Articles from January 2012



Friends, Coworkers, and Vampires!

A sales department is best when it has a vibrant atmosphere and unbridled activity.  Once it gets going, sales professionals can be fueled by this activity and a desire to ‘compete’ with their fellow sales professionals.  If the atmosphere in your sales function is electric you will endeavor to be a part of it, hoping that success spills over to you.  If the atmosphere is more like a funeral, you will utilize your best judgment in attempting to separate yourself from it or at least insulate yourself as best you can.

You work with other sales professionals; some are on your team, and some you compete with.  Know them well and know their disposition as there is money to be made out there and you don’t need anything to slow you down.

Friend or Coworker?

As you already know, if someone is on the payroll they are a coworker.  The important issue is that in the sales profession, not all coworkers are your friends.

This is not meant to be divisive, but to stand in recognition that unless your sales function is organized in a different fashion than most, sales departments or functions are designed in a way that spurs competition.  This is not bad; it is just an environment that pits employees against other employees.  In sales you probably have learned to accept it.

Situations occur when you forget that ‘Emily and John’ are the competition and you believing they are friends share ‘trade’ secrets.  This is where feelings get hurt.  Be ready to compete fairly and recognize that these are coworkers, and you owe them respect, but give no quarter from a business standpoint.  Compete and win on the virtue of hard work, and doing things smarter.  Be relentless in terms of your persistency and always be ethical.  Your friends are not the same as your coworkers even though you may be committed to them.

Treat everyone with respect and don’t expect to find your ‘BFF’ at your job because that is not the way it is meant to happen.

Don’t “Buy” Anyone to Early

You will meet a world of individuals at your job and many will be in the sales function.  You will be asked at some point to give your impression of them to someone inside or outside the organization.  The most important thing you could do is to be cordial and helpful, but to reserve judgment on anyone until you are sure.  These are coworkers remember?  When someone rushes to judgement I call it buying someone.

Work with them, cooperate with them, but don’t “buy” them until they prove their worthiness over time.  You can be an excellent sales coworker without endorsing someone.  You definitely will know when it is time.

The problem with buying someone too early is that you may not have an idea of what that individual is really about until you have difficult times.  Tough times do not change people, it unmasks them. If you have given a premature endorsement, you could find yourself backing a real ‘loser’.

The Vampire

I once worked in a sales department that had a variety of characters.  There were journeymen, sage veterans, hard working upstarts, and then there were those who were full of complaints and found nothing right with the manager, the company, the product or…. the world.

I call them vampires and if you know some of these individuals, your quest will be to keep away from them.  You won’t need garlic, or a crucifix, but will need to strictly avoid this person whose quest is to ‘suck the life out of you’.  These unhappy sales people have the poorest of attitudes.  To them everything is wrong with the organization and that they bear not fault or blame for anything.

  • The vampire is constantly on vigil to determine who is trying to accomplish anything new and innovative, so they can discourage them.
  • This individual is peering over your shoulder to determine if you are taking any new training or courses for self-improvement, as he or she would love to talk you out of it.
  • The vampire is trying to determine what prospect you are working on as he or she knows all of them and they want you to think it will be fruitless.
  • This individual would do anything possible to engage you in a long 3-hour lunch as he or she has nothing to do, and they want to make sure you get the same amount done as they do…nothing!

The vampire can be bright and be full of knowledge, but just does not recognize that you get out what you put in.  They may have made a decision as to how much energy they will expend, but now they want to rob you of yours.

It is Real

I once had the challenge of working with a sales representative who was truly a vampire.  I was the regional sales manager in another state and this individual complained about everything.  His field sales manager seemed to accept that he was going to complain, but eventually it was realized that he was hurting morale.

The vampire assured us that management was sorely lacking (I did not take it personally), criticized our products, attempted to negatively influence new hires, and did everything possible to turn sales representatives against the organization.

On the basis of performance, we had to help him make a decision that he did not want to be with us.  It was for the best for all parties.  I resisted saying that we put a stake through his heart as …well you know why!  Remember, if your goals are so crosswise with the organization, read Black Sales Journal 4/7/2011 When to Consider Moving On, and think about your next station in life.

Always leave when it is wise and always, always be the professional.

Your comments are welcome.

Constructing Your Resume? – I Will Give You One!

Resume

I received calls and notes on the most recent post, Black Sales Journal 1/23/2011, The Resume Revisited – 6 Changes to Make Now! I wanted to respond to some of those comments with a post that would help sales professionals with the basics of the resume writing process.

I recognize that there are more versions of resumes than you would ever believe, but I want to make sure that we are starting with a good template, and some solid wording.  You may think this post too elementary, but take a look at it and use any of the elements to your advantage.

Having a solid and alluring resume gives you a tool that can be exploited many years in the future with some small alterations and additions.  Recognize the importance of the elements indicated in BSJ – The Resume Revisited – 6 Changes to Make Now! And review your resume to optimize your job search.

Skip the Objective

As noted in BSJ – Resume Revisited, skip the Objective heading and consider using a Summary, if you have something solid to say.  Be creative, and logical, and brief.  This is your chance to say something relevant to you qualifications.

Formatting Counts, but Descriptive Words Count Also

Utilizing a good format counts in your job search.  You will want to be clean and as fresh as possible.  Showing your previous jobs in the correct light makes a difference that can result in callbacks.  Note the examples that follow.

As you can see in the Professional Experience heading below, consider a formatting that will clearly show the company, job title, and dates of employment.  Note the bullets showing accomplishments, as these are the “sales points”.  The job duties are to the point as you can see.

Example A:

Example B:

Note that some enhancing in the wording of the job including just being more complete gives a stronger picture.

Also note that industry keywords are going to make a difference.  Intersperse your keywords so that it does not sound like you are guilty of techno-babble.  Frankly, I do not know much about widget manufacturing, but if they were manufactured, the all important tolerance measurements would be a keyword.

Certifications and Education

If you earned them, they should be there.  If there are some certifications that are important to your industry or occupation, they should be included; especially if they line up with the jobs you are seeking.

Note below:

Here is another chance to include additional reasons why you stand out, so be careful and calculated.  Your education is a cost of entry to this game, so it has to be shown.

Don’t get too Cute

The resume and the cover letter have got to have the necessary elements while looking well formatted.  By ‘cute’ I mean logos, pictures, and other gimmicks.  When most of the resumes were paper, many professionals tried to use the most expensive paper that they could find.  They felt that the actual texture would get attention.  Be careful with links and where they may lead and keep it simple.

Attached is the actual resume that I used in this post.  It is oversimplified, and you are welcome to use the format for your own.  Keep it clean and simple.

BSJ – Try This Resume Template (This template is in Word.  Select rich text if you do not use word, and you should have something useful)

Above all, keep it concise.  Keep it to one page if you can, although if you have a wealth of sales positions and experience you will need to detail them sufficiently. Use the second page wisely when you need it.

You will want to add on to it for your benefit.  Make it yours as I am hoping it can help with the job search.

Remember that you may need more than one resume, and good luck.

Your comments are welcome.