What to do about the numbers?

We have a good-natured competition going on at Harper's Career Stimulus Program. Our Director--or I should say our Dean -- Nancy Wajler has decided to up the number of her contacts in LinkedIn. One of Nancy’s strengths is competition and this is a perfect area to compete in. Very easy to measure and compare the number of our connections.

Whether you have 150 LinkedIn connections or 250 or 500 or over 600 like Nancy, the next questions is, what do you do with them once you get them? Nancy is a LION a “LinkedIn Open Networker.” She sees value in networking or connecting with everyone knowing that at sometime those connections can be utilized to help someone or to connect to someone else who can help her or someone she is connected to.

While I’m not truly a LION, I have many connections, and I will connect with most everyone as long as I know how I may help them and they know how I they can be of assistance to me. If I’ve never met a person asking to connect to me,  I’ll invite them to a 15 to 30 minute meeting or a phone conversation if they are not local. There I find out about them and they learn about me. After all, networking is about relationships.

Sales professionals have an old adage that goes something like this, “Sales is a numbers game.” When I meet a new client, one of the first things I ask them to do is develop a list of contacts. I suggest they start with a list of 150 names. Often I receive a groan of protest, “I don’t know that many people!” they tell me. Some of my clients are on LinkedIn and they say, “Can I start with my LinkedIn contacts?” What’s the difference? LinkedIn has demonstrated to people the power of connecting. Being connected to people gives you a means to finding a solution to a problem.

Lets say you need to talk to (network with) 15 people in order to meet with one hiring manager or decision maker. Now let’s say you need to talk to at least 10 decision makers in order to get one job offer.  The more people you’re connected to the better your chances of landing the next job. But wait!!!! It’s not just about being connected: you need to talk to these folks. Call them up and ask for a meeting so that you can describe what you have to offer them.  So you can ask them who else they know who you can talk to.

It’s an interesting statistic that if you have less than 100 connections on LinkedIn that less than 3% of LinkedIn can find you on LinkedIn. However, if you have over 500 connections more than 90% of LinkedIn members can find you. Like the old saying, there are strength in numbers. Whether you’re a LION or an Alley Cat, the number of people you’re connected with will aid your success in job search or in business. Professional and Social Networking is about helping people find what they need. Connect, Ask, Talk, Succeed!

Be Prepared... Be Confident in the Interview

Check out this Blog from "The Wise Job Search" Blog.

Not being assertive in an interview or being a "milk-toast" in a meeting that could turn into a job lead is all too easy if you're not prepared and lack confidence in yourself. Face it you're selling a product, YOU! If you're not confident then, why should someone buy the product. 


People want to believe that they are getting the best deal and there is a lot of competition out there today. Be yourself and be prepared. That doesn't mean you need to get in someone's face during the interview, in fact, that would be even worse than having no confidence. Sell your product by sharing the benefits that you will bring with you after they hire you. Help them to see you doing the job by telling success stories that show your value. 


Harry Urschel's Blog is called, Being "Assertive" in Job Interviews. The word "Assertive" can be misleading however. Don't make the mistake of being aggressive in the interview or the mistake of attempting to take control from the interviewer. Both of these behaviors are 99% effective at killing your chances in the interview. Mr. Urschel offers a list of other things to avoid in an interview... I totally agree with his list.

Remember you are there and it's your time to connect and win the job offer. Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears... you cannot be too hot, too cold, but you need to be just right!


Review and practice telling your success stories every day. Then, review them right before the interview and you'll smile, endorphins will release in your body; calming and relaxing you, helping you to appear more confident. 

You interview for your job every day...

   Read How to Win Friends and Influence People. Why? Well it’s the most read book in the world next to the Bible. Also, it is loaded with wisdom about how to present yourself in almost every situation. Dale Carnegie wrote it in 1936 and it’s quoted more today than when it was first written. Finally, if you understand how to connect with people and focus on these rules you’ll not shoot yourself in the foot when it comes to moving forward in your career.


   If you don’t have a job that pays you a living wage, every moment is an opportunity to impress a potential boss. I’m often amazed how job seekers show up for different networking events and am especially blown away when I see how they dress for training, workshops and presentations. From a presenter’s  perspective, you never know who is going to be in the audience. So I dress for success. I present myself in the most positive, professional attitude possible. But when I look out into the audience, I see people who have shown up in shorts and tee shirts. 


   Career consultants and job transition counselors tell our clients that the best predictor of future behavior is past performance... guess what, if you have a job you’re being evaluated. Every day is a chance to win or lose. If you’re in transition it’s important to remember that everyday people are looking at you and judging. You never know who you’ll meet during a day of networking or whatever.


   Be positive and professional in your attitude. If you’re on the job, everyone is going to relate to you better if you have a winning attitude. Nobody wants to work with Debbie Downer. Have a friendly word to say and keep a smile on your face. What’s a smile worth? To quote the April 2007 issue of AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH:

Smiling is a significant nonverbal signal in a sales encounter between sales clerk and consumer. A sales clerk’s smile should result in more positive impressions of the clerk and his/her sales pitch, and influence the consumer’s purchasing behavior.

   Getting a job offer and/or a promotion is a result of a sales process where you are the product. Smiling isn’t the only thing necessary but all things being equal regarding capability, the person that makes the most favorable impression will most likely be the winner. 


   Also remember everyone’s favorite radio station is WIIFM (What’s in it for me.) If your focus is on the people in your life and not yourself... this will be noticed and valued. If you’re the go to person in a certain area it’s because you are approachable and competent at what someone needs done. And why do people hire people? To solve problems. If you can solve problems and you’re a pain in the butt or you send off a “negative” vibe, people will avoid you and you’ll miss out on the promotion or the job opportunity. 


   Another idea: You interview for a promotion by doing the job before you have it. If you’re doing the job with a positive attitude and being successful at it, then it’s self evident. I cannot think of a better way to show folks that you are the one for the job. Before you interview for a new job be indispensable in your current role and the new role. It shows initiative, hard work, and a willingness to put others first. Don’t forget to ask for the promotion though.

How do accountability groups hold you accountable?

   The short answer is that they don’t; you have to hold yourself accountable first. Accountability groups help its members hold themselves accountable. It’s important to know what the group can help you with. You need to know how to utilize the power of such a group.  The group can...


... offer support and comradeship during a difficult time
If you are a small business owner who doesn’t like sales or a job seeker looking for the next opportunity you are basically on your own. If you succeed or fail you have no one to answer to, except yourself. Frankly this is lonely.  It is difficult to do sales or a job search and experience rejection with no support system. If you have a group who is going through the same kind of experiences you feel less alone. And you can pump one another up from time to time. While you are still on your own, you not all alone.

... clarify your goals and help you to stay focused
When you are on your own as either a job seeker or as an entrepreneur you are alone. If you were working in a job with peers and colleagues around, you can bounce ideas off people. As a single force in the world, having a group to bounce ideas off of can help in qualifying and quantifying your goals. With an accountability group to check in with, a conflicting goal or action can be identified and put into check; allowing you to remain focused on key goals and actions. If a goal is too big and requires a mini goals to be identified a group can point this out to you.

... provide some motivation to meet goals
Many of us are too easy on ourselves and accept our own rationalizations without question. The accountability group is a place to announce your goals and then report your status. Telling someone makes the goal real. Putting a date to a goal gives it a sense of urgency. When you’ve communicated the goal with a date to a group you’re more motivated to make the goal happen. Most of us hate to tell someone that we didn’t do what we said we would do. Also when you don’t feel like doing what you need to, having a group to report to gives you a proper kick to do it anyway.

   With the support and backing of a group of people who have made a commitment to aid in each other’s success by holding one another accountability -- you can achieve you sales or job seeking goals. The commitment is key. Each member needs to commit to personal responsibility, to attend meetings regularly, to ask questions of the other group members--even tough questions, and to expect one another to do the same for you and the group.

Accountability Groups? What?

   I was talking to a group of folks at a local chamber of commerce and one person asked, “I keep hearing about accountability groups, what are they?” It really is a great question. Many of us used them in college except we called them study groups. The objective of the group was to divvy up the work into manageable pieces so that each member of the group would be accountable for one part. Each member would do all the reading and research and then bring the results back to the group. There was an implied contract that each member would do their very best with their portion of the assignment or syllabus and the whole would be greater than the sum of its parts. 

   The purpose of an accountability group is that each member could achieve more than they would with a solo effort. If your are a business owner and part of your job includes sales as well as providing the service that is your business, what can you do to help yourself? One answer is to join a “Leads Group” where you bring leads to the group and others do the same, and by sharing qualified leads you all have more sales. Many sales people and business owners use this type of accountability group to achieve success.

   Years ago, when I was starting a small information technology business I banded together with two other entrepreneurs for support and accountability. In this situation we would provide our plans for the quarter, month and week ahead to the group. The others would comment and ask questions to help clarify the plan. Then each week we would report our status against the plan to the group and receive appropriate feedback and then act accordingly. So if I was having problems with sales I would state a sales goal and as a group come up with the steps to achieve the goal. We’d iron out the number of phone calls a day and face to face sales meeting per week. After some time the group would challenge me to raise the sales goal and increase the percentage of calls that resulted in sales. It is a great way to motivate yourself when you are a sole business owner.

 

   People who are in job transition and looking for a new job can use this model too. Putting together a group of 6 to 8 people from different industries or different roles within an industry provides a sense of camaraderie and support to its members. They can state their weekly goals and report the past week’s activity including successes and get  feedback. If a member has a blind spot in their job search, the group can provide constructive observations for the member. If a member has a struggle with their search the group offers a safe place to voice fears or challenges. 

  I have seen the use of accountability groups change lives. Whether you are looking for new sales or a new job, having a group to support, challenge, and provide advice to you will make a positive difference in you career... Now, go and be accountable.

Job Search is Sales

The Secret

 

Back in 2004 I was sitting among a crowd of job seekers listening to a keynote speaker on the subject of networking and job search. “Job search is sales,” the speaker said from the podium. There was a collective groan throughout the audience. This is a common reaction to any declaration where Sales is involved. People don’t like “doing sales” and this is true for any professional discipline outside of a corporate sales team.

 

I’ve witnessed this negative reaction to the word sales more times than I care to count. I’d guess that 80% or more of my clients voice the concern, “I cannot do sales; I’m a _____!” (Fill in the profession: engineer, accountant, buyer, operations manager, logistics analyst, you name it.) Gosh, I’ve even had sales people tell me, “I hate cold calling, that’s not the kind of sales I did.”

 

Actually most sales professionals smile and nod when they hear that job search is sales. Of course, if I said job search is accounting all the accountants would be happy. Not really, the reason why sales professionals smile is that they understand the sales process.

 

It goes something like this: Find out what the prospect needs. Show them your product. Tell them the benefit of the product, namely how the product will solve their problem. Find out what they are willing to spend. Ask them to buy it and you’re done.

 

But what if they don’t buy what I’m selling? Sales people live by an adage: Some will, some won’t and so what. They know they will hear the word NO. They understand that you have to get through the no’s to get to the yes’s.

 

It really is that easy! The reason why the sales professionals smile when they hear that job search is sales is because they know something everyone else doesn’t. They know the secret! The secret: "No one ever died from the word no." Moreover, it’s a numbers game and there are more no’s than yes’s. The good news is that a person in job search only needs one yes. The sales professional gets a yes and has to go out tomorrow and look for the next yes.

  

So when my clients tell me that they aren’t salesman or saleswomen I smile. I say you may not have been, but you are now. You have no choice. You probably weren’t all that good at your professional discipline when you first entered the profession. You were probably scared at first. Then you grew confident with experience. This is how it will be once you accept the fact that job search is sales.

 

Next we’ll look at the elements of a sale in job search.