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Whether you are an HR executive, CFO or IT
specialist, the day you embark on finding a new
position, you are in sales and the product is YOU!
The candidates that can put on their sales hat will
have a shorter and more successful transition.
First, let’s put to rest a common misconception:
sales is not about getting someone to buy something,
whether a service, a product, or you. Selling is
about solving problems. Think about companies you
know that are undergoing change or experiencing
challenges. Companies today are not looking for
candidates, but rather solutions to their
challenges. “Anyone can consider themselves in sales
because regardless of your level or function in
business, you solve problems,” says David Luke,
Founder of Integrative Sales Concepts. By
understanding the needs of a company and the
challenges they are encountering you can position
yourself as the solution.
Mark Rowe, Managing Partner of Rowe Consulting
Group, suggested that for non-sales executives “the
first step in implementing a successful sales
strategy into your job search is to surround
yourself with sales experts.” Seeking counsel from
accomplished sales executives will help you
determine how best to position yourself to potential
employers, how to best communicate with your target
audience, and how to develop a sales plan based upon
the solutions you bring to an organization.
The next critical component in implementing a sales
approach to your job search is to have a plan!
Identify your target audience. Factors to consider
in this are your industry expertise, the size of a
company, location, stage of the company (start-up,
growth, turn-around etc.) When you’ve identified who
your target audience is, Frank Kondrut, Principal
with The Laguna Group, suggests you “do your
homework and seek out information on the history and
problems of the companies that you are targeting so
that you can tailor yourself as the solution to
their problems. When you are in front of a company
and know their problems you can create yourself as
something attractive that they want as the
solution.” Frank also stated that “people negotiate
for their own reasons, not yours.” Is your approach
in tune with your target’s needs, or yours?
How are you measuring the progress in your job
search? “Having a strategy is important but people
who take it to the tactical level land faster,” says
David Luke. Again, seek counsel from sales
executives on the metrics that they use that make
them successful. Activities that you will want to
measure include conversations with decision makers,
meetings with people in your network, meetings with
potential hiring managers, networking events that
you attend. Set goals that are aggressive, but yet
attainable. During a job search there are many
variables that are outside of the candidate’s
control, such as when the job offer will be made.
Focus your time on activities that you can control
that will lead to the offer.
Take time to build relationships. In each of our
interviews with Frank, David and Mark the importance
of taking the time to build solid relationships was
stressed. The common pitfall with many candidates is
that they reach out to a new contact requesting help
in their job search. David suggests a different
approach and said to instead “build a reputation of
being a giver. When reaching out to a new contact,
be willing to spend the time helping them,
regardless of the perceived outcome.”
The key factors to consider when implementing a
sales strategy for your job search include: knowing
your strengths and the problems that you solve for
companies; creating a sales plan that focuses on
companies that can utilize your strengths; executing
on your plan every day; and building solid
relationships by helping others. |
