June 30th, 2010 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
Last weekend, Treeline’s CEO, Dan Fantasia received a phone call from Gerhard Gschwandtner, the founder of Selling Power Magazine with news regarding a new live game show he was hosting and producing for Selling Power TV. The show, “Make that Sale!” would feature ten sales professionals competing in three real-life selling situations on live TV, and he wanted one of Treeline’s “dynamic” consultants to be on the show. Dan was more than happy to have one of Treeline’s consultants on the show, and within minutes he convinced Kathleen Mauriot, our Division Manager, to represent Treeline, as one of the best executive search firms in the nation.
The show took place yesterday, July 29th at the Renaissance Waterfront Hotel in Boston. The game show was made up of three different contests: (1) Share your most memorable sale. (2) Find accurate and complete contact information about a specific prospect using any Sales 2.0 technology within three-minutes and (3) deliver a winning one-minute elevator pitch. Kathleen was part of the second contest, so she had to use technology, such as LinkedIn and Jigsaw to get the contact information of a sales executive.
Kathleen’s charisma, out-going personality, and competitive nature shined as she navigated the web, completing the task in under three-minutes, and taking home the “gold,” or in this case, a new iPad. When asked whether she found the task to be difficult Kathleen said, “I use these applications everyday to track down the names of CEO’s, VP’s, sale manager’s, etc., so I didn’t find it too difficult, but I was still very nervous.” Kathleen did great and we are proud to have her on the Treeline Team!
June 24th, 2010, marked the 24th annual JP Morgan Corporate Challenge, where over 12,000 people from 708 companies lined up along the Boston Common to make the 3.5 mile run to Kenmore Square and back. For the third straight year, the run benefitted Camp Harbor View, a summer camp for children from Boston’s at-risk neighborhoods.
Among the 708 companies stood Team Treeline: Dan Fantasia, Dave DeMelo, Lauren Moreau, and me, Amanda Musto. Equipped with our positive attitudes and competitive nature we were determined to cross the finish line and we were not about to let the intense humidity and throngs of people stop us from completing our mission. As we maneuvered through the maze of white JP Morgan t-shirts to the finish line I couldn’t help but think how great it is that even in tough times thousands of people are willing to come out and support our city.
Just as the sun was setting, with the Boston sky line in our line of vision, we crossed the finish line in 38 minutes 45 seconds, together as a team. Go Team Treeline!
June 24th, 2010 by Todd Smith, a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter.
How Likeable are You?
One of the most important keys to living a happy, healthy and fulfilling life is your ability to build meaningful relationships. While there are many factors that influence the relationships you have with others, being a likable person ranks near the top of the list. Likable people are those who do the little things to connect with people.
The Importance of Being Likable
All the great teachers of personal achievement from Napoleon Hill to Anthony Robbins have talked about the importance of creating a likable personality. Dale Carnegie’s famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People was one of the best books I have read on the subject.
Generally speaking, people who have a likable personality enjoy greater success both personally and professionally. The logic is simple; people are subconsciously drawn to people who are likable.
Regardless of your career path, you can improve your brand and increase your value to the market by becoming a more likable person.
Evaluate Yourself
So, being honest with yourself, on a scale of 1-10, how likable are you? If your friends and business colleagues or your spouse and children were to rank your likability on a scale of 1-10, what would they say?
Answer these questions honestly to identify the areas where you can improve:
When speaking with other people, are you genuinely engaged and interested in what they have to say?
Does your smile communicate an authentic interest in the other person?
When people are speaking, are you patient? Do you let them finish before responding?
Will you get in the back seat of the car so your friend can sit in the front seat?
Do you remember people’s names?
Do you accept responsibility when you are wrong?
Do you say please when asking people to do something for you, even if they are being paid to do it?
Do you offer your sincere appreciation to those who have done something to help you, even if it’s within their job description?
Are you friendly in your e-mails?
Are you complimentary of others when they are deserving of one?
Do you encourage others when given the opportunity?
When having dinner at a friend’s home, will you pitch in and help do the dishes?
Do you practice humility?
Do you listen more than you talk?
Do you offer a heart-felt apology when you have hurt someone without making excuses?
Do you make people feel comfortable when they are around you?
Do you try to maintain a positive attitude at all times?
This is just a short list of the actions we take on a daily basis that will determine whether people view us as likable. The great news is 100% of these things are within your control.
There is Always Room For Improvement
In thinking about this lesson over the past week, I have been extra intentional about doing the little things to be more likable. For example, I have been friendlier to the store clerks where I shop and have been more encouraging and complimentary of my own children. While I have known about the importance of being likable for many years, this past week has been a humbling reminder that there is always room for improvement and I am no exception.
Start By Doing the Easy Things
If you want to create a more likable personality, here is the key: you must be INTENTIONAL about doing the little things that will make you a more likable person. Let me offer you the same challenge I made my 16-year-old son this week.
Jake works at a local grocery store where he normally just focuses on doing his job. Four days ago I challenged Jake to go out of his way to be friendly. The first day he went out of his way to be friendly to two customers. On the second day, ten customers, the third day thirty-four customers and the fourth day fifty-four customers. Get the picture?
As a result of this simple challenge, he is standing taller, walking with a bounce in his step and taking more pride in the person he is becoming. In fact, I can’t recall any period of time in his life where I have seen his self-confidence grow more than in this past week. The store manager even noticed and told him what a great job he was doing.
Will you accept my challenge? Will you focus on becoming a more likable person?
What are some of the things that make people likable? Post your ideas in the comment section below.
People have choices. They will always choose to associate with someone who is likable. Are you?
Smith, Todd. “How Likable Are You?” Little Things Matter. 25 Jan. 2010. Web. 24 June 2010. <http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2010/01/25/how-likable-are-you/>.
June 23rd, 2010 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
Innovator: a person likely to conceive and develop new methodologies and technologies.
Early Adopter: a person who embraces new technology before most other people do.
In a recent Inc. Magazine article by Bobbie Gossage, “How to Get People to Change,” Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Switch, explore the psychology behind change, specifically in the workplace. In today’s economic climate, many organizations are looking at ways to reinvent themselves in hope of invoking a positive change in the work place. Whether “change” means accepting new ways of thinking or changing an entire business model, change is often inevitable.
According to Chip, “Part of us may want change, but part of us has this emotional connection to the way that we’ve always done things.” As a result, many leaders that are trying to create change in their organizations are struck with opposition; likewise, leaders can be slow to change.
Most people have had experience working in an organization where outdated methods are in place and as a result, the organization suffers. I once worked at a job where appointments were penciled into a calendar, post-its took place of internal emails, and Facebook was merely a trend. When I started there, I would often suggest subtle changes to increase work flow, but after a while, I realized that the organization was stuck in their old ways and without the backing of a team, I felt helpless.
Luckily, Treeline takes pride in not only being an early adopter, but also an innovator. For instance, while other search firms rely mostly on outbound leads, Treeline’s “Sales 2.0″ business model relies mostly on inbound leads; in part because of our pioneering search software technology, DADO. We have completely changed our recruiting process, and as a result benefited from the results.
In the article, Gossage asks Chip and Dan Heath what they found to be a successful way for change to occur, especially when dealing with stubborn people. Chip and Dan recommend appealing to emotion instead of trying to argue with them. They suggest “looking for the bright spots,” instead of focusing on what isn’t working. If you look at what is currently working and what was successful in the past it “gives people a sense of hope and optimism that will motivate their behavior.”
I can’t express the importance of having a positive company “vibe.” Chip and Dan Heath suggest creating a positive environment, which can be done with simple changes, such as the layout of your office. One CEO moved her computer from the middle of her desk to the right side, which caused her to be less distracted by emails and more susceptible to what her workers were telling her.
In the end, change has the power to affect an entire organization; without taking risks and making changes where would the most powerful and innovative companies be today?
Do you have any examples of change or lack of change in the workplace? Share your stories and let us know!
June 9th, 2010 by Amanda Musto, Social Media Marketing Representative at Treeline, Inc
As a recent college grad, I know firsthand how difficult the transition into the “real world” can be. Last year, I entered a world where it was no longer acceptable to take an afternoon nap, wear pajamas in the middle of the day, or take a “personal day” because you had a little too much fun the night before. The world that I had become accustomed to disappeared, and I was left with a long list of expectations and responsibilities. All of a sudden, I was supposed to have a great career, an apartment, and food on the table. Like so many recent college grads, I felt unprepared, scared, and unsure of how I was going to survive in the “real world.”
However, a year later I’m surviving and the “real world” is really not as bad as it seemed. I attribute much of my success to my job here at Treeline. While, the lack of jobs and the current economic situation make it difficult to find a job; that does not mean that there are not jobs out there.
In a recent Washington Post article by Lily Garcia, “How a recent college graduate can go about getting a first job” she advises recent college grads to start at the bottom. While, her advice seems obvious to me now, a year ago I had dreams of landing my dream job right out of college. Murray advises college grads not to “lose sight of your career goals, but shift your focus for the moment to finding the right employer rather than the right job. Once you are in, you will have the chance to prove yourself and later aspire to other jobs that better fit your self-image.”
Also, college graduates can use their skills rather than work experience when searching for a job and interviewing. For instance, English, history, sociology, and psychology majors can apply their communication and writing skills, organizational abilities and computer savvy to job positions outside of their major.
Unfortunately, many recent graduates completely give up on their job search after rejection. Instead, they should be looking for other options, so that they stand out from the rest of the candidates vying for the same position.
So, what can recent college grads do regarding their job search?
Network! Join LinkedIn. Talk to your professors or professionals in your field of interest. Reach out to family friends and neighbors.
Never turn down an offer of an introduction or an interview. They will provide you with worthwhile information and maybe even job leads.
Talk to other recent grads about their successes and mistakes. Learn from their experiences.
When you’re interviewing, talk about your job-related college experiences.
Remember that employer rejections are inevitable but don’t let it keep you from continuing to search.
Do you have any advice for the thousands of recent college graduates looking for a job? Let us know.
Join Our Network!Treeline, Inc. has created one of the largest sales communities on the internet.
June 7th, 2010 by Danielle Good Pryor, Marketing Advisor
Fusion Simplifies Its Hiring Process and Continues Phenomenal Sales Growth
An innovative, constantly expanding, multi-national company, Fusion is one of the largest open market distributors of electronic components in the world. Based in the U.S. – with operations in Singapore, Amsterdam and Hong Kong – Fusion only looks for the strongest, hard-to-find sales professionals to help them continue their phenomenal growth.
At Fusion, quality is top priority. Therefore, Fusion only works with the best. For more than five years, Fusion has worked with Treeline to filter out the best candidates when recruiting for premier sales professionals.
Treeline knows that finding the right people can be a full-time job. Fusion engaged Treeline to streamline their recruiting process and to select the best people who will fit their company needs. Not only do both organizations have a commitment to quality and their customers, but Fusion also looks for specific personality traits in their sales people. Given that Treeline specializes in sales recruiting, working with them helped Fusion find the right personalities to thrive in a dynamic, young, and fast-paced environment like Fusion’s. In fact, Treeline is so diligent about knowing what Fusion is looking for in a sales person they can tell almost immediately if they are a fit.
“We rely on Treeline to go through the screening process for us. They know our culture and who would work best in our environment,” said Bill Masterson, General Manager at Fusion. “Treeline helps us identify the best candidates and narrows down the resume pool. If we put an opportunity out on a job board, we would get bombarded with 200 resumes. Instead, Treeline presents us with several solid candidates. It really saves us a lot of time and money.”
When recruiting is done in-house, often times it is time consuming and inefficient nor is there accountability for finding the right person for the right job. What’s more, during the past 10 years, Treeline has studied how the sales force recruiting industry has evolved and changed. They have also watched as resumes and job boards have become outdated. As an industry trailblazer that has always operated “above the treeline,” they set out to identify new and innovative ways to change the way qualified candidates are found. They also continue to transform the way companies search for new employees.
Bill added, “I am impressed they are always looking to reinvent themselves and refine the recruiting process. They really get ahead of the game as they get to know and understand the changes in the market. With their newest development, DADO, it provides us with a great snapshot of potential candidates in one simple view. That information shows the value immediately.”
Treeline makes it easier for Fusion to identify and hire viable, well-qualified candidates in a much shorter amount of time, with a much clearer picture of who they’re hiring and how that person fits into their organization. DADO also provides hiring managers with critical information such as candidates’ average sales cycle, quota, etc., along with the chance to watch candidate videos and view professional recommendations online.
“Since Treeline specializes in sales and they have invested their time in getting to know our organization, they can very quickly tell if a candidate would be a good fit for Fusion,” said Bill. “Treeline has helped us place 15 candidates over the past three years and with sales up 50% so far this year, we are doing something right. At the end of the day, it’s about hiring the right people to succeed. Treeline helps us do that.”
Join Our Network! Treeline, Inc. has created one of the largest sales communities on the internet.
