Focus in your Job Search

"I noticed on your resume you have experience in a bunch of different fields, you ran your own business, been in real estate, product marketing, and have spent time in sales. What makes you want to go into this position we have open?”

"To be honest, I am flexible. If you have a position in a different area like Finance, Marketing, Sales Operations, or Customer Service, I would be interested in that too."

STOP RIGHT THERE.

Guess what... your future employer doesn't care.

When a company has an open position (especially in sales), they are looking for the best candidate for that role. Many of the interview questions are generally focused around figuring out if this is the position you really want, you will be happy with, and will stick with it when things don’t go exactly according to plan. If you can't convey the focus in your job search, you will have a long road ahead of you.

It is perfectly OK and normal to want to do other things. You should have confidence in your ability, be incredibly optimistic, and dream big. However, if you want this position, you need to convey that this is the job you want and you want it now. Focus.

A typical interview question that usually makes people feel uneasy is, “where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?” You are probably thinking I want to get my MBA, start my own business, take the job of the person interviewing you, or maybe even if I’m still working here I will be absolutely miserable.

The decision maker and stakeholders in an interview process have social, political, personal, and career liability on the decision of hiring you. If you leave the company, that affects them. How are you going to mitigate their concern?

The best answer is to frame your response in their terms. The employer is looking for confidence that you want this position and see potential to grow organically with the company.

I’m not telling you to lie in an interview, just to be more prepared and focused then your competition (understand you aren’t the only candidate interviewing either). The last thing you want is to leave an interviewer with any uncertainty that you really want this job.

Two quick tips…

1. Never go on a job interview you don’t plan to nail
2. If you think the open position is a stretch for you; imagine what the interviewer is thinking before you walk into the room (I hope you are prepared to prove them wrong)

A great book to help you with preparation and focus is Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. This book outlines how to build a career and personal brand; which is a large part of building focus in your job search.

Cold Calling is Alive and Well!

The term "cold calling" in itself is annoying. It is even worse that the only way sales trainers can adjust this is by taking the term 'cold' and making it 'warm' or 'hot'.

I pulled an even lamer move on my end and looked up the definition of "cold". The first definition that popped up was: having or being a temperature that is uncomfortably low for humans.

 

If there is any substance behind the term "cold calling" it is the word uncomfortable. That is exactly what it is. You are interrupting someones day, you are nervous, you don't want them to pick up the phone to begin with, and, on top of that, you have no idea what to say. That is why people don't like to call other people.

The other jab at "cold calling" is that is the most inefficient method of prospecting in the world. I agree. It is very inefficient and even more so frustrating. It takes a special type of person to get their nose bloody every day and keep coming back for more. It takes persistence, creativity, a positive attitude, and the ability to understand the process and science behind it.

Another observation is no one seems to focus on the ROI behind cold calling. Who cares if it takes 1,000 calls to reach 100 people that converts to 20 first meetings? What happens if those 20 first meetings filled your pipeline and added 2 net new sales for your company? What if those two sales were over $1 million each?

The other assumption is that people are busy cold calling because they are blind to other methods of finding new business. What if you're an entry-level Inside Sales Representative and your only job is to "cold call" for other Outside Sales Representatives? What if you don't live in the same territory you work in? What if your boss won't let you do anything other then "cold call"?

If your job is to make cold calls and you are looking for an easy way out - my advice is find a new job.

In the mean time, here are my tips on effective cold calling:

1. Research the Company and Person you are Calling - use LinkedIn, Google, and tools like InsideView or OneSource. Find a connection to them.
2. Understand the Goal of Your Call - is it to secure a meeting? get a referral? check the status of something? Your goal should not be to educate them on how great your company is or why your product is better than your competitors (no ones cares by the way).
3. Be Different. Be Normal. Don't use a script; use an outline. Practice it. Do not sound like robot. Be yourself. Be different. Be normal.
4. Always ask "How are you?" I can't tell you how many people say not to ask this question. I think it is the best transition in the world to get to the point of why you called.
5. Keep it Short. Don't plan to be on the phone longer then two minutes. Schedule time to go more in-depth. 
6. Speak in Their Terms.  No one cares about your company. Bring them a new idea on how you can help their business. Convey you researched their company. Talk about how you helped their competitor gain a competitive edge.
7. Have Fun. Make a joke, tell a quick funny story; even state the obvious that you're a "cold caller".
8. You Can Always Talk About the Weather. No really, people love talking about it.
9. Understand the Science Behind It. Only 10% of people will answer your phone call. That means if you make 100 calls... only 10 people will answer. If you're frustrated, check your statistics for the day, week, month, and quarter.
10. Voicemails are Reminders. Nothing more. People absolutely hate checking their voicemails. You will never get your call returned. Don't try and trick people into returning your call either. Tell them you call at another date and time or to reply to the follow up email you just sent them.

For additional resources, below are three experts that provide value, insight, and positive approaches to cold calling. I highly recommend their material:

1. Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales http://www.mrinsidesales.com/
2. Jill Konrath, Selling to Big Companies http://www.sellingtobigcompanies.blogs.com/
3. Art Sobczak's, Telesales Blog http://www.telesalesblog.com/

Top Sales, Business, and Life Book Recommendations

I have been getting asked recently for my list of top sales book.. I find most sales book fairly redundant and propose a similar methodology in different terms. If you're going to listen to any one in the sales world, I defer directly to Jeffrey Gitomer. He "gets it" and will make you do the same.

I am starting to read more around social psychology and books geared towards the history and movement of technology...

The following books have made a tremendous impact in my personal and professional life (in no particular order):

1. Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time
2. Red-Hot Cold Call Selling: Prospecting Techniques That Really Pay Off
3. Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness
4. How to Win Friends and Influence People
5. How to Castrate a Bull: Unexpected Lessons on Risk, Growth, and Success in Business
6. Chasing Quota
7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
8. The World is Flat: a Brief History of the Twenty-First Century 
9. The Fine Art of Small Talk: How To Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills -- and Leave a Positive Impression!
10. The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable

Enjoy.