A few months ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Jacques Werth, the President of High Probability Selling, for the Sales Operations Blog. (Check out, “A Radically Honest Sales Approach Can Give You a 40% Lift In Sales”.) Jacques and I recently connected again, and I learned that he is also somewhat of a job search guru, and recommends using high probability selling techniques in a sales job search.
Although the topic veers from the usual content on The Sales Operations Blog, I asked Jacques to submit a guest blog post on this topic. Here it is…
Finding the Sales Position You Want
By Jacques Werth
The fastest way to find the sales position you want is to use methods that are different from what others are doing.
My companies have recruited, hired, trained and managed hundreds of salespeople. In most cases we spent a great deal of time and money recruiting them. Those few salespeople who called us directly almost always got an interview and we paid their travel and lodging expenses. Then, they received preferential treatment when we made hiring decisions. The reason is simple. Sales managers want salespeople who are smart and confident enough to apply their prospecting and selling skills to find a sales position.
Regardless of economic conditions, every large company and many medium sized companies have a multitude of sales position openings in many different areas. In most cases, getting one of those positions filled by a suitable candidate is a long tedious process, complicated by miles of red tape. Furthermore, the HR departments that the sales managers have to deal with are seldom aware of what it takes to recruit good salespeople.
In the meantime, the manager of the department who needs to fill that position is often desperately trying to cope while shorthanded. That may be true in only two or three percent of the companies you would like to join. That’s okay – if you find that two or three percent before the position you want gets filled.
Prospect your way into the position you want. Here’s how:
1. Do a search on the Internet or with a list broker and make a list of all of the companies that look attractive to you and that you believe employ people with your skill set. Be sure to get the names of their sales executives. Make it a big list – about three hundred sales managers. Be sure that your list is sorted by job titles and has phone numbers. Tip: Many community libraries have access to list brokers and can provide you with free lists. Ask the research librarian.
2. Design a clear, concise “Prospecting Offer” which includes the following information.
a. Your name.
b. A short comprehensive description of your capabilities.
c. Two important sales functions that you can accomplish.
d. A request for a commitment that includes the word “want.”
The prospecting offer should contain no more that 45 words.
Note: You can write a 75 word prospecting offer in about a half hour. It may take another two hours to hone it down to 45 words.
Example:
a. This is Jane Salesperson.
b. I’m an experienced, conscientious salesperson in the xyz field.
c. I can find and make appointments with prospects that want your products and services and close many of them.
d. Is that the kind of salesperson you want for your department?
(43 words)
3. Call all the sales managers of the companies on your list. If you don’t have their direct-dial numbers, it’s easy to get connected to someone in the sales department who will look it up for you. It works to tell them, “I need your help.”
4. Present your prospecting offer. If the manager says he/she does not need anyone, you say “Are there any other sales managers in your company who do?” If not, you say “okay, good bye.” Do not try to sell your way into an appointment.
If the manager asks you to send your résumé, you say, “I don’t put my resume in the mail. I’ll bring it with me if you want to meet me. Do you want to set up an appointment?”
If the manager tells you to contact the HR department, you say “Okay, good bye.” Do not contact HR. Do not send them your résumé. The primary uses of résumés are for disqualification purposes. Many HR departments scan résumés into their main-frame computer which checks for a combination of key words. If your résumé does not match their key words, the computer keeps it in the “rejected” file – permanently.
If the manager says “yes,” you say “when?” However, be prepared to handle a preliminary telephone interview. Have a list of questions you want answered before you will commit to the appointment.
5. Do not accept the first offer you get unless it’s the best position you could hope for. The people who use this system usually get from two to four offers within a month. Thus, it is generally better to ask for a couple of weeks to think it over.
6. You need to diligently work this system for at least four hours a day, every day, to get the best results. On Saturday mornings, many sales managers are in their offices without gatekeepers.
Notes:
You will probably reach 14 percent (1 in 7) of the sales managers you call. Just keep dialing. The average call will take about 40 seconds. Once you have it down to a routine, dialing 200 numbers per day and reaching 28 sales managers is pretty easy.
You can reach most of your list within three to four weeks. Then, start to call all of them again. You are likely to get at least as many positive replies during your second round of calls.
If you are willing to take “No,” for an answer, and just say “Okay, good bye,” you will get more “Yes,” answers and very little rejection.
Remember, do not say “Thank you, good bye.” “Okay, good bye” maintains your dignity and self-respect.
About Our Guest Blogger:
Jacques Werth is the President of High Probability Selling. Check out The High Probability Selling Blog. Follow Jacques on Twitter.
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What do you think of Jacques’ approach? Please add your comments below.
This is awesome! The best advice I give people who are looking for a job is to get proactive. Just applying to those companies who have openings does not guarantee you your next best thing. Create a vision for what you want your future to look like and execute a plan to get it. This is the perfect reference guide to send those candidates. Thank you!
trish bertuzzi[Click to quote this in your comment]
Trish.. Thanks for adding your comment and endorsement for the high probability, job search approach! I expect that Jacques will help many job seekers rev up their job search efforts and success rate.
- Marci
Marci Reynolds[Click to quote this in your comment]
Thanks for the write up, great stuff!
T Duggan[Click to quote this in your comment]