Black Sales Journal

Mentor - A trusted counselor or guide

Having a mentor is a sound move when you are in a new Black sales professional or if  you are new to an organization.

I advocate that the Black Sales professional might need two mentors depending on his or her tenure in the sales profession.  You might wonder why someone would need two mentors.  I am going to take a little time to explain, and hopefully you will see my angle.

Just to level set, the dictionary definition of a mentor is:

Webster’s Online Dictionary – “A trusted counselor or guide”

Yes…. but Why Two?

Many new Black sales professionals, have to learn sales, the sales process of an organization, as well as the learn about the organization and its politics.  All this must be done while meeting the sales objectives of activity and production quotas.  In many cases it cannot be done without some assistance.

Mentors have knowledge:

• Know which battles to fight and which have been waged already
• Understand the prospecting system, and its strengths and flaws as well as the prospects in the territory which are less fruitful
• Have knowledge of the natural resistance that the Black sales professional could encounter in the sales organization as well as the organization as a whole

Sales mentor – A sales mentor is someone who has been there.  This individual has prospected, sold, and closed accounts.  He or she has developed a personal sales strategy, failed, repositioned, and succeeded.  This individual’s invaluable knowledge of the sales process and the sales environment will help the Black sales professional in the areas of realistically evaluating his/her sales effort, style, and results.  As a result of pigmentation being a game changer, it would be good if this individual were Black, yet not always possible.

Organizational mentor – An organizational mentor is someone who is employed in your organization. This individual walks the same halls and knows the “players” and the “game” in your company. It would be good if he or she has position power (front line manager or middle manager), yet not required.  A deep knowledge of the organization and its’ politics is important.  As with the sales mentor, it would be nice if this individual were Black, yet it is more important that this individual be willing to help regardless of color.

What if that Person does not Exist within Your Organization?

The truth is that you may not find an individual who can serve in either of these roles within some organizations.  I that case I suggest the following:

• Find a current or retired sales professional to act as a sales mentor or coach. This can be formal or informal.
• Locate an experienced business manager or executive who can provide insights on organizational dynamics and how to chart a course through the turbulent waters of a complex organization.

The type of mentor you need is based on your areas of concern.  If you are trying to validate your sales style and your results, you need a professional who will act as your sales coach.

There are possibly natural barriers of resistance in your organization for a Black sales professional.  You need someone who can help you recognize this as well as help you strategize ways to deal with it. A seasoned or retired manager or executive from the business world can help you do this.

If you are lucky you may be able to find this combination of sales and organizational savvy in a retired sales executive who serves or has served, at least, on the front line or in middle management positions.

Informal arrangements can and do work.   Meet with the candidate to be your mentor and discuss your efforts.  Is it a person you could model yourself after?  Is it a person who exudes the confidence and balance that you want to possess?  It is an important decision, yet one that is not permanent.  It may take more than one individual before you find the right mentor for sales or organizational assistance.

There is someone out there who can help you. You might be surprised as to the obstacles you can avoid.  Give it a try!

Let us know your view.  Your comments are appreciated.

Trolling the Internet for Jobs

It is not fun hunting for sales positions.  Although you may not consider it intriguing or exciting, it is a necessity for those who need a change, or are in a situation where there are shortcomings.

Now, in the age of the Internet it is a much more efficient task if nothing else.  Your objective should be to do much of your search with a reasonable amount of effort.  I would never suggest that you should avoid search consultants or even print media, yet the Internet is a good way to start.

What to Look For

I am suggesting that you access as many job sites as you are comfortable working with.  Some sites are devoted to sales positions only and some have all types of positions with an ability to sort down to sales positions.  All of them are chocked full of opportunities.

Here is what you are looking for in a site when looking for sales positions:

• No Fees for Access or Membership. Most will give you this.  In the case of a site that charges a fee, you should be able to access jobs to determine the quality and type of jobs before remitting.  There are some charges at times from sites limited to high earning positions.
• The Ability to Sort Easily – this is important as it will help you find sales positions as well as geographically segment your search.

Normal Job Listings VS Paid Search Listings

I am going to highlight some actual sites that could help you focus your efforts on your job search.  These sites have job listings, and some are “paid search” listings. Paid search is when the party behind a particular ad pays the site (the job posting board) to post the ad.  The position is not on file with the site you are working with, and the organization attempting to get your interest is a separate operation.  The site is compensated by a payment basis called paying by the click (PPC or pay-per-click).

That organization pays the site holder when you click on that job listing.   I only mention this as the pay-per-click ads may, or may not, get you the job posting that you desire, and they may take you to another site.  This is not necessarily bad as in most cases they are ads placed by Google and they do their best to make the advertisers be reliable.

Most of the sites have both.  The paid search ads sponsored by Google will say “Ads By Google.”  Note that they need to generate revenue from their ads to support the site just as we do at Black Sales Journal.  Nothing is free.

Popular Sales Job Sites

Here is a short list of some of the best actual job sites for sales professionals that serve the United States:

Salesheads.com

- This is a very good site with strong sorting and plenty of positions.  A must access site.

Salesjobs.com

- This is a solid site with decent sorting and number of positions

Jobs4sales.com

- This one is a fair site with less sorting horsepower than salesheads.com and salesjobs.com.  This site also seems to have fewer positions on file.

The Ladders – Sales-jobs - For accomplished sales performers and jobs over $100,000.  Also can give access to some of the top sales executive search consultants.  Good site mechanically.

Hotjobs - This site is affiliated with Monster.com. It has solid jobs and great mechanics.  This site has all types of jobs, yet sorts well for you to get down the sales positions.

Many of the organizations above show all of their jobs for free.  The Ladders, which specializes in upper level sales jobs, will ask a for membership fee.  The Ladders stocks higher paying positions essentially advertised at $100,000 and up.

In most cases you will type in a virtual resume including some salary expectations. You will do so by typing in your information. It is cumbersome, yet very common.  These resumes are for the sake of qualifying, and do not have the structure for you to add your full list of accomplishments.

You will still need a solid written resume’ to give you the edge.  It must accentuate your accomplishments.  The listing of jobs will show a chronological history, but the listing and enunciating of accomplishments in these jobs will show your successes as well as your capabilities.  That is extremely important.

Don’t Forget the 8 Items

Black Sales Journal’s Post – 8 Items That Can Help You Land That New Sales Job -  (January 6)  I can’t help but refer you to my comments on the importance of accomplishments on your resume. It is the defining factor in your resume.

Use the “8 Items” to get an edge and good luck in your job search!

For those of you that are happy where you are, we are happy for you, and good luck in 2011!

We look forward to any questions or comments you might have.  Happy hunting.