Social Media Coming of Age

OMG!  I love technology conferences.  They’re exciting & full of possibilities & looking into what could or will be, as well as what is. 

Yesterday was the NC Technology Association’s “State of Tech” conference in the Raleigh-Durham.  We had panels addressing:  emerging media, social media, financial technology, operations, & the CIO’s high-level view.  Plus, there were vendors whose products were oh-so-interesting.  (Where else but a tech conference can you go & actually enjoy being sold to?!)

But I digress.  Here are the key points I took away from the State of Tech conference: 

1. Social media (SM).  It’s still hot, hot, hot!  That’s not news.  What may be new is that the business buzz around SM has dramatically moved from personal & one-on-one, to companies acquiring & retaining clients.  BTW, virtually every one I talked with or heard at the conference, from the execs to the customer services reps, actively rely on FB, LI, Twitter, & more – both personally and professionally.  It’s not just for 20-somethings & recruiters anymore. 
2. LinkedIn (LI).  Almost every speaker, of every generation, lauded LI.  It has become a staple in our business toolboxes, used for many functions. 
3. Network & data security.  Now that SM & mobile devices are ubiquitous, developers are especially challenged to meet employees’ & customers’ expectations (dare we saytheir “needs”?), while also protecting their business information. 
4. Analytics & business intelligence (BI).   CIOs large & small understand the benefits of BI & would like to have a user-friendly application. The problem?   They’re not sure the ROI justifies the investment.  So, if you’re selling BI, you better be able to make a good business & financial case for your products/services.

It was another fine NCTA conference, filled with superb speakers, timely topics, & interesting attendees.  Go NCTA!

When Biz has Bad Rep

A recent LinkedIn question asked, “Would you take a job at a company with a bad reputation?” 

Let’s face it, the answer is a resounding YES!  If I desperately need the job. 

One other reason that I’d say yes would be that my due diligence indicated there had been real change within the company & it’s bad reputation was no longer deserved.  Reputations take a long time to change – good & bad – so common knowledge isn’t necessarily correct.  

But my answer would be NO under almost any other circumstances. Here are just a few reasons, in no particular order, that I wouldn’t work for a disreputable company if I had any other reasonable alternative for paying my bills:

7. I’d be cheating my customers. 

6. My personal & business reputation would be sullied by my affiliation with the company’s reputation. 

5. I’d be tempted to badmouth my employer. Like Thumper said, if you can’t say something nice. . . . 

4. I couldn’t sell the products or recruit for that company & retain my sense of integrity – or meet my quotas. 

3. I wouldn’t approach my job with vigor, so I wouldn’t be giving them a fair day’s work. 

2. I’d be miserable & much of my energy would be spent around that misery rather than in productive efforts. 

1.  My #1 reason for not working at an ethical company is that I couldn’t maintain my own self-respect.

What Makes a Sales Person Exceptional?

That’s a simple question with a complex answer.  There’s not any one thing.  The exceptional sales person has a multitude of critical sales traits & skills:

• Ethical.
• Wants the best for her/his customer.
• True problem-solver.
• Good communicator, who’s more of a caring & insightful listener than a talker.
• Empathetic.
• Smart about business & about the products/services s/he sells.
• Shows up & is ready.
• Hard-worker.
• Persistent.
• Follows a dependable sales process.
• Good qualifier.
• Resilient.
• Optimistic.
• Consistent.

As a tech sales recruiter, I’ve asked lots of sales managers this question. The answers that stand out to me are:

1. Brave.  That is, brave enough to ask hard questions.  Brave enough to push the system on the client’s behalf.  (Thank you, Diane.)
2. Can’t bear to lose – as opposed to someone who wants to win.  (Thank you, Larry & Jeff.)
3. Curious & eager to learn.  (Thank you, Mark.) 

PLEASE send these types of tech sales people my way when you meet them.  Help me connect to them on LinkedIn, even if they’re not in the job market. 

Great sales people are very special people & I’m honored to know them.  No bull.  I see them as role models for the rest of us mere humans.

Silence can be Golden

Recently, Denise Altman presented a webinar called Silence is Golden.  Denise made several points worth quietly considering when you’re interacting in sales or elsewhere: 

1. Sales:  Don’t be intimidated if your prospects or clients are silent after you make a statement or when you’re ready to close the deal.  Just be quiet & let them think until they’re ready to respond, ask a question, or sign the contract.  Most people say they need more time to think during a conversation.  That translates into slower speech, with more pauses & quiet. 

2. Apologies:  When you make a mistake, make a short, genuine apology, then be quiet.  Be quiet while the other person has his or her say, which may include letting you have it.  Give no excuses.  Accept their comments in silence or answer their questions. 

3.  Advice:  When people tell us their problems, it doesn’t mean they want us to tell them how to solve them.  Other than saying enough to let them know we’re listening, it’s best to be silent when friends/family/colleagues vent.  Don’t provide a solution unless they ask for one or it’s an emergency.  Being silent acknowledges the other person’s ability to solve their own problems.  (My friends/family/colleagues are laughing out loud about this time, wondering if it’s truly Mary Storms, the prolific purveyor of opinions, who’s writing this blog.)   In a similar vein, motivational speaker Andy Dinkin  says it took him awhile to learn that he’s not the General Manager of the Universe.  You & I don’t carry that title either. 

4. Arguments:  Dale Carnegie says the only argument you can win is the one you don’t have.  When you absolutely cannot avoid an argument, at least use silence as part of your arsenal.  Be silent to gather your thoughts.  Be silent to let the other person talk.  Be silent to give serious consideration to the other person’s points.  Be silent to give yourself time to cool off before you say something hurtful or stupid.

I will now be silent & let you quietly contemplate these points.

Why Don’t They Update Me?

Scenario:  You’ve been interviewing with a prospective employer, then you hear nothing. 

What’s going on?   Don’t they love you anymore?  Why don’t they call?  Here are the most likely reasons:

1. They’re rude & thoughtless.  (Ugh!  This one gets me the most because, over the years, I’ve occasionally been “they.”)
2. They’re interviewing others in whom they’re more interested.
3. An obstacle has developed for filling the job – new manager, financial issues, change in staffing needs.
4. This job has dropped in priority, either temporarily or permanently.  Could be a business reason or something as simple as the hiring manager is on vacation or sick. 
5. They’ve made an offer to someone else but they don’t want to tell you yet in case the other person turns down the job.
6. The so-called decision maker can’t make a decision. 
7. They’ve hired someone else &:
   1. They don’t want to give you the bad news.
   2. They no longer feel they need you.
   3. They don’t want to tell you why.
   4. They’ve run out of time.
   5. They’ve moved onto the next priority or project.
8. They’re incompetent. 
9. They simply don’t like talking with you.
10. They’re rude & thoughtless.  Whatever the reason for the delay, your point of contact should update you. 

Now you have an inkling about what’s going on.  You may also be uneasy about working for a company, manager, and/or recruiter who operates in such a shoddy manner.  So what should you do?   Below are several options, the first of which is everyone’s favorite:

1. Contact the recruiter or hiring manager to say you accepted another job.  An offer from a thoughtful, respectful company.  Clearly, only do this if you’ve really accepted another job.  And, despite what I wrote, don’t rub salt into their wounds no matter how good it makes you feel.  Just tell them you accepted another offer.  If you didn’t accept another offer, you’ll need to apply one or more of the remaining tactics. 
2. Email or call, offering to provide additional information that would help them make this decision.  
3. Ask if something has changed in the hiring situation. 
4. Courteously tell your contact that you need an update so you know how to handle other job opportunities, travel plans, accepting new projects, etc.   As in sales, having a “because” is always a good follow up approach.
5. Call HR to find out if the position has been filled. 
6. Check out LinkedIn to find out if they’ve recently added someone in that position.
7. Send a hand-written note to everyone with whom you’ve interviewed at the company.  Maybe one of them will follow up with you or with the hiring manager to find out where the search stands. 
8. Do something that shows your value & that gives them a reason for reconnecting with you, such as . . .
   • Send the Sales VP a lead for a prospective client.
   • Provide useful information about one of their competitors or something new in their specialized sector.
   • Develop a get-started business plan that would demonstrate your insightfulness & the concrete value you’d bring.
9. Restart your job search with renewed vigor.
10. Always be polite & never be defensive.  Being offensive or defensive is a sure way to lose the job opportunity; no one wants to hire a high-maintenance whiner.

Those are some options if you’re the sales candidate. 

If you’re the employer or recruiter, there’s only 1 proper action to take:  Call or email the candidate with an update. 

You, the employer, should be vividly aware of how your action, or lack of action, appears from the sales candidate’s perspective.  Dropping people who are deep in the interview process, without a word, without a simple update, says more about you & your company than about your candidates.  It may be uncomfortable giving candidates bad news or admitting that the process isn’t running as smoothly as they expected, but it’s important because making that call demonstrates that you & your company are dependable, responsive, & respectful. 

And what does it say if you don’t make that call or send an email?  I think I covered that above.