Salesforce Search

Keep your search active

Usually at this time of year, things are winding down and companies are not in hiring mode. This year couldn’t be any further from the truth. We have seen our busiest December in years and based on discussions with our clients, 2010 looks to be a great year for hiring sales people, sales managers and sales executives. Here are a few things you can do over the holidays to keep your search active:

Update your resume – Many people have a generic resume that they send to companies and recruiters like us. In a lot of cases, the resumes are outdated or don’t contain specific details on sales success, president’s clubs or specific accounts managed. Take the time over the holidays to update your resume so it is specific and relevant to the sales job you want.

Network – This is a great time of year to catch up with old colleagues or meet new people who may be able to help you in your search.

Update your LinkedIn profile – Employers are using LinkedIn more and more before interviewing candidates. They want to have as much information as possible about you. Make sure your profile gives people a good overview of your background and success. Perhaps most importantly, make sure you have recommendations as they are seen as having more credibility because they exist in the public domain.

The holidays are a great time to relax and spend time with family and friends. By taking a bit of time to work on these items, it will allow you to hit the ground running come January. All the best for the holidays and we wish you nothing but success in the New Year.

SalesForce Search specializes in sales recruiting and sales compensation design. To discuss our sales recruitment or sales compensation services, please call 1-800-461-SELL (7355) or email us at info@salesforcesearch.ca

 www.SalesForceSearch.ca

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3 Keys to Successful Networking

Recently we’ve met with a number of candidates who are recently out of work. Victims of a corporate restructuring, they now find themselves on the street looking for a new sales job. When we asked them who they have been networking with the response was the same, “I’m just starting to do that”.  The biggest mistake most people (not just sales people) make is waiting until they are out of a job before they begin to network.

Networking is very similar to selling in that it is a process not an event. It’s about building lasting relationships with people who can help you at some point in the future.  Sales people in general tend to focus on hitting their quarterly targets or making the next sale rather than spending time with someone who can’t help them right away.  This is dangerous. By following a few simple rules, you will be well on your way to building a valuable network of contacts.

1.       Always be networking. Meeting new people may lead to new business, new friends or a new job.

2.       It’s not just about you.  Be genuine and network because you want to help others as well and the more you help others, the more you’ll get in return.

3.       Make time for networking. Set aside 1 hour a week to meet someone, attend an event, meet with a recruiter or reconnect with someone you’ve lost touch with. If you do, you’ll meet at least 52 new people a year who are in a position to help you and vice versa.

According to some studies, networking is 7 times more likely to bring in new business than all other forms of advertizing and marketing combined. If you do find yourself without a job, a well established network will have a much greater chance of landing your next role.

SalesForce Search specializes in sales recruiting and sales compensation design. To discuss our sales recruitment or sales compensation services, please call 1-800-461-SELL (7355) or email us at info@salesforcesearch.ca

 www.SalesForceSearch.ca

 Follow us on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/salesjobsearch

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Update on Employment Trends in Sales

We have spent the past 3 months meeting with CEO’s, VP’s of Sales and sales managers in order to determine what their hiring and training needs are for the next 12-18 months and we wanted to share the results.

·         80% of the companies we spoke with are planning on adding sales people to their teams, not just replacing poor performing reps

·         65% are making a large investment in sales training for their sales teams to improve and retain top sales people

·         Companies are receiving large volumes of resumes but most are not suitable for their sales jobs

·         Only 30% are investing in training to make their sales managers better coaches

·         Most have a positive outlook for revenue growth for the next 12 months but lack the internal resources to properly source, screen and hire top sales reps

·         Sectors such as manufacturing and packaging which have lagged for the past year are looking to add headcount to their sales teams

·         The majority of those surveyed, feel industry specific experience has become less important and the focus is now more on the selling skills. To this point, most companies agreed their internal screening process is inadequate to screen for selling skills

·         10% of companies are looking to outsource part or all of their sales function

We’ve also been meeting with a lot of great sales people looking for their next sales job. Here’s what we’ve found:

·         There are a lot of great sales people on the market right now

·         Candidates are frustrated with the length of the interview process with many organizations

·         In many cases, they are not contacted after an initial interview to get feedback or closure on the process

·         Expectations for base salaries for sales people has come down dramatically over the past year

·         Most are looking for a stable, growing company to work for

·         Even veteran sales people want to know potential employers have great training and development programs for their sales people

·         Contrary to popular belief, younger sales people are looking for a company to spend most of their sales careers with one or two companies

The results are important for employers as they compete to win the top sales people on the market today.  If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-461-SELL or email us at info@salesforcesearch.ca.

SalesForce Search specializes in sales recruiting and sales compensation design. To discuss our sales recruitment or sales compensation services, please call 1-800-461-SELL (7355) or email us at info@salesforcesearch.ca

 www.SalesForceSearch.ca

 Follow us on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/salesjobsearch

http://twitter.com/salesforcecomp

At SalesForce Search we see a lot of resumes. Some are very good and some are very bad. Regardless of what category your resume falls into, there’s always room for improvement. With that in mind we offer the following tips to help you improve your resume, and, hopefully, help you land that next great sales job.

• Use numbers as often as possible: Especially for sales jobs, you need to show your results – and be specific. What was the value of your average sale? What was your quota? What percent of your quota did you hit? Make it very clear what you have achieved in your sales career.
  
  
• Make sure you use a proper and well organized resume format. List the companies you’ve worked for in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent sales job at the top. Don’t bunch things together – leave lots of white space on the page. And check your spelling and grammar – it’s a good idea to have someone proofread your resume.
  
  
• For each company you list, write a short description of the company. While the company is very familiar to you, many people may not have heard of it. For example, try something like “ABC Inc. is a technology company specializing in the development of sales tracking software. ABC has 150 employees and annual revenues of $10 million.” Also, include the company’s website.
  
  
• Always include the names of your major accounts and products you’ve sold. Recruiters and hiring managers want to see if you have experience selling similar products and selling into the same accounts they already have, or accounts they want to get. Also, when searching their resume database, having these types of key words included will ensure your resume gets noticed.
  
  
• List any awards you’ve won and what rank you achieved on your sales team. Recruiting and hiring managers trying to fill sales jobs want to see how successful you’ve been at your previous employers. If you’ve made Presidents Club, or you rank #1 in sales on your team, make sure you include that information.
  
  
• Leave out the personal stuff. While it’s interesting that you enjoy mountain biking and tap dancing, it’s not relevant to the job. And in many cases it becomes distraction. Personal interests are more appropriate to be discussed during the interview phase when you start getting to know the people from the company.
  
  
• Make sure you include a phone number and email address on your resume. If you don’t have an email address that you check on a regular basis, get one. Recruiters often make initial contact through email and if they’re not able to reach you, they may move on to the next candidate.
  
  
• Leave out the ‘sensationalistic’ statements. Candidates often write grandiose things on their resumes that come across as silly and nonsensical. So avoid statements like “I’m a visionary leader with unparalleled business acumen, destined to achieve extraordinary accomplishments in a complex and competitive environment”.
  
  
• Balance the number of bullet points for each job. Don’t have ten bullets for one job, and two for another. Be consistent – four or five bullet points for each job is a good guideline to follow.
  
  
• Leave out the self evaluating statements. It’s your opinion that you have “excellent communication skills” or “superior negotiating abilities”. Your resume should focus on what you have achieved, not what you think of yourself.
  
  
• NEVER include education from the past you only partially completed. Some candidates make the mistake of noting they “completed one year of college”. Even if there are legitimate reasons, it sends the wrong message – that you don’t finish what you start or you’re not intelligent enough to make it through an entire program. If you are currently attending school, make sure you include your expected graduation date.
  
  
• Customize, customize, customize! This is the most important thing you can do to improve your resume. You should spend at least 30 to 45 minutes customizing your resume each time you apply to a sales job. Include as many key words and phrases from the job posting in your resume as you can. If the job posting calls for someone who has experience selling into “big box retailers”, and you’ve referred to them as “large retail outlets” on your resume, make the change – use their lingo as much as possible.

SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes exclusively in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. To contact us please call 1-800-461-SELL (7355) or email us at info@salesforcesearch.ca

It seems this month we’ve had numerous conversations with sales people across the country, who share one thing in common. They are frustrated in how long it is taking them to find their next sales position. There are three things to keep in mind to help you through this transition period:

1. Be Patient

The right opportunity will come along, it may just take some time. The more senior you are, the longer it will take on average for you to land in a new role. A common rule of thumb is, 3 months for the first $50,000 of base salary plus 1 month for every additional $10,000 in compensation desired. The last thing you want to do is take a role that’s not a great fit.

2. Companies Are Taking Longer to Make Decisions

A year ago, clients had to make decisions quickly because of the shortage of available sales talent. Due to the economy, there are more candidates on the market. This can translate into delays because of the sheer number of people who are applying to a particular role.

3. Companies Are Looking For Specific Backgrounds

In this economic environment, companies are asking for very specific backgrounds for their sales roles and are showing less flexibility on their job requirements. Resources are scarce and companies need to know that their new sales person or sales manager has the specific product knowledge, industry contacts and track record to hit the ground running. This is why it is critical to have your resume accurately reflect things such as:

- Specific products/services you have sold,
- Names of companies/key accounts you have sold to,
- Size of sales teams you have managed,
- Size of deals you have closed and the length of sales cycle,
- Your success in relationship to targets/quotas,
- Sales awards you have won.

Take a look at your resume and ensure that you articulate these key requirements our clients are looking for. Highlight your accomplishments and stay positive. Companies are hiring - it might just take a bit longer than you thought.

SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes exclusively in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. To contact us please call 1-800-461-SELL (7355) or email us at info@salesforcesearch.ca

Follow us on Twitter:

  http://twitter.com/salesjobsearch

www.SalesForceSearch.ca

Creating a great sales resume is a critical first step for a successful job search. Your resume is how you sell yourself which gets your foot in the door and differentiates you from the other candidates. While proper formatting and clearly outlining your past experience will always be important, the use of “Key Words” in you resume is becoming more and more critical.

Most companies today use some type of recruitment software to track, store and manage resume submissions…including SalesForce Search. The use of these types of programs allow companies to quickly search their database using key word searches that match the specific criteria required for a particular role. Make sure your resume includes keywords that identify the:

• Names of the companies you have sold to or managed accounts for;
• Names of the industries you have worked for, sold into, or managed accounts in;
• Top sales and business development skills you possess;
• Awards or recognition you have received;
• Education or certifications you possess.

Including key words that describe these parts of your background will get your resume noticed and bring you one step closer to landing your next great job in sales.

SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes exclusively in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. To contact us please call 1-800-461-SELL (7355) or email us at info@salesforcesearch.ca

 Follow us on Twitter:

  http://twitter.com/salesjobsearch

www.SalesForceSearch.ca

Put yourself in this situation. Your company’s revenues have been flat lately and you’ve been handed one straight forward yet very challenging task: increase sales. It’s time to prove yourself so you jump right in. You quickly throw together a generic brochure summarizing the company’s services, create a list of every company in the phone book from A to Z, and then spend the rest of your budget on stamps and envelopes for a mass mailing. Then you sit back and wait for the orders to start pouring in. Then you wait some more. Then, before you know it, you’re out on the job hunt looking for your next exciting opportunity.

So what went wrong? The experienced sales professional will recognize your approach was not well thought out and did not meet the fundamentals of a successful sales methodology. You didn’t identify which companies were in the greatest need of your services; you didn’t use your network of personal and professional contacts; and you didn’t tailor your material to match the company’s unique needs. Sales is a process, not an event, and it requires a strategic, targeted and customized approach.

How does this all relate to your job search? Because when looking for your next job you should follow the same principles that lead to success in sales. There’s a cliche that when you’re searching for a new job you’re actually “selling yourself”. However, a better way to think of it is that you’re offering your services, skills and experience to help a company fulfill their current needs and provide value to their business. The more committed you are to following a sound sales process, the more success you will have landing your next great position. With that in mind, put on your sales hat and consider the following when starting your career search:

• Develop a strategy. Any sales initiative should start with a sound assessment of the goals. Assess why you are looking for a new role — for career advancement, a higher income, or perhaps just a change of scenery. Once you’ve determined where you want to end up, you can start planning the steps you need to take to get there.
• Define target companies. First, determine what type of company you want to work for. What industry? Large or small? Start-up or well established? Second, do some research to determine which companies would benefit from your skill set and experiences. There’s little value sending off your resume to any random company that’s out there. Remember, you have to be a good fit with the company and the company has to be a good fit for you.
• Create a contact list. Identify those individuals in your personal and professional network and open up a channel of communication. These resources are very valuable and will help open the door to opportunities that may not have otherwise been available.
• Customize your materials. Just as a successful sales professional would not send out the same generic information to every potential client, make sure any resume or cover letter you send to a prospective employer is tailored specifically for them. Explain why you are a good fit with their company and how your qualifications can address their specific needs and add value to their business. Submitting generic information sends the wrong message to the employer — that you’re not really interested in them in particular but are just out looking for “any job”.
• Present well & follow-up. A job interview and a sales call have much in common. It’s your opportunity to confirm for the prospective employer that you will be able to provide the services required to address their business needs. Provide specific examples that demonstrate the value you can offer, ask the right questions to show your interest in the company and to learn more, and ensure you leave the meeting with a clear understanding of next steps. Follow-up accordingly to express your serious interest in the position and to keep yourself on the employer’s radar.

Treating your career search like a sales initiative will give you a competitive advantage over other job seekers. Sales is a long process, but if you follow sound sales fundamentals your efforts will be rewarded by a career opportunity that is mutually beneficial for you and the organization. At SalesForce Search we meet with hundreds of sales professionals each month and help guide them through the search process and “close the deal” on their next job. But you don’t need to be a seasoned sales professional to conduct a successful job search. Whatever your profession, whether finance, accounting, technology, operations or general management, the beginning of your job search is a good time to start thinking like a sales person.

SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes exclusively in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. To contact us please call 1-800-461-SELL (7355) or email us at info@salesforcesearch.ca

 Follow us on Twitter:

  http://twitter.com/salesjobsearch

www.SalesForceSearch.ca

At SalesForceSearch we communicate with many companies across Canada and the United States who are in the process of trying to fill their vacant sales jobs - each with varying degrees of success. In many conversations, companies have expressed their frustration about their ability to find good sales professionals and the length of time it takes. What’s surprising though are the reasons we hear for companies not moving forward with candidates. In many cases it’s not that the candidates don’t meet the qualifications of the position, but, rather, they fail in other aspects of the search.

Based on the feedback we’ve heard from companies, here are the top six reasons why candidates are not hired:

1. Their cover letter and resume were terrible. Candidates often miss the point of a cover letter - it is not to regurgitate what is already on the resume. Furthermore, cover letters that only contain generic fluff like “I believe I am a suitable candidate for this job because I am a self-starter” do more to hurt their chances than help. Cover letters should be customized for each job, and specifically state why the candidate is interested in the particular position and how their qualifications match the job requirements. As for resumes, especially for sales jobs, the focus should be on numerical results, and should list the companies the candidate has sold into or managed accounts for. Also, ensure all of the little things are correct - one spelling mistake on a resume usually means the end of the road for that candidate.

2. They did not dress appropriately. Anytime a candidate meets with a recruiter or potential employer, they need to dress the part. A job interview is no time to make a fashion statement. Wear a dark blue or grey business suit - no exceptions.

3. Poor “demeanour”. We have heard many stories about candidates slouching, yawning, and mumbling their way through job interviews. In an interview, candidates need to show their energy and passion for the job and the company. Any sign of disinterest will hurt the candidate’s chances of moving forward. For sales jobs in particular, when interviewing the employer will be picturing the candidate  in front of their clients and deciding if they really want this person to be the face of their company.

4. They didn’t know anything about the company or the job. In almost every interview the candidate will be asked what they know about the company and why they want the job. Saying they’ve “heard of the company before” or they are pursuing the role “because it seems interesting” is not going to cut it. Those types of answers tell the employer the candidate did not prepare for the interview and that they’ll pretty much take any job they can get. Candidates need to research the compay prior to the interview, and be able to provide a concise outline of what the company does and its products, strategies and competitors. Also, candidates should prepare a list of questions about the company and the job to demonstrate they have done their homework and they are interested in learning more.

5. Innapropriate interview conversation. People say strange things in interviews: Cursing, innapropriate jokes, personal information that is ‘too detailed’,  or bad mouthing their former boss. Candidates should not get too comfortable in the interview - it’s not a night out with the buddies. Be courteous, be professional, be normal.

6. Post-interview follow-up. It is a good idea to send a follow-up note after the interview. However, when doing so candidates need to make sure their note does not do more harm than good. At SalesForce Search we have encountered situations where candidates, about to receive an offer, have been rejected because their note was too long and wordy, contained strange or inappropriate content, or had spelling and grammatical errors. Follow-up notes should be short and simple:  ‘Thank-you for your time, I’m very interested in the role, and I look forward to next steps’.   

All of these things seem obvious and straight-forward, but for some reason many of these get ignored. Candidates may have the qualifications, but without the intangibles they will never get hired. Whether candidates are looking for junior sales jobs or executive sales jobs, they need to focus on how they present themselves throughout the recruitment process. Doing so will help increase the chances of landing that next great sales job.

SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes exclusively in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. To contact us please call 1-800-461-SELL (7355) or email us at info@salesforcesearch.ca

 Follow us on Twitter:

 http://twitter.com/salesjobsearch

www.SalesForceSearch.ca

Creating a Great Sales Resume

As a sales professional, you understand the importance of marketing not only your product but yourself. When meeting with a potential client you need to get their attention, differentiate yourself from the competition, and demonstrate how your products, services and experiences will add value to their organization.

Developing your sales resume is no different. When searching for a new role you become the product you are trying to sell, and your resume is the tool that gets you in the door. Whether you submit your resume by mail, fax or electronically through online job sites like Workopolis, Career Builder, Monster or Hot Jobs, you need to create a resume that differentiates you from the other candidates, clearly illustrates your skills and attributes, and demonstrates what you have to offer the company.

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How to Prepare for Your Interview

• Invest in an organizational binder to hold notes, company information, directions, and business cards.
• Prepare a list of questions you have for the client.
• If you are an entry-level candidate, make sure that your resume is no longer than one page, and your objective fits that job description.
• Research the company, their products, services and the industry.
• Prepare a list of questions for the client that are broken down by subject.
• Dress professionally.


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Tags: Sales Career, Sales Job, sales recruiter, Sales Recruiting, Sales Resume, Sales Talent