Tag Archives: Sales

By Meghan M. Biro

Commuting For A Job: When Is It Worth It?

I always hear people asking about commuting and their job.  What is too far? What is too short? Is there a ‘too short?’ How much will it cost? Gas? Bridge tolls? Parking?

The hard costs of commuting can be calculated with some accuracy. Gasoline prices are hovering around $4 a gallon. Car insurance figures vary widely, so it’s more challenging to find a reasonable average, but figure $1,000 per year – or perhaps twice as much if you’re under 25 or have had an accident or two. Then there’s the cost of buying a car, paying for parking, managing a car loan and maintenance.

Or, say you’re lucky enough to live near public transportation. In Boston, that works out to at least $135 a month. Maybe you ride a bike to work (good luck with that in the winter, and with our legendary Boston drivers.)

The soft costs of commuting can only be calculated using personal algebra. How much do you like your job? What is your threshold for commuting? Can you tolerate an hour each way with the aid of an iPod or books from Audible? Does Talk Radio drive you crazy or does NPR keep you sane?  For one person, an hour commute may be easy, for another, it will be a terrible burden.

In this fragile job market, having a job must be the first consideration. From there, it’s a simple matter to take your salary and factor in hard commuting costs, like gasoline (see a good guide here) – according to Salary.com, “… the average employee incurs an annual “commuting gas” cost of $1,483 per year. This represents 3.6 percent of the national average annual salary, which is $40,690.”

Of course, your mileage may vary. While you probably can’t change the hard costs of commuting unless you move or find a ride share, it’s the soft costs that may most affect your well-being the most.

Here are a few variables to consider when thinking about the ‘soft’ costs of commuting.

1. What’s you tolerance for commuting when no other job offers are coming and the job is just “ok”? Think in half-hour increments. Can you tolerate 30 minutes, or an hour, each way?
2. What if you hate your job, and there’s a long commute?
3. Or maybe you have a long commute and an “ok” job – but it’s a great company and there seems to be room for advancement?
4. Are you willing to go “outside” your comfort area to find a job?
5. How important is it to live in a certain region or zip code? What matters most – cultural activities, access to shopping, weather, access to hobbies, population density?

And a few things that might make a commute easier to take:

1. Think of the commute as private time. Use the time to contemplate and recharge. Plan your day in your head. Rehearse for difficult conversations or meetings.
2. Make the commute a game. Look for new routes (side benefit – a shorter commute) or see how far you can go on a tank by watching your gauge – what my family calls the ‘gas game’ (my husband does not approve, don’t play this game at night or in bad weather.)
3. Listen to new music. Choose a genre you don’t know well.
4. Listen to books – commutes are a great way to ‘read’ business books without feeling like it’s eating into your personal time.

One thing I can’t recommend: talking on the phone. Too distracting and dangerous.

Meghan M. Biro, founder of TalentCulture, is a serial entrepreneur and globally recognized career expert in talent acquisition and creative personal and corporate branding. Meghan has conducted more than 300 successful career searches for clients ranging from Fortune 500s to the most innovative software start-up companies. Meghan is also a new media strategist who enjoys accelerating collaborative business and community goals. When not recruiting, blogging, and innovating, she manages a dynamic coaching practice to empower corporate leaders, mid-level managers, software technologists, and recent college graduates. Meghan is a member of the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS), The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and several entrepreneurial organizations. She serves on the Alumni Council for Greens Farms Academy, acting as a career mentor to high school and college students. Founder and co-host of “#TChat, The World of Work,” a long-running, weekly Twitter chat and radio show, Meghan’s ideas have appeared on Forbes, CBS Moneywatch and she blogs regularly at Monster, The 12 Most, Ragan’s HR Communication and several additional online destinations of note.

The Glassdoor Team is a small yet seasoned group of individuals looking to provide greater transparency into one of the most important aspects of our lives – our jobs. Contributions to the blog are designed to present a unique perspective on current events, offer commentary on the inside workings on specific jobs at a multitude of companies, and provide details on the latest happenings from within Glassdoor.

By Ken Wax

(Note: This is adapted from Ken Wax’s book on Amazon. Ken will be a regular contributor to Sales Gravy.)

When I met my first human brochure, I didn’t know what to make of him.

It was early in my career before entering sales, back when I was a buyer for Macy’s. Because my job was to buy millions of dollars of consumer electronics, all sorts of salespeople wanted to meet with me. They ranged from local sales reps to National Sales Managers for leading manufacturers. It was quite an education.

I can still remember being amazed that someone would fly across the country for a meeting, only to turn pages and bring no additional value whatsoever. So many obviously knew nothing about the pressures and needs of a buyer, or how buying decisions were made.

My experiences on the ‘other side of the desk’ taught me much about the variances among salespeople. Meet enough salespeople and you appreciate that there are definite levels of understanding and abilities.

When I joined the tech field, it was in distribution, as a merchandise manager for Ingram-Micro. Again, I was meeting with many salespeople and their managers – and again I found those distinct levels of selling.

Each level corresponds to the value a salesperson brings to his or her customer. As I discovered when I rose to sales management positions, each also has direct correlation to how effective they are at bringing in new business and protecting existing accounts.

Level # 1: Human Brochures

This person knows various things about their company’s products, services and their company’s story. Just ask; they’re happy to relay speeds, feeds, and details. But first, they’d like to show you the company’s overview slideshow and read every bullet point. Or just talk for a very long time.

To them, selling is telling. They have a lot to say about their company’s offerings; isn’t that the purpose of a sales call?

Most human brochures are blissfully unaware of their limitations. Whenever a sale is lost, they know why. It was a fickle executive, incompetent contact, lying competitor, or our stupid pricing. Of one thing they are certain: It wasn’t their fault.

Level #2: We’re Good, They’re Not

Next are those with Level #1 knowledge plus an understanding of the competition’s pitch.

This is the stereotypical professional salesperson. Proud of his or her company and able to point out all sorts of (alleged) competitor weakness that their company has taught them. This can be useful to the customer, who now knows what areas to probe with those other guys to get a lower price.

The biggest problem with the Level #2 salesperson is that they cost as much to hire, train and field as a higher level salesperson. Finding them leads costs just as much, and high-potential opportunities are placed in their hands. If you’re going to go to all that trouble and expense, why settle for their limited impact?

Level #3: A Bigger Picture

At this level, the salesperson has crossed over to be able to bring value. He or she has some level of historical understanding of their field and of customers. They can convey stories of how other companies have benefited, though these are limited to their first-hand knowledge of their own accounts.

The Level #3 professional knows how we all got to where we are. He or she can speak about the advances over the years, changes in standards, and all that. They can relay the experiences of others who’ve bought, which is instrumental if one wants to get someone excited and able to talk up a purchase inside their company.

It’s easy to see how a Level #3 salesperson is more likely to influence a prospect, especially when their competitors are merely Level #1 or #2.

Level #4: Broader Knowledge & Insights

Big jump to get here. At Level #4, you have perspective – you can see the purchase from the customer’s point of view and you are focused on creating desire.

We’re now entering the area where a salesperson is bringing a customer knowledge they couldn’t easily get with a few clicks at your website. Their stories have insights. They can help a prospect look smart and make a confident choice. This comes from having additional dimensions of knowledge:

• Beyond Their Own Experience: The salesperson at this level has taken the time to learn the stories of experiences at customers with similar challenges, even if they are in other industries.
• Industry Knowledge – they’re on top of trends and changes in that prospect’s field, and what the business will look like in 12 or 18 months.
• Buying Knowledge – they’ve developed an understanding of the dynamics and behind-the-scene decisions taking place for this sale to happen.

This all combines to deliver a personal value to their contact. The Level #4 salesperson knows what questions are going to come up and what the contact needs to know to look smart. They know how to arm that contact with examples and analogies that will inspire their manager and other business executives.

Level #5: Valued Consultant

Our highest level is reserved for those who know so much they could conceivably charge for their insights. They’ve put in the time and effort to develop knowledge, perspective and vision that is befitting a successful consultant in the prospect’s field.

At Level #5, he or she has moved beyond seeing their job as expertly pitching smart solutions. Instead, the goal is have that contact succeed and become a hero in their organization.

No one is born at Level #5. One needs to aim for it and put in work to get there. But the pay sure is better.

At every company I’ve worked with, the top money makers are at the higher levels. Shifting oneself up even a single level delivers a striking revenue impact.

About Ken Wax

Ken Wax is an author, speaker, and adviser on selling to companies ranging from IBM and Monster to mid-size companies and start-ups.

He has led sales teams at start-ups and also at industry giants, and has interviewed, hired and developed hundreds of salespeople in his career. Three of Ken’s companies have been acquired; one has gone public.

He has been the keynote speaker at dozens of conferences on five continents, and has written over 120 magazine articles published around the world. Ken’s 2011 book, ‘The Technology Salesperson’s Handbook’, is on Amazon and Ken is currently working on two new books on selling. He teaches seminars and workshops for clients; they’re specific to that company’s challenges with immediately-useful approaches and techniques.

Ken brings many of his most popular teachings to Sales Gravy; you can learn more about him at www.kenwax.com or by searching his name on LinkedIn or Amazon.

When the stock market fell off a cliff and credit was frozen and virtually impossible to find, companies moved aggressively to take shelter and weather the storm by cutting payroll and other expenses.  Those who managed to survive and stay standing at the end of 2009 will see revenue growth in 2010.  Those resilient companies will prosper on this long road to recovery throughout the coming years and they will create opportunities and focus on growth, not consolidation.  The strong companies today are betting on their ability to bring in revenue and they are confident and see an incredible opportunity to grow their business.  2010 will be a building year, a year to focus on re-securing the footings and foundation in order to build a stronger more aggressive company in 2011.  So what is the one job companies create when they are feeling confident in their ability to drive revenue?  

SALES JOBS!
Companies are now starting to see some relief.  As credit continues to loosen, companies become more confident in their ability to bring back jobs.  The first and most sought after jobs in 2010 will be sales.  According to a report by Forbes.com*, two of the Top 10 most recession proof jobs are Financial Advisors (4^th on the list) and Sales Representatives (6^th on the list).

So why are sales roles considered more secure?  Companies cut to the bone in 2009 due to the loss of revenue.  Companies can often reduce workforce while increasing workload in every department across the enterprise, however the same is not true in the sales department.  When companies reduce a sales force, they’ve reduced company revenue.  Sales representatives can’t cover 3 territories and produce the same combined revenue that their past counterparts produced.  When sales representatives are overloaded they lose deals to the competition.  As a result, companies are looking to hire and replenish their once prosperous sales force in order to regain market share and increase revenue.  They have lost revenue over the past year and are at risk of losing top talent.  The top sales professionals that have weathered the storm are starting to explore new opportunities.  They are the reason that companies have survived and as the sales job market begins to open, more options are presented to them.  They are no longer fearful of losing their job and are, in fact, more comfortable taking the chance to see what other options they have in the market. 

Organizations must be on the offensive in 2010 to build and hire top producing sales forces while recognizing that they will see increased attrition as the market gains momentum.  Therefore, many companies will be aggressively searching for talented sales professionals that can add value immediately.  If a company is not recruiting top talent, you can bet that their competition is.  Those companies that capitalize on this market and recruit the greatest sales talent in 2010 will see exponential growth in 2011. 

Here at Treeline, we are seeing this exact trend.  Our clients had more urgency in December of 2009 than the entire year.  They are eager to get back to pre-recession revenues and growth and are betting on a talented sales force to get them there.  That being said, companies are building more efficient and effective sales forces.  Therefore, there is currently a movement transitioning from large field sales presences to larger inside sales presence.  Consumers are more comfortable buying online and with a SAAS based software model, web demos and video conferences, companies can close large deals without setting foot in a prospect’s office.  Today, companies are preserving costs and doing business from one highly motivated, scalable and sustainable central location.  The most aggressive of these companies are using many effective Sales 2.0 selling tools and are adapting quickly.

With the significant decline of many industries in 2009, many sales professionals are finding that it is time to re-invent themselves and build a skill set that is marketable for years to come.  They find themselves burnt out and exploring new options.  Many are looking back to the hottest industry in sales right now: the technology sector.   We find that technology companies are adapting quickly to the Sales 2.0 methodology.  They are focused on consistent revenue growth and are building sales forces with urgency.  They are cutting costs by bringing their sales force inside and by using new technology solutions that help build pipelines and close business.  They are consolidating their outside sales force by recognizing the needs of today’s consumer and the new sales process.  Therefore, they have identified how to increase the efficiency of their sales team by reducing costs and increasing revenue. 

In short, we see the hottest job in 2010 to be sales jobs and the hottest industry to be technology.  Companies can no longer afford to work with a skeleton crew and definitely cannot afford the risk of loosing a top performer to their competition.  It is too great a risk for companies to sit idle when most of their competition is on the hunt.  Companies are selective and will only hire those that have a proven track record of success.  However, for sales professionals there will be many more options to choose from in 2010 than 2009.  So for talented sales professionals, consider yourself lucky to be in a great career. 

For both company and candidate, keep pushing aggressively in 2010 and get ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor.   
*http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/23/recession-proof-jobs-leadership-careers-employment.html