Let’s Face It; It’s All About Sales

It’s career day at your (or your child’s) high school  or college. Who is likely to be giving the talks? I’ll bet it’ll be professions like medicine, law and business management.

How often do those career days include someone from sales? I’d venture to say almost never. But truthfully, most of us spend a lot of our time selling, regardless of our title. Even in today’s tight job market; there are always open positions for sales people. Sales is an honorable profession and one where people with integrity and intelligence are truly needed.

Whether we’re looking for a job, trying to convince someone of our point of view or persuading a family member to do what we want; it’s all about sales. Sales is “the art of persuading.” I’m not talking about the sales ambush; where we are being forced to think about buying something we don’t want and getting pressured.

The most effective sales people understand their customer and match their product or service with the needs of that customer. In addition, they are often the best listeners, make an excellent living and have a lot of autonomy over their work day.

I mentor and coach small businesses as part of my volunteer commitment to SCORE ( an entity of the Federal government’s Small Business Administration). When I talk to entrepreneurs, I ask them if they think they are sales people. Inevitably they say no, but the  truth is that every entrepreneur needs to be a great sales person. They need to sell customers, investors, business partners and on and on.

Here are some sales tips that are also terrific ideas for everyday living. Here are my personal favorites:

• Want to improve the quality of your communication? Ask a better question!
• Guess what, it NOT about you.  It’s about them!
• Stephen Covey once said “Most people do not listen with the ‘intent’ to understand. Most people listen with an intent to reply.”

What are your favorite sales tips? I need all the help I can get.

Never Judge a Book By It’s Cover… The #1 Networking Rule

Here’s a cool little video that describes why there’s no place for snobbery in networking.

In case you don’t have a chance to watch it, the person tells the story of a pink pantsuited, bracelet-jangling big haired blond who comes into a networking room where the marketing executive looks down on her… only to find out that she is personal friends with the one contact he cares about. Hmmm…

In some measure though, we’re all guilty of judging others. Some of that is human nature and we need to fight that every day of our lives. In our career, we need to make sure we have an open mind about how we can help others and how others can help us.

I have heard it over and over again from unemployed people when I suggest they talk to their neighbors. I hear, “they don’t know anyone” or “I’m embarrassed for them to know I’m still out of work” and other lame excuses. Get over it.

Maybe you can help your neighbor. Did you ever consider that? If you tackle networking like it’s a job, where the best scenario is a win/win and the worst scenario is that VERY LITTLE effort is put forth AND the results are lousy. No one said finding a new job is easy whether you currently have a job or not.

If you’re a bit stuck in your search;  find someone else to help. If you’re currently employed; find someone else to help. Choose wisely but help them; with a contact, a few hours of volunteer time, an idea or the best gift ever, listening.

Walking on a Tightrope

I recently started reading a new blog by Joshua Blankenship. The post that turned me on Whose You Do You Want To Be?

If you have talent, there will always be someone telling you how to use it. Talent is in short supply, and smart people always have a vision for how you should use yours.

It’s a struggle to balance the need for earning a living and finding a satisfying way to use your talents. There are no courses in school for understanding your gifts and then figuring out how to best use them. Mostly, we tell kids to follow a career path and it’s hard to argue with that. But that doesn’t necessarily help them figure out how to be happy.

The tightrope is the journey to create the life you want. Please don’t be afraid of what other people will say. If they have time to talk about you, they’re not focusing on their own tightrope/happiness. They are likely too afraid to get up on the wire! How about thinking about your fulfillment goals instead your career goals.

When I was young, someone said to me, “be bold and great forces will come to your aid.” I never forgot that.

You don’t have to do something outrageous or outlandish to be true to yourself. But you probably have to bear the weight of people telling you that you’re wrong. Be strong, look for allies and be yourself. There’s no one like you in the whole world.

Inspiring and very entertaining video (also found in Joshua’s blog). Thanks Josh!

Take a Look at Yourself… Is It Time For A Change?

“If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change…” Man in the Mirror, M. Jackson

When we’re employed, we get up, drive to our jobs, interact with our colleagues and go home. We enjoy our work (or not) and put in long hours. We meet our commitments and take pride in providing for our families. We know we “should” network, join that professional society or help on that committee but somehow, we just can’t find the time.

Then “BLAM” –we find ourselves out of work. We ride the emotional wave and try to find a new groove. If you find yourself out of work, pay attention! You have been given the gift of time. You have every day, all day to do the things you didn’t have time for professionally when you had to go to work everyday.

Take Action: Find what you love and then chip away at the obstacles that are stopping you from being successful.

• Make a list of the things you are doing to grow your skills. Are you satisfied?
• Write down 3 things that you always wanted to do professionally.
• Talk with someone you like and respect about how to begin to do any of them.
• Commit to doing something everyday that challenges you.

I love to make presentations. I get energized when I’m sharing in front of a crowd. I used to hate to network but then I figured out, the only way to do what I really love is to talk to lots of people and work to get opportunities to do what I want.

What are you doing today to change yourself? Are you getting what you want? Is it time for a change? Confide your dreams to someone. Reflect on what’s good. Take action.

The Only Question (Almost) You Need to Ask in a Job Interview

You’ve got the interview. Great. Your suit is pressed and you’ve done your research. You’ve practiced answering tough questions like:

• What is your greatest weakness?
• Explain how you handled a difficult person at work
• Discuss a failure you had and how you managed to turn it around

Phew. Ok, you’re ready. Here’s one more idea. When the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, try this:

“What are you looking for in a candidate?”

Wow, powerful question. Think about it. This gets the interviewer talking specifically about the criteria (hopefully beyond the job description) they are using to judge candidates. I suggest you take notes while they are talking. This will help you talk point by point about how you fit their criteria.

Ask questions for clarification but do not interrupt. Let the person talk as long as they want. This is the specific information that you need to sell them on your credentials. I repeat, let them finish and be sure you understand (using active listening) what s/he is saying.

Once you understand, you can start telling the interviewer about how your skills and experience match what they are looking for. While they are talking you can be jotting down ideas or stories that will convince them you’re the one. This is your chance to be self-confident and helps you to focus on the skills that are most important to this hiring manager.

I previously wrote about my favorite interview question, “Why is this a great place to work?” Try both of these and let me know how it goes.

Pay Attention Or You Might Miss Something Very Cool

Look at this picture carefully. Notice something about the rider? Inspiration is all around us if we pay attention. I liked this blog post from a bike rider   http://kevinliebl.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/inspiration/.

What’s great about this story is that while the author comes across inspiration unexpectedly, as we often do, he fully  appreciates what he’s observed and that’s the key. It’s easy to understand why the other rider causes him to pause, after all, this bike rider is unlike almost any other.  How do we find inspiration when the source is not so obvious?

You know the bumper sticker; if you can read this thank a teacher. It’s good to appreciate the people who teach our children, but what about the person who drives them on the school bus?  Driving a school bus is a tough job and I am always especially inspired by the person who has the patience (and shoulder the risk) of driving my kids to school. This is not a plea for ‘love a bus driver’ (although I think the same thing about city bus drivers – the patience, the traffic…) but is a suggestion to look for inspiration in the simplest of places. It is all around us if we only stop for a minute and appreciate people’s effort.

Every day, I make it a habit to catch people doing things right and thanking them for it. I smile and wave thank you at the person (standing the hot sun or freezing cold) directing traffic around road construction. They inevitably smile back. They are there to make my driving safer. I’m inspired by their willingness to smile at someone just driving by.

Catch people in your family learning new things – that’s inspirational. If you really listen to the person you just met, you might find them compelling. But you’ll need to pay attention. Tell me about the things and people you find inspirational.

Change is Good

One of my favorite sayings is “Change is good, timing is everything and patience is the key.” While I like it, I also hate it. Change is hard.

Growing up, my family moved around a lot so I got very good at making new friends and adapting to new situations. I had more success being a good listener than a big talker. I learned to ask questions so people would talk about themselves. I learned to smile and be patient. All these skills have contributed to my professional success.

We can learn a lot from our animal friends. Think about the chameleon. Change doesn’t faze this little creature; s/he expects it and is ready anytime to adapt to their environment. It’s part of their DNA. What part of your professional style needs adapting? Talking less and listening more? Saying positive things about your accomplishments? Building a new skill? Or is it just finding joy in the small things of everyday life?

Change is Good is a short, inspirational video that will remind you why change is so important. Watch, enjoy and then decide what you are going to do to prepare for the changes that are coming, ‘cause they’re coming!

You’re Either a List Person or You’re Not, Right?

There’s a new book out called The Checklist Manifesto written by a general surgeon at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. I wondered why a book about checklists had been on the NY Times best seller list for 5 months.

I’m a list person. When my kids were small, I lived by lists.  Somedays, I got so little done that I would add something to my list that I had done and then cross it off just to make myself feel better. Other people I know (and love) hate lists. They think it’s a sign of weakness and an insult to their intelligence. I’m not saying I’m right in my list making but the book helped me to think twice about the value of having a standard work list (can you say lean?) and checking yourself against it.

The doctor’s point is this. No matter how expert you are, a well-designed check list can improve results. The best-known use of checklists is by airplane pilots. If you are Pilot Sully Sullenberger and you’ve been flying for 30+ years, do you really need to get into a plane and run through a checklist? The answer of course is yes.

Are the rest of us think so smart or so special that we don’t need lists? Hmmm…

Most interesting to me is the author’s point that checklists, used properly, imply three transformative values:

1. Humility — we admit we need gentle reminders regarding the obvious
2. Discipline — we make ourselves go through this simple process
3. Teamwork — we take the time to be sure we are all on the same page

Imagine how different our workplace would be if we kept these 3 values in mind. I might be a list person but I’m going to start thinking about making new kinds of lists. Ok all you anti-list people, let’s hear it!

Mobs of Jobs – Job Hunting on Twitter

I teach social media for job hunters several times a month and meet lots of great people. When I talk about twitter, I often hear, “Twitter’s stupid.” If you don’t need a job and think twitter is stupid you can stop reading right now.

If you have an open mind, you might be very surprised at the number and types of jobs available on twitter. I was talking to a recruiter recently and she said that when she gets a new professional position, the FIRST place she posts it is twitter. Why? Because it’s easy, it’s free and she knows that only people who ‘get’ social media will be looking there. Only people with updated skills know to look on twitter.

Remember, you don’t have to have twitter followers or follow anyone to search the powerful real time network. Go to twitter, find the search box and input any of the following:

• #jobs
• #jobsearch

If you are looking for a job by field input:

• #jobs #marketing
• #jobs #engineering

Or by type of position

• @juicyjobs – Green jobs
• @findinternships – Internships and entry level jobs for college students
• @freelance_jobs – Freelance jobs
• @heatherhuhman – Entry level jobs and internships
• @Project4Hire – Freelance and temporary jobs

To find a job almost anywhere in the world, check out  this link – 400+ twitter feeds of job openings around the world.

Here’s a resource for getting started on twitter, Twitter for Beginners – An EBook

Let me know how it’s going. I’m cheering for you.

Virtual Vocations–There’s No Place Like Home

For those who haven’t quite come to grips with the fact that work is changing (forever), perhaps this blog post will change your point of view.

Virtual Vocations has 2239 open positions posted.  This list consists of jobs that companies are hiring where employees will work from home:

• VP Engineering
• HL7 Integration/Interface Engineers
• Software Engineers
• Contract Administrators
• Instructional Designers
• Virtual Assistants
• Swimwear and Toy Designers
• Seamstresses

There are other openings for positions that are traditionally done remotely like technical recruiters, writers/bloggers/editors, animators/graphic designers, bookkeepers and translators.

As organizations look to be more nimble and respond to changing customer requirements quickly, virtual teams are needed to come together to meet these new and demanding schedules. How companies find, recruit, provide remote work tools for and pay the talent they need is going to be a big challenge. And for those of us who have the specialized skills that are needed, we will need to make ourselves known to these employers.

Flexibility, outstanding communication, updated skills and the ability to adapt are critical to being successful in the evolving world of work.  And the best news is; we’re more likely to be able to attend our kids ball games, concerts and parent teacher conferences.