Sales Recruiting Cold Call What Are You Getting Out Of It

Sales Recruiting Cold Call What Are You Getting Out Of It To say there is a love hate relationship with cold calling would be an understatement. In any sales career cold calling is the lifeline of your success. You’re job as a salesperson is to get the person on the other end of the phone to say yes so you can complete the sale. In agency recruiting it is no different. You must speak to the hiring manager who will ultimately make the decision on whether or not you are getting a commission check. So if the cold call is so important, how are you treating it? Smile and dial? Quantity over quality? If you’re not digging deep on these calls, you’re hurting yourself. For the majority of my career I sat on the sales end of the recruiting cold call. Picking up the phone and trying to convince a hiring manager on why they should be using my recruiting services. I have been trained by some of the best companies in the industry so I know that I should be getting 4 no’s before giving up, always asking open ended questions and so on and so on. More recently my career transitioned to the other end of the phone. I am now a corporate recruiter getting those calls. So I can tell you what both sides of the call looks like, and what works and what doesn’t. Being on the corporate side now, it confuses me how some of these agency recruiters operate. A large number of calls I am getting go just like this: Sales Recruiter: Hi Chadd, this is [NAME] from [AGENCY] do you have any openings right now we can assist on? Me: No, we are set for right now. Sales Recruiter: OK, thank you. Please keep us in mind when you do. So that’s your pitch? Keep us in mind when you do? There are countless others who also would like to be kept in my mind for when I have an opening. As much as I would love to keep all of you in my mind, I also have hiring managers, candidates and requirements that are being kept in my mind. No offense, but your name has already been forgotten before the phone hits the receiver to end this call. Recruiting is not like ordering food from a restaurant when you are hungry. You don’t just pick a requirement from my open positions list and order it. You need to understand the person you are targeting and give them a reason to work with you. I can’t speak for the entire HR world but I imagine this statement holds some truth for the majority of them: companies don’t want to spend money on outside recruiting. I don’t make this statement because I am now on the corporate side. I knew this truth even when I was an agency recruiter selling my services. However, just because a company does not want to spend the money doesn’t mean they won’t. Situations arise where an outside recruiter is necessary. If you are looking for someone who is very niche, have too much hiring volume or for a number of other reasons you will need to use an outside agency. And the agency that has been asked to be “kept in mind” probably will not be the one who gets the call. The one who does get called though? That would be the agency that has built a relationship with the company and understands their hiring needs. Below are a few topics/ points of discussions you need to be talking about on every call you make. If you are just asking to be “kept in mind” you are going to be kept behind. Why would they use an agency? After all you need to know what motivates a customer. What do they look for in an agency? When was the last time they used an agency and why? History will repeat itself. What kind of candidates/ backgrounds do they typically hire for? Is their business cyclical? Does hiring peak at some point during the year? What is their current time to fill? Would it be important for them if this was quicker? How do they currently identify candidates? Are your deliverables somehow impacted negatively by this position being vacated? What are the current positions that are more difficult to fill? Would they benefit from having access to your network? These are just some basic questions you can ask. You do not want to send this list to your prospective customer and ask for answers. But the point is to dive deep so you can position yourself as a resource. For example, if you know your prospective client spends a large amount on advertising for their position and you can somehow be more cost effective, that is an easier way to position yourself as a resource. Or if you know that by continuing to have a vacancy they are not delivering on their products, you can easily help them look better to their customers. There are hundreds of reasons to justify using an outside recruiter. And on the flip side there are hundreds of reasons to not use a recruiter. So if you think that by just calling every 2 months to see what’s going on is going to get you a requirement, you are disappointing yourself. Call your prospect with an idea of understanding what drives them to use an agency. Once you find that out, you can position yourself as the solution to their problems. Image: Shutterstock

Should Marketing Executives Blog - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Should Marketing Executives Blog - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I never like to deny my readership access to some of my addition content. Im officially a columnist for TheLadders.com and my first article came out today to premium members only. To me, anyone who reads this blog is a premium member, therefore Im going to share it with all of you. You can also find the article here. If youre wondering why Im writing for a different audience than gen-y, then know that the same rules do apply even at the executive level and that I do the research needed to make the content professional and noteworthy by conducting interviews and gathering research reports. ___________________ Should Marketing Executives Blog? From the board room to the cubicle, there have been very few discussions about the role marketing executives should have when it comes to social media and blogging. At its core, social media breaks down communication barriers within an organization and allows a company to talk directly to stakeholders like never before. It provides an opportunity for businesses to change the way they interact with customers and receive feedback. Social media’s effect on the world of business was once a threat and is now inescapable. As the size of companies increase, corporate governance over blogs becomes more convoluted. There are a few reasons why this happens. First, enterprises have the largest and most complex legacy processes. Second, they have sustained business growth without ever implementing a social media program, which makes them less likely to switch over. Finally, their labor force is of great mass and spread globally, which makes the message harder to control and blogs impossible to monitor. Smaller companies, especially startups, have an advantage because they are starting to emerge and develop their businesses and can readily include social media components in order to achieve their growth goals. In each situation, the face of the corporation is directly tied to that of each employee, with an even greater impact at the executive level. The Truth Comes Out There is a lot of speculation in the blogosphere about whether marketing executives should blog. One train of thought is that if they were to blog it wouldn’t be authentic or transparent. Some assume the message would read as spin, typically included in press material. People automatically label marketers as people who are just spitting back corporate messages that may or may not be true. Are all marketers liars? Well, one thing is for sure, when you are actively involved and participating in social media, the truth does come out. If you aren’t true to your subject matter, then you and your company will endure bad publicity. If you think there are no marketing executive bloggers out there in cyberspace, think again. Some are under your radar, while others are out in the open. Randy Baseler, VP of Marketing for Boeing, was one of the first marketing executives to actively blog. He posts about twice a week, with an average of 20 comments per post and about 460 blog reactions on Technorati.com (trackbacks). Then there’s Rohit Bhargava, who is a SVP at Ogilvy and Mather, and owner of the Influential Marketing Blog, which has over 5,000 subscribers and has given him the opportunity to speak at almost every high profile industry event. Both bloggers promote research, thought leadership and advice before even mentioning where they work. Like Rohit, many marketing executives choose not to dwell on their own corporate template websites. Gary Bembridge, VP at Johnson Johnson and C. Edward Brice, VP at SAP, choose to keep their personal identity, but also contribute knowledge from their fields. Social media is most prominent in the technology industry, with companies such as EMC, HP, and IBM, who all have formal blogging programs. Marketing executives, such as Chuck Hollis (EMC), Eric Kintz (HP) and Surjit Chana (IBM) have been highly regarded and received by partners, customers, journalists and even competitors. In this way, they have humanized their businesses and their roles. The Benefits of Blogging Blogging has been a great decision for marketing executives who don’t understand the basic fundamentals and want to get a feel for how the medium works. Ted Demopoulos, coâ€"author of Blogging for Business, says, “All Marketing Executives should consider blogging. They need to understand social media marketing techniques, and there is no better way than first hand experience. If they don’t want to blog on something related to their profession, they can start a ‘throw away blog’ on an unrelated topic in order to gain familiarity with the medium.“ Aside from an unrelated blog, they can do a private blog or an internal blog, behind the corporate firewall. If the marketing executive isn’t aware of social media, then their organization will suffer. There are even more benefits for marketing executives. Some of these benefits include positioning power and recognition in both traditional and new media sources. In a recent Brodeur study, over three quarters of reporters see blogs as being helpful in giving them story ideas, story angles and insight into the tone of an issue. Also, involvement within an organization can help a marketing executive gain visibility or a sales force deliver its message. Social media is a channel where the reader does more than respond to products or new and innovative ideas, they also observe and listen. I think Jackie Huba, coâ€"author of Citizen Marketers and the blog, The Church of the Customer, said it best, “I see no reason for a company not to blog, unless they’re sleazy. Companies have a unique opportunity in time to speak to consumers in a human voice. Provide understanding, clarity and void of corporate bunk. It’s an amazing time to be in Marketing, Communications and Advertising. There is no reason for a company not to leverage this channel to build credibility, loyalty and add humanity. I write this from an airport while dealing with flight delays, so trust me â€" a corporate blog and humanity does (and could) go a long way.” So, the answer is yes. Marketing executives should absolutely blog.

A Visualization of Management Styles Around the World

A Visualization of Management Styles Around the World Richard Madison from the Brighton School of Business Management recently created a visualization of the different management styles around the world. I personally found it deeply insightful and intuitive. Even without knowing much about the management styles around the world, the visuals make it clear how each culture manages differently. If the visuals are not clear enough on there own, Richard has included a description to go with each. When Richard reached out to me asking if we would share his work on our site, I was happy to oblige. Check it out below.

You Are Not Your Brain

You Are Not Your Brain Remaining upbeat during a prolonged job search is not easy.   Uncertainty about the future can take an enormous toll on your self-esteem and your optimism, both of which are essential to making a good first impression on contacts and recruiters.   When something is not right in our lives, we tend to focus only on it. You may take comfort in knowing that our human brains are hard-wired to see negative things more clearly and focus on them more.   It’s a throwback to when we were cave dwellers.   Failing to notice a saber-toothed tiger lurking in the shadows was a possibly fatal error; failing to notice a rose blooming in the meadow was not.   We see things that are wrong in our lives and we obsess about them.  But as rational beings, we can also use tools to help us focus on other issues. Rebecca Gladding, M.D. and Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz have written a book called You Are Not Your Brain. Dr. Gladding says “Our brain often gets in the way of our true, long-term goals and values in life (i.e., our true self.)” Your brain is hard wired to worry and obsess, but your mind can override these signals, which are simply the result of your brain’s complex chemistry set releasing hormones. Dr. Gladding states that “The brains chief job is to keep you alive, so it tends to operate in a survival … mode.”   That’s good, but not an optimal way to manage your life or relationships. Dr. Schwartz, who works with people with Obsessive-Compulsive disorder, offers a four-step process for overriding your brain with the power of your mind. (Courtesy of Psychology Today.) Step 1: Relabel. Identify the deceptive brain messages (i.e., the unhelpful thoughts, urges, desires and impulses) and the uncomfortable sensations; call them what they really are. Step 2: Reframe. Change your perception of the importance of the deceptive brain messages; say why these thoughts, urges, and impulses keep bother you (its not ME, its just the BRAIN!). Step 3: Refocus. Direct your attention toward an activity or mental process that is wholesome and productive even while the false and deceptive urges, thoughts, impulses, and sensations are still present and bothering you. Step 4: Revalue. Clearly see the thoughts, urges, and impulses for what they are: sensations caused by deceptive brain messages that are not true and that have little to no value. So when your brain starts sending its negative messages, you can counter with positive thinking (more about that in the next post.)   Here are some thoughts that may feel rational, but are simply examples of the brain overriding the mind: (courtesy of Psychcentral.com) Exaggerating and extending the importance of an adverse event Blaming yourself for something that was caused by external circumstances Generalizing that whatever happened always happens Thinking bad things always happen, good things never happen Trouble tolerating mistakes, disappointment or losing Shutting down in the face of any obstacle Once you recognize the pattern of all or nothing thinking that is typical of your brain’s reaction, you can create deliberate practices to override these messages.   Dr. Tamar E. Chansky, (full disclosure: she’s a child psychologist) says that it’s also important to get some distance between you and your negative thoughts. Name the naysayer in your head, and cut her off (it IS almost always a her, isnt it?) when the messages become counterproductive.     My inner unhelpful voice is called “The BE-atch who Thinks She Can See the Future” (TBWTSCSTF for short.) She says things like: “No one will read that” and “No one will pay you for that” and “You’ll never make it to (that goal.)”   I work hard to drown out her voice. Next post: Ways to stay upbeat and overcome your brain.

10 Tips For Creating a Proposal That Gets Accepted CareerMetis.com

10 Tips For Creating a Proposal That Gets Accepted Source â€" Pexels.comProposals are necessary for business for a host of reasons, but the general purpose of a well-written one fits the same central theme: pulling all available information together in a concise and persuasive manner that helps you drive your point home.Proposals are typically confused with a similar document- a business quote- but there are many uses for a ‘proposal’ document in the modern business world. Here we will be focusing on the document needed when you are formally pitching an idea SSWM defines a ‘project proposal’ as “a detailed description of a series of activities aimed at solving a certain problem.’ Which brings us to our first tip:1) Pick a Good Problem That Needs SolvingevalDescribe to management why the problem is important. This problem could be any number of issues that a business faces internally: process improvements, cost reduction, or a new marketing strategy are a few examples. Be sure to describe what the problem is, exactly, what could be the consequence if the problem is not solved, and why the people you’re writing the proposal to should care.Be sure to describe The story you tell is not mechanics of what will be done, necessarily, but managers, stakeholders, and department heads alike will respond positively to what you will show, new ideas brought to the table, new insights presented. This is your chance to grab the decision maker’s interest and describe why the problem is important to the future of the organization.Note: the power of the story might be different in varying programs, so be sure to adapt your approach and tone of voice to fit your audience as you see fit.Go into depth as to why this story is important to the organization as a whole and how it affects the decision maker’s individual department. This is your opportunity to take a deep dive into the universal truths, surprises, or unexpected results surrounding the problem and how you see this being transformed by your proposed soluti ons.3) Describe WhatYou Will Do and How You Will Do ItThese are the most basic questions that every reviewer will ask, so it’s important that you get ahead of these questions when you can. Ask these questions of yourself and answer them in your proposal to satiate this basic curiosity from reviewers/stakeholders. Any time you can see an obvious ‘what’, be sure to answer that with a ‘how’.What: The questions that need to be addressed to reviewersHow: The methodology that will be used to address these questions4) Address Specific Research QuestionsevalWhen drafting a proposal to address internal organizational issues, it is important to use clear problem statements: pose questions that you identified from the above steps, show any initial results that you may have and demonstrate your methodology used to support any assertions from your research.At this point, questions alone aren’t enough information- anyone can pose a question. This is your opportunity to shine through t he proposal by demonstrating how you will address questions and problems associated with the proposal.This is also an opportunity to define near-term problems that you have an idea on how to attack. Take the time to explain these problems and how you plan on addressing them in the short-term.As much of an opportunity as this is to identify short-term issues and solutions, it’s also a chance to identify long-term problems- even if you only have a vague idea on how to solve them. This is an important step, it allows the reviewer to think about the problem critically and then provide guidance on some of these loftier, long term solutions as the situation develops.5) Do The Initial Work Before The ProposalevalLay the groundwork for your hypothesis before you even write the proposal for stakeholders and decision-makers. Doing this is extremely important as initial results demonstrate feasibility. This approach should be illustrative and explanatory to the reviewer in your proposal. Doi ng so provides supporting evidence and allows the reviewer to gain some amount of intuition behind your process and trust in your methodology.Illustrating the approachWhat is your motivation? Broadly describe the problem area and why it’s importantParagraph 2:Narrow it down- what is the specific problem you’re drilling into with this proposal?Paragraph 3:This is the most crucial paragraph- state your elevator pitch here “In this proposal, we/I…”Paragraph 4:At a high level, describe how this is different from past work or elevates previous work.Paragraph 5: Summarize the contributions of past work at a higher level and acknowledge how this contribution can change the organization from a long-term 10,000-foot perspective.eval8) Describe Broader Impact In OrganizationThis is an important criteria that will be utilized in the review of your proposal. It’s especially critical for large or medium sized proposals within an organization. Poor analysis of broader impacts can sink a larger proposal. The smaller the proposal, the more formulaic you can be with broader impact analysis.It’s important to understand what the broader impact of what you’re proposing to stakeholders will have on the entire department (or organization) so that you can speak to the higher level, long-term analysis of any problems that may be associated with your proposal once it’s been reviewed. Utilize any internal resources (including people and their ideas). You don’t have to be alone in this process- it can be an idea or an effort that you have collaboratively proven to work.9) Place Yourself In The Perspective Of The Stakeholder/ReviewerWrite to your audience. This is probably the broadest piece of advice that can be given, but perhaps the most effective. It’s crucial that you always remember who you’re writing to and why. In the case of a proposal, less is more. Take the time to be concise and edit down.Your reviewer shouldn’t have to dig to find the core story, un derstand the context behind the analysis, or any results of ideas that have been tested.Be sure to provide textual signposts to know where your higher level ‘story’ is going and provide context along the way so that they know where they’re at in the story. Clearly define problems, support with universal truths and facts and let the rest lie.Remember: write for the person you’re writing for, not yourself. Proceed to write your proposal with a thorough understanding of what the reader does (or doesn’t) know and provide only the information you’ve identified that they would want.10) Write From The Top DownThe majority of human beings tend to think this way, so it’s best to write for the way that we think! Clearly define your broader ideas, themes, and questions first and then dive into details. The importance lies in providing context and taking the time to clearly define problems with context often separates an approved proposal from a dismissed one.Even when you’re di ving deep into the details, continue writing from the top down to keep your writing clear and concise.Good Proposal Writing Takes Time!Don’t try to rush this process. The organizational structure wasn’t created in a day and changes won’t happen in a single day.Give yourself the time to reflect, write, review, and then refine your proposal before you send it off to stakeholders. Rely on colleagues and peer reviews before you submit a final draft to get a solid critique of the work you’ve put in.Don’t worry about contradictory advice- this is normal. Stick with the foundational aspect of writing for your audience and you should be fine.

Top 10 Things I Love About Running My Own Small Business - Kathy Caprino

Top 10 Things I Love About Running My Own Small Business I saw a neat HARO (@helpareporter) query today asking for the top things folks love best about running their own small businesses.   It felt SO good to think about this question, and to bring again to my heart and mind my gratitude for what Ellia Communications allows for me in my life. Heres my Top Ten list of what I love about running a small business: 1)           Making a Difference: I can make a difference in a way that matters to me â€" I’m not constrained by others’ agendas 2)           Leadership: I can lead and manage following my own vision, priorities, values  and standards of integrity â€" not someone else’s 3)           Creativity: I can create and deliver products and programs that are authentic, useful and need-based, and get them to market very quickly (no red tape) 4)           Authenticity: There are zero politics in my world now â€" I work only with people, partners and organizations that are aligned with my mission and purpose 5)           Control: I can say NO and YES! as I want and need to â€" I’m in control of my schedule, my endeavors, my professional life 6)           Management: I can hire and collaborate with exactly the folks I want to be in association withâ€" there are no other parties to cater to in my decisions 7)           Freedom of Speech: I can speak freely (hallelujah!), use my own voice and share honest views and perspectives without worrying about repercussions 8)           Balance: I achieve much greater work-life balance because I set my own priorities, which include time with my family 9)           Clarity â€" I know who I am professionally and where I’m going, with much greater clarity and focus than I achieved when working for others or larger businesses 10)     Passion, Power, Purpose â€" My own small business allows me to embrace everything that matters to me, and furthers me on my path of helping others reclaim their passion, power, and purpose. Yes, Ive made some big mistakes  and there have been deep challenges.   But I love Ellia Communications and am grateful for everything it makes possible for me. What do you LOVE about running your small business?   Lets hear it!

Resume Writing Services ToC

Resume Writing Services ToCResume writing services toc will help you grab the attention of your potential employer. Whether you are a recent graduate or an older employee, a resume is a very important document that can either get you a job or make it very difficult for you to get hired.Most services available online and offline to provide different services. For example, some of these services will offer you resume writing services to help you build a good looking professional resume. They will have the skills and expertise in writing a credible, impressive resume with just the right format, keywords and even their own personal touch.A lot of fresher and fresh graduates find this kind of service very useful in preparing a well-designed resume that is much more professional and useful than one prepared by an employee. These services focus more on the technical part and leave out the manner of writing which people usually fail to do. Because of this, these services always try to captur e the attention of the reader through the style and design of the resume. The basic idea is to get the attention of the reader as quickly as possible and retain it at the same time so that the reader chooses to continue reading the resume.One benefit of hiring such services is that it can help you get the attention of your potential employer faster because the writer will make sure that you get noticed by highlighting the most important parts of your job application. The recruiter will probably go through the resume to check whether you meet the required qualifications. Such services can help you capture the attention of the reader with impressive details and makes the content attractive. With all these benefits, how will you ensure that the services are of high quality?Before hiring the services, make sure that the writers have experience in the field of writing resumes because only such writers will be able to successfully write and customize resumes and other job application mate rials. In addition, make sure that the writers have their own personal touchso that you can trust that the services will have a similar point of view in matters like style, tone and the like. Check the skills of the writers to know how you can rely on them in creating a professional resume.If the writers know what they are doing, chances are high that they will produce very impressive work. They should also have great creative skills which are in great demand in the industry. You can ask for samples of the work done by the writers to know their capabilities. The writers should be able to understand the basic concept of resume writing, but at the same time they should not be able to develop your resume at the cost of creating something that will be difficult to digest.Resume writing services should be reliable because they need to do their work so that the information provided by the writer is genuine and honest. It is true that most writers know how to write a resume, but they also know how to deal with resumes. Therefore, if you find that the writers do not have experience dealing with resumes, it is best that you select another company. In addition, if you want to know more about them and their capabilities, it is best that you talk to someone who knows about resume writing services toc and ask for their feedback.As much as possible, try to avoid selecting a company that is known to do so-called 'extras' such as private consultation and training. When you work on your resume, you can also ask for the help of the company in other aspects like editing and proofreading the material. While using resume writing services toc, you are provided with the information and skills you need to improve the skills of your resume in terms of format, keywords and design.