the position.  This includes interview information, reference checking information, sales assessment results, and of course your “gut instinct.”  This is referred to as the 30%-30%-30%-10% rule.

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7.  DO YOU HAVE AN ONBOARDING PROGRAM IN PLACE?  Even if you’ve done everything right in the hiring process up to this point, if you don’t have a well-designed onboarding program you are setting your new hire up for failure.  Research shows that salespeople get up to speed 51% faster when a company has an onboarding program.  Onboarding includes not just outlining first day or the first week, but the first 30 days and beyond (see related article “Steps For Keeping Your New Sales Hire From Circling The Drain” for onboarding tips).

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8.  DO YOU HAVE AN INDIVIDUALIZED COACHING PLAN FOR EACH SALESPERSON?  It is the sales manager’s responsibility to develop a salesperson’s talents and skills through coaching (see related article “Tips For Coaching Your Salesperson”).  To effectively coach you must first know what those specific talents and skills are (the sales assessment should tell you Sales Coach With Whistle Greenthat) and then have a plan in place for how you will best manage and develop them.  A coaching plan should include at a minimum the following information.

  • Goals we have agreed upon and date to be achieved
  • The salesperson’s expectations of me the sales manager
  • My expectations of the salesperson
  • Top 3 motivators
  • I should remember NOT to do
  • Likes recognition in the form of
  • What salesperson likes best about sales
  • What salesperson like least about sales
  • Long range career goals
  • Key strengths/weaknesses
  • Growth area salesperson would like to develop and how I will assist

All of this information should be discussed in the first days after the new hire begins the job and should be updated every 6 months.

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Infographic: What Mis-hired Misfires Cost You

Cost Of Mishired Misfires

4 Reasons Why You’re Not Attracting Top Sales Talent (And How To Fix It)

What is the most common challenge I hear from managers?  Hands down, it is that they have difficulty finding top sales talent.  And, when they do find a qualified candidate the person often opts for a different opportunity (many times a competitor).  Why?  Obviously there can be many factors for why you aren’t attracting top sales talent, but these are the ones I’ve found to often be at the root of the problem:

1.  Not looking for talent in the right places (and not looking continually).
2.  Using job ads/posts that are poorly written.
3.  Not addressing top talent’s hot buttons.
4.  Not setting expectations with the candidate about the hiring process.

The good news is that all 4 of these problems are easily fixed.  Here are the steps you can take to not only attract sales talent, but get them eager to come aboard.

Not looking for talent in the right places (and not looking continually).

The first rule of successful recruitment is you should ALWAYS be recruiting and ALWAYS be interviewing.  It serves two purposes; it sharpens your interview skills and increases your networking and scope of influence.  Like sales, you should never be without prospects in your funnel.  If you don’t currently have an opening then simply tell the prospective candidate the truth and add that you would like to meet to get to know the person better.  It’s flattering and I’ve never had a person say “no.”

woman dart boardAre you targeting your job ad in the right places?  Analyze where you are looking for talent.  Ask yourself how someone might reach you if you were not actively looking for a job, because most talented salespeople are NOT actively looking – they have a job.  But that doesn’t mean they don’t have one eye open at all times on potential greener pastures!  Think about your industry and what media those salespeople are consuming.  It’s likely that placing a job ad on industry specific websites or publications versus putting an ad on Monster.com, makes a lot more sense.

Where are some other places those potential candidates might be?  I’ve found that posting to the “Jobs” section of industry related “Groups” on LinkedIn yields much more qualified candidates than generic job boards and websites.  (See “6 Free Ways To Recruit Salespeople On LinkedIn.”)    And while you are on LinkedIn, make sure you do a status update about the position and ask your connections to forward it to those they think might be interested.  Ask your current top performers to do the same thing.  I’ve found that they tend to know other top performers and have very large networks of work acquaintances.

Another obvious social media choice is Facebook.  If your company has a Facebook page, do a post about the job opening.  People who are your company followers are fans or your company and likely to be interested.  It’s possible that your next great hire could be one of those fans.  Or, someone who knows them is, and forwards the info to them.

Get creative.  Maybe you make a quick video about the job opening and post the video to your website and YouTube.  Send the link out as an email blast to your contacts and ask them to forward it to anyone they know who might be interested.  Ask your current salespeople, “If I was a company who wanted to hire you, where would be the best place for me to put my job posting to reach you?”

Using job ads/posts that are poorly written.

Think of a job post as one big news headline.  Meaning, your focus should be how you are going to hook the person into reading it.  Unfortunately, most job posts/ads read like a laundry list of desired traits that are more like an online dating site request than an engaging and dynamic job overview.  The Harvard Business Review did a great article about this, “Your Job Ads Are Driving Away Talent.”

Too often they start off with a P.R. paragraph about the company…Here’s a recent one I saw (names deleted to protect the inept)

XYZ Holding Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pennsylvania-based XYZ Inc. and is comprised of: ABC Company and WYZ Company.  We are the fastest-growing widget organization in the United States. Consisting of more than 570 retail stores in 39 states and the District of Columbia through 12 retail store names, we are the industry leaders in each of their respective markets.  Find a better career and A Better You!  We believe that our Associates are our most valuable resource and are, therefore, the key to our future growth, performance and success.   We offer opportunities to grow and develop your career while providing world class customer service for our customers!

Woman on mound of moneyWow – doesn’t that just grab you and reel you in?  Um…no.  It’s all about what the company wants you to know, not what you want to know.  The start of the job ad reads like a press release.  The opening paragraph needs to hit that salesperson’s hot buttons.  Where are the specifics?  Where is the mention of money, career advancement, challenges, selling tools, growth potential?  Those are the things that grab a top performer’s attention.

A good tip to writing a great first line for a job ad is to ask the candidate a question i.e., “Do you feel you have gone as far as you can with your current company?  Do you sometimes feel you spend more time selling your ideas internally than you do with your clients?  Do you get the support and the resources you need to be at the top of your game?”

Our ideal candidate signDon’t use third person language in the ad.  Things like, “The ideal candidate will have…” do not engage the reader.  Write the ad as if you were speaking directly to that talented salesperson you want to hire – because if you’re lucky, you are!  When you are listing the “Responsibilities” describe the key aspects of the job, not a list of every possible thing the person might encounter.  When listing the “Requirements” you should only list the things that are deal breakers.  For example, does the person really have to have a college degree?  Is it a must that the person has experience in your particular industry?  Keep in mind that the more things you list here, the more likely someone will self-select out.  Many people think that if they don’t have a stringent list of requirements they will be inundated with unqualified candidates.  But actually, research shows that isn’t the case.  Don’t describe your “ideal” candidate, because that person may not exist and you may be inadvertently turning away great candidates.

Not addressing top talent’s hot buttons.

man graph upThese “hot buttons” are the key things that highly talented salespeople want to know when considering a job.  These are the items that should be included in the job ad as well as in an interview.  What are those “hot buttons?”  The company Sales Benchmark Index  did research specifically on that question to find out.  I have summarized their findings as to what are the primary concerns that top performing sales people want to know about when considering a job:

• What opportunity (accounts, industry or geography) does the position offer?
• What is my earning potential?  Now and in the future?
• Does my new manager have the skills to coach me and hone my skills?
• Will I have a chance to advance my career?  In what ways?
• Does the new role offer unique challenges beyond just winning deals?
• What kind of training and professional development will I receive?
• Will I earn recognition for outstanding work?  In what ways?
• Will senior leadership listen to my ideas?
• What kinds of tools will I use? Will the infrastructure shackle me or help me win deals?
• What type of internal resources will I have to help me?
Group with sales sign• Does the brand and/or reputation of the company open doors? Are the products/services respected?
• Who are the customers? Do they give positive referrals? Are they irritated or delighted?
• How will I quickly ramp up during my onboarding period? Is there an adjusted quota or a guarantee?
• What is the culture like? Is this a winning team? Are the sales people respected?

You won’t be able to address all of these in a job ad but make sure you are hitting as many as you can in order to increase your chances of catching the eye of the right candidate for you.  And make sure you are covering these items in your interviews with top performers.

Not setting expectations with the candidate about the hiring process.

Man woman interviewMany times I’ve had managers tell me that when they have found a talented salesperson they lose him or her because the person gets irritated with the interview process.  This might be because it is taking too long or involves too many steps.  The solution to this is to clearly outline the process for the candidate from the beginning.

Man in a wheelMap out each step and explain the reason for each step.  It’s like how people feel about airline delays, the worst part is not knowing what is happening.  Even if you are aggravated by the delay, you definitely prefer knowing the reason for it versus feeling left in the dark or jerked around and not appreciated.  Stay in CONSTANT contact with the candidate through email and phone.  Don’t let more than two days go by without some kind of contact and/or update.  You want this person to feel that they are a top priority for you and your company.  After all, he or she might just be your next superstar.

Related Articles:

My 25 Favorite Salesperson Interview Questions

Looking To Hire? 10 Free Recruitment Websites

Why Do Job Candidates Do These Things??? (And If They Do…Run!)

Steve Jobs On Hiring And Managing Talented People

The DOs And DON’Ts Of Interviewing

What Is A Realistic Job Preview And Why You Should Care

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Here is an interesting infographic on the signs that your “rockstar” may be looking to hit the road!

7 signs your rockstar employee is looking for a new job

Salesperson Plateauing Syndrome, How To Prevent This Revenue Killer!

It’s a familiar scenario…A salesperson’s first year in a new job is filled with challenges; learning the products or services, navigating the internal company waters, establishing relationships, filling the funnel.  Year two for the successful seller, is about seeing the fruits of those labors start to pay off.  It’s exciting and unpredictable.  Year three and the salesperson has really hit his or her stride.  A solid book of business is established, the salesperson is seen asPlateauing Syndrome a leader on the sales team, ah… life is good.  Or, is it?  Research shows that for many top performing salespeople, this can be the point where they contract “Plateauing Syndrome” which can lead to that silent revenue killer…turnover.  Like many diseases, the key to dealing with it is to spot it early and treat it before it becomes pervasive.

Luckily, there has actually been research done on this phenomenon that can help sales managers understand it, see the warning signals, and effectively deal with it before it derails a valued salesperson on your team.

What Causes Plateauing Syndrome?  Two research studies* that addressed this issue, one done back in 1989 by the trade publication, Sales And Marketing Management and the other done more recently in 2007 in the Journal Of Selling And Major Account Management, remarkably found almost identical reasons for why top performing salespeople are susceptible to plateauing.  They also found that when this plateau effect happens, it usually leads to the salesperson quitting for another job opportunity so it’s critical for managers to address.  Here are the top reasons found for why a salesperson can plateau:woman wind up

Boredom.  The salesperson feels she’s done the job so well that there is no challenge left in it.  It has become routine and she feels she has stopped learning and growing her skills.

dead endDead end.  There is no clear career path to follow.  Where do I go from here?  It is the feeling that there is no opportunity to move forward.

Inadequate Management.  This encompasses many areas that fall under a manager’s control.  The salesperson may feel overlooked by a manager, feel a lack of support from the manager or that he is unappreciated, or that he is not being treated fairly by management.  Remember, this may or may not be the case but if you are a sales manager, their perception is your reality.burned out

Burnout.  After several years of going full speed all the time, the salesperson is physically or emotionally (or both) exhausted.  She may have neglected other parts of her life and now that work is going smoothly, everything else seems anti-climactic.

Economic Complacency.  While salespeople are motivated by money, even top performing salespeople can have a point at which they become complacent and need external motivation beyond money to get them motivated to achieve more.

warningWhat Are The Warning Signs?  The research studies found that there are some advance, cautionary signals that a sales manager can be aware of that indicate the salesperson may be in the initial stages of the Plateauing Syndrome.

Client relationships suffer.  This can manifest itself as not establishing rapport with new clients the way the salesperson has in the past, not identifying client needs and responding appropriately, or not following through on commitments.detached

Detachment.  The salesperson seems more distant and detached from co-workers or clients, or both.

Prospecting dwindles.  Prospecting activity is no longer proactive and is ineffective.

Resistant to management.  The salesperson seems indifferent to a manager’s input, or even insubordinate.

Resistant to new things.  When the Plateauing Syndrome is taking hold, a salesperson begins to go into an “auto pilot” stage where she isn’t interested in doing things differently or selling new ideas.  (And yet, this is precisely what can snap a person out of a plateau as we’ll see below.)

oversleepWorks patterns change.  If the salesperson suddenly begins working fewer hours, coming in late, is late for meetings, or is taking a lot of sick days this can be a warning signal.  Sometimes reducing work hours is the right response to being burned out or feeling overly stressed.  The important thing is for the manager to be aware of the reasons why this is the case and discuss it with the salesperson.

How To Prevent Plateauing Syndrome.  Interestingly, the research study in the Journal Of Selling And Major Account Management went straight to the source and asked top performers who were in the midst of a plateau, what they felt would be the best way to remedy this situation.  Here are their top responses:

ladderProvide opportunities.  Because a leading cause of Plateauing Syndrome is when a salesperson feels he is at a dead end in terms of career growth, identifying a career growth plan is critical.  A career plan does not necessarily mean a promotion to management.  It means a plan that shows how the salesperson can continue to grow his skills, knowledge/expertise, and income.

Avoid excessive job demands.  If the plateauing is being caused by burn-out, reducing the amount of job pressure the salesperson feels can reinvigorate her.  Many times top performing salespeople going through this think that their managers don’t really understand all of the effort they have put into growing their business and that, “Nothing I do is ever enough.”  Make sure your expectations and job demands are fair and in-line with the salesperson’s talents and skills.

Re-design the job to fit the salesperson.  If the salesperson is particularly strong in certain areas, try to match those strengths to the tasks you are asking the person to do.  Working on things where you are using your natural talents is the most energizing and rewarding work someone will do.

moneyMonetary incentives for superior performance.  Obviously if the plateauing is caused by a person feeling complacent because he has met his economic goals, this remedy isn’t the right one.  However, plateauing salespeople listed this as a top remedy because many don’t want a ceiling or cap on their income.  Set monetary incentives that stretch the salesperson but are reasonable.  Unattainable monetary incentives are as bad as not having any incentives, which means they are incredibly de-motivating!

Individualized perks.  Look for creative ways to reward the salesperson.  Find out what are their interests, personal motivators, what is important to them, and create unique prizes that are developed around those.  Or, it might not be a prize at all.  It might be putting them in charge of an important project or coaching new salespeople.  Find out what their hot buttons are.  Not only can it get them out of their funk but it shows you care about them individually and took the time to do so.

Discuss the issue and offer solutions.  When you see a top performer heading into the Plateauing Syndrome, address it head on and get it out on the table.  Find out the salesperson’s take on why it might be happening (probably one of the reasons listed in the first section above) and brainstorm ideas for solving it.  Many times identifying the problem and giving a name to it lets the salesperson know it’s ok to admit it and talk about it.

More competent sales managers.  If salespeople are plateauing because they feel their manager isn’t able to address their particular needs, that’s a big problem.  Managers (and their upper management bosses) have to be able to assess if they are providing the motivation, coaching, and resources needed for the salesperson to perform.

Because Plateauing Syndrome has been found to correlate closely to salesperson turnover it’s important to watch for it and address it quickly.  Or, as Benjamin Franklin wisely put it,

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

See Related Articles:

Are You A High Maintenance Employee?,

How Much Time Should Sales Managers Spend Coaching Their Salespeople?,

Why Your Salespeople Quit, The Number 1 Thing Your Employees Want More Of (No It’s Not Money),

10 Phrases Your Salespeople Want To Hear, 20 Low-Cost Or No-Cost Ways To Increase Employee Engagement,

Tips For Coaching Your Salespeople

*Sources: Sales And Marketing Management study by William Keenan Jr., 1989, the Journal Of Selling And Major Account Management study by Robin T. Peterson & Minjoon Jun, 2007

Salesperson Plateauing Syndrome Infographic:

Salesperson Plateauing Syndrome Infographic

Are You A High Maintenance Employee? Is That Good Or Bad?

High MaintenanceThere seems to be a lot of discussion out there right now about “High Maintenance” employees.  Depending on what you read, these are either the folks that are destroying companies or the ones that are driving the success at companies.

Which is it?  Is being a high maintenance employee a good thing or a bad thing?  Should we hire these types or avoid them like the plague?

In a word…yes.  Because, there are different types of high maintenance employees. In her book, “High Maintenance Employees” Katherine Graham Leviss classified two types as:HMHP

HMLP

I propose that there is also a third type of high maintenance employee: HMHPBJNWI

The High Maintenance High Performers are the highly talented employees who are challenging to manage but produce the biggest results and are worth it.  The High Maintenance Low Performers are the employees who spend more time figuring out how to game the system than they do working.  They need to be ferreted out of a company because they are dead weight dragging it down.  The High Maintenance High Performers But Just Not Worth It employees are really the biggest threat to a company.  They are the highly talented employees who produce results, but in the process exhaust everyone and can destroy morale and company culture.

Based on some great books and articles on this subject (see footnotes below for links) and my own experience analyzing employee performance, I’ve put together some of the characteristics of each High Maintenance “type.”  As you read through these, do you see yourself or people you manage?  (And, if any former bosses of mine happen to be reading this…yes, I know I’m in here too.)

High Maintenance High Performers:

Confrontational and Blunt.  They usually get right to the point and are direct about what they want because they KNOW what they want very clearly.

Bored Easily.  They master new things quickly and then get bored once they have, and look for new challenges.  That is why they frequently are job-hoppers.  They simply must feel they are continually learning and moving forward.

Low Bureaucracy Threshold.  They do not deal well with bureaucratic obstacles and are not typically diplomatic in dealing with it.  They usually ignore corporate hierarchy and do not have an innate respect for authority.  They respect accomplishments – not titles.

Demanding.  These are talented, high performing individuals who know their worth.  They are demanding of themselves and have very high standards.  They push limits and boundaries to see what’s possible.  This also means that they demand the same from those around them.  They have high expectations and do not “suffer fools gladly.”

man with questionIndependence.  They want clear, direct communication of what is expected of them and then the latitude to get it done their own way.  They want freedom and control over their work.  And, to that end, they question EVERYTHING.  It’s not meant to be disrespectful.  It’s because this is how they learn and because they need to know the “why” of something in order to evaluate what they are being asked to do.

Emotional.  It could be something big or something seemingly insignificant, but if they feel it is important they will get involved and give it their all.  A favorite phrase is, “It’s the principle of the matter.”  They fight for what they believe in.

What I Do Matters.  These high performers need to feel that their work makes a difference in the success of the company.  They are usually very entrepreneurial and see their work as running their own company within a company.

Recognition.  They have a very strong ego drive and need continual recognition for their accomplishments.  They must feel they are appreciated for their expertise and what they bring to the company.  They want to be asked their opinion about things and be “in-the-know” when it comes to company politics or inside information.  I’ve always said, praise high maintenance high performers and they’ll kill for you.

Quick Decisions.  They are very decisive, trust their gut, make decisions quickly and expect others to do the same.  They get frustrated when dealing with people who want to analyze and think through all the possible outcomes first.

High Maintenance Low Performers:

Blame Game.  Nothing is ever their fault.  They are unable or unwilling to see their part in any situation where they have made a mistake.  The closest they might come is to admitting they made a mistake but then follow it up by saying they only made it because of someone else.gossip talk too much

H.R. Groupies.  Because they are chronic low performers, they are constantly in H.R. complaining about something in order to cover their butt and deflect attention away from the real issue; which is of course, their sub-par performance.  Many times they take advantage of well-intended H.R. managers because they are so adept at playing the martyr.

Everything Is “Unfair”.  They are always complaining to their manager about some perceived slight they feel they have received.  It seems that someone is always getting more of something than they are and they believe if only they had a level playing field they could be a top performer.  They make it their business to know everyone else’s business and they are obsessed with knowing just what everyone else is doing and getting.

Bad Money Management.  Because they are overly concerned with what others have, they frequently are materialistic and live beyond their means.  This creates more stress as they find themselves increasingly in debt with no way out.  Often they look to their company to bail them out.

Always An Excuse.  No matter what the situation, these people are masters at having a well thought out and prepared excuse for their lack of performance.  It might be something in their personal life or something work related, but you can be sure it will be creative.

woman tied to train trackThe Lifetime Movie Effect.  Something is always going wrong.  One day it’s a flat tire, the next day maybe it’s spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend trouble, or kid problems, or someone is sick/dying/in a car accident, you get the idea.  No one can be this unlucky.  Usually they are just more weapons in their arsenal to make you either feel sorry for them, not put them on probation/fire them, or buy themselves some more time.

Nothing Is Ever Enough.  You can give them everything they have asked for and yet it is like filling up a sink with no drain plug.  No matter how much you give, it will never be enough and they will continue to under-perform and sap your strength.  Why?  Because they just don’t have the talent to do the job, or they are just too lazy to do it.

High Maintenance High Performers But Just Not Worth It:

ASAP Syndrome.  Everything is urgent.  Everything is needed As Soon As Possible.  They constantly expect everyone to drop what they are doing to help them with even the smallest of details.  Big things, small things, it doesn’t matter everything is a crisis and top priority.

More Drama Than A Soap Opera.  This is one of the most insidious problems with these types of high maintenance employees.  They create drama by intentionally stirring the pot.  They gossip, they divide and conquer, they look for ways to increase their stature at the expense of others (usually their boss).  They manage to get people all whipped up and upset over things they ordinarily wouldn’t have given a second thought to…It’s like the little devil sitting on your shoulder whispering in your ear.

Reply To All Disease.  They are constantly emailing EVERYONE about EVERYTHING.  They feel the need to involve everyone in what they are working on, usually in an attempt to point out, “See how great I am, look at all the things I’m doing.”

“You Do Know Who I Am Right?”  The ego drive has really warped into something sinister; a sense of entitlement that is way out of proportion to who they are.  Yes, you may be a top performer, but you’re not curing cancer.  They feel the rules, guidelines, procedures, etc. just don’t apply to them and it creates resentment and chaos with the mere mortals who work with them.

More Of A Hog Than Boss Hogg.  Not so much a money hog (although they can be) as a credit hog.  They are constantly hogging all the glory for any accomplishment and fail to credit those that helped them achieve it.  Rarely is an accomplishment in a company the sole work of one person.  Yet these types of employees would have you believe that without them nothing would ever be achieved.  It infuriates co-workers and destroys any team building and teamwork culture a company has tried to build.

The Grudge Master.  They can remember every slight (perceived or real, large or small) that has been done to them.  They just can’t get past it and take everything personally.  They use these as justifications for their own poor behavior or choices.

“That’s Not My Job.”  Not only are they not team players but if you ask them to pitch in and help out with something they deem beneath them, they will be insulted and pout.  If they feel certain tasks or jobs are beneath them, what message does that send to the person who normally does those things?

Obviously, High Maintenance Low Performers need to be terminated or helped to “de-recruit” themselves as I like to say.  But what about the High Maintenance High Performers But Just Not Worth It employees?  Can they be reformed and join the High Maintenance High Performers group?  And what are the most effective ways to manage High Maintenance High Performers?  I’ll leave those questions for Part 2!

Resources:

“Confessions Of A High Maintenance CEO”, David K. Williams, Forbes,

“The (Unlucky) 13 Traits of High Maintenance People”, Cheryl Conner, Forbes

The 3 Types Of High Maintenance Employees Infographic:

Types of High Maintenance Employees

How Much Time Should Sales Managers Spend Coaching Their Salespeople?

We all know that coaching salespeople is a critical part of a sales manager’s job, but just how much coaching is necessary to make an effective impact?   How many hours should a sales manager spend on coaching salespeople?   Who benefits most from coaching – top performers, core performers, or under achievers?  And, what constitutes great sales coaching – how does a sales manager best implement it?

These were my questions as I set out to research definitive answers.  It turns out there are several studies that have been done on these exact questions.  So, here are the answers…

How many hours should a sales manager spend coaching?  About 5 hours per month, per salesperson.  Therefore, if you have 10 salespeople you should be spending 12-13 hours a week on individual coaching or roughly 1/3 of your time.  The Sales Executive Council’s research study showed that salespeople who received more than 3 hours of coaching each month performed at 107% of goal, with 5 hours per month, per salesperson as the optimum amount.Coaching and goal attainment

A study reported in the London Business School’s Business Strategy Review found some startling results as well.  A sales manager of a large insurance company freed up 2 hours a day to dedicate to coaching her salespeople.  In the course of just 3 weeks, sales were up 5%!  The article points out that this required her to pass off some admin work to others and decrease her attendance at internal meetings, which brings us to our next question.

Given that coaching salespeople is the number one thing a manager can do to increase revenue, what is keeping them from doing it?  The answer is mainly two things – too many other time draining tasks (being bogged down by administrative work i.e., paperwork, reports, emails, phone calls, internal meetings, etc. that have no direct impact on revenue growth), and lack of training.  This is backed up by what the research says is the problem as well as what sales managers themselves say they need.What Prevents Sales Managers from coaching

Most sales managers spend almost half their time on administrative tasks and selling (results of a study by the Sales Management Association).  In contrast, top performing sales managers spend almost half their time on coaching and motivating sales people, according to Objective Management Group research.  Additionally, only about 15% of all sales managers even spend as much as 25% of their time on coaching, even though salespeople that are coached daily outperform other salespeople by 30%! How Managers Spend Their TimeHow Managers SHOULD Spend Their Time

The other issue that prevents coaching is a lack of training for sales managers.  Many sales managers are promoted because they were of course, top performing salespeople.  However, they often receive little training in how to effectively coaching others.  Only 7% of sales managers were found to be effective at coaching without training in Objective Management Group research.  Sales managers themselves seem to know this because increased training was cited as a top item that they feel would make them more productive, along with better time management, increased admin support, and less paperwork (Pace Productivity Inc. research).Make You More Productive

Who benefits the most from sales coaching?  The answer may surprise you.  The Sales Executive Council research study found that great coaching from a sales manager does not improve the performance of all salespeople equally.  In fact, great coaching impacts the middle or “core” salespeople the most.  Core salespeople who receive ineffective coaching average 83% of goal attainment.  However, when they receive great coaching, that jumps to an average of 102% of goal.  Coaching had very little impact on under performers.  While the research didn’t show coaching to have a large impact on increasing goal attainment with star (top) performers, it did have a significant impact on RETAINING those star performers.  Top performers were 50% more likely to stay if they received good coaching.  In essence, the study found that you coach your core performers for increased productivity and the top performers to keep them happy.

What is great sales coaching and how do you implement it?  It’s important to remember that coaching and training are not the same thing.  Training is more about teaching and acquiring new skills.  Coaching is more focused on how those skills are applied, the “doing.” I think this graphic outlines the essential elements of sales coaching.What Is Sales Coaching

The Sales Executive Council research found that what separated top performing sales managers from others was not just about who and what they coached, but HOW they coached as well, starting with the commitment to 5 hours a month per salesperson.  The research identified ten “hallmarks” of outstanding sales coaches as outlined in this graphic.10 Hallmarks of Outstanding Sales Manager Coaches

Where do you go from here?  My suggestion would be to first get a true handle on where you are spending your time.  You can track your time with a planner or there are online resources too.  An easy, and free way to do this is at http://www.MyHours.com.  Track yourself for two weeks and then look at the resulting data.  You will probably be surprised at what you find out!

Related articles

Sales Managers Time Priorities Infographic:

Sales Manager Time Priorities Infographic

Are You On A “Bad Boss” Website?

CoffeeIsForClosersThink you are a good boss?  Think you know how your employees (past or present) would rate you?  Want to know for sure?  Several “Rate Your Boss/Company” type websites have sprung up around the internet and you may want to check them out.  And if you are considering a new job, you definitely want to check out your potential new boss and company.

One of the most popular is eBossWatch.com.   The eBossWatch website is an anonymous (and free) way to either “Rate Your Boss” (good or bad) or look up a potential boss.    The website describes their service as enabling “people to anonymously rate their bosses and employers using a respectable evaluation form so that job seekers can search potential workplaces and can access inside information about what it’s like to work there.”RateMyBoss

The founder started the website in 2007, the website states, “after experiencing first-hand the nightmare of working in a hostile work environment.  He decided that there had to be a better way for people to evaluate prospective employers.”

A person can go to the website and choose to “Rate My Boss” or do a “Boss Search.”  The “Boss Search” database is searchable by name or by company.

When “Rate My Boss” is selected, the person is asked 6 questions and can respond as Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Somewhat Agree, Agree, or Strongly Agree.

For each rating that a boss receives, a graph is generated that a person can click on to view.

RateMyBossReportCritics of sites like these point out that there is no verification procedure that ensures the person doing the evaluation of the boss really did work for him or her; the boss does not have an opportunity to respond on the website; and the boss is not notified of the posting.  But there is no denying the increasing popularity of these types of sites.  eBossWatch even does a yearly “Worse Bosses” that they post on the website.  It is an interesting mix of the famous and non-famous.

If you want to be proactive and find out what your employees are thinking, you might want to encourage them to go to TellYourBossAnything.com. On this website, employees can type out a message to their boss and the website emails it to the boss.

TellYourBossAnythingThe boss can respond back to the feedback and the website sends it to the employee.  There is no charge for the basic service. You can upgrade to a paid account if you want more options.

But how about taking it a step further?  If you are a boss and manage more than a few people, you can ask your employees to respond to a poll question or a survey with several questions.  It is a great way to get 360° feedback, and if you go to FreeOnlineSurveys.com, it doesn’t cost you anything to do so.    If you have something simple you want their input on like, “What would be a good team building outing for us to do?” you can create a simple poll (similar to my blog poll question).

SurveyFor more in-depth information, you can create a survey with many questions, and have multiple choice answers or fill-in answers.  It’s a great way to proactively solicit feedback from your direct reports in a way that is easy, convenient, and anonymous.  You might even consider creating one for feedback from customers as well.  You can send employees (or clients) the poll or survey as an email with a link to click on or embed it on your website with the html code they give you.

Now, go see if you are on ebosswatch.com, I know you’re dying to do it!

If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.  -Bill Gates

Related articles

Here’s an interesting Infographic from Inc.com on the real costs of bad bosses.
Bad Bosses

What Is A “Realistic Job Preview” And Why Should You Care?

I was recently discussing with a General Manager the unprecedented success the sales team was experiencing, having made 24 revenue budgets in a row. Spectacular results under normal circumstances, but even more so with a turbulent economy. While there isn’t just one reason for this success, it wasn’t lost on me that they had retained all of their talented salespeople over that same period. More than ever, it drove home the point that retention is a critical component in achieving sales goals.

While there are many strategies for retaining your talented people, it all begins with making sure you are hiring the right people in the first place. This is where a Realistic Job Preview (RJP) can play a big part in helping you and your candidate figure out if the job is a good fit. When you hire someone that not only has the right talents, but also the right fit for your company, you increase the likelihood of retaining that person and lowering your turnover costs. (Curious about what the turnover costs are for you, specifically, for just one position? Click here for a Turnover Cost Calculator.)

What is a RJP? A RJP is usually a brief video or PowerPoint presentation that gives a candidate a feel for what it’s like to work at your company, by presenting a balanced overview of the position. It communicates the responsibilities, challenges, expectations and rewards of the job.What Its Like To Work Here

Why do a RJP? Research has shown that having candidates experience a RJP increases retention by as much as 10%. Some experts estimate that RJPs screen out between 15% and 36% of applicants*. Wouldn’t you rather people decide the job isn’t right fit for them BEFORE they go through the job interview process with you?

How the RJP benefits you, the manager. Just as we continually reiterate to salespeople that they must “manage” clients’ expectations, an RJP helps you “manage” a potential new employee’s expectations.

  • Because the RJP gives candidates a specific, realistic picture of the job and the company, they know better what to expect, and if hired, they don’t experience “buyer’s remorse” after they start.
  • Another way in which RJPs can reduce turnover is that employees who are made aware of the challenges of the job in advance, are better able to cope with them when they arise, and less likely to leave.
  • RJPs also communicate an “air of honesty” to applicants. New employees tend to be more committed to their job because they feel the company represented itself honestly.

Different types of RJPs. A RJP can be done as a brochure, or orally presented in an initial interview, or even a detailed email. However, I think the most effective ones are those that are short videos or PowerPoint type presentations. You want the RJP to help a candidate “visualize” what your company’s environment, values, culture, and employees are like, in addition to giving the balanced overview of the specific position. An RJP is NOT a branding or marketing piece.

How to do a RJP. You can be as creative or straightforward as you want to be. The most important component is that it is BALANCED. It needs to convey both the ups and the downs.  Be realistic.  Consider some of these options:

  • A video where several of your salespeople talk about their job; what they like about it, its challenges and rewards, what it’s like working for you and your management style, and what they like about the company.
  • A “Day In The Life” video that shows the candidate an average day on the job with one of your salespeople.
  • A “Meet The Team” video that enables the candidates to see and hear from their potential co-workers. It can also include a tour of your offices and “introductions” to other key department heads.
  • A PowerPoint presentation that uses photographs or video clips along with an audio narration – highlighting key information about the job, your culture, and your company.

* Research studies can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realistic_job_preview

Related articles:

Why Do Job Candidates Do These Things And If They Do, Run! ,

The Dos And Don’ts Of Interviewing, Steve Jobs On Hiring And Managing Talented People,

Steps For Keeping Your New Sales Hire From Circling The Drain

 Here’s an interesting infographic on the costs of turnover…

Costs Of Turnover

What Is A “Realistic Job Preview” And Why Should You Care?

I was recently discussing with a General Manager the unprecedented success the sales team was experiencing, having made 24 revenue budgets in a row. Spectacular results under normal circumstances, but even more so with a turbulent economy. While there isn’t just one reason for this success, it wasn’t lost on me that they had retained all of their talented salespeople over that same period. More than ever, it drove home the point that retention is a critical component in achieving sales goals.

While there are many strategies for retaining your talented people, it all begins with making sure you are hiring the right people in the first place. This is where a Realistic Job Preview (RJP) can play a big part in helping you and your candidate figure out if the job is a good fit. When you hire someone that not only has the right talents, but also the right fit for your company, you increase the likelihood of retaining that person and lowering your turnover costs. (Curious about what the turnover costs are for you, specifically, for just one position? Click here for a Turnover Cost Calculator.)

What is a RJP? A RJP is usually a brief video or PowerPoint presentation that gives a candidate a feel for what it’s like to work at your company, by presenting a balanced overview of the position. It communicates the responsibilities, challenges, expectations and rewards of the job.What Its Like To Work Here

Why do a RJP? Research has shown that having candidates experience a RJP increases retention by as much as 10%. Some experts estimate that RJPs screen out between 15% and 36% of applicants*. Wouldn’t you rather people decide the job isn’t right fit for them BEFORE they go through the job interview process with you?

How the RJP benefits you, the manager. Just as we continually reiterate to salespeople that they must “manage” clients’ expectations, an RJP helps you “manage” a potential new employee’s expectations.

  • Because the RJP gives candidates a specific, realistic picture of the job and the company, they know better what to expect, and if hired, they don’t experience “buyer’s remorse” after they start.
  • Another way in which RJPs can reduce turnover is that employees who are made aware of the challenges of the job in advance, are better able to cope with them when they arise, and less likely to leave.
  • RJPs also communicate an “air of honesty” to applicants. New employees tend to be more committed to their job because they feel the company represented itself honestly.

Different types of RJPs. A RJP can be done as a brochure, or orally presented in an initial interview, or even a detailed email. However, I think the most effective ones are those that are short videos or PowerPoint type presentations. You want the RJP to help a candidate “visualize” what your company’s environment, values, culture, and employees are like, in addition to giving the balanced overview of the specific position. An RJP is NOT a branding or marketing piece.

How to do a RJP. You can be as creative or straightforward as you want to be. The most important component is that it is BALANCED. It needs to convey both the ups and the downs.  Be realistic.  Consider some of these options:

  • A video where several of your salespeople talk about their job; what they like about it, its challenges and rewards, what it’s like working for you and your management style, and what they like about the company.
  • A “Day In The Life” video that shows the candidate an average day on the job with one of your salespeople.
  • A “Meet The Team” video that enables the candidates to see and hear from their potential co-workers. It can also include a tour of your offices and “introductions” to other key department heads.
  • A PowerPoint presentation that uses photographs or video clips along with an audio narration – highlighting key information about the job, your culture, and your company.

* Research studies can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realistic_job_preview

Related articles:

Why Do Job Candidates Do These Things And If They Do, Run! ,

The Dos And Don’ts Of Interviewing, Steve Jobs On Hiring And Managing Talented People,

Steps For Keeping Your New Sales Hire From Circling The Drain

 Here’s an interesting infographic on the costs of turnover…

Costs Of Turnover

10 Things You Should Know About Gen Y Salespeople And 4 Of Their Most Common Mistakes

It seems like every week there is a new article about Millennial/Gen Y workers.  But when I read these articles, I always wonder if the information given also holds true for Gen Y SALESPEOPLE?  I set out to find any current research I could on Gen Y salespeople (those born approximately 1980-1999).  It turns out there have been several studies done.  What follows is a summary of the most interesting aspects of the various studies and research.  Be ready to be surprised because a lot of it is different from what we’ve been hearing about how to manage Gen Y.  It’s time to separate fact from fiction when it comes to Gen Y salespeople and how to manage them.

“The Children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, they show disrespect for adults, and love to talk rather than work or exercise… They contradict their parents, chatter in front of company, gobble down their food at the table, and intimidate their teachers.”

Who made that astute pronouncement?  Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.)!   As the quote from Socrates demonstrates, every generation thinks the younger generation has it too easy and is obnoxious.  And, that holds true for the older three generations currently in the workforce with Gen Y.  It is probably felt more intently because Gen Y workers now make up the largest segment of workers and are growing. Workforce Generations

As you read through this information it’s important to keep in mind that even though this is research done on Gen Y salespeople, it’s still generalized.  Not every Gen Y salesperson is of course the same.  You need to take into account the type of industry you are in, the type of sales, and the individual’s sales talents as well.  This information is just a starting point.  The best way to know which of this applies to your Gen Y salespeople?  Ask them! 

FACT 1:  The Number 1 Motivator For Gen Y Salespeople Is Money:  This one surprised me.  Yes, I know that for most salespeople this is a primary motivator, but I didn’t think it would overwhelmingly be number one for Gen Y.  There are so many articles about how Gen Y wants to make a difference in their work and are willing to work for less money if it is a company they believe in, yada, yada, yada.  Well, guess what?  That didn’t even make the top 5 among Gen Y Salespeople.  Gen Y salespeople are motivated by money and access to good managers.

Gen Y Salespeople Motivators

FACT 2:  Gen Y Salespeople Are Mouthy Expressive.  Keep in mind that GenY has grown up on the web.  A research study done by Vorsight & The Bridge Group, Inc., on Gen Y salespeople calls it the “democratization of voice on the web.”   It means they have always been able to express any opinion they have to just about anyone they want, through the internet.  If you have an idea, you can float it out there to all your friends, as well as strangers, and see if spreads; if it has merit.  Gen Y salespeople have taken this same expression into the workplace.  What feels disrespectful or exasperating to Gen Y and Boomer managers, seems natural to them.  That is, to express how you feel about something you are asked to do, or to have an idea put out there for evaluation by others rather than just being told “no” by their manager.  If you are managing Gen Y salespeople you need to be willing to listen to their opinions and feedback – even when unsolicited – and be prepared to discuss.  This is why many refer to this generation as Generation WHY rather than Generation Y!

FACT 3:  Gen Y Salespeople Crave Recognition.  Most salespeople enjoy recognition in some form.  After all, it is this ego drive that helps propel them to achieve.  The difference is that research on Gen Y salespeople shows that they need it a lot more often.  Constant feedback is critical to their success or failure.  And, they want it now.  In a 2012 research study by Achievers and Experience Inc, 80% of Gen Y said they prefer on-the-spot recognition over formal reviews, and feel that this is imperative for their growth and understanding of a job.

Gen Y On The Spot Recognition

FACT 4:  Gen Y Salespeople Will Not Typically Leave A Job Just For More Money.  Gen Y overall has been described as “job jumpers.”  So, it would stand to reason that money motivated Gen Y salespeople would probably be even more like this.  Actually, the research shows that isn’t the case.  Most would prefer to stay with their current company IF there is a clear career path where they can continue to develop marketable skills and grow their income.  In other words, if you show them that they can accomplish their work ambitions with your company, they would like that.  If you can’t, they will jump.  And really, weren’t you the same way when you were in your 20s?  Why would you stay in a position if you feel there are no growth opportunities?  Growth doesn’t necessarily mean management either.  It means learning new skills, additional training, financial growth, etc.

Reasons Gen Y Salespeople Leave

FACT 5:  Gen Y Salespeople Are Impatient But They Are Not Lazy.  Yes, they are constantly looking for the next big thing and need to be kept challenged.  They tend to work fast, and work on the go.  So while managers say Gen Y salespeople aren’t willing to put in long hours, according to a  research study by Sibson Consulting; it also found that in actuality, they are more willing to do work in off hours than other generations, but  on their own terms.  They just aren’t sitting at the office doing it.

Gen Y And Long Hours

FACT 6:  Gen Y Salespeople Are Goal Oriented.  This may explain then, why the same research study found that those managers also said that 92% of their Gen Y salespeople met their goals as well or better than salespeople of different generations.    What this seems to tell us is that while Gen Y salespeople may not want to be at the office until 7pm or come in early, somehow they are getting the work done, and done well.

Gen Y Salespeople Goal Attainment

FACT 7:  Gen Y Salespeople Need Different Training.  Gen Y salespeople say that they feel the other generations move too slow.  They hate going through training with older salespeople because they believe the others are holding them back.  They are used to doing things online and quickly.  Remember this is a group that grew up playing video games.  They tend to learn by doing (experiential learners) rather than being lectured.  They need training that is interactive and allows them to experience what is being taught.

FACT 8:  Gen Y Salespeople Want More Coaching And Mentoring.  When Gen Y salespeople were asked what would help them be more successful, this was the number one answer.  This is a generation that is used to having hands-on guidance from parents and teachers.  They look to managers to be their mentors and provide insight and feedback.  Veteran salespeople can be called upon to mentor as well.  And by the way, they are on to something when it comes to mentoring.  A research study done on this topic found that 35% of salespeople who do NOT receive mentoring look for another job within 12 months.

Gen Y Salespeople Success Question

FACT 9:  Gen Y Salespeople Like Contests & Competitions.  One of the common things you read about Gen Y is that they aren’t competitive because they are the “trophy generation” where everyone gets a prize just for participating.  We read that they are group oriented (which is true) and that they prefer team goals to individual competition.  But this is where Gen Y salespeople differ.  They like having individual goals, and they want to know how their goals tie-in to the bigger picture of the company.  Gen Y salespeople are competitive and like contests, with 86% responding to a survey that they participate.  This is especially true when they get to have input on what the reward will be.

Gen Y Salespeople Competitive

Just what are the rewards that Gen Y salespeople like the most overall?  They want cold hard cash, career development opportunities, and trips. (Study by Dr. David Brookmire)

Gen Sales Top Rewards

FACT 10:  Gen Y Salespeople Don’t Respond Well To “Command and Control” Management.   The “command and control” management style works through extrinsic motivators such as threats, dictates, and a manager who is a “commander” instead of a “coach.”  That is not how Gen Y was raised and not what they experienced in school and college.  This style of management stunts Gen Y salespeople because it inhibits their intrinsic motivation, which is the desire to feel ownership of their work and to feel good helping their clients and achieving goals.  Gen Y salespeople work hard when they feel important and appreciated which is called the “psychological pay” principle.  A “command and control” management style takes that feeling away from them.

The last piece information I’ll end with is from an article on Inc.com about the most common mistakes a Gen Y salesperson makes.

Four Mistakes Gen Y Salespeople Make

1.  Giving The Prospective Client Too Much Information At Once.  This is a common mistake – where the salesperson just throws up information all over the client.  Because Gen Y is so good at collecting information – especially about their product, they go overboard and inundate the client with more data than most could ever want.  Teaching a Gen Y salesperson to edit is a valuable use of your coaching time.

2.  Not Having Information About The Client’s Company.  Interestingly though, they tend to not do enough due diligence on the prospective client’s product or services.  They need to be focused more on learning about the client and less on presenting why their company’s products are the best.

3.  Not Showing Proper Deference To The Client.  This issue relates to style as much as anything else.  Gen Y salespeople can come across as cocky little know-it-alls to prospective clients.  Instead of telling a client what they should be doing, they need to be more consultative and ask questions.  They also need to remember that the client knows more about his or her business than the salesperson does, and show respect for that knowledge.

4.  Not Having A Clear Expectation And Goal For The Meeting.  Too many times a Gen Y salesperson will go into a client meeting and not have a clear idea of what he or she wants to accomplish in that meeting.  They need to decide what the end result goal of the meeting is to be, so that they can properly evaluate if it was a success.  Simply presenting an idea and ending with an “I’ll get back with you next week,” isn’t a clear goal.  An expectation of a “next step” at the very least, should be a goal for each meeting.

“What I hear, I forget.  What I see, I remember.  What I do, I understand.”  – Confucius

Related articles

Gen Y/Millennial Salespeople – The Facts Infographic:

Gen Y Salespeople Infographic

Why Do Job Candidates Do These Things??? (And If They Do…Run!)

I’m just going to start right off the bat and say, I know this whole topic is snarky and a little cynical. And, I know that this rant could be turned around and just as easily be stupid things interviewing managers say and do. (Hmmm, future blog post alert!) But, I’ve been compiling these “pet peeves” over the years and frankly, it’s time to air the dirty laundry. So, if you are interviewing or even just applying for a job – don’t do this stuff. If you are the hiring manager and see any of the things listed here, be wary! Oh, and feel free to pile on and add your comments as well.

Obviously when you are responding to a job posting, you aren’t going to use your email address at your current job; you use a personal email address. That’s fine. But if your personal email is a little too personal, like BustyBabe@whatever.com, don’t bother responding. Is it really that hard to go onto Yahoo or Google and create a new email address that is appropriate for business correspondence? How can I take you seriously, YouDaMan@ or LivinLarge@? (Yes, those are actual email monikers I’ve had correspondence from…)

If your mission statement/objective listed at the top of your resume says “Seeking a career position that utilizes my extensive knowledge of event coordination…” and the open position is for sales; I’m thinking “no.” Even if you don’t have relevant experience, at least tailor your objective to the position for which you are applying! Tell me why you want this position and what attributes you would bring to it. That opening statement on your resume is the hook – like the lead in a print article – to get me to keep reading. How about tailoring your whole resume to the job you are applying for while you’re at it? No, not lying, but customizing. That means listing the skills and experiences that are most relevant to this position.

Have examples to back up your claims about successes. I WANT to hear about how fabulous you are, but I need you to be able to give me specifics. I’m continually shocked at how many times someone will talk about being a “top-biller” or landing a great account and then not be able to give me a specific example. Specifics give you credibility, vagueness gives you the aura of a faker.

But don’t ramble. Yes, give examples and detail, but keep it focused and stay on point. Sometimes I want to shout, “You’re circling over Omaha, bring it in for a landing!”

Please stop answering “a little of both” to every question I ask about preferences. As in, “Do you prefer working independently or having a set path to follow?” Or, “Would you say you are someone who prefers a steady pace or someone who prefers not knowing what each day will bring?” Yes, to some degree you might like a little of both, but we’re talking about overall preferences – as in, if you had to choose which one suits you best. Stop straddling the middle of the road; take a stand and answer how you truly think.

Stop saying “like” when you should be using “said.” This is particularly an issue with ”Millennials” but not exclusively. As in, “I was like, ‘you shouldn’t do that’ and my boss was like, ‘it really doesn’t matter’.”  It’s distracting, and I find myself counting how many times you say “like” instead of listening to what you are trying to tell me.

When I call you for an initial phone interview, could you at least seem a little excited? I have no visual cues to go on like you do in an in-person interview, so amp it up! Have extra energy to compensate for that lack of non-verbal information.

If you don’t stop giving me one or two-word responses, I swear I’m going to just abruptly end the interview with a two-word response of my own, as in “we’re done!” An interview is about exchanging information to see if you are the right fit for our company and if we are the right fit for you. It’s a conversation not an interrogation. If you don’t elaborate and give some depth and detail to your answers, that’s hard to do. If the interviewer isn’t very good at asking open-ended questions and is asking too many “yes” or “no” questions, you can always answer “yes” or “no” and then follow-up with an explanation or example.Busy people

Please don’t take two days to respond back to my email. Yes, I know you are busy with your current job, but if you aren’t getting back to me right away then I can only assume you would not get back to a client right away either.

Proof read EVERYTHING you send. I actually tracked this for a couple of weeks a few months ago. 89% of the emails, cover letters, or resumes that I received had typos or grammatical errors. Not only does this show lack of attention to detail, it also can make you look stupid. How do I know that you won’t make these same mistakes with clients? (For a whole separate blog rant on grammar and speaking mistakes click here.)

Dress appropriately for your in-person interview. And don’t bring your Starbucks in with you.

Answer my objections before I even bring them up to you. Evaluate yourself as if you are the prospective employer and all you know about you is what is on your resume or LinkedIn profile. What concerns would you have about hiring you? Chances are, I have the same concerns so be proactive and address them. It’s really impressive when you do – it shows self-awareness and of course the ability to overcome objections with a prospective client.

person with microphoneBe interested in the position you are applying for please! I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been interviewing someone for a sales position only to discover in the interview that the person isn’t really interested in selling. (“What I really want is to be an on-air personality!” If you are only interested in this position as a way to get your foot in the door in the hopes of getting some completely non-related position in the company, you are wasting your time and mine.

Related Articles:

5 Steps For Getting REAL Information From Candidates’ References, Yes It’s Possible,

My 25 Favorite Salesperson Interview Questions,

Looking To Hire?  Ten Free Recruitment Websites, The DOS And DON’TS Of Interviewing,

6 Free Ways To Recruit Salespeople On Twitter, 6 Free Ways to Recruit Salespeople On LinkedIn

Here’s an interesting infographic for Interviewers and Interviewees!

Infographic from www.ClassesandCareers.com

The Number 1 Thing Your Employees Want More Of…(No, It’s Not Money)

What’s the number one thing talented employees want? To be praised and appreciated for what they do. Research studies continually show that this aspect of a job is the one that most determines whether or not you retain your top performers. number one reason leave jobsWhy then do those same research studies find that it is also the area employees say managers neglect? We all know that praising our staff is important and most of us feel that we are doing it on a regular basis. So again, why do most employees say they aren’t getting it? Probably it is because we don’t do it the right way. In fact, many managers are really bad at it. I know what you’re thinking, “Can praise ever really be bad?” Isn’t it like pizza, even when it’s done badly, it’s still pretty darn good? Actually, praise delivered in the wrong way can have the opposite effect of what you intended. More about that in a minute…

Praise, The Addictive Drug

Praise is absolutely critical to a person feeling positive about his work. Gallup found that 69% of employees prefer praise and recognition from their managers more than financial rewards, and 82% percent say when they receive praise it inspires them to improve their performance.

How much praise does someone need? Gallup suggests that most people need daily praise in their work environment. In a study* published in American Psychologist, researchers found that top performers experienced a positive to negative emotions ratio at a minimum 3:1 and as high as 11:1. This means that for a person to “flourish” he/she needs to experience at least 3 positive interactions for every 1 negative. When you think about how much negative feedback a salesperson receives every day, it becomes more apparent why sales managers in particular, need to supply the positive feedback in order to stimulate those positive emotions. That is where praise comes into play.positivity ratios

When you praise a person it obviously produces positive emotions. This causes a chemical reaction in the brain and a release of the chemical called Dopamine. This is the powerful and addictive chemical that when released, makes a person feel joy, pleasure, or pride. When Dopamine is released, it is exactly the same chemical response that happens after taking cocaine. If you praise someone for a particular behavior, Dopamine is released which gives the person a “high” and makes him want to repeat the behavior to induce that feeling again. And, praising your employees is a lot cheaper than cocaine.

All of this may sound very time consuming. How are you going to find time to praise all of your employees on a daily basis? First, YOU are not the only one who can be doling out the praise. Encourage a culture of peer recognition and praise. Getting praise from a co-worker can produce the same rush of emotions as it does when a person receives it from a boss. Secondly, it’s likely that you interact with your employees many times throughout the day and probably over a hundred times a week. Praising someone can take 10 seconds.

The more difficult thing is remembering to do it. When you see or hear about something praiseworthy make a note or enter it in your calendar or to-do list so that you don’t forget to deliver the praise. A helpful tool is a Praise Log. It’s a simple way to keep track of who and what you want to praise. if you track yourself with this tool, you will find it becomes second nature and you will develop your praise muscles!

How To Give (And NOT Give) Praise

Be Specific. Praise needs to given for a specific behavior. Passing someone in the hall and saying, “Hey, you’re doing a great job, I appreciate it,” is NOT praise. In fact, that is the type of thing that will have the opposite effect on a person. Now that person is wondering, “Does she even KNOW what I do or care?” Instead, try something like, “I really appreciate the way you took care of Client XYZ’s issue with billing. I know that was difficult and I just wanted to thank you.” When you are done, leave – don’t go on to bring up other work situations – that can be done separately. You want the person to have a moment to digest the praise and feel the release of Dopamine.

man with smile faceGo To Their Turf. Don’t call your employee into your office to deliver praise. It’s more effective if you make the effort to go to them. Besides, everybody’s stomach drops with a summons to the boss’ office even if you haven’t done anything wrong (it’s like that feeling when you see a police car behind you and are nervous even if you aren’t speeding). If you can’t deliver it in-person then write a handwritten note, email, text, call, or leave a voice mail message. In-person praise is powerful but I also think it’s good to mix in written praise as well. Written notes can be saved and pulled out and re-read when you need a little pick-me-up.

Be Sincere. Seems like a no-brainer, but don’t praise someone if you don’t genuinely feel appreciative. Most salespeople have a very well developed B.S. detector.

Be Timely. Try to give the praise as close to the action that warranted it, to reinforce the behavior.

Praise Something Less Obvious. Yes, you should praise a salesperson for getting a great sale. But it is also important to praise some of the “little things” that a person does that helps get to the accomplishment. Praise the behaviors you want to see repeated.

Praise Along The Way. Don’t always wait to praise an end result. Give praise for continuing work on a difficult task. This type of praise encourages a person to keep pushing and not give up.

Praise Everyone. It’s important to praise all of your employees, regularly. This includes your veterans as well as rookies. Don’t think a veteran sales person doesn’t need it – I guarantee you no matter how much praise the person has received, it’s like jello, “there’s always room for more.” What if you have an employee and you can’t find anything sincere and genuine to praise? Fire the employee – she is in the wrong position and deserves to work in a job where she can shine.

Praise Is Not Deli Meat.  Therefore, praise should not be “sandwiched” between corrective feedback. Praise should ALWAYS be given without any “buts” or other information attached to it.

Manners Are Not Praise.  Saying “thank you for getting me that report” or “thanks for your help” is not praise. It’s good manners to say these things (which are very important of course) but don’t confuse it with praise. Saying, “thank you for getting me that report and outlining your ideas the way you did; it really helped me understand the issues better and make a better decision” is praise.

Get Over Yourself.  Sometimes managers are uncomfortable giving praise. They feel it comes across awkward or they get nervous. That’s ok. You still need to give it. Like anything else, practice makes it easier. Remember, this isn’t about how YOU feel, it’s about the person you are praising.

Commit to making praising your employees a top priority. You’ll boost those positivity ratios and you’ll see a boost in your team’s productivity as well.

“The two things people want more than sex or money are recognition and praise.”  – Mary Kay Ash, Founder Of Mary Kay Cosmetics

 *2005, American Psychologist, Barbara L. Fredrickson and Marcial F. Losada study

 

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How To Be A Good Boss Infographic:

How To Be A Good Boss
 

5 Steps For Getting REAL Information From Candidates’ References…Yes, It’s Possible!

Think reference checking is a waste of time?  Out of 17,368 people who were interviewing for a job* and who were told their interview statements and resume information would be verified, 1/3 were found to have lied!

Contrary to what many employers think, there really ARE effective ways to do reference checking on a salesperson (or sales manager) candidate and get valuable information to help you in your hiring decisions.

Reference Check CartoonSTEP 1:  The Consent Form Waiver.  Each candidate that you plan on checking references for should sign a reference check consent form.  This has become standard procedure in many industries and a candidate should have no problem agreeing to this.  (Click here for a sample form.)   Having this is critical to getting reference participation, because you can then tell references you have this waiver and can email it to them.  This enables references to feel more comfortable in being candid about the candidate.

STEP 2:  You Choose The References.  This is key…  YOU can decide who you want to be a reference and tell the candidate, instead of the candidate choosing.  How does this work?  First, in your interviews with candidates, make sure you take good notes on the answers to your questions about former bosses, co-workers, and clients.  Then, if you decide to proceed in the hiring process with the candidate, you will have a list of names to request to talk to and specific information to ask the references about in your call.  Here are the types of questions that will yield you this information:

  • Client Examples:  Ask candidates to tell you about a sale (or accomplishment) with a customer they are proud of and why.  Ask for one example from their current job, and one from a previous job.  Jot down the names of the clients and a few key resume interview cartoonpoints.  When you are ready to ask for references, tell the candidate you would like to talk to the current client.  If the candidate says she can’t do that because she doesn’t want the current client to know she is interviewing, no problem, ask for the client from her previous position example.   You can also ask for examples of long-term client relationships, clients where they grew them from small investments to large investments, etc.
  • Former Boss Examples:  Ask candidates to tell you about the best boss they ever had and why.  Again, take note if they say the name of the person, at the very least they will certainly mention which company it was.  Variations on this question could be, “From which boss did you learn the most?  Which boss would you be willing to work for again and why?”  When it is time to do reference checks you can refer back to these examples and tell the candidate you want to speak with them as references.  Make it clear to candidates that it is your policy to speak to at a minimum, one former boss so they know this isn’t optional.  If you get excuses such as the person isn’t there anymore or they are no longer in contact with the former boss, be wary.  Rarely does a person lose contact with a favorite boss and have no idea how to get in touch with him or her.
  • Co-worker Examples:  Outside sales is an individual pursuit, not a team sport.  However, it’s important to know if a candidate can play nice with others inside the building.  Also, co-workers give you a different perspective of a person than that of former bosses and clients.  Ask candidates for an example of how they worked with someone in another department to achieve a goal.  A truthful example will almost always include a specific name of a person – even if it is just a first name.  Note the key points of the example.  Or, you could ask for an example of a co-worker they admired and why or who they learned from the most.  Now you will have the name or names of co-workers that you can request to talk to for your reference checking.mom likes you cartoon

You need to speak to a minimum of at least 3 references.   It’s important to get a variety of perspectives in order to accurately judge the information you receive.  Reference checking isn’t just about verifying facts, it also can significantly aid in understanding a person’s skills, and help you determine if the person is a good fit for your company’s culture and your management style.

STEP 3:  How To Contact The References.  What’s the best way for you to contact the references you have requested?  You don’t, the candidate does.  Once you have determined who you want to talk to you have the candidate call the references and set up the appointments.  Aren’t they going to “coach” the references?  If they are smart they will, but so what?  That can happen no matter who is facilitating the calls, that doesn’t mean you aren’t going to get information that may help you.

Give the candidate several days and time windows to offer the references.  By having the candidate set the calls, you don’t waste time chasing down the references and it dramatically increases the likelihood that the person will keep the appointment.  Once the call appointments are confirmed have the candidate give you email addresses for each one so that you can send in advance of the call, a copy of the Reference Checking Consent Form Waiver that you had the candidate sign.

STEP 4:  What To Ask The References.   Obviously this depends on the relationship of the candidate to the person giving the reference.  Here are some types of questions you might ask:

  • Client References:  Certainly you will want to refer back to your interview notes about the example the candidate gave you and ask some specific questions about it; such as, “Jessica said that she was most proud of the XYZ idea she put together for resume acquitted cartoonyou.  Can you tell me a little about that and why it was successful?”  You might also ask what the client’s first impression of the candidate was and if that changed once the client started working with him or her.  Or, ask the client how the candidate first approached the client and what persuaded the client to give her business to the candidate.  Another good question is, “Jessica says she is a creative problem solver.  Was she able to demonstrate that with you?”  These types of questions will tell you a lot about the process candidates use in their selling as well as their relationship building skills.
  • Former Boss References:  You will want to ask some of the basic verification questions such as dates of employment, compensation, is the person eligible for re-hire, etc.  Then you can get into asking questions about the specific example(s) the candidate gave you about that person.  “John said that you were the best boss he ever had.  What is it that you think was most important in managing him?”  Other leading questions are, “What do you feel was John’s most significant accomplishment?”  “How often did John surpass his budget goals?”  “How does he handle stress?”  “How does he build relationships with people inside the building?”  “What are the most important things for me to do if I am his manager?”  “What are his motivators?”  “What should I be careful not to do?”  You might want to wrap up with a “rating” question such as, “On a 1-5 scale with 5 being the absolute best, how would you rate John on:  Professionalism… Dependability/Responsibility… Initiative… Sales Drive… Attitude?”
  • Co-worker References:  Start off with questions about the examples that the candidate gave you in the interview about this person.  Ask a co-worker for three adjectives that come to mind when describing the candidate.  You can ask the co-worker what attributes set this candidate apart from other salespeople.  Ask the co-worker how he would describe the relationships that the candidate had with clients.  You might want to ask if the candidate was good at developing relationships with support personnel and examples of such.  Co-worker references can provide great insight into a candidate because people tend to be more relaxed and truer to their real nature when with co-workers versus a boss or a client.davy crocket cartoon

When talking to references, don’t forget…
♦ Take good notes
♦ Follow H.R. policies
♦ Be friendly and conversational (this isn’t an interrogation)
♦ Ask open-ended questions
♦ Listen, listen, listen

Step 5:  Social Media/Online Resources.  Always check the candidate’s LinkedIn profile.  They can be a treasure trove of information.  You can also fact check information candidates have told you in the interview with their profile.  Scroll through the candidate’s connections and see if you have any mutual ones or even 2nd degree connections.  These are potentially people you may want to speak to in your reference checking.

There are online, automated services that can help you gather reference checking information and provide helpful additional insights.   One such company is www.Checkster.com.   You decide how many references and what type of references (i.e., 2  former bosses, 3 clients, etc.) you want the candidate to invite to participate.   The references go online and answer a questionnaire about the candidate.  The questions are tailored to your open job position and the information that is important to you.  The references responses remain anonymous.  This can significantly aid in references providing more specific information about the candidate.

The job candidate is required to sign an online consent form and a release of liabilities form.  Because it is an automated process, it ensures that there is consistency in the questions being asked about each of your candidates.  There is also a sophisticated reference fraud detection process in place.  A minimum of 3 and a maximum of 20 references can participate and the candidate takes a self-assessment as well.  The employer then receives a detailed report of the findings and a “gap analysis” report comparing the candidate’s self-assessment with that of the references.  It’s economical (prices depend on volume) and a time efficient way to gather valuable information about your candidates.  (Click HERE to test drive the process for free.)

One last thing…  Don’t wait and do references on a final candidate.  You may be too invested in the candidate by that point to evaluate the information you receive in an unbiased way.  Instead, do reference checks earlier in the hiring process with perhaps your top 3 candidates.  It’s too important to leave it to the last minute or not do at all!

“I don’t live to work, it’s more the other way around. I work to live.  Incidentally, what’s your policy on Columbus Day?”

– Owen Wilson’s character in the movie “You, Me and Dupree”

* Research study by Julia Levashina, Frederick P. Morgeson, Michael A. Campion

Related Articles:

Steve Jobs On Hiring And Managing Talented People

Why Every Newly Hired Salesperson Needs A “Sales Pal”

Steps For Keeping Your New Sales Hire From Circling The Drain

The Dos And Don’ts Of Interviewing

My 25 Favorite Salesperson Interview Questions

Here’s an interesting infographic on the most popular lies people use on their resumés and in interviews….

Lying on resumes and interviews
 

Steve Jobs on Hiring And Managing Talented People

Steve JobsWhether you are an Apple fan or not, it’s hard to deny that Steve Jobs was a brilliant and visionary business leader. (Full disclosure – I am not an Apple fan and only Android devices are allowed in our home!) In reading Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, I am constantly amazed at Jobs’ ability to get people to do what he wanted them to do. While his tactics in people management make me wince – he either berated people and said they were the dumbest (insert profanity here) or said their idea was the most brilliant ever – he definitely had an eye for talent.

He was able to get the best and brightest to come to work for Apple even when the company was 30 days from bankruptcy. That is impressive. But what impressed me even more was that he knew what to look for in terms of talented people, what they wanted, and how that would further his goals.

Here is what Jobs told the author as quoted from Isaacson’s book, Steve Jobs, about hiring talented people…

“For most things in life, the range between best and average is 30% or so. The best airplane flight, the best meal, they may be 30% better than your average one… The Mac team was an attempt to build a whole team like that, A-players. People said they wouldn’t get along, they’d hate working with each other.

But I realized that A-players like to work with A-players, they just didn’t like working with C-players. At Pixar, it was a whole company of A-players. When I got back to Apple, that’s what I decided to try to do. You need to have a collaborative hiring process. When we hire someone, even if they’re going to be in marketing, I will have them talk to the design folks and the engineers. My role model was J. Robert Oppenheimer. I read about the type of people he sought for the atom bomb project. I wasn’t nearly as good as he was, but that’s what I aspired to do.”     

a-player Red and greyOk, granted we are building sales teams not atom bombs. But think about what he says as it applies to a sales team. If he’s right that the difference between the best and average is about 30%, what could your sales team accomplish if it was 30% better?

Even more important is what Steve Jobs said about A-players wanting to work with A-players. He nailed this one. EVERY top sales performer I have ever interviewed has expressed this sentiment in some way or another. So many sales managers think that their team by necessity will be made up of A, B, and C-players. But top sales teams are made up of ALL A-players, meaning that all of the salespeople have A player talent and the potential to be top performers. Not all will be performing the same because some of those with A player talent might be rookies or salespeople new to your industry. If you have C-players – meaning those with just average talent who do just enough to get by (euphemistically called “role players” by managers) but will never be top performers – you will never maximize your team’s performance.

a-playersBy keeping those C-players you are also impacting your A-players. Not only do they typically not want to be surrounded by those of lesser talent, they also find it de-motivating. It’s like a pro tennis player playing a match against a junior. Not only isn’t it fun, it can degrade your skills because people tend to “play down” to the level they are playing against. A-players are motivated by other A-players and push themselves because they want to stay in the top group and be respected by those top people.

As you begin this new year, take some time to evaluate where you want to be by the end of the year, and if you have the talent to get there.

 “Be a yardstick of quality.  Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”       -Steve Jobs

The 12 Most Inspirational Quotes From Steve Jobs

The 12 Most Inspirational Quotes From Steve Jobs

Graphic by Tanner Ringerud, Head of Creative Services at BuzzFeed

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What’s The Number 1 Thing Your Employees Want More Of?

20 Low Cost Or No Cost Ways To Increase Employee Engagement

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10 Phrases Your Salespeople Want To Hear

We all know that words are powerful, especially when they are coming from the boss. So, what you say to your salespeople (and how you say it) at critical moments, can make or break your relationship with a salesperson.

Jeff Schmitt had a great post on Forbes titled, 15 Phrases That Build Bridges Between People.  I’ve adapted those to what I think are 10 Phrases Your Salespeople Want To Hear.

1. I trust your judgment. When a salesperson comes to you with a problem are you too quick to give him the answer?  Many times the salesperson knows what is the best course of action to take, but may feel the need to get your blessing.  How empowering for a salesperson to hear from the sales manager, “I trust your judgment”!  What do you do if you are not sure the salesperson does have the right solution?  Then use phrase #2…

 Idea Man2. What do you think?  By saying this, you are telling the salesperson that you value her opinion and want input. You are opening the door to a collaborative relationship.  Asking for other’s opinions show you respect their knowledge and expertise.  It doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything suggested, but it tells you where the salesperson’s head is at on a particular issue and will help you incorporate that into your decisions.  Once you know what the salesperson is thinking you can steer the conversation with phrase #3…

 3. What if we tried….  This is a great opening phrase when you have a direction you want to steer the salesperson to without being overly prescriptive. Toss out the kernel of an idea and let the salesperson run with it and develop it according to how he sees fit. It gives the salesperson a starting point but allows him to use his own creativity and feel ownership of the idea and the process.

Super Sales Manager4. How can I help?  So many times salespeople feel that they are fighting an uphill battle within their own companies.  Battling with paperwork, bureaucracy, and other departments often makes it seem that they are at cross purposes with some of their co-workers. And that’s just inside the company.  Now add on all the obstacles they have to overcome with clients.  Salespeople need to feel like their sales manager will move walls for them and do whatever she can to help make that sale happen.  Just simply saying, “How can I help you” is powerful.  You are telling the salesperson you understand the situation and validating the frustration many salespeople feel.

5. We will figure this out.   What’s important here is the word “we.”  Use it whenever you can.  It shows the salesperson that you are all in this together, that he isn’t out on an island all alone.  It shows you are invested in making things work out the best you can.  This phrase also has a very calming effect and that’s important because sometimes the salesperson can feel so overwhelmed, it’s hard to see how things will get resolved.

6. What I hear you saying…  This is a great way to repeat back what a salesperson has said to you.  By doing so, you are ensuring that you have understood what has been said.  You also are demonstrating to the salesperson that you really are listening and that she has your full attention.  It’s human nature to hear what we want to hear – this phrase makes sure we are hearing what THEY want us to hear.

 Woman question7. I don’t know.  These are hard words for most managers to say.  It seems so counter-intuitive to say, “I don’t know” and think that a salesperson will respect us MORE for saying it.  But it’s true.  It’s ok not to have all the answers.  In fact, some of the best, most creative solutions come from not knowing an answer and seeking out information.  A close relative to this phrase is “Let me think about that.”  Salespeople are persuasive and usually want an answer or decision from you immediately.  And certainly there are many times when a quick decision is warranted.  But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that everything has to be decided this minute. Sometimes, a little reflection or time to seek out additional information is what elevates someone to being a leader and not only a manager.

8. You’re right.  Who doesn’t want to hear these words???  Salespeople get a lot of “no’s” which is in effect, someone telling them “you’re wrong.”  If your salesperson is right about something then say it flat out, “You’re right.”  And by the way, don’t say, “you may be right” or the even worse, “you’re not wrong about that.”  I once had a manager who said that all the time and I wanted to scream, “Just say it! I’m right! Just say it!”  What about when they are not right?  How can you effectively lead that conversation?  Start with phrase #9.

devilish 9. Let me play Devil’s Advocate for a moment.  This is a terrific way to give feedback to a salesperson when you want to show her another way something might be handled.  It allows you to demonstrate the flaws in a plan, but in a de-personalized way.  Rather than telling the salesperson, “I think you should do xyz,” you are simply pointing out what “others” might object to or say.

Thank you sign lady10. Thank you.  Yes, it’s simple. So easy, right?  Maybe.  But probably the most common complaint I’ve heard from salespeople over the years is a variation on, “My sales manager didn’t appreciate me.”  Saying “thank you” is recognition of the work a salesperson is doing.  It shows the salesperson you are engaged, you noticed, and you appreciate it.

Related Posts:

Why Every Newly Hired Salesperson Needs A “Sales Pal.”

Why Your Salespeople Quit

Tips For Coaching Your Salespeople

An Infographic from the folks at MindFlash on some managerial habits you want to avoid!

7-habits-of-a-highly-ineffective-manager_50290f831fdd3

Why Every Newly Hired Salesperson Needs A “Sales Pal”

A research study recently done in the UK found that 70% of employees see their “9-5 buddies” as the most important factor in Gilliganenjoying their job.  While the survey was not done only with salespeople, I have to think, given the social nature of most salespeople, that this would be a key factor among them as well.  Additionally the study found that only 55% thought money was the most important thing.  (Ok, that percentage might not be as high among salespeople!)  I think this survey’s findings* on the importance of having a connection with your co-workers, further underscores the need for every newly hired salesperson to have a sales “buddy” or what I like to call a “Sales Pal.”

One of the best ways to create a successful launch of a new hire is to pair him or her with an accomplished salesperson who is interested in helping others succeed by being a mentor. In other words…a Sales Pal.

BatmanNeed more convincing?  87% of the top 100 training programs used a mentoring/buddy system as part of their onboarding for new hires.**  (Tips For Creating A Salesperson Onboarding Program.)

Another study found that 60%  of managers who fail to onboard successfully, cite failure to establish effective co-worker relationships as a primary reason.***  Researchers also found that new employees are more likely to have learned and embraced company values and culture if they have a mentor or buddy.***

So, boil all this down and what does it mean?  Sales Pal = Retention

What is a Sales Pal?

Laverne and ShirleyA Sales Pal is someone who takes on the role of a “player/coach” with your new hire. The Sales Pal is there as a resource and peer adviser.  A Sales Pal should be a superior performer (not necessarily someone who has been there the longest) and have good interpersonal skills and a desire to coach and help others.

The Sales Pal is someone who knows what it takes to be successful in this particular sales role in your organization. He or she can be instrumental in guiding the new hire in the right direction.  The Sales Pale should not be responsible for providing sales training but rather training in how things get done in your company.  Every sales department is different.

Fred and BarneyThe Sales Pal should be someone that the new hire can easily relate to and can trust completely. One of the purposes of this role is to create an informal environment in which the employee can ask and receive information about the ins and outs of how things work in your department and in your company. These may be questions that the new hire would be hesitant to ask you, because you are the boss. Besides, what if it’s a question about how to best handle you?!

The other important purpose of a Sales Pal is that having someone in this role has been shown to significantly speed up the learning curve for the new hire. Additionally, it helps establish a comfort level for the new hire and a feeling that someone at work cares about his or her success and “has my back.” It creates a sense of belonging.  All new hires should have a Sales Pal whether they are a rookie seller or a veteran seller with years of experience.

Lucy EthelProvide the Sales Pal with any tools that might be needed to be effective. Go over with the Sales Pal what your expectations are for how this person will help the new hire and how you envision the person maximizing the relationship. Give pointers on coaching and effective communication skills. You should monitor how things are going periodically. Check in with both the new hire and the Sales Pal to get input from each on the process. If it is not working, or not a good fit, consider a change to someone different. You can always position it as you want to expose the new hire to different types of successful sellers.

You should be sure that the salesperson you select understands that there is no additional pay or compensation for being a Sales Pal. However, if you can provide small tokens of appreciation, that can be a nice, unexpected touch that demonstrates your gratitude.

It is usually not a good idea to have the same person be a Sales Pal for every new hire. You will want to rotate this among several accomplished salespeople.

How To Select The Right Sales Pal

  • Select someone who you are sure will be a positive role model and who WANTS to do it. Not everyone will want to invest the time and effort in doing something like this. Make clear that this is a commitment for more than just a week – it is open ended.
  • Ensure the Sales Pal has time to be accessible to the new hire and that it won’t affect the person’s own selling. Someone who is disorganized or has difficulty with time management is likely not a good selection.
  • Try to match the new hire with a Sales Pal that you think he or she will relate best to and learn the most from.
  • Select someone who is proud of your organization and has demonstrated strong interpersonal and leadership skills. It also should be someone who can teach and communicate procedures and policies well.
  • Select someone who is energized by taking on additional responsibilities and will look at being selected as a reward of recognition not a burden.

Sales Pal Responsibilities

  • Be an accessible resource and coach for the new hire on policies, procedures, work rules, company culture, clients, etc.
  • Don’t try to clone yourself. The new hire may have a different way of selling and that’s fine.
  • Don’t be judgmental or criticize. Be a sounding board or let the new hire vent when needed.
  • Provide insight and positive feedback to the new hire on things that you are observing and offer guidance.
  • Introduce and include the new hire in social interactions in the office to facilitate the person feeling that he or she is a valued part of the team.
  • Assist in training the new hire at the sales manager’s direction.
  • Be patient, invest in the relationship and don’t try to cover everything in a day or a week.
  • Identify additional resources for the new hire.
  • Be discreet. The new hire will only trust you if he or she knows that you will keep things confidential.
  • Be positive. A new hire already is nervous and may have doubts. If you are not a positive influence that will increase a person’s anxiety about this new position.
  • Be proactive. Ask the new hire specific questions about how things are progressing and how you could help.
  • Try to avoid giving your opinions about others in the office and no gossiping.

Take the time to map out a formal Sales Pal program for your sales department.  As Robin would say, “Holy cow Batman, that’s brilliant!”

* Jobsite.co.uk, ** As ranked by Training Magazine, *** “Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success” by Talya N. Baver, PhD.

 (Here’s an infographic on research Gallup, Inc. has done on the importance of having a “best friend” at work.  Will a “Sales Pal” become a best friend?  Who knows?  But it couldn’t hurt!)

gallup

Related articles

Why Your Salespeople Quit

A recent article I read quoted some shocking research findings…94% of employees who leave a company do so because they were dissatisfied or had a desire to leave NOT because of the attraction or availability of an outside job opportunity. (See Infographic and link to article below) 

But what about salespeople specifically – why do they leave?  Is it for the same reasons or different ones?  Over the years as I’ve interviewed and coached salespeople, I noticed that their answers to why they left a job are usually for one of the reasons listed below.  You’ll notice that most of them start with, “My Manager…”  That isn’t a coincidence.  Even the reasons that aren’t directly sales manager related are still issues that a sales manager has influence over, or at least could acknowledge and look for ways to improve or work around them.  As Marcus Buckingham said, “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.”Boss Whip

My Manager Was A Bully – Descriptions of this sales manager usually revolve around the sales manager who constantly threatens or tries to intimidate salespeople into performing.  You know, the “Coffee is for closers!” type.

c-montgomery-burnsMy Manager Was A Control Freak – One of the top reasons salespeople are drawn to sales in the first place is the opportunity to work independently and feel they have control over their business.  They are entrepreneurial and look at sales as running their own small business operation.  If they feel their manager is watching every move they make, it feels insulting and implies you don’t trust them.   Holding people accountable?  Absolutely.  But that does not mean micro-managing.  Micro-management just does not work with top performing salespeople.

Michael-Scott-Bobblehead-the-office-403247_400_400

My Manager Was Worthless – Ouch! The examples I usually hear on this one are about management ineptness or inability to help a salesperson get things accomplished. Top salespeople look to their manager to help them cut through the company bureaucracy, be their supporter and cheerleader, be a sounding board, and offer advice or ideas when needed.  If salespeople don’t see their manager as a resource and someone who can help them meet their goals, you’re dead to them.  (Click HERE for “Tips For Coaching Your Salespeople”)

My Manager Was Constantly Changing My Goals/Compensation –  Sales managers that continually change commission structures, budgets, or goals, quickly gain the ire of their salespeople.  Not only does it make you look indecisive, it makes the salesperson feel powerless.  And it’s just as de-motivating to constantly be changing a salesperson’s focus and priorities.  Managers who have a new “flavor-of-the-week” priority they want a salesperson to concentrate on selling, frustrate their salespeople and diminish their effectiveness.

you are awesome signMy Manager Didn’t Appreciate Me – Sound egotistical? Maybe, but a strong ego drive is crucial to successful selling so why are so many sales managers surprised that their salespeople need ego stroking? Recognition and praise are critical components to managing people successfully but I think this is particularly important with salespeople who deal with far more rejection than successes.  They need to know their manager understands what they face each day, and appreciates it.  Sure praising a great sale is good – but that is expected. Praise and recognition for other aspects of the job like creating a great presentation, helping the client achieve an objective, developing strong client relationships, even getting paperwork in on time – now that, a salesperson will remember.  Keeping a salesperson engaged and motivated is paramount and is a direct indicator of how long that person will be with you, and more important – how effective!  (Click HERE for “Keeping Employees Engaged”)

Teachers petMy Manager Played Favorites – Sure this might sound a little like “teacher’s pet” finger pointing, but perception is reality.  Salespeople do tend to be hyper-alert to whether or not they are on a level playing field with their fellow sellers.  I think this is because salespeople are usually quite competitive by nature.   And, wouldn’t you be frustrated if you thought the person(s) you are competing against had an unfair advantage over you?

My Manager Only Cared About Himself/Herself – Often I hear stories from salespeople about how their sales manager wasn’t invested in making the salesperson a success, it was all about the sales manager looking good.  Examples of this include the sales boss greedymanager who is a “credit hog” and takes the credit for a salesperson’s success; the egotistical sales manager who is all about being “the boss” – you know the type, they refer to the sales team as “MY sales team”; and the sales manager who positions everything to upper management in a way that makes him or her look like the hero.  When coaching new sales managers I tell them if you shine the spotlight on yourself you’ll soon be playing to an empty house, shine the spotlight on the achievements of your salespeople and they will make you a star.

Liar long noseMy Manager Was A Liar – This one is simple to avoid.  Don’t make promises unless you are 100% sure you can keep them.  And if you make a promise, back it up 100%.  Salespeople are expert at nailing people down and getting an answer.  It’s called closing!  As a sales manager, you are spinning a lot of plates and it is easy to give a quick “yes” to get something resolved quickly.  But that can come back to haunt you and cause problems later if you can’t deliver.  It’s better to say, “I’m not sure” and set a time to revisit the issue than to be seen by your salespeople as someone who doesn’t live up to his commitments.

No Growth Opportunities – Salespeople are entrepreneurial, and a characteristic of being entrepreneurial is wanting to continue to grow, learn, and do new things. When salespeople leave because they say there were no growth opportunities it doesn’t just mean management jobs. Take the time to find out what each of your salespeople are interested in learning and doing. Many times, it ISN’T a management position. It may be additional training, learning a new product to sell, mentoring rookies, collaborating or learning about other parts of the company, etc.

money treeCompensation – When a salesperson leaves because of money (although numerous research studies have shown that this is RARELY the top reason a salesperson quits) it is usually because he or she feels they are being stifled or “capped” on their income potential.  Most salespeople are motivated by the concept of “the harder I work, the more I sell, the more money I make.”  If that is taken away (whether it is perception or in reality) it can severely de-motivate the salesperson.

The Sales Team Sucked – No, no one has actually said it to me quite that way.  But, top performing salespeople will leave if they feel office workers boredthey are working with sub-par sellers.  Quite simply, talented people want to work with talented people.  If a salesperson feels that they are surrounded by other salespeople who are not as motivated to achieve, the salesperson starts to wonder, “Why am I here?”  Top salespeople are energized by other successful salespeople because they like to measure their success against what their co-workers have achieved.  It doesn’t feel like a win if you are Michael Jordan and you slam dunk on a high school kid.

chartmessedupLack of Tools, Training, or Leadership – It is important to salespeople that they work in a culture where they feel the company is investing in them.  This means having the tools and support they need to be effective salespeople.  And, that includes having an Onboarding Program to get a salesperson started off on the right path – and the right training tailored to each individual.  (Click HERE for “How To Keep Your New Salesperson From Circling The Drain”)

It also means having a management team that is able to articulate and implement a vision for where they are headed.  Having strong management leadership is a critical component to long-term sales team stability.  If the company is in continual chaos, sales turnover is always the end result.

“Training and development (of employees) must be built into a company on all levels – training and development that never stops.” -Peter Drucker

Infographic courtesy of Paycom. (click here to read full article)

why employees leave infographic

How To Get The Most Clicks When You Post To LinkedIn, Twitter, & Facebook

What time of day is best to Tweet?  What day is best to do a LinkedIn update?  Is there an ideal message length to increase clicks? (Yes!)  Can including a question mark or exclamation point impact the number of clicks you receive? (Yes!)  Should you use a hashtag in your Tweet if it is a Business To Consumer message? (maybe not).

The company Compendium did a study with more than 200 companies, to find out how companies can get the most effective Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter engagement when they post.    Their study looked at variables including number of words, punctuation marks, times of day, and days of the week to determine what worked best for business-to-business and business-to-consumer postings.
Some of the key findings were:

Best Days To Post:  Monday and Wednesday are best on Twitter if you are marketing to consumers, and LinkedIn is better on Monday. But if your company is targeting business-to-business services/products, post to LinkedIn on Sunday, and to Twitter on Wednesday.

Best Time Of Day:  The time of day you send out your social messages makes a huge difference in terms of getting maximum clicks. The best time to share on Twitter is between 10am-2pm.  Facebook content numbers spike in a more narrow window, between 11am-noon, and then again in late afternoon.  LinkedIn content is read (as you would expect)  in the morning and around lunch.

Ideal Length of Post:  There does seem to be an “ideal length” for messages in terms of engagement.  For B2B on LinkedIn ideal length is 16-25 words, and 11-25 on Twitter. For postings targeted to consumers on LinkedIn 21-25 words is ideal length, with 1-5 on Twitter.  So apparently getting that marketing Tweet down to five words is your next big task.

Using Question Marks:  Now here is a really surprising finding!  Messages on LinkedIn and Twitter can receive between 25 and 52% fewer clicks if they include a question mark.  This is odd because some research studies I’ve seen show that asking a question in your message increases engagement.  So, I guess the takeaway is ask the question but don’t put a questions mark on the end of the post!

Using Exclamation Points:  It’s a mixed bag of results for exclamation points (my personal favorite).  Using an exclamation mark can create about 25% more clicks on LinkedIn, but 8-15% fewer clicks on Twitter.

Using Hashtags:  Do you use hashtags on your Tweets?  We’ve all been told to do this to make it easier for people to search Tweets by keywords, right?  For business-to-business Tweets including # can cause 193% more clicks.  Wow!  However, if your message is to consumers it can cause 82% fewer clicks.  I’d love to know why consumers are so turned off by a hashtag.

Using Numbers:  Usually we use a number instead of spelling out the word for sake of brevity in postings.  Interestingly, using a number doesn’t change much in terms of clicks with one exception.  Business-to-business Tweets with numbers get 50% more clicks.

You can find all of the study’s findings below in this infographic:

Steps For Keeping Your New Sales Hire From “Circling The Drain”

46% of new hires fail within 18 months.  Only 19% will achieve unequivocal success.

When I read those scary statistics (courtesy of Profiles International, Inc.) I was shocked.  Sure, I’ve seen more than a few terrific new hires circle the drain quickly, but I never would have guessed those numbers!  So, I started reading up on the topic to find out why such a high percentage of new hires fail – and focused more specifically on salespeople.

What did I find?  Overwhelming evidence that how we handle a newly hired salesperson’s (or any professional new hire for that matter) first 30 days largely determines whether or not that new hire will be in that rare group of 19% who are successful.  If you want that talented new salesperson you’ve hired to be successful in your company, there are definitive steps you need to take to make that happen. Talent and/or experience alone are not enough for a salesperson to succeed.

Before The First Day Checklist:

  • Keep in touch with the new hire at least once a week until the person starts.  Just because you’ve offered the job and the person has accepted doesn’t mean that things can’t change between that point and the person’s first day.
  • Prepare a Schedule/Agenda that outlines exactly what the person will be doing each day during training, who he or she will be meeting with and when.  Email the person a copy of this before the first day and have a copy ready on his or her desk.
  • Offer the new hire a “family tour” of your offices.  Not only does this help the person by showing them where they park, what door to come in, etc., it also builds family buy-in and engenders good feelings.
  • Make sure you have sent out an email to all employees ahead of time announcing the hiring with information about the salesperson, so that employees can extend a warm welcome.  Include the new hire’s email address (with his or her permission) and ask employees to reach out before he or she starts with a welcome email note.
  • Have business cards printed and on the new salesperson’s desk.
  • Give the receptionist the new salesperson’s name and photo if you have it (LinkedIn is a good place to check) so that the new sales person can be recognized and greeted warmly. Post it in your lunchroom too.
  • Make sure the new salesperson’s desk/cubicle is clean – check drawers and files.  Have it stocked with pens, stapler, tape, legal pad, post it notes, scissors, paper clips, staples, file folders, and hanging files – no searching for supplies.
  • Make the desk/cubicle inviting by placing a “welcome” card signed by the sales staff.  Consider a welcome package such as a basket of his or her favorite snacks and company swag (logo tee shirts, coffee mug, etc.)
  • Have a printed list of employees’ names, department, and phone numbers.
  • Make sure the new salesperson’s phone, email, and computer are working and ready to be used on day one including any password access that is needed.
  • If any files are left from the previous person who sat there GO THROUGH THEM and remove anything that does not have to be in the file.  No need for new hires to start their first day wondering why their predecessor is not there!
  • Have all of the forms and HR paperwork that the new salesperson will need to fill out, ready and waiting.  If you are not going through it with the person and HR is, make sure you have scheduled an appointment ahead of time with that department for the new salesperson’s first day.

Being prepared in advance for your new hire sends the message to the person that he or she is important to you.  It says you are invested in making this person a success and sets the right tone for your relationship.

Doing the steps listed above will help ensure your new salespeople get a great launch into your organization on that all important first day.  But to get them into that 19% of successful hires, you have to make sure the next 29 days (or more!) are designed to give them the training, development, and support needed to keep them engaged; and that means having a well thought-out Onboarding Plan.  Click here for  Tips For Developing Your Onboarding Program.

Research has found that it takes a new salesperson in a company without an effective onboarding program 51% longer to generate the same revenue as a new salesperson in a company with an effective onboarding program.

Here’s a great infographic about the soft and hard costs you encounter when a new hire becomes a bad hire.How Much A Wrong Employee Can Cost

My 25 Favorite Salesperson Interview Questions

If you’ve done any interviewing I’m sure you have a few questions that you ask every candidate.  We all have our favorite questions for various reasons.  Because I have interviewed hundreds upon hundreds of salespeople over the years, I now have accumulated quite a few “favorites.”  I’ve found great questions in so many different places….Books, articles, internet, co-workers, and from salespeople themselves.

These are the questions that I have found most effective in helping uncover a candidate’s sales talents and characteristics. What you won’t see in this list are questions that are designed to catch a candidate off guard.  I’m not a big fan of that.  Actually, my experience usually is that the more relaxed candidates are with you, the more likely they are to reveal their true thoughts and show their real characteristics.  So, my interviews tend to be very conversational – not confrontational.  But you do have to be careful not to tip off the candidate as to the answer you are looking for, so watch your body language.  Or, if you are interviewing over the phone, don’t lead the candidate towards a particular answer with your responses and verbal cues.  (see my post “The Dos And Don’ts Of Interviewing).

Interview ScruitinyKeep in mind this is not a comprehensive list of all the questions you need to ask when interviewing a salesperson.  And, not all of these questions may be right for your particular sales position.  These questions are geared to an experienced seller, not a rookie, and not all of them are asked on the first interview.

After I interview a candidate I go back through my notes on their answers.  This helps me evaluate whether or not I want to move forward with a candidate (either to the next round of interviews or take a sales talent assessment).  The great thing about doing this with each candidate is that over time, you are able to see what types of answers correspond with candidates who do well on the sales assessment and are high performers in the job.  Using that information, you can edit your questions accordingly and make your interviews even more effective!  So, without further ado…

My 25 Favorite Salesperson Interview Questions:

  1. What do you say when the prospect says send me some information?
  2. In your work, what feels like a win to you?
  3. What do you like and dislike about your current sales job and why?
  4. What do you do personally for your professional development?
  5. Describe a situation with a client or prospect where you made a mistake. How did you handle the error?
  6. What are your top three open-ended questions for initial sales calls?
  7. What do you see as the key skills in closing?
  8. What are some of the challenges you see that are facing this industry?
  9. How do you find and target new accounts for prospecting?
  10. What kind of problems do you have to solve as a salesperson?
  11. Do you follow a sales system? Please describe.
  12. What kind of sales environment do you thrive in? Why?
  13. What do you want your next job to do for you that your last job didn’t?
  14. Tell me about a buyer or customer you call on. What motivates him/her?  What are his/her personality traits and needs?  How do you sell him/her?
  15. What percentage did your sales increase or decrease last quarter versus the same quarter last year and why?
  16. What are your favorite closing questions?
  17. What motivates you?
  18. What is the toughest goal you ever set for yourself?
  19. Tell me about something specific in your current job that you think you do significantly better than others in the same position. Why is that the case?
  20. Which phase of the sales process do you like most?  Which one the least?  Why?
  21. What concerns do you have about working under a commission pay plan?
  22. Why would we be sorry if we didn’t hire you?
  23. Describe the most challenging objection or rejection you’ve faced in a sale and how you responded.
  24. Tell me about a time when you took a creative approach to getting a sale.
  25. How important is it to you to lead others?

Check out this infographic on strange but true actual interview questions…

20 Low-Cost or No-Cost Ways To Increase Employee Engagement

You want your highly talented, top producing employees to stay?  Give them more money, right?  Well, not necessarily.  Sure offering a fair, competitive salary will help attract great talent.  To retain great employees they need to be engaged (no, not to each other).  What is an engaged employee?  Here is how Gallup defines the levels of employee engagement8.

• ENGAGED employees work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company. They drive innovation and move the organization forward.

• NOT-ENGAGED employees are essentially “checked out.” They are sleepwalking through their workday. They are putting in time, but not enough energy or passion into their work.

• ACTIVELY DISENGAGED employees aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged co-workers accomplish.

WHY IS ENGAGEMENT IMPORTANT?

  • Just a 5% increase in your employees overall engagement converts into a 25-85% increase in profit.1
  • Companies with a high percentage of engaged employees have almost FOUR times the “earnings per share” growth rate as other companies in their same industries.2
  • Companies with high numbers of engaged employees have 13% lower turnover rates.6
  • Increases in recognition and praise leads to higher employee engagement which leads to lower turnover, higher customer loyalty, and increased overall productivity.2
  • 66% of employees cited “appreciation” as very significant motivator to performance.6
  • Engaged employees are twice as likely as those who are actively disengaged to recruit people to their company. 2

Now here are some scary statistics to consider: 

  • 72% of American employees are either “Not Engaged” or “Actively Disengaged”.2
  • 79% of employees who quit cite a lack of appreciation as a key reason for leaving.4
  • 70% of top salespeople say they left because of a breakdown in their relationship with their manager.3

What Causes Employees To Become Disengaged?

Through research, Gallup has identified 12 questions that they’ve shown relate to employee engagement (The Gallup Q127).    Do you think your employees would answer “yes” to these?

Do you know what is expected of you at work?

Do you have the materials and equipment to do your work right?

At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?

In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?

Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?

Is there someone at work who encourages your development?

At work, do your opinions seem to count?

Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?

Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?

Do you have a best friend at work?

In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?

In the last year, have you had opportunities to learn and grow?

Not sure how engaged your employees are?  A good place to start is to survey them.  You can create a survey at no cost at http://www.surveymonkey.com.  Or, do an internet search for employee engagement surveys as there as scores of companies who specialize in this area.

20 Ways To Increase Employee Engagement:

Here are some no-cost or low-cost ways to increase employee engagement.  Not all of these will be right for your particular situation, but some of these are things that everyone could, and should, be doing.

1.  Give each employee a sheet to fill out and ask them what are the ways they like to be recognized (public, private, peers, managers, CEO?) and 5 ways they like to be rewarded.

2.  Give meaningful, specific, timely, sincere THANK YOU’s to your employees on a regular basis.  EVERY EMPLOYEE SHOULD RECEIVE SOME SORT OF RECOGNITION OR APPRECIATION ONCE EVERY 7 DAYS AT A MINIMUM.

3.  Peer-to-peer recognition.  Allow your employees to award “bonus bucks” of play money to co-workers for a job well done, helping others, reaching a goal, etc.  Create a “prize closet” where employees can choose prizes with their accumulated “bucks.”  Prizes can be movie tickets, restaurant gift cards, company shwag, car wash coupons – get creative!

4.  Post thank you notes to a person’s office door or cubicle.

5.  Reward a job well done with a special parking place.  Maybe yours?

6.  Reward employees by offering to do one job task that they dislike the most in their jobs, for one week.

7.  Write a note to the spouse of a high performing employee, praising the great job he or she is doing.

8.  Create an “ABCD” award – going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

9.  Publish individual as well as team accomplishments in a company newsletter.

10.  Establish a company social network (see www.Yammer.com) where employees and management can communicate successes and important information.

11.  Put up a large bulletin board and allow employees to post things of personal interest, successes, and notes of thanks and encouragement.

12.  Always start a company meeting, large or small, with some sort of team or individual recognition.

13.  Create a traveling “trophy” that can be passed from employee to employee for meeting certain criteria.

14.  Celebrate employees’ hiring anniversaries with the company – reward retention and loyalty.

15.  Recognize a great performance with a standing ovation.

16.  Give certificates for free car washes – or wash the car yourself!  Great for salespeople.

17.  Create a “recognition book.”  This can be as simple as a spiral bound notebook.  Employees write a thank you and give recognition to a co-worker and “pass it on.”

18.  Put up a large whiteboard with dry erase pens.  Employees can write successes, thank you notes, or encouragement.  Erase it each week and write new ones.

19.  Have the managers cook breakfast at work for a team that hits a particular goal.

20.  Make sure each employee has a weekly individual meeting with his or her manager where goals and expectations are being discussed as well as asking employees for input and ideas.

 “It’s time for us all to stand and cheer for the do-er, the achiever – the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.”     -Vince Lombardi

Sources:

1People Metrics Employee Engagement Report, http://www.peoplemetrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2011-Employee-Engagement-Trends-Report_PeopleMetrics.pdf

2Gallup’s Engagement Survey 2011, http://www.gallup.com/poll/150383/Majority-American-Workers-Not-Engaged-Jobs.aspx

3Gallup, Inc. http://www.gallup.com/strategicconsulting/157223/building-world-class-sales-force.aspx

4O.C. Tanner Company’s Carrots.com survey, http://www.carrots.com/resources/white-papers

5Gallup, Inc. Research Whitepaper, http://www.gallup.com/strategicconsulting/126806/Q12-Meta-Analysis.aspx

6 Watson-Wyatt Research firm research cited by carrots.com whitepaper

7Gallup Inc. http://www.gallup.com/strategicconsulting/121535/Employee-Engagement-Overview-Brochure.aspx

8http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/146351/Strengthening-Company-Performance.aspx

Employee Engagement Infographic:

 

Looking To Hire? 10 FREE Recruitment Websites

“If it’s free, it’s for me!” as the old saying goes.  Then again, you have to balance that with, “You get what you pay for!”  Recently, I have been helping clients with their sales recruitment efforts.  We all know that it is hard to find qualified, outside, commissioned, salespeople regardless of the industry you are in.  If you are a large company with a H.R. department that can spend $400 to place ads on CareerBuilder.com or Monster.com, that’s great.  But, I started to wonder,  “Is there a better way?”  So, I began researching job websites, job boards, and aggregators.  I started trolling recruitment groups and websites to learn what works and what doesn’t.  I’m increasingly finding that spending big money on recruitment ads is only one option in the recruitment wheelhouse.  In fact, there are a number of $0 ways to find your next salesperson that can work even better than the high cost traditional route.

Most job sites are free for the job seeker, but of course can be quite costly for the employer to post a job.  But did you know that there are many “free-to-post” job websites, boards, and aggregators available?

Before we get to those, I’ll quickly review some of the basic social media things you should already be doing.  Taking advantage of all the free ways you can use social media for recruitment, is a quick and painless way to effectively get the word out about your open position.  At a minimum, you should post the job opening in the following ways:

1.  A status update on your personal and company LinkedIn Page.

2.  Asked your employees to do the same on their LinkedIn Profile Page.

3.  Posted the position on your company Facebook Page.

4.  Asked your employees to post about the position on their Facebook Pages.

5.  Posted the position on your company website.

6.  Tweeted the position to your company followers.

(Please see my blog posts; Recruit Top Sales Talent Using LinkedIn & Your Website, 6 Free Ways To Recruit Salespeople on LinkedIn and 6 Free Ways To Recruit Salespeople On Twitter for more info on these topics.)

After all these years, I’m still convinced that the number one way to find your next sales superstar is a referral from your current sales superstars.  This should always be your number one focus.  Involve your sellers in every way you can think of in order to find the right person.  And don’t forget, this should be an ongoing process – not just something you do when you have an opening.

Now, if you’ve done those steps, you are ready to post it to these free job websites.  All of these that I have listed are completely free to use, not a limited time trial free offer.  Several also have upgrade services that you can purchase, but I think the basic services are amazing for what you get.

FindAJobAlready.com

This job site features an easy-to-use interface.  (The founder tested it with his 92 year old grandmother!).  If you want to be proactive, it offers resume search and you can also have them email you resumes that match your keywords or browsing history.  However, I did not find many resumes that were current in the “sales” category.  Most were from 2010-2011.  You can post unlimited jobs for free and applicants can apply on-line.  The website says that they have over 4 million jobs in their search engine.

Gigajob.com

Gigajob claims 2,399,302 members with 265,753 jobs posted and 1,645 resumes.  The site confused me at first because it says, “Gigajob $1 is your free job site – for finding jobs and filling job vacancies.”  Huh?  But it is free.  The website is owned by a German company and I suspect the $1 might be a typo and is supposed to say #1.  Regardless, there are lots of great features here.  You can search resumes (which are current) or set up resume email alerts.  It provides you with a url link to the job you post and you can include that link on your website, Facebook page, email signature, etc.  This is great if you don’t have a way for people to apply online from your own website. You can simply redirect them with the link to your posting on Gigajob which DOES have an online application feature.  The applications will come directly to you.  Their site will show you how many people have viewed your job posts and a nice touch is that you can upload your logo and place it on the job posting.

Lots Of Jobs.net

This site is a bit confusing at first because it is ad supported (all of them are – which is why they are free!), but the ads are placed haphazardly around the pages.  It does have a resume search option but most of the ones I found were from 2010 or older.  However, LotsOfJobs claims 49,898 users registered and offers some great functions.  You can create a  company profile for applicants to view that includes your logo and company information.  When you post a job you can select for candidates to apply on-line, be redirected to your own website url, or specify an email address to reply to.  You also are able to see how many people have viewed your job posting(s) each day.

JobSpider.com

One of the big pluses to this site is that it is also indexed by SimplyHired.com which is one of the largest search engine aggregators.  JobSpider says that it is the #1 free internet job search engine and jobs board.  It features a resume search function and a quick review of it showed some dated resumes but also many current ones as well.  You can view how many people see your job posting each day and it also has the apply on line option.

Jobvertise.com

Jobvertise is well established in this area having been around for over 10 years on the net.  They claim over one million resumes and 250,000 jobs.  The basic service is free and there are upgrades that you can purchase.  Along with the resume search function you can receive relevant resumes emailed to you.  The resumes are very current although as a  basic customer (i.e., FREE) you do not see a resume in your search until it has been up for 21 days.  When you post a job you can create a customized “Jobs Page” for candidates to view which lists all the jobs you have available.  You can even add your own HTML to it or import it onto your own website.  Very cool!  It also has the online application feature which makes it easy for people to respond to your job posting.

ResumeBucket.com

Like JobSpider, this site is also indexed by SimplyHired.com, so that is a great bonus.  It boasts 1500 employers and 350,000 users.  It has a resume search, however, it does not list the date the resumes were posted so you have no way of knowing if they are current.  I like that it offers you a company profile page complete with logo and a specific url that   you can use to direct people to your job postings.  Also, each job posting that you post has a specific url that you can link to as well.  The job posting has an apply on line button.  ResumeBucket does not give you any analytics on your job postings so you do not know how many have viewed your listing.

ClassifiedAds.com

This site is the new kid on the block.  It is about a year old and is one of Inc. magazine’s fastest growing companies.  It is not a jobs only website.  It is more like a Craig’s List.  Just like newspaper classifieds, there are many different categories.  There is a very large Jobs section.  The site itself lists over 500,000 new listings per month so it is definitely getting good eyeball traffic.  In your job posting you can include click-able links (to your website, Facebook page, etc.).  It offers the apply on line function as well as a specific url address to view the ad that you can reference on your other social media sites.  ClassifiedAds also shows you how many times your job posting has been viewed.

AllStarJobs.com

The site claims 15,000 job postings.  You can browse resumes or set up the automated feature that emails you when resumes matching your keywords are posted.  All of the jobs are “human edited” which keeps the “work at home” offers from cluttering up the job postings.  It does offer a company profile page where allegedly you can upload a logo.  I did  not have any success in doing so.  AllStarJobs also is indexed by Simply Hired which gives you additional visibility.  It offers the online application button and tells you how many people have seen your posting.

TweetMyJobs.com

This is the “granddaddy” of all the job sites and job boards.  It has over 10,000 job channels on Twitter.  A listing on  TweetMyJobs automatically is distributed to Simply Hired, JuJu, Trovit and other job aggregators.  In addition, job seekers are instantaneously notified as soon as a relevant job is posted that matches what they are looking for.  This means that Twitter members who have indicated they are interested in sales positions in your area would be sent a text or email alert about your position.

Every job posted at TweetMyJobs is included on TweetMyJobs.com, where job seekers can search job listings according to the criteria they select.  TweetMyJobs has a Facebook app that facilitates referrals by showing interested candidates if any of their friends have inside connections with your company.  The site will also email you an analytics report that details your job posting views.  If you are not listing on TweetMyJobs you are missing out on a HUGE opportunity.

Facebook Marketplace by Oodles

With 950,000 monthly Facebook users, this is one of Facebook’s “power apps.”  (Log in to Facebook and search “Marketplace by Oodle”)  This is not exclusively a job posting site or job board.  It is more like classifieds (many liken it also to ebay).  While you can sell items on Marketplace, it is much more than that.  It has a very active and in-depth Jobs section.  Here you can post your open position(s) and then link it to your Company Facebook page as one of the “app boxes” below your timeline cover photo.  Then when interested parties click on it, they are taken directly to your job listings on Facebook Marketplace.  The one thing it is missing that I wish it had is that you do not know how many people view your listing.  However, if you connect it to an app box on your Company Facebook Page you WILL be able to see how many people have clicked the Marketplace app box on your page by looking under “Reach” in your site analytics.  This is a terrific free service and you should jump on it before Facebook appropriates it and starts charging!

A couple of things to remember about posting to these job sites….  Don’t forget to make a note of which ones you have posted to so that you can go in and either renew an ad when it is about to expire or cancel it when you have filled the position.  Some automatically expire after 30 days – some are open ended.  Also, keep track of where your applicants are coming from so that you will know which sites deliver you the best results.  And, if they are working for you – go back and give them some positive feedback and appreciation for the free services.

One last thought…The sites I list above are mass targeted job sites.  You should do an internet search to see if your particular industry has some free job boards or job websites too.

If you know of any additional free job posting sites that you would like to share, please hit the comment button and let us know!

For my media sales folks – I have found these industry specific free job posting sites:

http://www.RBR.com

http://www.AllAcess.com

http://www.TVandRadioJobs.com

http://www.RadioOnline.com

Tips For Developing An Onboarding Program

Welcome man and matEVERY NEW HIRE needs to go through an Onboarding Program – even veteran salespeople.  They may not need the basic training in how to sell (sometimes they do!), but the newly hired veteran salesperson still needs to be made to feel welcome, to feel he or she made the right decision to take this job, to establish a relationship with his manager and co-workers, to learn who does what, to be shown how things work, and to have the structure and comfort of knowing there is a plan in place designed to make the transition to this new job a success.

The Aberdeen Group research found that 86% of new hires decide to stay or leave a company within their first six months and new employees are 69% more likely to stay longer than three years if they experience well-structured onboarding.

Not sure how to put together an Onboarding Program?  Follow these steps to get you going and to maximize those new hires’ talents.  To get started you need to decide two things:

Onboarding Agenda Form1.  OBJECTIVES – Your Onboarding Program needs to be developed around the objectives you want the new salesperson to achieve in the first few months of employment.  What is it that you want the new hires to have learned and understood after they have gone through it?  Make a list of all of those objectives.

2.  IMPLEMENTATION – Then you need to outline what steps the person will take to accomplish those objectives.  Next, start assigning timelines for accomplishing each of those objectives.  You then must decide how each objective will be learned and who will oversee that process.

It should not be a “one size fits all.”  For each new hire the Onboarding Program needs to be individualized according to that person’s experience, skills, previous training, and talents.  But you can put together a format and then tweak it for each new hire.

Be sure to include time each morning and at the end of each day for one-on-one time with your new hire, EVERY DAY that first week.  The relationship you establish will likely decide if the person stays and is a success or leaves.  Schedule the time and keep to it.  This is the time you will use to touch base with how the person is doing and feeling about the onboarding process.  Feedback from the new hire to you and you to him or her, is critical.  You are the most important person when it comes to whether or not the new salesperson will succeed.

Gallup GraphOne of the main reasons employees either leave or are a success in an organization is a direct result of their relationship with their manager.  “In the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue,” Gallup wrote in its survey findings.

A great way to jump-start your relationship with the new hire is to do a “Salesperson Questionnaire.”  Salesperson Questionnaire page 1

Solicit feedback early and often.  Feedback is not a one-way street.  It should be flowing in both directions.  You should be proactively asking questions of new hires on how they feel they are doing, how the onboarding process is going, and if there are any issues to address, in order to encourage the new hire to give you feedback.  And you should be giving feedback as well.  Let the new hire know how you think things are going, what you are observing and hearing and any issues or concerns you have.  The most important part of feedback is remembering to ask for it!  In your meetings with the new hire, ask several specific questions (see sample questions below) each time and take notes.

  • Are we delivering on what we promised?
  • What do you like about the job so far?
  • What’s been going well? What are the highlights of your experiences so far?
  • What do you need to learn to improve? What help do you need to become successful in this job?
  • What are the things that you don’t like or feel could be improved?
  • What have you found to be the most rewarding?
  • Compare your job to what we explained it would be like – how is it accurate or different?
  • Whom have you found to be the most helpful when you have questions?
  • Am I being clear in setting expectations and goals for you?
  • Is there anything I am not doing that I could be doing better to help you?
  • Is there anything I am doing that you wish I wouldn’t do?
  • Am I giving you the feedback that you need?  How could I improve upon that?
  • Do you feel that you fit in and are an important part of the team?
  • Have you had any uncomfortable situations or conflicts with co-workers or clients?
  • Do you look forward to coming to work or do you have concerns that are bothering you?
  • Are there any things that you would change about your job if you could?  What are they and why?

Asking these types of specific questions within the first few weeks will also create a culture where your direct reports feel comfortable coming to you with ideas or concerns.  They will see you as a valuable resource in their growth and development as successful salespeople.

Here’s a great Onboarding Infographic from the folks at MindFlash.

What I Learned From Peter

Recently I was asked “who is the person, living or dead you would most want to meet?”  Now I will admit the FIRST thought that popped into my head was Princess Diana, however, she was quickly supplanted by Peter Drucker.  The fact is I love Peter Drucker and he, more than any other person has influenced my professional life.  If you haven’t read any of his writings, you owe it to yourself to begin immediately.  You will be profoundly changed.  I guarantee it.

Peter Drucker was a writer, professor, management consultant and self-described “social ecologist.”  He died in 2005 and was called by Business Week as “the man who invented management.”

He wrote 39 books, along with countless articles.  He coined the term “knowledge worker,” and he spent his life examining the best ways to manage these “knowledge workers.”

As you read through these Drucker gems, keep track of how many of these you adhere to and see how you stack up on what I call the “Drucker Management Scale.”  So without further ado, here are some of my favorite things that I learned from Peter…

“What is management?  Management’s task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant.”

“One does not manage people.  The task is to lead people and the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of each individual.”

“The only thing that differentiates one business from another in any given field is the quality of its management on all levels.”

“Management’s first job is to think through, set, and exemplify (company) objectives, values, and goals.”

“Training and development  (of employees) must be built into a company on all levels – training and development that never stops.”

A business enterprise has only one true resource:  people.  It succeeds by making human resources productive.

“Common vision, common understanding, and unity of direction and effort of the entire organization require the definition of, ‘what our business is and what it should be.’  Without this there is business frustration and failure.”

“Whoever is content to rise with the tide (rather than looking ahead) will also fall with it.”

“The area without specific objectives will be neglected.  If objections are only good intentions, they are worthless.  The must be transformed into work that is specific, with clear, unambiguous, measurable results, a deadline and assignment of accountability.”

“Knowledge workers have mobility.  They can leave.  Therefore, employees have to be managed as partners and it is the definition of a partnership that all partners are equal.  Partners can not be ordered, they have to be persuaded.  Therefore, the management of people is a marketing job.  In marketing you don’t start with the question, ‘what do WE want?’  One begins with the question, ‘what does the other party want?’”

“What the boss does and says, his or her most casual remarks, habits, even mannerisms, tend to appear to subordinates as calculated, planned, and meaningful.”

“Management by crisis …is a sure sign of confusion by management.  It is an admission of incompetence, that the manager doesn’t know how to plan… and that the company does not know how to direct them.”

“You can not build performance on (people’s) weaknesses, you can only build on strengths.”

“Making the right people decisions is the ultimate means of controlling an organization well.  They reveal how competent management is, what its values are, and whether it takes its job seriously.  People decisions can not be hidden.  They are eminently visible.”

A great place to start reading Peter Drucker is http://www.druckerinstitute.com.  It’s like a Peter Drucker themed Disney World.  Enjoy!

Here’s an infographic of some of Peter Drucker’s most well-known books.

The DO’s and DON’TS of Interviewing

What questions should you ask?  What questions can you ask?  What questions should you never ask?

The interviewing process is obviously is a critical component to hiring the right person.  However, most managers are given little or no training in how to interview and have to develop their skills through trial and error.  That can be costly in more ways than one.   Not only does that mean you might not be finding out the information you need to know, it also leaves you open to discrimination claims and potential lawsuits.   Not only should a manager know the following information, but if co-workers in other departments are also interviewing your candidate, make sure they know as well.

When you are interviewing the candidate, stick to pre-planned questions throughout the interview. From a legal perspective as well as properly evaluating talent, the best interviews are those where the interviewer asks every candidate the same questions. By doing so, you can compare the candidates accurately.

The more methodical and systematic your interview process is, the more likely it will provide you the information needed to make good judgments about individuals’ fit for the position.   The key is taking accurate notes of their answers so you can evaluate them and documenting in writing each step of the interview process.

For a successful interview, “DO” this:

  • Describe the interview process and let them know that you will be taking notes or using a tape recorder.
  • Avoid asking questions that can be answered with “yes” and “no”.
  • After you ask a question give the candidate a chance to elaborate.  Silences can provoke additional responses.
  • If the candidate doesn’t have an answer on a question or seems nervous, go to another question. You can always come back to the question later once the person is more comfortable.
  • Be careful that your body language or verbal responses are not telegraphing to the candidate the answer you are looking for – remain neutral such as, “I see, how so, tell me more, interesting,” etc.
  • LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN!  Do not tell stories or go off on tangents, stick to just asking the questions.  Conversation can come later.
  • After you have asked all of your questions, ask the candidate what questions he or she has for you.
  • Know when to bring the interview to a close. Don’t go on too long or drag it out.

And these are your “DON’TS”

  • Do not document such things as young, old, good-looking, or any type of physical attribute.
  • Do not shorten an interview that is ordinarily scheduled for a certain amount of time. If the interview routine lasts an hour, do not shorten it. It could later be used in a discrimination suit.
  • Do not imply long-term employment. The interviewer may defeat the “at-will employment” by statements made in an interview.
  • Do not inquire about children or ask if childcare arrangements have been made.
  • Do not ask the candidate’s age, what year he or she graduated from school.
  • Do not ask for a photograph.
  • Do not ask if the person owns a home or how long a person has lived at a particular address.
  • Do not ask, directly or indirectly, information about social organizations, religious affiliations (do you go to church?) or clubs to which the candidate belongs.
  • Do not inquire about the candidates feelings toward working with co-workers of different races.
  • Do not ask the candidates to specify where they or their parents were born. You may ask them if they are able to verify that they can legally work in the U.S.
  • Do not ask questions about marital status, number or age of children, pregnancy, or future childbearing plans.
  • Do not ask for a maiden name.
  • Do not ask the candidate to discuss a physical condition or disability.  Do not ask if the candidate as ever been treated for a specific condition or if they have been hospitalized.
  • Do not ask candidates if they have ever been treated by a therapist, psychiatrist or psychologist; if they have had a major illness in the last five years; or how many sick days they took off from work.
  • Do not ask if they are taking any prescription drugs; if they have ever been treated for a drug addiction or alcoholism.
  • Do not ask if they have ever filed for workers’ compensation insurance.
  • Do not ask the candidate about the type of discharge from military service.
  • Do not ask about arrest records. You can ask if the person has been convicted of a felony but cannot automatically exclude people with convictions unless it is appropriate to the job.
  • If the candidate has a visible disability (e.g. uses a wheelchair), or volunteers information about a disability, the interviewer may not ask questions about the nature of the disability, the severity, the condition causing the disability, any prognosis, or if the candidate might need any special leave because of the disability.
  • The interviewer may describe the specific tasks or functions of the job and ask whether the candidate can perform these functions with or without a reasonable accommodation. Interviewers can ask questions related to essential job functions. If a candidate asks about an accommodation, the interviewer can ask what the candidate thinks he/she needs to perform the job.

And most importantly, write down your impressions of the candidate right after the interview.  Otherwise you could forget important details, especially when you are interviewing many candidates over a period of time.

Here’s a fun Infographic on the strangest interview questions ever!