Signs of Intelligent Life
Sometimes I'll answer the phone just to see if there are signs of intelligent life out there.
Always optimistic.
Often disappointed.
Never more so than when on the other end of the line is a person who declares himself a candidate for a sales position. Before we get into it, let's review the current market conditions for advertising sales in general and radio advertising sales in particular.
To describe conditions as "bad" would be like saying that Hawaii is a nice place to visit or offering that Britney Spears has not yet realized her full potential as a mother.
Revenue is down, headcount is down and the prospects of hiring someone into this maelstrom are very slim. Considering all of that I appreciate the fact that there are still those hopeful souls that are willing to give me a call to see if maybe, just maybe, there might be a position for them on the sales team.
Today was one of those days and this is what happened:
"Hi, this is Tim."
"Hi Tim, my name is Eric and I have 15 years experience selling radio advertising for (multiple well-known radio companies) in (multiple cities)."
"Hi, Eric."
"Hi. So, as I was saying I have a great deal of experience and the reason for my call was to ask you to consider me for a position on your sales team."
Two major problems with the approach that Eric took:
1) He didn't ask me any questions about my needs, nor did he offer that he had done research and had some idea of my current needs.
2) He touted his experience as the primary reason to consider him.
When one is selling over the phone one must be prepared for the possibility that one will actually reach the decision maker and have a shot at convincing him to make a purchase. The same is true for those seeking employment. The employment seeker is trying to convince the employer to buy his services - and not just one time but, ostensibly, forever! Consequently, the employment seeker must be at the very top of his game when making calls looking for a job. Never is this more true than for those who seek employment in sales!
Think about it - if you are a seller and your initial attempt to convince a decision maker is lacking in preparedness, thought, style, substance and passion the only possible outcome is for the decision maker to do everything possible to ensure that you never end up selling for him.
Here is the process that Eric should have followed:
1) Called someone on my sales team and asked them the subject of our last two or three sales meetings. Are there any themes that the sales manager seems to be focused on? Are there financial incentives being offered for specific types of sales or behaviors? What are the hot buttons right now?
2) Called three other radio stations and asked the same questions of someone on those sales staffs.
3) Written down all of the answers and figured out the most pressing problems of the radio advertising business.
4) Thought about how his own talents and skills could be used to help solve some of those problems.
5) Crafted a resume that highlights specific accomplishments that speak to those problems.
6) Written a :30 message that addressed how his talents and skills would benefit the sales manager - citing the accomplishments most relevant to the current problems.
7) Called all of his friends' voicemails and left the :30 message and then a second one asking for feedback on how it sounded.
8) Called me and delivered his well prepared, well rehearsed, substantive presentation with passionate enthusiasm.
After all, that's the minimum expectation any sales manager would have of a seller on his staff.
P.S. Eric shouldn't lead with his "experience" because his experience will not be the deciding factor. Would you buy from a seller who leads with the fact that his company has been serving the community for fifteen years? Of course not. You are looking for how the companies goods and services can fulfill your needs. Buyers (hiring managers) are looking for relevant reasons, too and longevity just isn't one. The skills you've acquired and honed over the past fifteen years - relevant! The fact that you've had experiences - irrelevant.
>
Always optimistic.
Often disappointed.
Never more so than when on the other end of the line is a person who declares himself a candidate for a sales position. Before we get into it, let's review the current market conditions for advertising sales in general and radio advertising sales in particular.
To describe conditions as "bad" would be like saying that Hawaii is a nice place to visit or offering that Britney Spears has not yet realized her full potential as a mother.
Revenue is down, headcount is down and the prospects of hiring someone into this maelstrom are very slim. Considering all of that I appreciate the fact that there are still those hopeful souls that are willing to give me a call to see if maybe, just maybe, there might be a position for them on the sales team.
Today was one of those days and this is what happened:
"Hi, this is Tim."
"Hi Tim, my name is Eric and I have 15 years experience selling radio advertising for (multiple well-known radio companies) in (multiple cities)."
"Hi, Eric."
"Hi. So, as I was saying I have a great deal of experience and the reason for my call was to ask you to consider me for a position on your sales team."
Two major problems with the approach that Eric took:
1) He didn't ask me any questions about my needs, nor did he offer that he had done research and had some idea of my current needs.
2) He touted his experience as the primary reason to consider him.
When one is selling over the phone one must be prepared for the possibility that one will actually reach the decision maker and have a shot at convincing him to make a purchase. The same is true for those seeking employment. The employment seeker is trying to convince the employer to buy his services - and not just one time but, ostensibly, forever! Consequently, the employment seeker must be at the very top of his game when making calls looking for a job. Never is this more true than for those who seek employment in sales!
Think about it - if you are a seller and your initial attempt to convince a decision maker is lacking in preparedness, thought, style, substance and passion the only possible outcome is for the decision maker to do everything possible to ensure that you never end up selling for him.
Here is the process that Eric should have followed:
1) Called someone on my sales team and asked them the subject of our last two or three sales meetings. Are there any themes that the sales manager seems to be focused on? Are there financial incentives being offered for specific types of sales or behaviors? What are the hot buttons right now?
2) Called three other radio stations and asked the same questions of someone on those sales staffs.
3) Written down all of the answers and figured out the most pressing problems of the radio advertising business.
4) Thought about how his own talents and skills could be used to help solve some of those problems.
5) Crafted a resume that highlights specific accomplishments that speak to those problems.
6) Written a :30 message that addressed how his talents and skills would benefit the sales manager - citing the accomplishments most relevant to the current problems.
7) Called all of his friends' voicemails and left the :30 message and then a second one asking for feedback on how it sounded.
8) Called me and delivered his well prepared, well rehearsed, substantive presentation with passionate enthusiasm.
After all, that's the minimum expectation any sales manager would have of a seller on his staff.
P.S. Eric shouldn't lead with his "experience" because his experience will not be the deciding factor. Would you buy from a seller who leads with the fact that his company has been serving the community for fifteen years? Of course not. You are looking for how the companies goods and services can fulfill your needs. Buyers (hiring managers) are looking for relevant reasons, too and longevity just isn't one. The skills you've acquired and honed over the past fifteen years - relevant! The fact that you've had experiences - irrelevant.
>
>.
Comments