Black Sales Journal

Finding a job is tedious and requires a plan.  I would like to say in jest that you could go crazy looking, but there is some truth to it.

When it comes to the job hunt, you have to have a plan, and you have to stick to it.  You also will find it necessary to stay vigilant for that excellent opportunity that just might slip by if you do not recognize it.  No one wants to miss the “perfect” opportunity so I’m dedicating this post to important tips that may help your sourcing of job leads.

Instant Notice is the Best Notice

Twitter is turning into an important source of job information for all jobs, and especially for sales positions.  It is also an area that Black sales professionals do not use effectively.

One of the tips is that if you are not on Twitter, and you are searching for a sales job, you need to get with the program.  I am not saying that you need to tweet friends and associates, or follow Paris Hilton’s tweets and I am not talking about telling someone what you had for dinner on your vacation! I am saying that after you sign up, and with the understanding of a few important terms, you can follow sales positions and potential employers as they look to use social networking to find potential applicants.

Have you ever used Twitter to see what was in the job market?  Do you know how?  I did not either until I started using it to follow blogs and promote Black Sales Journal.  Some of you miss out on job offerings and some just end up getting them later.  The first notice of a job posting is often by Twitter.  It is a lightning fast broadcast which goes out using a hash tag to all who are following that hash tag.  An example of a hash tag is #sales, #NYJobs, #selling, and #chicagojobs.

A tweet is essentially a broadcast to all followers; it differs from an email because email goes directly to the selected recipient. A ‘tweet’ was once described to me as an outpouring of information, this “pouring out of information” can be to your benefit as you can receive updates about brand new opportunities as they become available.

Twitter is easy to sign up for, and easy to use.  You will need to practice with hash tags, as there is an amazing amount of information that you can come across with the correct tag.  Now if you are job hunting I would suggest that you consider a piece of software called TweetDeck (I use TweetDeckv38.1).  Here is the sales pitch… Both Twitter and Tweetdeck are FREE!  

You can follow job sources as they come from the following:

• Employers – many of them directly tweet their job openings to the public.  Increasingly employers of all types are doing this, and it is being effective for them to get a strong response.
• Job Web Sites – Many of the best job web sites are sending out tweets on the postings.  They want as many people to see these as early as they can in the process.  I would not doubt the effectiveness of this activity.
• Postings by Topic – I mentioned a few of them in the preceding paragraph.  This includes following #sales, #selling, #jobadvice, #interview, etc.  You will get all jobs, and you will have to pick out the jobs for sales professionals.
• Postings by city, region, or area – This would be exemplified by the tags such as #chicagojobs, #NYjobs, #sacramentojobs, #houstonjobs, etc.  Now this will get you all jobs, yet if you have Tweetdeck, you can follow your area, and the cities that you might consider selling in.

Get Rid of the Misconceptions

Yes, this is a way that some people spend needless time sending short inane messages back and forth.  Yes, anyone can do it from his or her cell phone, and they do to a fault.

But….this can be a powerful medium.  A broadcast blast that goes out to everyone “listening” informing him or her about the job you want.  You need to be in on the front end so that you can respond.

I described web sites that are online offering advice and also posting jobs.  If you will refer back to BlackSalesJournal 1/24/2011 5 Suggested Internet Sites for Finding That New Sales Job you will see these sites.  Note that they all are accessible by Twitter as well.

Wrap Up!

Tweetdeck is now part of twitter after having been developed separately.  You can access both Twitter and Tweetdeck by going to Twitter.com.  If you elect to try it, you may consider following Black Sales Journal’s posts on Twitter as well.  All posts are all posted onto Twitter and they will link directly to the site.  Our username is BlackSalesJrnl.

Get with the program and try some of the new tools.  As I said earlier, Twitter and TweetDeck are both available by going to Twitter.com.  You will be amazed at the activity on the screen based on what you are following.

In an upcoming post I am going to show some of the Twitter users you might want to consider following.

Your comments are welcome.

Networking is a form of prospect “sourcing” that allows you access and exposure to a number of prospects through some arranged medium. This could be an association meeting, a trade show, or otherwise.  It is a true exposure, meaning you are face-to-face with an influencer or potential buyer as opposed to trying to get past a gatekeeper.

Networking – the Skill

Networking is also a skill set that can yield strong results efficiently.  Quick reads as to whether someone is receptive during the personal contact will help you determine who is an immediate prospect, and whom you need to work on.

That means that although you do not get benefit of racial anonymity, as a Black sales professional you get a chance to impress and inform. If you are solid and you are armed with some of the items below, the networking introduction might be all you need to secure an appointment.

An organization called JUSTSELL put together a quick networking guide for preparing to network that is brief and comprehensive.  I have linked to it so you can review it.

This document is short and to the point and discusses how to prepare for a networking event.  It gives some great guidance about the process, objectives, and preparations.

Networking – the Activity

Networking is an activity that is casual and non-threatening and takes place in many settings. The forums (associations, chambers, etc.) are designed to make these comfortable and easy places to have relevant business discussions.  I would make the statement that if one does not want to be involved with entrepreneurs and sales representatives, they would never attend such  events.

Here are some examples of networking opportunities that are available to sales representatives:

Local Chamber of Commerce Meetings – There is one for each significant municipality.

Trade Association Meetings – Retailers, construction companies, wholesalers, transportation firms, etc. all have some group they are involved with.

Trade Shows – These are great sources of leads with many designed put a particular trade or industry group in the room with those particular organizations that supply and vend to them.

General Networking Events – Usually pre-arranged ‘Meet and Greets’, business cocktail hours, etc.  Usually sponsored by some organization that stands to benefit from getting local organizations together, these allow for easy face-to-face contact with others and can be profitable, yet are not as focused as the others above.

Your event or forum should be thoroughly investigated to avoid wasting your time.  You might ask a couple of relevant questions:

• How many of your current key clients will be there? They can introduce you to many others, and that is a great way to get credibility and get the immediate referral.
• Does the group have your type of prospect/customer there?  Research the group well for your specific target prospect.

Three Minutes of Fame

You only need that brief opportunity, 3 minutes, to be successful if you consider a few very important points:

• Have a solid easy to follow introduction that serves you and your company well.  Practice it!
• Know your ‘elevator speech’, which is your value statement. This is called an ‘elevator speech’ because you have just enough time to tell it between floors to a prospect.
• Have a closing line prepared. This is the one, which gets you further contact or the appointment.
• Have your informational/promotional material to hand out “prepackaged” if possible.
• Keep solid notes and data records.  This is extremely important.

Follow-Up Is the Key

You must do timely and effective follow up to have the whole event be meaningful.  Follow-up with a note or e-mail as soon as is practical.  I prefer a note if possible as I covered in Black Sales Journal 2/3, “Make Yourself Memorable”.

Also follow-up on any promise you have made regarding information or referrals within, or outside, your organization.  Strike while the iron is hot!

Attempt to do these events on a monthly schedule, or try to do one a quarter to increase your scope and prospect base.

Remember as we have said before, be personable and tactical, and you could find yourself sourcing more prospects than you know what to do with.

Give it a try.  Please let us know how it works.