When my customers' recruiting ads and job descriptions include these types of knockout factors, I like to have a little fun with them. I say something like:

"(Name), imagine that I have two candidates for your sales job opening. One of them has both the college degree and the five years of sales experience that are listed as minimum requirements in your recruiting ad. The other candidate doesn't have a college degree, and she only has two years of sales experience. But, she has relationships with dozens of C-level executives that are good prospects for your company's products and services. She could easily book fifteen appointments during her first week on the job. Which candidate would you prefer?"

"(Name), unfortunately you will never see this candidate, because she is being screened out by your knockout factors!"

Here is an outline for a recruiting process that focuses on performance-based factors:

1. Write a Performance-Based Recruiting Ad: As you construct your ad, consider the following questions:
• What kinds of companies or organizations are good prospects for your company's products and services? Your ad should state a preference for job candidates that have existing relationships with these kinds of companies and organizations.
• Who are the most productive people (job titles) for your salespeople to call on? Your ad should state a preference for candidates that have existing relationships with people that have these titles, and/or a proven ability to prospect successfully to people at similar levels.
• What specific sales production (such as pipe
  Big IT Wants Call Center Capacity
  ChairmanChalr? Recruitment OutsourcingA couple of months ago, IBM announced that it was purchasing a 9,000-person call center named Daksh with operations in India and the Philippines. The acquisition is interesting for two reasons. First, IBM previously had no significant call center capacity and with this one purchase has become a major player in the booming offshore industry. Second, the price IBM paid was considered by most people to be irrationally exuberant. According to investment banking firm Avendus, the price was roughly 15 times last year's earnings (or three times annual revenues). Clearly, IBM felt that owning (rather than just leasing) call cen
  ething like:

  "(Name), imagine that I have two candidates for your sales job opening. One of them has both the college degree and the five years of sales experience that are listed as minimum requirements in your recruiting ad. The other candidate doesn't have a college degree, and she only has two years of sales experience. But, she has relationships with dozens of C-level executives that are good prospects for your company's products and services. She could easily book fifteen appointments during her first week on the job. Which candidate would you prefer?"

  As you might expect, my customers always choose the candidate with the relationships. That is when I have to deliver the bad news:

  "(Name), unfortunately you will never see this candidate, because she is being screened out by your knockout factors!"

  If you want to improve the overall quality of your sales candidate pool, shift your focus away from education and experience and toward performance-based measures. How will you measure your new salespeople's performance during their first thirty, sixty, ninety, and 180 days? What activities will you expect them to perform? What results will you expect these activities to produce, and in what time frame?

  Here is an outline for a recruiting process that focuses on performance-based factors:

  1. Write a Performance-Based Recruiting Ad: As you construct your ad, consider the following questions:
  • What kinds of companies or organizations are good prospects for your company's products and services? Your ad should state a preference for job candidates that have existing relationships with these kinds of companies and organizations.
  • Who are the most productive people (job titles) for your salespeople to call on? Your ad should state a preference for candidates that have existing relationships with people that have these titles, and/or a proven ability to prospect successfully to people at similar levels.
  • What specific sales production (such as pipe
    Doing Well On Job Interviews
    When interviewing for a job, it's vital to make a good first impression. Unless you are hired, it will likely be your only opportunity to make an impression in front of that employer. Although your resume may get you in the door, in order to get the position you desire you must also do well on the interview. Here are some tips for succeeding with the interview process.A job interview lets your prospective employer meet with you to make sure you have the job skills necessary to perform the job adequately and also determine whether your personality will be a good fit with the co. If you wish to impress your interviewer there are a few things to keep in mind. These things are: 1) Be p
    on the job. Which candidate would you prefer?" As you might expect, my customers always choose the candidate with the relationships. That is when I have to deliver the bad news:

    "(Name), unfortunately you will never see this candidate, because she is being screened out by your knockout factors!"

    If you want to improve the overall quality of your sales candidate pool, shift your focus away from education and experience and toward performance-based measures. How will you measure your new salespeople's performance during their first thirty, sixty, ninety, and 180 days? What activities will you expect them to perform? What results will you expect these activities to produce, and in what time frame?

    Here is an outline for a recruiting process that focuses on performance-based factors:

    1. Write a Performance-Based Recruiting Ad: As you construct your ad, consider the following questions:
    • What kinds of companies or organizations are good prospects for your company's products and services? Your ad should state a preference for job candidates that have existing relationships with these kinds of companies and organizations.
    • Who are the most productive people (job titles) for your salespeople to call on? Your ad should state a preference for candidates that have existing relationships with people that have these titles, and/or a proven ability to prospect successfully to people at similar levels.
    • What specific sales production (such as pipe
      Marketing Ideas Without Action Will Get You Nowhere!
      Marketing Ideas Without Action Get You NowhereYou want to grow your small business, but how do you do that? Many of the small businesses I work with are not really sure what works best, or how, or where to get started.We're all familiar with the term Marketing, but what in the heck is it really supposed to do for us?* Build brand awareness * Build name recognition * Increase market share * Get more clients * Generate referrals * Create more repeat businessMaybe you've tried some things in the past like brochures, yellow pages advertising, Chamber of Commerce networking but were disappointed with the results so you stopped doing t
      ow will you measure your new salespeople's performance during their first thirty, sixty, ninety, and 180 days? What activities will you expect them to perform? What results will you expect these activities to produce, and in what time frame?

      Here is an outline for a recruiting process that focuses on performance-based factors:

      1. Write a Performance-Based Recruiting Ad: As you construct your ad, consider the following questions:
      • What kinds of companies or organizations are good prospects for your company's products and services? Your ad should state a preference for job candidates that have existing relationships with these kinds of companies and organizations.
      • Who are the most productive people (job titles) for your salespeople to call on? Your ad should state a preference for candidates that have existing relationships with people that have these titles, and/or a proven ability to prospect successfully to people at similar levels.
      • What specific sales production (such as pipe
        How Do You Keep Your Business Name In Front Of Your Customer?
        When was the last time you communicated with your customers?Communicating with your customers keeps your business top of mind with them. And, it doesn't have to cost you a thing!  Communicating with your customers can be as simple as sending an email individually to each customer or as a newsletter sent to all your customers. And there's no stamps to buy or lick! But, whatever the form, be sure there is value in the communication - information about a new product or new uses of your current product or special limited time offers.  Keeping in touch with your customers through email is a great, inexpensive way to keep your name in front of customers. Keeping your name in your
        ood prospects for your company's products and services? Your ad should state a preference for job candidates that have existing relationships with these kinds of companies and organizations.
      • Who are the most productive people (job titles) for your salespeople to call on? Your ad should state a preference for candidates that have existing relationships with people that have these titles, and/or a proven ability to prospect successfully to people at similar levels.
      • What specific sales production (such as pipeline dollar volume, sales dollar volume, etc.) do you expect your new salespeople to produce during their first 90 days? Make this expectation crystal clear in your recruiting ad!
      2. Scrutinize Resumes for Accomplishments: Smart salespeople know that results sell. When these salespeople prospect, they talk to potential prospects about the results their companies have produced for customers. When they write resumes, they write about the results they have produced and their other accomplishments (awards, recognition, etc.).
      3. Conduct Telephone Screening Calls: For candidates that have interesting resumes, schedule a 20-30 minute telephone screening call. This will give you an opportunity to ask performance-based questions related to two critical performance factors: the candidate's relationships and their prospecting activities. Here are sample screening call questions:

      • Who do you know that might be a prospect for our company's products and services?
      • What relationships do you have that could be leveraged for appointments during your first few weeks on the job?
      • What activities do you typically include in your prospecting plan?
      • What percentage of your time do you spend on each activity?
      • What results have these activities produced for you in the past?
      • How long did it take before you started making quota consistently in your current job?
      4. Assess Qualified Candidates: For candidates that pass the telephone screen, gather objective information about their talents via specialized sales assessment tests. The most effective sales assessment tests go beyond personality and behavioral traits and examine attributes such as Learning Rate and Reasoning Ability.
      5. Conduct In-Person Interviews: Now you are prepared to conduct thorough, performance-based interviews. Why? Look at the information you have collected! For each candidate that you are going to interview, you should have in your hands:

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