January 23rd, 2012 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
6 Career Tips from Your Future Self
By Alex Bender, Sales Consultant at Treeline, Inc.
Focus on what you want and work backwards from there
1. Quality of Life
Many people do not think about the effect a job will have on their quality of life. What will the opportunity cost you? Will you be able to spend the time you want with friends and family? Will you have the ability to take that vacation you have been waiting for? Is that hour and a half commute going to beat you up after 6 months…how about after a year?
2. Money isn’t Everything
Individuals are frequently sold on compensation and can be blinded by the salary. This will get you into trouble. Make sure to live below your means and put more emphasis on challenging yourself professionally within an environment you love and as a result, the money will come.
3. Avoid Impulsive Decisions
This is a tricky one. How often do you say “yes” or “no” without knowing or understanding the details of the question? Make sure you know exactly why the question is being asked and what you are being told. Also, make sure you qualify the sales opportunity by asking qualifying questions.
4. Admit your Mistakes and Learn from Them
In order to become a leader in any industry you have to learn how to push the boundaries. Often, pushing the boundaries leads to making mistakes. Successful people know how to learn from their mistakes and move on.
5. Ask for Help
This one is two sided. When was the last time you had to ask for help? Was it a while ago, if so, maybe you are not pushing yourself? One key attribute for your continued happiness is to avoid the mundane. If you are truly pushing yourself you will inevitably be in a situation where you need help. It may not be the easiest thing in the world for you to do, but learning and mastering this will make your life easier.
6. Don’t sweat the small things
The fact is that in today’s world we are all very busy. Our work and personal lives have blurred and our days can be quite hectic. It is easy to get consumed and get stressed by the small thing i.e. traffic, computer problems, kids, wife, husband, coworkers, etc. If you can keep your cool and not let the little things bother you it will pay dividends.
January 23rd, 2012 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
Millennials: What is your long term plan?
By David Demelo, Division Manager at Treeline, Inc.
Millennials, often referred to as Generation Y or Generation Next, are entering the job market at full force. Traditional values deemed important such as, job stability, salary and a record of success are still relevant to this generation. However, more than previous generations they have a sense of self entitlement, competitiveness, and a desire to find the next “big thing.”
Living in a volatile and un-predictable market has molded a generation where change can occur at any moment. In the past ten years, the job market has changed so frequently that staying at one organization for an entire sales career is no longer a reality.
So, do Millennials have a long term plan? Previous generations put a lot of weight on the reputation of the company and job stability. The Millennial generation differs because they no longer have this luxury. Former well known and reputable organizations are closing their doors on a daily basis and are being replaced with start-ups.
How do Millennials create a long term plan?
First, Millennials have to be aware of disqualifiers when applying for their ideal jobs. Hiring managers are selective, but in this job market they are more selective than in previous years.
As a recruiter there are always objections that individuals face while looking for a new job in sales such as, having direct experience, their location, the companies culture and of course money.
Don’t make this mistake: Leaving a sales job because a new opportunity promises more money. Now, don’t get me wrong, the more money the better, but does it make sense to leave a firm after 3/6/12 months for a few thousand dollars? OF COURSE NOT! You may not realize it now, but in the long run you will be labeled as a job hopper. Hiring managers look for job consistency and a proven record of success at one or two companies. Therefore, Millennials need to find a company that will allow them to grow and learn within the organization.
Here are two questions to assist the millennial generation when making the right decision in a long term career plan:
What do you want to do with your career?
If you can not be a Manager, Director or VP right away, then what can you do to get there?
For an example, you want to break into software sales and you do not have any experience. Success follows this longer term journey and path: Business Development Rep à Inside Sales Repà Account Executiveà Enterprise Repà Manager etc.
Here is my advice for you: Times have changed and what you have done in the past and the decisions you make can and will have an impact on tomorrow. So before you leap for a few more bucks, make sure you have a plan and know where you want to go! Good luck!
January 16th, 2012 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
2 Birds… and 7 Reasons Job Seekers Turn Down Job Offers
By Christopher Simone, Vice President
Unemployment remains stubbornly high, yet sales Hiring Managers are really struggling to find top sales people. The reality is that the actual sales-specific unemployment rate is lower than the 8.5% level recently reported.
One real sign of this is that sales Hiring Managers are experiencing a sudden spike in the number of candidates who receive and then reject their job offers. This adds pressure to the need to build deeper funnels of candidates who are the right fit; this is increasingly difficult and budget intensive given the tightening in the sales-specific job market.
We know that in sales, increasing the conversion rate of existing leads to deals is more cost effective than increasing new lead flow (although both are important). Likewise, increasing the conversion rate of job offers to new hires is also the cost effective strategy.
There are several variables that impact the hiring process. Some aspects such as location and compensation will always affect hiring strategy and outcomes.
Additionally, here are 7 Reasons that Job Seekers Turn Down Job Offers:
1) Counter Offer
Employers are more willing to bite the bullet and make a counter offer to retain a producer. This is the result of a tightening market. Sales Hiring Managers need to qualify the potential risk of acounter offer with candidates as they progress through the process. In many cases, the candidate is well served by having time to think through the intended and unintended consequences of accepting a counter offer.
2) Better Offer
Candidates are increasingly receiving more than one offer. Those sales Hiring Managers who are doing a good job of qualifying candidates on other opportunities that they are pursuing are better positioned to make appropriate offers and emerge with a win.
3) Process Efficiency
Naturally, if you are pursuing a sales person and a competing company reaches the finish line sooner, that company will probably win. My mother always uses the “bird in the hand is better than two in the bush” proverb (honestly, I didn’t even understand that one: who holds birds? My Mother would never have let me even if I wanted to). The point is that many sales people are unlikely to wait for another offer especially if the offer in hand is a good fit. Sales Hiring Managers are tightening their processes to ensure consistency. Consistent, tight, hiring processes are also better understood internally and lead to more effective candidate communication.
4) Expectation Setting
Failing to set expectations can also diminish the outcome, particularly regarding the steps and speed of the process, the specific role, and compensation. Sales Hiring Managers had more time to vet candidates, and make decisions about the path forward, with less competition for talent during the economic down turn. Redirecting a candidate towards a Business Development role, for instance, after initially interviewing for a hunter/closing role with higher comp, is likely to end badly in 2012.
5) Surprises and Inconsistencies
The other side of the expectation setting coin… Good candidates are qualifying sales Hiring Managers throughout the process regarding role and compensation, and also the steps within the hiring process. Delivering inconsistent information can quickly turn off candidates especially regarding these and other dimensions such as corporate culture and environment. Are the members of your interview team on the same page and delivering consistent information? Surprises, such as delivering an offer that reflects new compensation or manager/report structure information can trigger fear, uncertainty and doubt. And, once again, missteps of this nature are fatal if you are competing for the candidate.
6) Word on the Street
Your candidates are engaging with other people (including with your current and former employees) on social Channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Candidates are reading about the culture and reputation of prospective employers on GlassDoor. Your job posts will attract comments and social engagement. It is important to understand what is recorded on the internet and it also important to actively affect the narrative. You can appoint ambassadors who can help engage candidates on the social channels. Hiring Managers should be qualifying candidates to understand their thoughts and perceptions prior to making offers. Learning about concerns in this area after the offer is delivered is probably too late. Please follow www.DADOMATCH.COM/blog regarding Social Hiring.
7) Environment and Fit
Candidates, whether they mention it or not, consider working environment and culture when seeking a new sales job. Certain, key, deterministic characteristics are reflected on every DADO Social Resume. Click here to see a sample DADO Social Resume. For example, Value versus Volume is one of many characteristics reflected. In part, some candidates are comfortable with high contact volumes and making calls in a noisy bullpen or multi-tasking on the road. It is important for both candidate and sales Hiring Managers to find the right fit.
First, start the process with relevant candidates. Tools such as DADO provide a valuable lens through which to spot relevant candidates. Second, actively communicate with the candidate about these key dimensions and characteristics. It is possible that the candidate is well aligned with the role and environment but for some reason perceives a mismatch. Open communication before the job offer is delivered can make a difference. Delivering this positioning after the offer is made is likely to have less credibility and be perceived as just a pitch to get the candidate to say “yes”.
Treeline, Inc. (www.treeline-inc.com) is recognized as an award-winning sales-focused executive search firm. Treeline is also the developer of DADOMATCH.COM, a first of its kind Social Hiring platform that fuses 21st century social technologies and behaviors, and hiring best practices.
January 16th, 2012 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
New Year – New Goals
By Dan Fantasia CEO and Founder of Treeline, Inc.
“Behind extraordinary achievement you will always discover extraordinary effort.”
The Greatness Guide, By Robin Sharma
It is a new year and there is no better time than right now to inspire your sales team. One way to get the year off to a great start is to set your sales goals for 2012. Use your optimism to motivate and inspire your sales team. If you can harness this positively charged energy you can create an aggressive, focused and contagious environment likely to achieve success in 2012.
Here are 3 easy tips when to inspire your team:
1. Use inspirational quotes to motivate your sales team to work hard, take chances, and strive to succeed. There are thousands of quotes that you have read in your life time that have inspired you and passing them along to your sales team will likely have an effect on their attitudes. Share your enthusiasm and leverage good quotes that relate to your sales team. Get them energized and excited about the day, month, quarter and year. A great book for this is “The Greatness Guide” by Robin Sharma.
“Leadership is shown when a salesperson makes extra calls at the end of an exhausting day – not because it’s the easy thing to do but because it’s the right thing to do. Leadership is shown by the manager who finishes a report that has taken the very best from him, then goes back to it a little later to polish and improve it even more. And leadership is shown by the human being who fights the urge to stay under the covers on a cold day and throw on her running shoes to pound the pavement. Not because running miles on a frosty morning is fun. But because it’s wise.” – Robin Sharma
2. Bring the sales team together and reinforce team unity with pictures and stories of great memories. Talk boldly and openly about the last year. Look back at sales records, closed deals and team experiences. Help your team remember every positive experience in 2011. Relive funny moments, pictures from corporate outings and fun times. Many forget all the simple positive experiences they have enjoyed over the last year and many of these times are taken for granted. If you want to have a successful sales culture, then create an engaging environment that people want to be part of.
Here is a picture of the 2011 Treeline 10th Anniversary:
3. Lastly, use movie clips and videos that your team relates to. Movies are an effective and dynamic way to encourage your team. They foster self reflection and allow sales professionals to fully engage and support the message being presented. Movie clips are incredibly effective at supporting a motivational message that you are conveying. It is absorbed and experienced in a completely different manner and can get a team excited to take on challenges. Help them to be the best they can be.
Here are some videos about taking risks, commitment, hard work and adrenaline:
Running a sales team is about metrics, closing and hard work. To motivate an aggressive sales force learn what excites them. Once you understand what motivates your team reinforce your commitment to support them. Help them get motivated and hungry for success.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. But the second best time is today.
January 12th, 2012 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
Treeline Sales Job of the Week
Regional Sales Representative
Company Profile:
Our client is an innovative full service provider of customizable and brandable webinar content by using web, audio, registration and on-demand technology across a broad set of industries, including legal, IT, Associations, HR, Publishing, healthcare, Leadership and Entrepreneurship. They partner with companies to build continuing education content. Their team works with clients on a step-by-step plan to produce your best events, webinars, video conferences and more.
Job Description:
100% New Business/Hunter type mentality and excel at developing relationships at multiple levels within an organization.
Calling multilevel decision makers out of SFDC DataBaseRemote
Marketing Department is dedicated to teeing up warm leads for the sales team to call on.
Must be open to selling on the phone and closing deals face to face.
Travel to Trade shows once/quarter
Requirements:
Hunter mentality who can work autonomously – Hungry
Remote Home Office
Webinar experience
SFDC experience
Ability to close deals over the phone as well as face to face
January 5th, 2012 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
Top 25 ‘oddball’ job interview questions from 2011
By Jack Lambert - Researcher/Reporter - Baltimore Business Journal
Interviewing for a job can be very stressful. Some of the questions can really make you sweat as you try and find the right things to say.
Others, not so much.
Glassdoor.com, a jobs and career website, recently released its top-25 “oddball questions” from interviewers in 2011. The company picked through more than 150,000 interview questions to come up with some of the wackiest things job candidates were asked in 2011.
Here is the list:
1. “How many people are using Facebook in San Francisco at 2:30pm on a Friday?” – asked at Google, vendor relations manager candidate
2. “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk.” – asked at Acosta, leadership development program associate candidate.
3. “If Germans were the tallest people in the world, how would you prove it?” – asked at Hewlett-Packard, product marketing manager candidate
4. “What do you think of garden gnomes?” – asked at Trader Joe’s, team member candidate
5. “Is your college GPA reflective of your potential?” – asked at the Advisory Board, strategic marketing associate candidate
6. “Would Mahatma Gandhi have made a good software engineer?” – asked at Deloitte, analyst candidate
7. “If you could be number one employee but have all your coworkers dislike you or you could be number 15 employee and have all your coworkers like you, which would you choose?” – asked at ADP, inside sales associate candidate
8. “How would you cure world hunger?” – asked at Amazon.com, software developer candidate
9. “Room, desk and car – which do you clean first?” – asked at Pinkberry, shift lead candidate
10. “Does life fascinate you?” – asked at Ernst & Young, tax analyst candidate
11. “Given 20 ‘destructible’ light bulbs (which breaks at certain height), and a building with 100 floors, how do you determine the height that the light bulb breaks?” – asked at QUALCOMM, engineering candidate
13. “Name 5 uses of a stapler without staple pins.” – asked at EvaluServe, business analyst candidate
14. “How much money did residents of Dallas/Ft. Worth spend on gasoline in 2008?” – asked at American Airlines, revenue management candidate
15. “How would you get an elephant into a refrigerator?” – asked at Horizon Group Properties, office assistant candidate
16. “You have a bouquet of flowers. All but two are roses, all but two are daisies, and all but two are tulips. How many flowers do you have?” – asked at Epic Systems, corp. project manager/implementation consultant candidate
17. “How many planes are currently flying over Kansas?” – asked at Best Buy, demand planning analyst candidate
18. “How many different ways can you get water from a lake at the foot of a mountain, up to the top of the mountain?” – asked at Disney Parks and Resorts, project engineering intern candidate
19. “What is 37 times 37?” – asked at Jane Street Capital, assistant trader candidate
20. “If you could be a superhero, what power would you possess?” – asked at Rain and Hail Insurance, claim auditor candidate
21. “If you were a Microsoft Office program, which one would you be?” – asked at Summit Racing Equipment, ecommerce candidate
22. “Pepsi or Coke?” – asked at United Health Group, associate project manager candidate
23. “Are you exhaling warm air?” – Asked at Walker Marketing, client manager candidate
24. “You’re in a row boat, which is in a large tank filled with water. You have an anchor on board, which you throw overboard (the chain is long enough so the anchor rests completely on the bottom of the tank). Does the water level in the tank rise or fall?” – asked at Tesla Motors, mechanical engineer candidate
25. “How do you feel about those jokers at Congress?” – asked at Consolidated Electrical, management trainee candidate
Lambert, Jack. “Top 25 ‘oddball’ Job Interview Questions from 2011 – Baltimore Business Journal.” Business News – The Business Journals. 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 05 Jan. 2012. <http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/blog/2011/12/top-25-oddball-job-interview.html?ana=lnk>.
December 19th, 2011 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
Sales Candidates are in High Demand
By Kathleen Mauriot Division Manager at Treeline, Inc.
As we examine who are clients are looking to hire, it all boils down to the same basic criteria: inexpensive top talent with the perfect skill. You may laugh, but it is true. This is an interesting market and companies feel they are in the driver’s seat. To some degree this is accurate, but as an executive search firm exclusive to sales, we have noticed that the tables are turning as we roll into the New Year.
The world is flooded with the unemployed sales person who is desperately looking for their new gig. They will typically take every interview that comes their way. So, if you are looking to fill your calendar with interviews, no doubt you will be successful. However, filling your calendar with “A” candidates will require a different plan. “A” candidates are in high demand.
Just over the past week multiple companies have called Treeline looking for an introduction to top talent. The market is starting to explode and talent is being sought after like we haven’t seen in a long time. These candidates are being perused on a daily basis and they now feel like they have a bit of an upper hand. However, you can still find and hire them. The question is “are you willing to pay them?”
Consider these two scenarios: do you hire the sales representative with the perfect skill set who will have little to no ramp up and start generating revenue quickly OR do you hire the sales representative with a close skill set who you may need to dedicate initial training to get up to speed? The deciding factor may be compensation; the job market overall is sluggish, many companies believe they can take advantage of the economic times by offering a lower comp. The mindset of many is “take it or leave it.” In other words, “if you don’t want the job there are ten other people who will.” There’s definitely 10 other people, in fact there’s a thousand other people… the wrong people. That’s ego talking. Put it aside. Do not take that mentality, especially when you are filling a revenue generating role. Your goal as a sales manager is to fill that seat with a sales representative who you believe is going to drive revenue and help YOU reach your number. Don’t undercut a talented sales representative who brings all the pieces to the table. They will get insulted and walk from the offer. You’ll be back to the drawing board, which takes time and time equals money.
If compensation is a major concern, choose to hire the sales representative with a close skill match. You may be able to offer a slightly lower compensation package in exchange for the additional training needed to perform the job.
No matter what scenario you decide, make it a win-win for everyone. As a corporation, you will gain loyalty and commitment from your employees.
December 19th, 2011 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
The Final Charge of 2011
By Sean Cashman Senior consultant at Treeline, Inc.
This time of year is a wild card. Holidays are closing in, the fiscal year is winding down and decision makers start to disappear into Year End and Kick off meetings. Walk into any bullpen and you will see a number of things happening:
Some people have pulled all their triggers and are using the next few weeks to ramp up and get a head start on 2012.
Some people are mentally checked out and spend their days doing last minute on-line shopping and making ‘Elf Yourself’ videos.
And then there are some people who are working diligently, trying to wrap up their year and close some last minute deals to hit their 2011 number.
Something about these last few weeks of the year has people thinking: “Why try?! Its over.” However, it is far from over – you just have to focus on what is urgent and what can close in the next 2 weeks.
An old colleague of mine has a saying, “I don’t want to wish on 20 deals that I hope I can close. Instead, I would rather work on 2 deals that I know I can close.” That saying rings especially true this time of year – don’t work on every deal in your team’s pipeline. Keep tabs on all of it, but only focus your time on the couple of deals that you and your team have a chance of closing in the next few weeks.
If you are managing a team, how do you motivate them? How do you maintain focus for the final weeks of the year?
Do you hold a spiff contest to keep the team on track? Do you write all of the hot accounts on the white board? Do you talk about what will close this year in the team meetings?
Any number of these will help gain the team’s attention and get them thinking in terms of “what can I close this year.” Anyway you approach it, get focused and keep running hard. It is more likely than not that your competition is already checked out and won’t recognize that they lost a deal to you until after the New Year.
Focus is key to closing the year on a high note. It is important to be smart with your time and don’t get distracted. In 2012, you will never look back on 2011 and regret having a strong finish to the year…good luck and Happy Holidays.
December 19th, 2011 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
Treeline Sales Job of the Week
Account Executive
Technology | Massachusetts | $110,000.00
Company Profile:
This organization is a rapidly growing company that has a casual working environment and has experienced double digit growth every year. This is a cutting edge, privately held company that is about to explode.
Job Description:
This opportunity is calling for a successful inside sales representative to call on C-Level Sales & Market Executives. This is a strategic sale where the representative will be given leads as well as prospect for new business. The rep will also conduct web demo’s.
Requirements:
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of four years of inside sales experience hitting quotas and who is comfortable working in an unstructured office.
Base Comp. $50,000.00
Total Comp. $110,000.00
If you are interested pleaseJoin Our Private Network! If you are already a member of our sales network contact your Treeline consultant.
December 12th, 2011 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
Ask A Recruiter
By Chris Simone, Vice President at Treeline Inc.
Dear Recruiter,
I recently started searching for a new sales opportunity. I have one year of experience working at a fast paced and rapidly growing software company. I like working in the technology industry, but I am looking for a position with more growth and stability within the company. I am a hard worker and make between 70-80 cold calls everyday. I have received advice to add numbers to my sales resume. However, does it really help to include a bullet expressing that I make 70-80 cold calls a day, considering I am only making three sales per week?
Dear Candidate,
The accomplishment summary section should simply include bullets with accomplishments expressed numerically; this is what sales hiring managers will see first when they give your resume a ten second scan. The short bullets can express numbers and percentages about activity, revenue, results (including quota and goal attainment), conversion, and ranking. Together, they cause the reader to perceive you as someone driven for success in sales. As an entry level sales person and recent college grad, this is very important to express in this job market.
Calls per day, even if only 40 per day, makes the point that you were not just waiting for the phone to ring; you were going after it. Three deals a week could be perceived as a healthy conversion rate (unless the average first year rep typically closed many more per week than three). It seems good to me… A ratio of calls made to appointments scheduled could be another healthy metric to express. Success in sales at the entry level is about attitude, consistent effort, process, and conversion; this is the lens through which hiring managers are scanning resumes.
For example, the “Business Development Representative” role can add a lot of value to a candidate’s resume. This is a typical entry level sales role in growing software companies; BDR’s respond to inbound interest but also make outbound calls every day. The conversion is calls to prospects generated and defined. These prospects are handed to the more senior inside sales force to close. After twelve to twenty four months in a BDR role, you would be a candidate for a technology inside sales role based on success achieved in the BDR role.
Again, there are many types of numbers you can add to your resume to create favorable positioning while remaining truthful.
