Black Sales Journal

A week ago we discussed several skills that you’ve got to have, or acquire in order to be the best in your organization, or in sales in general (Black Sales Journal – Must Have Sales Skills – Don’t Be Without Them Part I).

You can make it without some of them, but to be the consummate sales professional, you need appropriate amounts of each of them.  These skills don’t come easy, but they are ultra-important.

Must Have Sales Skills Part I

We already covered the following skills in Part I as was mentioned above (Black Sales Journal 7/9, Must Have Sales Skills – Don’t Be Without Them Part I):

• Interviewing Skills
• Responsiveness
• Communications
• Networking Skills
• Relationship Development/Building Skills (Deep Enduring Relationships)

You need these, but you also need a few more.  We will concentrate on the ‘vital’ ones.

Must Have Skills Part II

The first group of skills was important, and this group is just as important.  Put the two together, and you have a skill set which is admirable.  Put these skills together with the attributes that were discussed in the post, Black Sales Journal 7/5 Customer Facing Attributes You Can’t be Without, and you are building a professional sales persona that has longevity and serious income potential.

• Durable Sales Skills
• Strong Organizational Skills
• Presentation skills
• Negotiation Skills

Durable Sales Skills – Too many take these for granted as they think they are easily attainable.  Fact is that every sales professional should have some real sales training.  Whether their company sponsors it, or the sales professional looks for it on their own. Many black sales professionals that I have spoken to avoid the sales training if it not supplied to them automatically as they question their longevity in this profession.  Recognize that they are not natural, and these sales skills are learned…yes learned.  Skills such as probing, supporting, providing proof sources, and closing to mention a few, are attainable or can be strengthened.

Strong Organizational Skills - I know sales professionals who are ultra organized, and know some with literally no organizational skills.  A quick word to the wise, the more organized you are, the less work you will have to redo.  With this in mind, the easier your life will be.  I fell in the middle of that spectrum, and had to eventually learn to be better organized.  I watched sales professionals who had a ‘handle’ on everything to such a degree including strong expense management, enviable prospect management and prospect follow-up.  They had it all together.  You need this skill if you don’t already have it.

Clean and Confident Presentation Skills – This is very doable with practice.  Giving a presentation to a customer or a group of recipients is an art that deserves practice, and everyone can tell when you are on top of your game.  An ability to read your audience and know when your point gets across or is a hopeless endeavor is important.  Skip the ‘uhs and the ‘you knows’ and deliver a flawless presentation that others will recognize as professional.  Presentation skills are important as you can see in the sales of any product.  When you are confident, you win (BSJ 5/31/2012 The Confidence Game, Why You Have to Win It!)

Advanced Negotiation Skills – When you attempt to bring in the ‘big fish’ there is seldom an easy catch.  Every customer recognizes that when large dollars are involved there is no better use of a buyer’s time than negotiating a price or a fee downward, or attempting to get more services for the dollar.  In each one of these cases the person who touches the customer, the sales professional, is the one that normally has the responsibility to respond to the request.  Knowing how to ‘bracket’ an offer, and how to recognize the gambits that buyers and representatives have to come out with the best outcomes is important.  Additionally, knowing when to respond and when not to are important as is indicated by the post, BSJ 1/12/2012 When Negotiating, Silence is Your Secret Weapon.

There Are Other Skills!

Of course there are other skills, but those shown in Part I and Part II are at the top of the heap.  Black sales professionals who have these skill sets will be outfitted to be premier performers.  Couple these with the attributes mentioned above (Black Sales Journal 7/5 Customer Facing Attributes You Can’t be Without) and you have the requirements for success.  Add to this the desire, mental toughness, and persistence and you will have a professional in the making.

Work at it, and always be the best!

Your comments are welcomed. You can reach me at Michael.Parker@BlackSalesJournal.com.

The job search conundrum can definitely be a routine.  The problem is that it can also be one of the biggest wastes of time imaginable.  Why are you working so hard to find a suitable position when you’re the real power is in recruiters seeking you out?

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I had an opportunity to review a compelling report called the Jobvite 20015 Recruiter Nation Survey. Jobvite (http://jobvite.com) is a forward-looking San Francisco company that specializes in recruiting software and applicant tracking software.  This organization is on the cutting edge in recruiting platforms.

I am going to share some of the Jobvite finding that may really help you in your job search.

Jobvite 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey –  A Few Important Points

Over 92% of recruiters will use social media to find you! – Of the major platforms out there, 87% use LinkedIn, 55% use Facebook, and 47% use Twitter.  There are looking you where you spend time.  This is a big deal!

Referrals are your most effective source of quality hires! - This is huge, and there is no easy way to say it, you need to have all of your professional contacts “looking” out for you when you are looking.  Recruiters regularly utilize social networks, internships, and outside recruiters, but having a network of people watching out for you is an extremely effective way to put yourself in contention for a position.

Recruiters face obstacles trying to find the right candidate! – 56% of recruiters are hurting for skilled or qualified candidates.  This is a big deal as well.  Be mobile if possible, and search your regions with knowledge that if you can have flexibility, you may land a job, the job, more quickly.  Help the recruiter help you, be up front about your flexibility and terms.

There are many other points in the survey.  I want to make sure that aspiring candidates understand the importance of social media, referrals, and flexibility.  Jobvite’s survey was well done in its scope, and I am even more convinced that building and focusing on a professional network, as opposed to “lobbing” out resumes is your key to success in finding a suitable position.

What is Most Important to a Recruiter?

Recruiters have to focus on something when attempting to fill a position.  As would be the case,  some things that seem important may be more important than others.

Some items that you have previously thought of as important aren’t! – 63% of recruiters ranked cover letters as a 1 or 2 on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest ranking.  Additionally, 57% of recruiters rank GPA as a 1 or 2 on the scale in terms of its importance.

Remember to showcase the most important items – 87% of recruiters think your previous job experience is more important as it ranks either 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale.  Ranking even higher, 88% think the culture fit is definitely important.  An area that many take for granted, references shows up as well, with 51% of the recruiters believing that they are important.

Social Media Pitfalls Still Abound

The Jobvite 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey also ratifies what so many of us know about social media and your job search.

There are goods and bad about having a social media presence.

Put yourself in the best “Light” – 76% say you should share details regarding volunteer, professional, or social engagement work.  52% suggest that you engage with current events tastefully, and importantly, 72% suggest that you double-check your spelling and grammar!

Avoid the Negatives – 54% suggest that the picture of you and that little red cup is a negative, and 75% suggest that you with marijuana is a negative.  I would suggest to you that that number might even be higher.  Interestingly enough, 33% think that a limited social media presence might be negative.

More to Come

I will touch on some more salient points of the Jobvite 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey, and will also be touching on the important points of the Diversity Jobs Index and Report as put together by the fine people at Professional Diversity Network.

Many thanks to Jobvite for sharing this enlightening report.  Please feel free to share any comments with me.  I can be reached at Michael.Parker@BlackSalesJournal.com.