April Jokes

Thank you for reading my blog! Here are the jokes: 


A butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.


What’s the definition of a will? (It’s a dead giveaway).


A woman had a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but she broke it off.


A man walks into a bar and says "ouch!"


When is a vet busiest? When it is raining cats and dogs!


A frog goes into a bank ... 'Ms. Whack,' he says, 'I'd like to obtain a loan to buy a boat.' Patti furrows her brow and asks, 'Well, how much do you want to borrow?' '$25,000,' the frog says. The teller writes this down, then asks his name. 'My name is Kermit Jagger. I'm the son of Mick Jagger.' 'Really?' she asks, eyebrow raised. 'Yes,' he says. Then he digs into his pants pocket and produces a tiny pink porcelain elephant. 'And I want to use this as collateral.' 'Ummm, okay,' Patti says, accepting the elephant. 'I'll have to ask the loan manager about this.' 'That's fine,' he says. 'He'll vouch for me.' Patti walks into the loan manager's office and explains the situation. 'There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $25,000 to buy a boat. He wants to use this' - she holds up the tiny pink elephant - 'as collateral. I mean, what the heck is this thing?' The loan manager says: 'It's a knick knack, Patti Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone.'

On the 30th of each month (except February of course) we have some fun and publish my famous jokes. Always clean enough to tell your mother or kids. If you would like to share a joke comment here or send it to me!

Thanks!
Ev

You Decided to Hire a Salesperson: Other Tips

Image by Ev Kamikawa

We've talked about how you know if it is time to hire a salesperson and what to pay a salesperson.
Small Business Owners, and anyone else looking to hire salespeople, here are some more things to keep in mind:


-As an owner you CANNOT STOP prospecting. You may think that is one less thing on your plate by hiring a salesperson. If you think you can lie around in the sun now that you have a salesperson to prospect for you, YOU ARE WRONG! It is still your business. You need to continue to build the business and expand your network. It will take some time for your new salesperson to build a nice base of customers. You can't afford to stop prospecting during this time. Your network needs to grow so you can continue to mine it for sales. Even if you have a great sales staff  who are selling like crazy, you need to be doing some prospecting and selling to make sure you have credibility with your team and in case they were to all leave tomorrow they don't take all your customers and contacts with them. You also never want to be "held hostage" by your sales staff. At some point you will have to fire someone or someone will leave you. You don't want to be stuck going all the way back to square one and have to start finding new prospects.


-As an owner don't expect your salespeople to have 24-7 passion for your business. That is your job. That is not to say your salespeople won't care about the company or the products, but they get to go home and leave your business behind till the next day. It's one of the perks of turning over 80%+ of the sale to you. If the salesperson hits a rough billing patch or decides to go somewhere else, don't tell everyone they left or you fired them because they "didn't have the passion for your company or business." Salespeople leave for more money, or bad managers in general. People might call that "Conditional Passion" and that CP is bad. I would argue that CP is a natural part of life and we all do it every day. We choose what we are passionate about. Everything from TV shows, hobbies, music, to people. People who are married choose to stay together each day. When one partner gives the other reasons to doubt that choice or no positive reason to choose them then the marriage fails. How many ex girlfriends or boyfriends do you have? At some point someone chose not to continue the relationship. Sometimes someone is at fault. Sometimes both agree it isn't right in the long run and part on good terms. Same with a job. Give employees a reason to continue to choose your company every day and they will continue to be passionate about it. Sometimes they will leave because of something YOU did that may have been minor to you but important to them. Sometimes salespeople will leave for no obvious reason, it just wasn't going to be their long term future. If they were a good employee part as friends and be respectful because you both can hurt or harm each other very easily and odds are you will run into each other again. If the parting was bad because the person was a terrible employee then good riddance.

-If you do have to fire a salesperson or a salesperson leaves on good terms, be very careful what you say to anyone in the business community about the break up. There will be some circles where the salesperson is seen as the good guy and you the bad guy no matter what the situation was. The opposite is also true. Since you will indubitably encounter someone that knows you both, keep your thoughts to yourself. 


-As an owner NEVER come up to your salesperson and imply in any why that if you don't collect a non-forgivable draw that the company won't meet payroll (or in the case of two VP's I worked for, say that they will be fired). Salespeople have enough pressure hitting goal without you standing over them like a vulture waiting to grasp their money. That leads me to...


-Don't share every detail about the company's finances with your employees. All they care about is of the company is making money, will meet payroll, and will provide them the tools they need to be a success. This is different than having a company goal that everyone knows about and works toward.
If people ask or you want to share information, use phrases that won't worry them and get them to think they better start looking. I'm not saying lie to employees or never tell them anything, just not every nickel and dime and how you might be shifting money from one account to another or using a personnel line of credit, etc.

-Don't share details about the company's finances with your customers. If you are in a situation of cancelling your bill payment system (i.e. an online payment site or credit card processing) because no one uses it and you want to save the monthly fees because companies just send you checks, don't tell the customer that you are cancelling when they ask if they can pay the invoice online. It can make you look cheap. I've seen more than one owner say something like this and the customer goes from "yes" to "let me think about it" every time.

-Respect the salesperson for what they know. Teach them what they don't know.
Remember that they might have a better understanding of a client or situation than you do. Don't be bent on always doing it your way. You might be screwing up a deal or relationship. This is partner with...


-Don't tell your salespeople (or any employee) to "F off" under any circumstance and especially in front of other staff. If you don't want to hear an opinion that might not agree with yours...DON'T ASK! You've made the choice to invite someone else to share your passion for your business. Understand that there will be times that they might have a better understanding of a situation, client, or problem because they are not seeing it through the eyes of an owner. In the case of a client, understand they might have known the client longer than you and understand how the client thinks. Just because they have a different idea or way of doing something doesn't mean that they are somehow usurping your authority.

-If you are hiring a salesperson to sell you (like a consultant or speaker) or services you personally provide (i.e. an accountant, photographer, contractor), you have to always make sure they believe that you are the best in what you do. Don't give them a reason to doubt your ability to deliver the best service in the market. I'm not talking about new products that are trying and don't work, or new methods of delivering your product that ultimately doesn't work. I'm talking about you as a person and how you interact with clients and other staff. Don't lie to your staff or constantly belittle them. As soon as you do something that makes them think you are a jerk, they'll have a hard time selling you to a client because of that little bit of doubt about how you will interact with the client.

Just my two cents. Take it or leave it.


If you need to recruit some good salespeople, I've written several blogs about how to recruit salespeople so just search this blog for "job ads."

In the future I'll talk to salespeople about things they should be respectful of YOU for.

Thanks for reading!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

You've Decided to Hire a Salesperson: What to Pay Them?

Image by Ev Kamikawa

Congratulations!

As a small business owner you've decided that you are ready to make the leap and hire a salesperson. Now you're up to your knees in alligators trying to figure out what to do first.

Before you place your ads and start your interviewing process you need to decide what you are going to pay your salesperson. There are usually three types of pay plans:

1. straight commission

2. base salary + commission

3. draw on salary + commission

As a general rule salespeople like to know that while they are out in the field getting doors slammed in their faces they will have enough money to pay the mortgage and car payments.
The rest of their toys or kids education should serve as motivation.

I suggest having a lowish-medium base + commission. Find out what that salesperson needs to live on and what their dreams and goals are.
Pay them just enough to cover big expenses, but not enough to make them comfortable that they don't need to sell.

Someone out of school can get by on less money than someone in their 30's with kids and a mortgage. The graduate might work for $1,500 base per month and 10% commission. A person in their 30's might work for a $3,000 base and 15% commission. On the surface the older salesperson is more expensive, however what it costs you should not be the only criteria for hiring.
An experienced sales person will have a broader network of people to contact. They should have more expenses and will be hungry to get all the things their family wants serving as motivation. The training ramp up time should be shorter and provide a quicker return.
A new salesperson will be cheaper in the short run, but will take more time to train and a longer time to be producing at a higher level. There are however some really hungry new members of the work force. If you can afford to spend more of your time with a new salesperson and will continue to keep up your prospecting and selling then a new salesperson might be the way to go, however I'd caution against it for your FIRST hire.


Don't even think about capping commissions! You might hate writing bigger checks to your salesperson, however don't forget as they sell more you might pay more commission, but you will make more money too!
In the scenarios above at least 80% of the revenue from a sale goes to you. How much of that 80% goes to the bottom line depends on your business plan.

A good salesperson should never be afraid to work on straight commission and should have done it at one time in their career successfully. It is not for everyone. If commission is all you can or are willing to pay, you will have to search longer and harder for a special salesperson who is not only motivated to make money, but has a good stash of money to support themselves. You will also have to worry about them bolting for another job that offers a base. Don't be cheap. Consider offering a base for the first 3-6 months. If the salesperson does all the right daily activites to be successful then they probably won't miss the base once the commissions start rolling in. 

Draws against commission I've found are confusing and serve nothing except to motivate salespeople to look for a new job. Draws are stupid. Sales isn't an exact science. A good salesperson can bust their butt and have things not close for reasons beyond their control. So instead of paying them for all the good work they did prospecting and servicing and reinforcing their behavior, you're going to take money away from their next checks? That pisses the salesperson off, not at themselves but YOU! Paying a draw and then recovering it when "the salesperson is doing well" is even more damaging. Suddenly the salesperson is paying back big chunks of their current commissions for base pay received months ago. They still had to do all the right activities back then to allow themselves and you to be successful now, so don't punish them by taking away money they are finally receiving from clients who insist on not paying for 90-120 days (collection issues are a seperate topic).
 If you need to recover draws in any way you never had the money to support a salesperson or you are too cheap to begin with.

If you don't have enough business to support a salesperson's base salary, benefits, expenses, and training for at least one year, DO NOT hire someone. Pass "GO" and earn another $200 or land on "Free Parking" to use Monopoly references. Don't count on having the salesperson earn their keep completely by 90 or 120 days. That may not be enough time depending on your product's sales cycle and the type of salesperson you hire. Does that mean you have to wait a year before firing bad salespeople? No! You just don't want their salary to be a sword of Damicles over your business.

Keep in mind that any sales activity done today will bear fruit or be moved out of the pipeline in 90 days. If you hire someone thinking they will be able to sell your product by 90 days and all will be well you are in for a shock. Even in the best circumstances with the best salesperson it will take time to build relationships and get sales through the approval process.

When figuring out what you can afford to pay, you also need to figure out how long it will be before you can recover your investment in that person. To do this find out what your average time is to make a sale (i.e. four months). Double that (8 months) and add one more (9 months). As a general rule you should start to see a return on your investment in the 9th month. Notice I said "start" to see a return. I actually like to figure 3x the average sale time plus one to get a more accurate time.
Why? Stuff happens. The best laid battle plan never survives first contact with the enemy.
If you can't afford to carry a salesperson's base and expenses for 13 months in the above case, don't hire someone until you can either speed up your average sale OR increase profit margin, AND have enough cash reserves. You'll have less sleepless nights and a more motivated salesperson.
Been there. Done that. I like my sleep.

I've written several blogs about how to recruit salespeople so just search this blog for "job ads."


Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

10 Netiquette Rules Every Job Seeker Should Know

What is "netiquette?"
Netiquette refers to proper manners when communicating with professionals using email and social media. It can refer to communicating with co-workers, clients, or people you want to solicit business from (clients, contractors, etc.). According to LivingInternet.com,
"Netiquette" stands for "Internet Etiquette", and refers to the set of practices created over the years to make the Internet experience pleasant for everyone. Like other forms of etiquette, netiquette is primarily concerned with matters of courtesy in communications. 
Why is this important?
Even though we think these rules are common sense, I'm in  a position where I see them being broken everyday by job seekers and companies.
With that in mind I think it is time for a review of these rules. Look at the next email you send to a professional contact. Are you following the rules?

Thank you to Tina Sans of BestUniversities.com for giving me permission to reprint this article.
Thanks for reading my blog!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy" 

10 Netiquette Rules Every Job Seeker Should Know
by BestUniversities.com
As our lives become more and more involved with the internet, we have to become more aware of our web presence. Netiquette, the etiquette of the internet, is of more importance now than it ever has been before. With online classes, online job profiles, and online dating, the way we conduct ourselves online impacts every aspect of our lives. In the online world, our communication skills are tested. The only means of communication we have on the web is through the written word, which can cause several complications. For this reason, it is imperative to communicate clearly and professionally in all online arenas. The following netiquette rules will guide a job seeker in the world of professional internet use.

1.Be Professional: While this notion encompasses almost all of what we will discuss, being professional in email correspondence means more than the words you use and the tone you convey. Something as simple as the email address you use can mar even the most well written message. When sending an email on a serious matter it is important that you appear serious on all fronts. If the email address you are sending from sounds silly or joking, it will reflect poorly upon you and can demean your professional credibility. Now, we realize that this advice may sound dated. After all, who uses the email address surferchick22@something.com anymore? But, we believe that this notion is important enough to repeat, even if it is archaic. As a tip for today's users, sending an email to a potential employer from a dot edu or a dot org email address can give you more credibility. For one thing, using a school or organization email address proves that the educational or professional information on your resume is true.


2.Evaluate Your Tone: Deciding on an appropriate tone of voice to use in internet communication can be difficult. Because emailing can be so impersonal, people can sometimes come off in a manner that is more informal or harsh than they intend. When writing an email from the comfort of your own home, it can be easy to slip into an overly conversational tone or a tone that sounds too direct when in writing. Because email correspondence is so quick and easy, people often send off their thoughts without properly reviewing them. Often times, people will send an email without reading it over and evaluating the way the language sounds when read by the recipient. For this reason, it is important to judge what tone is appropriate for that particular correspondence before you begin and read over the message when you are done to make sure that it accurately conveys the desired tone. When communicating with an employer about an open position or an interest in the company, it is always important to sound positive and friendly. Thank the individual you are emailing for their time and express that you look forward to hearing back from them.


3.Use Proper Language and Titles: Another essential aspect of professional emailing etiquette is a writing a proper greeting. Be sure to include a greeting that is both courteous and official when conversing with any individual in any professional setting. Always address the individual you are speaking to with the appropriate level of formality and (though it may sound silly) be sure you have spelled their name correctly. Do not address them as you would a friend. For example, it is not appropriate to simply right "hi" or "hey" at the beginning of an email. Always address whomever you are speaking to with their official title (whether it is Dr., Mr., or Mrs.). If you are unsure of what the individual's official title is default to Mr. or Mrs. to be safe. If the individual replies to you and has used his or her first name only, then it is safe to assume you can call them by their first name. However, to be safe and remain professional, it may be wise to refer to that person as Mr. or Mrs. through all email correspondence.


4.Use Effective Communication: This tip is key to all aspects of writing and (of course) takes some practice. Writing effective, clear messages can be difficult at first. You must be thoughtful and careful with your language. Try to be as clear and concise in your email correspondence as possible. Once you have completed your message read (and reread) it before you click send. Be sure to define and restate your words when you think necessary. Keep in mind that if something sounds unclear to you it will certainly be unclear to your reader. Within the same notion, be mindful of the words you use and the phrases that you write. As discussed earlier, it can be difficult to determine tone in writing, so if you use a phrase that is dependent upon inflection when spoken it is probably not the best choice for written correspondence.


5.Ask for Clarification: Never assume you know the intention of an email if you are unsure. It is important to ask the sender to clarify anything that confuses you. As discussed earlier, it is easy to misinterpret emails because tone can sometimes be difficult to determine. If you think that you are misunderstanding something the other individual is saying or that you have misinterpreted their tone, just ask. It is always safer to send a quick email asking for clarification then it is to email a reply that you are not completely confident about. A potential employer will appreciate your responsiveness and maturity when dealing with confusion. Be sure to place the reason for confusion on yourself and not the sender. You do not want to come off as accusatory or blaming. A simple way to do this is to write, "I did not understand�", keeping the burden for the misunderstanding on yourself. Accepting blame also displays a level of maturity and confidence that is important within the professional world.


6.Do Not Over-Send: While sending emails asking for clarification is important, it is also important that you use restraint when emailing. Do not clog an individual's inbox with messages that are not completely necessary. Be sure to reread the message you are having trouble understanding and make sure that you have no way of answering the question on your own. Although it can be difficult at times, you must consider that emailing is the same as having a face-to-face conversation. Every message you send is taking time from someone's day. You do not want to waste anyone's time or suggest to them that you do not consider their time valuable by over-sending emails.


7.Write Appropriate Subject Lines: The subject line of an email, next to your name, is the first thing the recipient sees. For this reason, it is one of the most important (and most difficult) aspects of writing an email. It is important to convey a message in this line that is clear, concise, and informative. Give the recipient the bottom line of the message they are about to read without giving a complete summary of the entire email. Be precise and include details that allow the recipient to identify what you are talking about quickly and unambiguously. As a job seeker who is emailing a potential employer, never leave the subject line of an email blank. It is important to standout to the employer you are corresponding with. You want to grab their attention (in a professional manner) without looking too showy. Employers seeking new employees likely receive dozens and dozens of emails a day. Many will completely disregard an email sent without a subject.


8.Use Proper Grammar and Spelling: It is endlessly important to use proper grammar and spelling in emails. Slipping into an overly conversational tone can be easy when communicating through email. While informal emails are fine when conversing with friends and family, you should always speak with potential employers in a professional manner. Messages that utilize poor grammar and have several misspelled words, demonstrate carelessness. If you do not take the time to edit your emails before you send them it will imply that you do not value the recipient's time. Quite simply, an email with poor grammar and bad spelling will not be taken seriously.


9.Sell Yourself: Going hand-in-hand with using proper grammar and spelling, it is important to look good when seeking a job online. In today's techno-savvy world, many companies require job seekers to create an account or profile in order to apply for a position. In this profile, individuals should "sell" themselves to their potential employer. Your writing is the main thing that you will be judged by online (because, for the most part, it is the only thing available). Make yourself look good online by demonstrating professional writing etiquette. Be sure to display your strengths in these profiles. Also, it is important that any profiles that already exist online reflect you in a positive and professional manner. If you have a Facebook (or MySpace) account, be sure to make it display you in a positive and professional light or make it completely private and hidden from potential employers.


10.Be Honest: While "selling yourself" in an online job profile is important to landing the position you desire, you must also be careful to remain completely honest. Because the world of the internet is faceless, it can be easy to fabricate information and think that you will get away with it. For many reasons, lying online can get you into more trouble than admitting your weaknesses (true in all aspects of life). Demonstrating your strengths and acknowledging your weaknesses shows a potential employer that you are willing and able to grow.


To read more from Best Universitites please click below:
http://www.bestuniversities.com/blog/2011/10-netiquette-rules-every-job-seeker-should-know/

A Blatant Case of Prejudice!

I've instructed hundreds of companies on how to write job ads.
I've written or corrected thousands of job ads.
I've never seen an ad as blatantly prejudice as this on found on CollegeRecruiter.com:

Job Description

Autonomy is expanding rapidly and looking to hire top quality Sales Engineers throughout the US. Candidates would be virtual/home office based or report out of one of our offices in San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, or New York City. Come join a dynamic and talented team and a company that is fast growing.
Sales Engineers work with Sales Account Managers to effectively communicate Autonomy's capabilities and how they translate to prospective customer's needs. This is achieved through both verbal presentation skills and technical demonstrations.

Autonomy is the acknowledged leader in the rapidly growing area of Meaning Based Computing (MBC). Founded in 1996 and utilizing a unique combination of technologies borne out of research at Cambridge University, the company has experienced a meteoric rise. Traded on the London Stock Exchange, Autonomy currently has a market capitalization of over $5.5 billion with offices worldwide.

Responsibilities:
• -Understand prospective customer's goals and map these to our product's capabilities and strengths
• Build customized demonstrations
• -Architect and build pilot systems for prospective customer’s
• Respond to technical RFI’s & RFP’s (Request For Information/Request For Proposals)
• Travel domestically (~50% travel in your given geography)
Requirements:
• A degree in computer science or engineering from one of the following highly regarded university (Applications will only be considered from graduates of the following schools):
o Princeton University in New Jersey
o Harvard University in Massachusetts
o Yale University in Connecticut

o California Institute of Technology

o Massachusetts Institute of Technology

o Stanford University in California

o University of Pennsylvania

o Dartmouth College in New Hampshire

o Columbia University in New York

o Cornell University in New York

o Brown University in Rhode Island

o University of California at Berkeley

o Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.


• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• The ability to work as part of a close-knit, worldwide team of Sales Engineers
• Time management skills in a dynamic sales environment
• The flexibility to switch gears quickly from one assignment to the next
• Familiarity with at least one of the following operating systems: Windows NT, Linux, and Solaris
• Demonstrable knowledge of HTML, XML, and Java or C/C++
• A strong desire to learn and become an expert on some of the most powerful and exciting enterprise software on the market

Desired Skills:
• Previous experience working in a customer-facing role
• Experience with web servers such as Microsoft IIS, Apache, and Netscape
• Experience with database technology such as Microsoft SQL and Oracle
• Knowledge of Perl, Python, JavaScript, UNIX shell scripting, or .NET


Education
Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering. Applications will only be considered from graduates of the following schools:
o Princeton University in New Jersey
o Harvard University in Massachusetts
o Yale University in Connecticut

o California Institute of Technology

o Massachusetts Institute of Technology

o Stanford University in California

o University of Pennsylvania

o Dartmouth College in New Hampshire

o Columbia University in New York

o Cornell University in New York

o Brown University in Rhode Island

o University of California at Berkeley

o Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania 

To See the ad click here if it still exists:
http://collegerecruiter.com/page/job-details?j=7.2934&utm_source=Indeed&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Indeed

In this company's defense, I've seen disclaimers from other companies that have said they won't discriminate against applicants because they did NOT go to college, however I've never seen any disclaimer saying a candidate won't be discriminated because of WHERE they went to college. Some degrees are only taught at certain colleges. I can understand targeting graduates of those schools, however are computer science and the other degrees in the ad THAT much better at those schools than others (okay maybe MIT)?
UW-Whitewater has been called the "Harvard of the Midwest." Does that mean I can apply to this job?

Thanks!
Ev"A Heck of A Nice Guy" who went to a great state school in Wisconsin. Go Whitewater WARHAWKS! 

Dilemma of the First Sales Hire

This is a decesion that most small business owners I know and have consulted with struggle with. Dave Kurlan, Author of Baseline Selling, wrote a recent blog on the subject.
His words are below. After reading the article if you want to know how to recruit a salesperson just search this blg for "job ads." Thanks Dave!
Ev

 When a company is ready to hire someone for its first sales role, they often face a big dilemma:

•Should it be a salesperson?
•Should it be a selling sales manager?
•Should it be a selling Sales VP?
A salesperson could hit the phones and/or the pavement and generate some business fairly quickly, but won't be able to provide the strategic thinking that a VP would. As a result, there won't be much focus on systems, processes or the best approach to the marketplace.

A sales manager, who could begin as a salesperson, should also be able to generate some revenue and transition back into sales management but this presents problems too. At some point, the sales manager must stop selling to begin building a sales force and by then, the company cannot afford to lose the revenue being generated. The sales manager, being more tactical than a strategic Sales VP, will also be challenged when it comes to systems, processes, market approach and strategy.

As we have already discussed, a VP provides the strategy and infrastructure the company will require, but typically comes from a corporate environment and won't have much desire to perform actual sales activity and sell. Often, the revenue generating must wait until the VP hires salespeople and the early hires are almost always the wrong hires. Why? The type of salesperson who succeeded at the VP's prior companies may not succeed at this new company where they are likely to encounter significantly more resistance and may not be able to overcome it.

So who should a company choose as its first sales hire?

In my opinion, it doesn't cost that much more to hire a Sales VP AND a couple of salespeople. In that way, the company gets its much needed infrastructure and strategy AND there are some salespeople attempting to generate revenue. The company will likely replace all 3 sooner than expected, but they'll be off and running more effectively and efficiently than most companies ever do.
http://www.omghub.com/salesdevelopmentblog/tabid/5809/bid/42901/Startups-and-the-Dilemma-of-the-First-Sales-Hire.aspx
Dave Kurlan is a top-rated speaker, best-selling author, sales thought leader and highly regarded sales development expert.

Should You Hire Your First Salesperson?

Image by Ev Kamikawa

Over the last year I have had at least 100 conversations with small business owners whose business has grown to the point where they realize they can't do everything. If they want to keep the growth going they are thinking it is now time to hire a salesperson.
I've talked to three such companies this week alone (a software company, an accounting company, and a training consultant).

How do you know it is the right time to hire a salesperson?
There are several things you need to keep in mind before making this step.
Here are some things to consider:

1. If you can't commit to having another person be a part of your business, DON'T DO IT! If we equate the hiring process to dating this is like deciding if you want to be active on the dating scene or if you are comfortable being single. If you are absolutely against having someone else voice their opinions about how the company should do things, you are not ready. If you can't handle that the salesperson may have their own style and ways of successfully dealing with things, you are not ready.

2. If you keep going back and forth about if it is a good idea to hire a salesperson, then don't. Only commit when you are 100% sure. Successful marriages happen when the two people are absolutely sure that this is the person they want to be with. Where to live and whose towels we should keep and whose we should give away are questions to be decided once married. Both parties need to first be committed to each other. The rest is small details.
Same thing when hiring your first salesperson. You can take a chance on a second salesperson, but you need to get the first one right.

3. Good indicators on if the time is right to hire a salesperson are when:

A. You realize that you are SO OVERWHELMED with other duties that you haven't called a new prospect in months and now there is no new business on the horizon.

B. You are so SCARED of prospecting that you haven't done it in months and now there is no new business on the horizon and all of your current projects are ending.

C. You are so LAZY that you haven't prospected it in months and now there is no new business on the horizon and the money has stopped coming in.

D. You are TIRED of the up and down cycle of:
-prospecting and making a sale,
-then not prospecting because you are working with your new client,
-when that job is done having to start prospecting again because you didn't do it when working with the client (in the meantime there is no money coming in)
-then having to wait while the process of developing relationships with prospects starts and develops until it is time to make a sales pitch (still no money coming in)

E. You are really HUNGRY and want even more success and realize you need someone else to keep the pipeline stuffed with opportunities.

F. You are SMART enough to realize that there are people better at certain things than you and it is worth paying them to do what they do. As a spouse you might try to fix the broken bathroom sink, but sometimes it is better to just call a plumber and have it done right.

I hope this helped. Are you ready to hire your first salesperson or not?

I've written several blogs about how to recruit salespeople so just search this blog for "job ads."

Thanks!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

How Strong is Your Bench?

I've had the privlege of meeting and working a little bit with Howard Popliger, Owner of Epic Development.
He wrote a recent blog post reminding everyone to make sure they have good people to replace those that might leave. I just talked to a company today that said their lead person left 6 months ago and no one in that department has stepped up to a leadership role. Now they are looking outside the company for that leader. Given that background, this article made sense.
Thanks!
Ev

How Strong is Your Bench?
Will your business be ready the next time there is a crisis?
by Howard Popliger, Epic Development

No one wants to be caught in a weak position when a crisis hits. The time to make sure your company will weather whatever the future holds is now. With careful, targeted recruitment and internal development, you can stack your bench with talented people who may have been out of reach just a few short years ago.

It's time to assess your current leadership lineup; especially the roles that are the most difficult to fill or that have the highest likelihood of being vacated at some point. Start with the ones that have a deep impact on the business and would be the most difficult to do without. If losing someone would mean scrambling to find a replacement as soon as possible, there should be a highly qualified understudy in the wings.

Clearly defined positions are most crucial when the cost of replacing someone is especially high, such as leaders and key management personnel. Some of the skills and traits required to lead may only develop fully over time; and during a crisis you don't have time to wait. Bringing someone into the pipeline now who meets what's required will accelerate the process of readying them to step up. It gives you the opportunity to provide development and training that is specific to the needs of the job.

It is simple to identify which of your current employees or new hires are the best candidates for advancement when you use comprehensive assessments. With a key position benchmark in hand, a job report will easily show how well they already match the position for which you'd like to groom them, and the specific development program that will have them completely ready to step up when you need them.

Job benchmarking is the way to make sure that you are recruiting and developing leaders who have exactly what it takes to excel in your company's unique environment. Positions with the same title and basic job description can be very different from one company to the next. Even in different divisions or regions of one company, they may require different skill sets and have distinct accountabilities. Your company's key leadership and management roles are unique to your company, and as responsibilities have evolved to accommodate leaner staffs, these roles may have changed. Planning for future leadership without job benchmarks and talent reports is the equivalent of catering an event without a check-off list for food and equipment. It's gambling that whatever you happen to have on hand will be enough when the time comes. Cultivating your bench now is a better bet.

Whatever your hiring and training budgets are this year, make them deliver maximum returns. Get the most value by matching the right person to the right job, and anticipating how they can be groomed for leadership.

For more information on Epic Development click here:
http://www.epicdevelopment.ca/

Epic Developemnt specializes in:

1.High-Level Strategic Workforce Management
• Identifying high-potential employees and mangers
• Strategic Workforce and Succession Planning
• Restructuring, Reorganizing and Downsizing
• Post-Merger Integration of Organizations
• Develop and Implement Sales Strategies and Sales Process

2.Everyday Workforce Management

3.Customer-Service Workforce Management
•Retaining and Growing Customers and Accounts

4. Sales Development Company that works with companies to address the four foundational areas that impact sales growth

What Makes A Good LinkedIn Invitation?

When you invite people to join your network on LinkedIn, do you customize your invitation, or do you send the standard greeting:

"Everet, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn." - Your Name

If you are not customizing your invitations I urge you to please do so. There are three reasons for this:

1. It reminds the LinkedIn contact who you are and why you are contacting them. Trigger the person's memory. This way when you connect with them in the future you they understand why you are doing so, who you are, and how they know you.

2. People like dealing with people. Most people don't like dealing with machines. Prove you're not a spam program or contact crawler program and I'm happy to talk to you. Even if I decide not to link in with you I can still use the "respond without accepting tool" to try and help you out.

3. You get a higher response rate for people accepting your invitations. I personally do not accept most invitations that are not personalized. The exception is for friends or colleagues that I know well. I'm not going to make a co-worker who sits across the room from me write a custom invitation. Same for a family member.

I suck at remembering names. I always have. Another reason I prefer to receive a personalized invitation is because I save all of the LinkedIn invitations I receive. I do this because if you are in my network, but I haven't had contact with you in a long time, going to your profile won't always remind me why we are connected and how I can help you. At those moments I look up your original invitation to put in context how I can help you and why we are connected. 
So if you wonder why I haven't accepted your invitation, read it and see if it is personalized. If it is not personalized. Please withdraw the original and send me a new one. I don't want to leave your invite hanging in cyberspace...floating forever like Captain Kirk in the Tholian Web.
Don't just take my word for it. Do a search and see for yourself.

Thanks!

Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

Why Read This Blog?

Out of the millions of blogs in cyberspace, why should you read this blog?

In this blog you'll find tips on how to make your recruitment advertising more effective, general observations on the recruitment industry, sales, and the famous jokes that have become part of my trademark over the years (I'm always surprised how many times I get thanked for sending out the jokes-they're always clean enough to tell your mother!).

The goal of this blog is not to be the guru on new technology, provide you with the most cutting edge news, or to make myself world renowned. There are others who are experts at doing that.
This is more of a perspective from someone in the trenches of recruitment and sales each day.

There are four main goals that I will accomplish with this blog:

The first point of this blog is to offer practical advice to recruiters, managers, and job seekers:
-who might not be (or have no need to be) up on the latest and greatest gizmos, social networks, and websites.
-How can they make what they are using better to attract better candidates for their jobs.

The second goal is:
-to serve as a sounding board to those who who have mastered the new technology as part of their recruitment campaigns,
-about how the latest and greatest is playing when it comes to the practical world. In cyberspace it is really easy to get hooked on one new idea and then zoom onto the next and forget that most people are still three stages behind whatever the latest and greatest is. To use a Tour de France comparison, I consider myself one of those riders in the peloton. I might be in the forward half of the peloton, however I'm definitely not wearing the yellow leader jersey.

The third goal is to help stay in touch with you!

The fourth goal is to do the above three with a touch of humor (have I mentioned the jokes?).


I publish something new twice per week, usually on Mondays and Wednesday/Thursdays. Thanks for inviting me in! Enjoy!
Ev"A Heck of A Nice Guy"