COMMENTS
Questions more than comments:
For the 6 positions available, how many calls will Marc expect to receive?
How much time will he spend on each call typically?
Objectively speaking, what is Marc looking for on those first calls?
I made one hire on June 15. From April until then I received 250 resumes. Only 50 were worth more scrutiny. 17 were phone screened. 3 came in for face to face interviews. 1 hire. How many calls is Marc going to field?!
Great questions Kevin and we will have a response asap. But, I have to say that he will probably receive less calls than you think because the process itself will weed out the weak. Anyone less than an "A" player is not going to put in the time to do the research to prepare and/or be brave enough to make the call in the first place. It is a brilliant barrier to entry and probably saves him from having to weed through 250 resumes. We have calls out to Geoff and Marc....stay tuned.
I love the process 8X8 is using. It will help the best candidates rise to the top- and hopefully save hiring managers time from weeding through less desirable resumes.
I'm going to ask Marc to respond to this, but one additional comment I'll make is that like other successful sales execs, Marc isn't at his phone all the time. It wouldn't surprise me if one or more of the candidates responding to his ad didn't hit 0# on his voicemail, then ask someone else to track him down. That's yet another advanced skillset that Marc's approach would discover.
One comment in the description has me thinking about his sales process:
We are seeking talented closers to excel at lead qualification and generating new business from new opportunities.
As we all know - there is lead gen (one skill set) and there is closing (another skill set). He might find that putting "top" salespeople in a position to spend more time closing, and less time smiling and dialing to get to the prospect in the first place, may be a route to consider.
Instead of hiring 3 full service inside sales folks, hire one to strictly do lead gen, or outsource lead gen - so the closers can close, rather than waste their day feeding the top of the funnel.
Also, I have to wonder what kind of revenue rewards he would reap if he'd raise the bar regarding qualifications - like college degree required. This is a great starting point for aspiring sales and marketing leadership. I've run across too many companies that want less qualified folks to perform like more qualified folks - and it just doesn't work without years of training and mentoring.
I cannot agree with Kathy's comment about using college degrees as a pre-requisite for raising the bar. That more standard approach towards 'filtering' candidates will be less-likely an indicator of high performance. And ultimately, gauging the performance is what it's all about. Getting them to perform by doing exactly the sort of job they'll be doing when hired will be far more useful than allowing them to perform in an interview, blithely puffing and blowing the usual cliched answers across a conference table.
@ Kevin Gaither.
Kevin, although he may have had to initially field many more calls with this unorthodox hiring technique, don't forget that he may also, at his discretion, have exercised his rights as the roleplaying recipient of an unwanted/ineffective sales call - and simply hung up! (A cruel but pretty expedient way to quickly weed out the duds! No?)
A P.S. to my post above, if I may. Another benefit of this approach (and the rapid fire way that one could effectively shut down a time-wasting caller) is that one might also by-pass any HR / employment law requirements that prevent one from testing a potential employee before hiring them.
(Or are employers wholly within their rights to ask a candidate to perform a task as a test of their appropriateness for a job?)
I really like what you had to say about preparing Sales people for the job but I don't agree using college degrees as a pre-requisite for raising the bar. There was many highly advanced & qualified sales persons that are better than some with bachelors degrees. With that said, I'm hoping this article you posted attracts many networking Sales persons..... I am in staffing & currently seeking to fill a great Inside Sales Rep opportunity. Please refer anyone qualified with great sales experience to me: anne.collins@remx.com
As a follow up to this, I posted a similar ad last week and have not received one single call. I'm surprised. I was expecting to get a FLOOD of calls.
Kevin, the idea is to NOT get a flood of calls but to attract only "A" players that are willing to step up to the plate. Lots of variables to take into consideration for the lack of response. Where did you post, how many times was it viewed, what are the typical number of responses you get from the same medium etc. Hang in there - I am sure those great candidates will respond! Remember this is a quality approach as opposed to a quantity approach.
I realize I'm jumping in a little late as an earlier post attempt failed but I wanted to go back and comment on Marc's overall approach. First I feel his ad is very complete and professional - he clearly set's the expectations and also provides a feel for the corporate "culture" but what I really like is his strong emphasis on the "phone screen" mock sales call and how he has detailed the scenario. I also prescribe to this best practice and feel it's one of the most effective ways to assess an individual’s sales ability. It's really amazing what this reveals and how this can sometimes bring folks "to their knees". I also think although many have used this technique, it is often times done as a second thought and in a very loose manner like "sell me a pen". What happens then is we don't get a true representation of their ability and we can easily dismiss an average or below performance due to the "loose manner". Marc has eliminated this by presenting a complete, realistic sales scenario which will provide a true test of a person’s sales ability. I think we can take a page from his play book. Well done and thanks Marc!
As a follow up to this. I placed a few ads out there with this process in mid July. I've only received 2 calls. One poor. The other however....
Couldn't get me on the phone.
Left me a voicemail that was very good (concise, clear, upbeat).
Left a follow up email to her voicemail.
Sent another short email follow up.
Sent me cookies.
While I wish I would have seen her call me more frequently instead of hiding behind the email, voicemail and the US Mail, I'm going to give her a shot to begin the interview process because of her persistence.
Bad idea? Good idea? Thoughts? Comments?
Hey Kevin - we meet again! I did look you up online - great online resume. You sounds like a high-energy guy. I am a proponent of Business.com. A guy I went to college with is on the board. One of my thoughts is that selling PPC ads may not be as intuitive to folks as the 8x8 phone system. I guess we'd have to see your ad. Care to post?
Best wishes,
Kathy Tito
@Kathy Tito. Glad to post. Obviously tweaked it to suit my company.
Do you have what it takes to be a great professional salesperson? Well then, show me.
First Step in Application Process:
Phone Screen (Mock Sales Call)
• You are a Business.com Inside Sales Account Executive
• I am a small business that you found buying business related keywords on other major search engines
• I want you to call me representing yourself as a Business.com Inside Sales Account Executive and I will play the role of the prospect. I'm a small business having a B2B focus and currently utilizing pay per click advertising services on other major search engines. Just like a real opportunity, I may be difficult to reach but if I pick up the phone be prepared to qualify me, present a solution, and close me on why I should expand my marketing budget to include Business.com. Leave messages if you would normally do that in the pursuit of a sale.
How to win:
• Research our web site,
www.business.com and the Pay per Click Advertising Product.
• Do not send your resume (yet).
• Call with a strong understanding of our product. Customers (in this case me) will not buy from an unprepared sales person. I will only ask product questions about information that can be easily found on our web site.
Useful Information
• Account Executives only sell the Pay-Per-Click Advertising product
• Our rate card begins at $.40 per click and increases upwards in $.10 increments thereafter
• Our average advertiser spends between $3,000 and $5,000 per month on the Pay-Per-Click Advertising
• Minimum to work with us is $1k spend per month (no exceptions)
Working as an Account Executive on the Inside Sales team at Business.com provides a compelling opportunity for sales professionals with a proven track record exceeding quota in any kind of B2B direct sales environment. We are seeking talented closers to excel at generating new business with new accounts. This is B2B sales.
Responsibilities:
• Consistently meet or exceed monthly New and Book revenue goals.
• Responsible for executing on all initial phases of the sales cycle such as lead generation, cold calling, online product demonstrations, proposal generation and campaign implementation.
• Daily accountabilities: 60 cold calls minimum, 1-2 online demonstrations, 1 proposal.
• Close 6-12 New Accounts per month.
• Enter and track prospects and associated notes within Salesforce.com.
• Work collaboratively with your Account Manager to drive revenue growth and retain current clients.
Required Skills/Experience:
• 1-7 years of sales experience (online marketing experience not required).
• Bachelors degree preferred.
• Must demonstrate a high level of sales skills including the ability to close new business, persuade others and handle objections.
• Track record of consistently hitting quotas & driving new business.
• High need for achievement and competition. Loves to compete and win.
• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written.
• Strong organization and time management skills.
• Exceptional phone skills. Easily builds rapport and establishes relationships with prospects.
• Listens patiently. Will probe and clarify to get a real sense of customer's needs.
• Coachable. Listens to and implements advice from manager.
• Resourceful. Goes over, under, around and through obstacles to achieve success.
Benefits and Compensation:
This is a direct hire full-time position with complete training, full benefits including full medical, dental, visual, 401k, and PTO. Including $45k base pay compensation, on target earnings (OTE) is designed to pay $105,000 / year at quota ($70k-$80k in your first year at quota).
Perks:
• Catered lunches twice per week
• Business casual dress (I wear a Hawaiian shirt on Fridays)
• On-going coaching and training
• Monthly and sales contests
• Wii, Darts and Foosball table for quick stress release
• Free bagels on Friday
• Monthly happy hours
• Friendly professional corporate selling environment
We have 3 positions available immediately. Good luck!
Kevin Gaither
Director of Inside Sales
Business.com®
310-586-4018
@ Trish Bertuzzi - Interesting post, thanks Trish. As someone in the recruitment world, I can see Marc Cook's method & ad being very effective for the reasons others have noted. Also, looking at Marc's ad structure and tone, it's obvious he knows how to connect with his target audience, and knows which buttons to press to inspire them to act.
@ Kevin Gaither - Kevin, thank you for posting too. As Trish notes, it may simply be a matter of where you posted the ad, and giving it more time. However, my belief (and I would not stake my house on it!) is that you have not connected with your target audience. Possibly for 2 reasons that I can see:
1) Your ad is a copy and paste replica of Marc's - the point is not that candidates will know this - but you're asking candidates to invest time/effort, yet, you yourself seem to have invested little in tailoring Marc's ad for your needs. This shows - there's probably a disconnect between the process and what your target audience deems appropriate - as Kathy has noted, it may need more than tweaking to connect with people selling PPC ads.
2) Your ad structure. If I were a star candidate, I would not apply. It's all about what you want, and what I would get seems like an afterthought. In Marc's ad, I imagine that candidates are captivated by the opportunity, the success story that is 8x8, and end up aspiring to work for such a company. They are then hit with the perks, and finally, just when they are asking "how do I apply???", he hits them with the process. By this point, the stars are compelled to act. Your ad doesn't take me on this journey - I wouldn't even get to the WIIFM (at the bottom of your ad) - all I would see is "Do you have what it takes to be a great professional salesperson? Well then, show me" and I'd think: I am a great prof sp, but why would I show you!? Who are you? Sounds like you need me more than I need you..."
I'm sorry if my comments seem curt - I simply want to remind you that it's a very level playing field out there - good employees have options, and employers with vacancies need to remember that each and every interaction you have with candidates / prospective employees leaves an impression. If they sense that you're not going to give as good as you get (or ask for), they will simply walk on by. I genuinely hope this helps, and good luck with your recruitment.
Marios