Archive: Jun 2009

1. Top Ten Tips for Cold Calls

   June 22, 2009 12:16 pm 23 Comments

   Hello,
   Today I would like to show you some tips from Jeremy J Ulmer about cold calling. Please share your opinions. Some people believe in this and some are strongly opposed to it, now it is time to tell everybody why you feel that way.
   I hope you like it!
   Shane

   1. Most people do not enjoy cold calling, but they need to realize it has to be done. It really is a mind-set. You have to set time daily to call, and make it part of your daily behavior/activities.
   2. Not everyone will be a fit and that is ok! If they say “No” or “No Thanks!” that is totally fine. You are simply finding out who might be a fit or not. There will be less pressure on you if you keep that mind-set.
   3. Celebrate the little sales. When you land a meeting or secure a conference call appointment, celebrate it on your own or with your team.
   4. Get creative on the call and be yourself.
   5. Recommend you attempt some calls prior to 8AM local time and after 5:00PM local time. Try some on Sat and Sun as well if needed!

   Go to Sales Coaches Cold Calling Tips for another 5 strong tips.

2. Does Age Matter: The DEBATE

   June 9, 2009 3:41 pm 13 Comments

   For many years I have seen articles, blog posts, forum topics and even whole websites dedicated to discussing whether age matters for entrepreneurialism (including young website owners and designers). As it is my birthday at the time of writing this (8th June), I thought this would be a good topic to discuss, lets see if we can get all of you to give your opinions!

   Firstly, we are going to need to figure out the Pros and Cons of age.

   Pros	Cons
   Less expenditure – One good thing about being young is that there are less things to spend your money on (eg. do not need to pay mortgage or many bills).	Money – Many young people do not have a job, so it is hard to invest into a new venture. Some parents help with this but many cannot afford to.
   Impression – Some people find young people trying to succeed early to be very impressive.	Contracts – Depending on what you do, you may need to sign contracts, there are many laws about this that can make it very difficult.
   Family and friends “usually” supportive – It is very important for everybody to have supporters, even more so for young people with no experience in the “real world”.	Travel – There are a lot of opportunities to meet people, go to seminars and to learn. However this is something that most young people are not able to do for a long time because of their financial situations and other circumstances such as school.

   That should be enough ideas for us all to discuss. If you can think of any more Pros or Cons please let everybody know. Thank you for reading and I hope you participate in the discussion, and if there is no discussion then start one!

   Shane

3. 10 Do’s and Dont’s for Interviews

   June 4, 2009 9:35 pm 23 Comments

   In this post, Frances Cole Jones from How to Wow and Cole Media Management shares her top 10 do’s and dont’s about interviews.
   

   Do:

   1. Remember that 7% of your impact comes from the words you say; 38% from how you say it (your tonal quality); and 55% from what your body is doing while you’re speaking. (UCLA study)
   2. Know that “you” is the most persuasive word in the English language, so the more you can say, “As I’m sure you know,” or “As I’m sure you’ve heard,” (Yale Univ. Study) the more easily others will respond to you.
   3. Sound happy when you say, “I’m happy to meet you.” (Not to mention, look your interviewer in the eye and shake their hand firmly.)
   4. Keep your hands where we can see them—out of pockets when standing, on the table when sitting. We trust you when we can see your hands, we don’t trust you when we can’t.
   5. Research the company/interviewer exhaustively. What’s their bestselling product/mission statement/biggest competitor? Why specifically do you want to work for them? How exactly are you going to contribute to their success?
   6. Have the answers to ‘softball questions/inquiries’ (questions so big you don’t know what to swing at) such as, “What was your favorite thing about your last job?” or “Tell me about yourself.” These should be grounded in a story such as, “My favorite thing about my last job was the opportunities I had to work with my team. For example, we once had 24 hours to put together a presentation….”
   7. Have the answer to, “What’s your greatest strength/weakness?” (FYI: Your greatest weakness is just a strength taken to an extreme, “I’m so interested in my subject, I tend to inundate people with detail about it. But I’m learning to pick and choose what information will be most effective,” etc. )
   8. Record a professional voice mail greeting, as this is the first contact many potential employers will have with you. Stand while you record it, smile, inhale, hit record, speak on an exhalation.
   9. Clean up your Facebook/MySpace/Twitter page. Any posts or photos that don’t say, “I can be trusted with $100,000” have to go.
   10. Get a thank you note in the mail—either email, snail mail, or both—within 24 hours. In addition to acknowledging the time they gave you, this should reference a story you, or they, told. Give yourself bonus points if you can include a link to an article you mentioned, or hard copy of the same.

   Don’t:

   1. Use useless modifiers. (Great, amazing, incredible, etc.) Something is only one of these things if you tell me why.
   2. Sit with a “too cool for school” attitude (leaning back, one leg crossed over the other, one arm thrown over the back of the chair.) Sit up and forward in your chair. Lean toward your interviewer. Smile.
   3. Use ‘hope’ as a strategy—as in, “I hope nobody asks me that.” Prepare answers to the worst three questions you anticipate getting. Practice them out loud.
   4. Forget you are interviewing from the time you arrive at the building—many employers can see you from the parking lot, or are in the elevator with you. This is not the time to brush your hair, remove your gum, finish your phone call about your date last night.
   5. Arrive wearing MP3 headphones in your ears/sunglasses on your head/ carrying a bag that’s bulging with papers or old sandwiches, etc.
   6. Leave your PDA on, or check your PDA during the meeting, at the elevator, or on your way from the restaurant table to the door. Nothing is more important than this interview.
   7. Bad mouth your former employers. If you didn’t enjoy the experience, simply say you’re looking forward to still more challenges. Employers prize loyalty.
   8. Think they won’t be examining your table manners as closely as your resume should you be asked to lunch. Be on time. Follow their lead with regard to ordering (Don’t get the whole, de-boned fish if they’re having salads.) Short of visible shards of glass or the possibility of anaphylactic shock, eat what you’re given.
   9. Assume they will be helping you negotiate. Have a salary range in mind. While you should not bring up a number, if they ask, “What are you looking for?” you don’t want to choke.
   10. Ask, “How did I do?” at the end of the meeting. Instead, you can inquire, “So, what’s my next step?”

   Frances Cole Jones has profesional experience in the field of coaching, she has also written a book which can be found at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other online book stores.