I Think I Want to Become a Salesman – Should I Bother Even Considering It?

If you are thinking about such a position, then you must have heard that this is a field where big money can be made. Well, it’s partially true – big money can be made depending on what you sell (the niche you are working in) and depending on your skills.

First of all, you should know what you would be doing on such a position. Most probably you will start as an entry level salesman, be involved in some training sessions, the product or service of the company will be presented to you and then you will be asked to start selling. If you are lucky to get a job in a larger company, you will go in the field with a senior agent to observe how things are done. If not, you are on your own. Your job is to contact clients (some already existing in the company database, some brand new that you think of), convince them to meet you, present them the offer, give details and answer tons of questions and again if you are convincing enough and if they need the product or service you sell you will get to close the deal and cash a nice commission. Sounds easy? Well, don’t bet on it…

Right now you may have some native skills, but you have no experience and you have had no training. Why should they hire and pay you if they can get someone who has experience, who comes with a network of customers and who will sell for sure? Well, the first thing you need to learn how to sell is yourself.

Start preparing a strategy. You have no training – then get some: selling techniques, direct marketing, viral marketing, etc. Don’t expect your employer only to organize this for you. To show them you are interested, do some trainings on your own, read books, talk to other agents, get connected (I recommend LinkedIn), then put all these details in your CV, add your native skills if you have any that might be useful, then start applying to jobs. Get prepared to be rejected, but never give up. It’s crucial. If you give up, then you don’t have the main skill that you need for a job in sales – being perseverent, not taking rejection personally and understanding the other side’s perspective.

Some additional trainings you can get involved in besidessales techniques are communication, public speaking and negotiation skills. They will also help you during the interview. Expect a lot of role plays and get prepared before. Ask one of your friends to test you and also talk to yourself in the mirror to get used to the presentations. Good luck in getting hired and here are a few Sales FAQs that might help you decide if this is a job for you.

Is there another position I can start on?

Yes, merchandiser. This is someone who approaches clients in large stores or areas where target customers wander around and offer them free samples of products, talk to them about offers and discounts sometimes even asking them to buy something .

What’s the nasty part of sales?

Getting rejected over and over again. Don’t take it personally and don’t give up. This is going to make you stronger and help you come up with better and better presentation and arguments until one day you will realize you’ve become one of the best in your field. 

What should I sell?

Start with something you know or like even if you don’t make that much money. If you love reading, start selling books. Knowing and loving the product helps you come up with arguments that will convince the customer. Then, after you have learnt the sales techniques, you can move up to products that really bring you the big money – like luxury cars, homes, any other luxury goods. Of course moving up is not mandatory. If you like what you sell and you are satisfied with your earnings, you can stick to your initial product or service.

How should I address the potential customer?

By identifying a need they have and offering solutions to that need (your product/service of course). If the customer doesn’t have that need or if you don’t convince them that they do, your scope is lost.

How important is networking?

Crucial. Being sociable and getting to know people allows you to identify their needs. They will trust someone they have known for a while to sell them something than someone brand new. Also, try to get recommended. A satisfied customer will bring you his friends and family, so more money.

What’s a target?

It’s a number (number of products sold, amount of money cashed in, number of contracts signed, number of customers contacted) that you need to pursue on a given period of time. Achieving your target and even going above it are the things that you need to focus on in order to be a successful salesman.

How do I start finding customers?

Create a strategy in order to work organized: think of who might want/need your product/service and then prepare a list of names and contact details. Start with the people you know, then the people recommended by the ones you know and only then go to strangers. Again, don’t give up. Some customers may not even bother to answer the phone or agree to meet you. Just don’t give up, search details about them and think how you can approach them. You need to remember that your target in front of them is not to get rich, but to solve a need they have. This is how you think your presentation.

How do I present the price?

Always have a price prepared, show it to the customer when they ask about it or include it in the printed materials if you offer the client any (and you should do this for them to have something to think of otherwise they will forget all about you the second you’re out the door), but mention that you are willing to negotiate discounts, offer them additional benefits and so on.

How do I present the product/service?

Present the main features that you think would interest the client and solve his/her need first. Deciding to buy takes only a few seconds. If you’re not able to capture the attention during the first moments, the sale is lost.

Start with the need it is addressing then have a lot of arguments prepared. Always study competition before and be prepared to receive questions about the advantages you offer compared to the competition. Offer solid arguments. If your product is better, but costs more, talk about quality and its durability in time. If it’s not, be prepared to discuss lower prices and additional benefits you are offering. Sometimes you may be selling the same product as the competition so additional benefits and your relationship with the customer are key elements in the final decision.

How should I behave?

Be open, listen carefully to questions, don’t contradict openly, keep answers to questions short and precise, and try not to waste the client’s time. If the client clearly rejects you, try to understand why and try to come back in a while with something new in terms of product/service, with a new offer of discounts or simply during a period of time when the client has money or is able to buy. Again, don’t give up and don’t be aggressive and desperate to sell no matter what. You don’t only want a customer, but also want the customer in front of you to recommend you further. Agreeing with them the best time to come back is better than a sale pushed upon the client who will never want to hear about you again. Show you care about their needs too and not only your profit.

If there’s any additional question you would like to see here, please write me on my email or post a comment here.

Good luck with your careers and take care,

Geo

And one more thing - this post was part of the Carnival of HR on the 4th of July.
More details here: http://www.blogging4jobs.com/hr/its-the-shrm12-notatshrm-carnival-of-hr/ 

Also read:

Becoming a Project Manager:

http://hr-faq.blogspot.ro/2012/06/how-to-become-project-manager.html

Becoming a Recruiter:

http://hr-faq.blogspot.ro/2012/01/what-skills-do-i-need-to-be-good.html

How to Become a Project Manager

The position of Project Manager is more and more present on the job market and on job portals, so becoming Project Manager is attracting employees more and more. It sounds important and it is convincing people to specialize and follow project management courses and acquire project management certifications. But is it that simple? And are there details you should know before starting? Is there something that you should be careful about? The answer to these questions is “No”, “Yes” and “Yes” in that order. It’s not simple – it’s a long and serious process that requires lots of work and also since there’s money to be invested you must be really careful what you invest it in.

Let me start by telling you what a Project Manager does:

1. A Project manager is assigned a project to complete  by a certain deadline – has a clear mission like build a bridge in one year;
2. He/she then needs to start thinking what he/she needs in order to do that: how much money (this is the planned budget), how many people, how many machines and what other type of equipment and materials, what authorizations and what paperwork needs to be done; all these items are called resources;
3. Then a clear plan needs to be made so that the large project is split is smaller activities: the materials need to be bought by this deadline, the people hired by this deadline, the machines need to clear the land by this deadline, soil structure analysis needs to be done by this deadline,  the pillars need to be built by this deadline and so on;
4. Then risks need to be identified and addressed: what do we do if we don’t manage to hire all the necessary workers by the set deadline, what do we do if the price of materials raises suddenly and we need to increase the budget, what do we do if there’s a flood and we need to stop work for a week and so on depending on the project;
5. Then clear tasks need to be given to the members of the team, conflicts should they appear solved, people need to be monitored and so on.

-          The Project Manager is the one responsible if the project is not delivered on time.

How should you start, then?

First step: takes a few months and allows you to acquire the basics of Project Management – learn notions like project, details of a project, start date and end date, intermediary deadlines, milestones, project resources which include both human and material resources, project risks and how to address those and the role of the project manager and of the team (because a project manager never works alone). All these notions can be acquired by trainings you do yourself, or books you read. You don’t need courses that are too advanced or a certification from first. Take your time to understand the basics and realize if this is really for you. Be really careful what trainings of Introduction to Project Management you attend. There are a lot of companies which offer them and most of the times cheap equals to poor quality, so be really careful. You may end up with the diploma you wish for but get no real knowledge you can use.      

Second step: try to develop the skills you need to be a good Project Manager – first the skills for the “project” part like organizing and prioritizing skills (these are crucial), analytical thinking, ability to say “no”, to be assertive, then the “management” part of the skills like the ability to lead a team, to solve conflicts, to efficiently split resources and tasks among team members to meet deadlines, the ability to motivate your team. Again, think carefully if this is really for you because from now on you start investing the big money and not only your time. And if you get a Project Management certification that is really expensive and don’t use it, then it has all been a waste of time and money.

Step 3: register in a Project Management training to obtain a Project Management certification – Foundations Level. Some good certifications that are accepted all over the world are Prince 2 and PMP. The prices are quite high but they look great in every Project Manager’s CV and can help you get good paid Project Management jobs. The Foundations level for Prince 2 for example costs around 1000 USD/750 Eur. This is the step when you turn professional. You no longer learn and practice Project Management by yourself, but are officially a Project Manager. Try to get involved at the same time in projects to practice what you have learnt.

Step 4: learn how to use Project Management software. You can start with the basic Microsoft Project which is part of the Office Suite. It offers a lot of functionalities from project properties, milestones, resources and budgets. You can create charts of activities, deadlines and resources. Then go online and see what’s available in this field. You will be amazed to see how much this area has developed too in the past years. 

Step 5: get more advanced Project Management certifications. You can try Prince 2 Practitioner to start with. Of course all these certifications need to be combined with practice on the job. Information on the Project Management certifications can be found online so I will not get too much into details.

So now, all I can do is hope that my article has helped you decide whether Project Management is really for you. It’s a specialized job that requires years to become really good and remember that a single course of two days in Project Management basics is not enough to give you confidence to apply to such a serious position.

Take care,

Geo

Also read:

How to become a trainer: http://hr-faq.blogspot.ro/2012/05/i-think-i-want-to-be-trainer-i-need-to.html

I Think I Want to Be a Trainer - I Need to Know More

First of all you need to know what a trainer does on a daily basis, then what skills you need to have and to develop and last but not least what training of your own you need to become a trainer. All these details should help you decide if the job of a Trainer or HR Specialist in training and employee development is really for you.

The main activities that a trainer does on a daily basis are mentioned below. However, the list is open and depends on the specifics of each company. In some companies, the trainer does only the last activity in the list and that's it. In others, he/she is involved in administrative tasks and budget approving as well.

A trainer:

- discusses with the managers of each department and identifies training needs. By training needs I mean the list of skills that the employees in the specific team need to develop. These can be technical skills or soft skills (communication, leadership, time management, decision making, etc.);

- discusses with the employees themselves face to face or applies questionnaires to identify and confirm training needs again;

- creates the training plan for a given period of time, including all the necessary trainings, number of employees that need to be trained, if the trainer is internal or external, potential costs, timelines;

- asks for approval for potential costs - sometimes this is the job of his manager, but not all the time, so be prepared for explaining as well. All costs need to be reflected in company productivity so be prepared with strong arguments before sending the costs for approval. Asking for managers' support can also be useful;

- creates the training agenda for trainings that he/she will be organizing himself/herself;

- gathers materials for his/her trainings;

- contacts external companies for trainings that need to be organized by an external provider (mostly technical, but not only), prepares the room, communicates training details to participants, gets feedback from participants at the end;

- develops and presents his/her own trainings in front of the participants, communicates details, gets feedback, improves training for next session based on feedback; selects the best training techniques in order to achieve the training goal;

What skills do you need?

First of all, communication and presentation skills. You must have the ability to explain what you know to the trainees so that at the end of the training they have acquired at least half of the presentation content. Depending on the training techniques used, the percentage can be even more. You must speak fluently and openly, keep eye contact with each of the participants, must not be afraid to speak in public. Allow them to give you their opinion as well. Don't make it look like you're a teacher in school.

Then, analytic skills which will allow you to select from the materials you have the best for your training and from the techniques you know the best for your purpose.

Being patient is also important. Not everybody understands information fast and a trainer must be able to make sure that at the end of the training all the participants have understood the message. Repeating over and over again can also be necessary from time to time, so be prepared.

Sensing the dynamics of the group is a must. You must know when to tell the information again, when to stop, when to listen, when to change the training technique because the trainees are bored and no longer follow you. Don't get annoyed by aggressive trainees, have patience with slower ones, encourage everybody to contribute with ideas.

Time management is also crucial. You need how to monitor the discussions in order not to transform a 2-hour training in an entire day of small talk. Encourage the participants to participate but also keep an eye on the clock to make sure you keep the agenda. Some of the participants' time may be limited and wasted. Keep the agenda as promised and if there are trainees who want to talk more to you, ask them to do it at the end of the training.

If you do also administrative tasks, you need to be organized and have some negotiation skills if you want the training budget approved. Training results are not concrete results you can feel, so management will need some strong arguments from your side.

Coming back to our third part of the topic, what trainings do you need to become a trainer?

The main training you need to start with is called "Train the Trainers (TTT)".  There are a lot of companies offering that, so be careful which one you choose. Ask around and go by recommendation if you really want to achieve your goal. Then continue with communication, time management and some psychology courses (to understand groups). Then, try to get as much experience as you get and good luck.

And as bonus: Training FAQs:

1. What do I do if they ask me something I don't know?

This can happen to absolutely every trainer no matter how experienced. Don't panic, don't start searching for ideas and details right away because it will look unprofessional. Just admit you don't know, get the contact details of the participant and promise you will come back to him/her with details. Mention also the timeline you intend to come back with details. Keep your promise. That's it. Move over.

2. If I am the trainer of groups, how many participants can I allow during one session?

Depends on the training type. If it's a training on the PC, as many as the number of PCs in the room. If not, try to limit the number to 8-10. If you have more than that, you will not be able to give enough of your attention to each of them.

3. Can I train just one person?

Yes, but it's much more fun and rewarding with more because experience is shared. You might even learn something from them. Also, they get to know each other and share experience and ideas.

4. How do I start the training?

With an ice breaker. The best one to give you time to breathe is asking them to introduce themselves and say a few words about them. This is also good for the group dynamics because they get to know each other and they will work better throughout the training session/s.

5. How long should a training session be?

If you mean during a day - 1 hour maximum with adults and then break. If you mean during a longer training - depending on how much information you have to communicate. Can be from 2 hours to 3 months daily.

Good luck in achieving your goals.
Regards,
Geo

What Should a Labor Contract Include?

A Labor contract is the type of contract that an employee should sign with his/her employer to make sure that the rights and obligations of both parties are respected.

The main items included in the labor contract should be:

1. The identity of the parts (name, address, phone, legal representative of the company and name, address, personal identification details, work permit details if necessary of the employee);
2.  The object of the contract: 1- 2 phrases describing the main activities performed by the employee for the company;
3. Validity of contract – permanent or temporary; if temporary, the contract must include ending date;
4. Place of work and conditions;
5. The name of the position that the employee is going to have; job description can be included in contract or separate;
6. Number of hours the employee will perform every day or if less than one hour/day, the number of hours/week  - part time or full time contract;
7. Vacation and free time details;
8. Salary and additional benefits if any;
9. Details concerning overtime payment;
10. Rights and obligations of the parties (employee and company);
11. Trial period for the employee;
12. Notice period in case of resignation;
13. Dismissal in case of deployment period (number of days the employee will still be working for the company from the moment the position he/she is on is no longer necessary in the company);
14. Clauses: confidentiality, mobility, not being allowed to work for the competition, obligations from the employee side in case he/she is sent to specific trainings/certifications, others if necessary;
15. Termination clauses;
16. Signatures of the parties.

The elements above are just a draft for you to get an idea. They may vary from country to country and may include more or less details.  What’s important for you is to make sure you sign such a document and ask for your copy signed by both parties. This will be your backup in case the company doesn’t respect their obligations in terms of salary, vacation, breaks, benefits or others.

Have a great evening, morning or day no matter where you are,

Geo

I Want to Become a Manager – What Should I Do?

First of all you must think really well if you have what is takes. What I mean is:

1. Are you willing to be the role model and image of your team?
2. Are you willing to take responsibility for everything that happens in your team, including the negative results?
3. Are you strong enough to solve the conflicts between the members of your team?
4. Do you think you are able to build authority and convince the members of your team to listen to you and to follow your lead?
5. Are you willing to talk to the members of your team periodically, listen to them, know them well enough in order to help them and be their mentor?
6. Are you willing to learn and understand the functionality and roles of the members in your team in order to assign tasks in a fair and efficient manner and maybe help from time to time?
7. Are you interested in knowing and doing more than your current role?
8. Are you interested in understanding the entire business conducted by the company you are in (or are interested of working for) in order to understand where you and your team fit?
9. Do you like working with people?
10. Do you have any idea what “motivating your team” means?
11. Do you feel confident to speak in public?
12. Do you like reporting or are patient enough to deal with this task even if you’re not very fond of it?
13. Do you feel confident enough to make your own decisions knowing that they might affect not only you, but the people in your team as well or even the entire company?
14. Do you feel strong enough to fire someone?
15. Do you feel strong enough to tell someone to their face that they are not performing well and need to improve?
16. Do you know what “delegating tasks” means? Do you trust your team members enough to actually do it?
17. Do you know what you current manager does on a daily basis?
18. Are you organized? Do you know how to prioritize your tasks?

If you replied in a positive manner to all or most of the questions above, then you want to become a manager. Now, from wanting something and making it happen, it is a long way. What you need to do next is shadow your manager and get involved in trainings.

How to shadow your manager: talk to him/her in an open manner and tell him/her that you want to learn more than what you know at the moment. Ask for additional tasks that are done by a manager mainly and see how it feels like: do reports, talk to the members of your team, plan meetings, be the moderator in meetings, propose improvements, come up with new ideas, take responsibility for results. This will give you the confidence to take this new role and do it well.

At the same time, get involved in trainings. Talk to your manager, to your Human Resources department and also search by yourself trainings in the following areas: decision making, time management, planning and organizing, conflict management, leadership and team management, motivating your team, recruitment and selection, building trust in your team, building authority, project management – at least beginner level, risk management, organizing meetings, communication and anything that your manager and HR department recommends.

Only then you will be ready to apply for this new role in your company or in a different one. Becoming a manager takes a lot of work, but if you really want it and are determined enough to do the work and learn,  you will succeed. It means having a lot more responsibilities, but also more satisfaction when projects are done and results are visible.

Good luck and always follow your dreams, no matter what they are.

Geo

I Feel I Am Performing Better Than The Rest of My Team – What Should I Do?

First of all, watch your colleagues, try to understand their work and try to notice their skills. Also, try to get involved in what they do to get the feel of their work. All this to make sure you are really performing better. Maybe their tasks are different and more difficult and your impression may not be that correct.

Then, if you convince yourself that you are really performing better, put your thinking cap on and make a list of things you want: you want more tasks, more responsibilities, some tasks changed, more money or another position in the team or in another team – get prepared. After you have the list, talk to your manager in an honest and open manner telling him that you feel you perform better than the rest of your team and you want some changes. Be open and tell him what changes you feel would motivate you. Be prepared with ideas and arguments, not just demands. Simply showing a list of demands won’t take you anywhere. Maybe your manager has been too busy to notice all your daily activities and doesn’t know the status of your work as well as you do. Giving clear arguments and examples will support your cause.

Also, offer to help your manager with some of his tasks if you feel you are up to the challenge – ask for small tasks at first and them get involved in more important ones to prove yourself.

Then, if changes don’t come quickly, don’t be disappointed. Maybe the company can’t offer you more that what you have at the moment. Try to learn more, try to get involved in as much as possible, keep all your options open and changes will come for sure in the end.