| If you've seen the movie adaptation of David | | | | just to collect a paycheck. But wouldn't |
| Mamet's stage play "Glengarry Glen Ross", no | | | | life have been easier if you hadn't hired |
| doubt you're familiar with Alec Baldwin's | | | | them in the first place? One of the keys to |
| infamous scene in which he delivers one of | | | | successful recruiting (particularly in sales, |
| the most memorable motivational sales | | | | where the candidate criteria can be more |
| speeches of all time. If you've worked in | | | | subjective than with other roles) is to pay |
| sales at any time during the last 14 years | | | | close attention to your gut instincts and if |
| since the movie was released, chances are | | | | something about a candidate doesn't sit well |
| either yourself or someone you know can | | | | with you, move on to another candidate! If |
| recite chunks of Baldwin's speech, or at | | | | you're an individual with a lot of pet |
| least some of the key takeaway phrases | | | | peeves, then you'd better do your best to |
| ("coffee is for closers!"). For those of you | | | | determine early on in the interview process |
| who haven't seen the movie, Baldwin portrays | | | | whether or not a particular candidate has the |
| a real estate shark (albeit briefly: he's | | | | potential to drive you crazy. You can save |
| only onscreen less than 10 minutes) brought | | | | yourself a lot of frustration by recognizing |
| in by fellow brokers Mitch and Murray in | | | | those subtle indicators of future |
| order to rally their sales team and roll out | | | | "termination-worthy" actions. Here is a |
| the guidelines for the monthly sales contest. | | | | handful that I watch out for when |
| The top two salespeople get to keep their | | | | interviewing sales candidates:The |
| jobs while everyone else is canned. At the | | | | Inaccessible Candidate. It bothers me when I |
| end of his tirade, Baldwin responds to Ed | | | | am unable to connect with a sales candidate |
| Harris's question of why he's there. "I came | | | | on their cell phone after 2 or 3 tries. If |
| here because Mitch and Murray asked me for a | | | | I'm not able to get through to them after a |
| favor," Baldwin sneers. "But I said the real | | | | reasonable number of attempts, why should I |
| favor is follow my advice and fire your | | | | assume that one of their prospects or |
| (rear-end) because a loser is a loser." | | | | customers would be able to? I can appreciate |
| Meeting dismissed. Harsh? Absolutely. | | | | not answering calls from blocked numbers, but |
| Motivating? Without question it motivated the | | | | I don't think refusing to answer because they |
| unproductive reps to take action, just not | | | | don't recognize the phone number is a |
| the actions Mitch and Murray would have hoped | | | | legitimate excuse. Who's to say I'm not a |
| for (you've got to watch the movie to find | | | | referral from a client?The candidate who gets |
| out what truly desperate people in these | | | | too personable, too quickly. Like many of |
| circumstances will do). The first five | | | | our clients, sales reps in our industry are |
| minutes of movie blatantly establishes that | | | | essentially consultants: we do not sell a |
| the entire sales department, with the | | | | product and the services we provide are |
| exception of top-producer Al Pacino | | | | highly customized based on the needs of our |
| (nominated for an Academy Award for his role) | | | | clients. In addition, our firm operates on a |
| has already begun the downward death spiral | | | | retained basis (whereas the majority of our |
| many salespeople go through once industry | | | | industry is comprised of contingent firms), |
| burn-out has begun to set in. For those of | | | | so in order for us to justify an up-front |
| you with a background in sales management who | | | | engagement fee it's imperative that we |
| have seen the movie, you probably recognize | | | | establish credibility and capacity very early |
| that the intent of the sales meeting at the | | | | on in the relationship. Our clients look to |
| fictional Rio Rancho Properties was not to | | | | us as professional consultants and solution |
| motivate the reps to sell; it was to motivate | | | | providers, first and foremost. If a personal |
| them to leave. Mitch and Murray's reasoning: | | | | relationship develops beyond the scope of our |
| turn up the pressure to an unbearable level | | | | obligations, great, however, our clients to |
| and the ensuing war of attrition will weed | | | | do hire us to discuss deep-sea fishing, my |
| out the ones that can't take the heat, thus | | | | nephew's wedding and whether or not the |
| saving the management team from the | | | | Marlins can pull a rabbit out of a hat this |
| unpleasant tasks of either confronting the | | | | Saturday against the Cubs. If this is the |
| reps regarding their lack of production or | | | | route a candidate takes in an attempt to |
| terminating them in person.For many sales | | | | immediately try and establish rapport with |
| managers across companies of all sizes, | | | | me, what makes me think he or she is going to |
| turnover is a way of life. Dealing with | | | | act any differently with one of my clients? |
| performance issues comes with the territory: | | | | There is a time and place for those |
| either you address it with your reps | | | | conversations: just make sure they're not in |
| individually or someone will be addressing | | | | the first 15 minutes of our initial |
| yours with you. Whether a sales rep leaves | | | | conversation (that is, of course, unless I |
| voluntarily or is escorted to the door by | | | | happen to mention the Marlin's current |
| security, it's a painful process to watch | | | | winning streak).The Agreeable Candidate. It |
| someone go from excited candidate to | | | | always bothers me when someone sits across |
| promising newcomer to frustrated rep to | | | | from you, looks you in eye and agrees 100% |
| underachiever to latest casualty. I have yet | | | | with everything you say. It's one thing if |
| to meet a manager who wouldn't rank firing | | | | I'm at a cocktail party making small talk |
| people at the bottom of the list of "most | | | | with my co-worker's spouse with whom I've |
| rewarding aspects" of their job. Looking | | | | just met. It's another thing when I'm having |
| back at the interview process, most sales | | | | a serious business conversation with an |
| managers will admit they recognized the red | | | | individual I'm either considering |
| flags that ultimately led to the undoing of a | | | | recommending to my client or adding to my own |
| particular candidate once he or she became an | | | | team. If you're interviewing a candidate |
| employee, but for whatever reason chose to | | | | that appears to be in agreement with |
| overlook or downplay them. I've spoken with | | | | everything you say, you've either got a "yes |
| sales managers and business owners who, after | | | | man" on your hands or you're talking way over |
| an exhaustive parade of unsuccessful hires | | | | their heads and they're too intimidated to |
| and terminations, have come to the conclusion | | | | say so. There's an old business cliché |
| (incorrectly, I might add) that it's | | | | that says if you have two people within an |
| virtually impossible for them to predict | | | | organization that think exactly alike, you |
| whether or not any one candidate will be | | | | have one too many people. Either way, you |
| successful in their organization based on a | | | | need to keep looking.The Blame Game. The |
| handful of interviews. "Salespeople are | | | | majority of people leave their jobs either |
| professional interviewers, right? Aren't | | | | because they do not get along with their |
| they trained to tell you exactly what you | | | | immediate supervisor or they simply do not |
| want to hear?" So they devise a recruiting | | | | like what they're doing from the hours of 8 |
| strategy that consists of establishing some | | | | to 5 each day. That's understandable; I |
| rough hiring guidelines (ie., Bachelor's | | | | think all of us have been there at one time |
| degree, minimum of 2 years sales experience) | | | | or another. The problem I have is when a |
| bring on the first person that looks | | | | candidate consistently points the finger at |
| presentable, throw them a bunch of dead leads | | | | someone or something that stood in the way of |
| and/or disgruntled customers, point them to a | | | | their success, thus forcing them to look for |
| phone and if they fall to produce in the | | | | a new line of work. This is particularly |
| first 90 days, get rid of them. Recruiting | | | | troubling when you have a candidate with a |
| the RIGHT people is no easy task, so it's | | | | less-than-consistent work history (more than |
| understandable how one could adopt this | | | | 2 jobs in the last 5 years). "The job was |
| scattershot philosophy. My advice would be | | | | not as described," is a way of saying "I |
| that if you want to make every working day | | | | didn't fully investigate the opportunity." |
| feel like a week while ushering in your own | | | | "The company was not financially sound," in |
| demise, then adopt this strategy | | | | the candidate's mind is better than saying "I |
| immediately.While this is an extreme example, | | | | failed to do my due-diligence and research |
| most hiring managers would concede there have | | | | because I was desperate for work." "My boss |
| been occasions when they have overlooked | | | | had unrealistic expectations." They probably |
| critical flaws in a candidate's background, | | | | should have figured out what those |
| character, etc. simply because they were | | | | expectations were before they accepted the |
| desperate for someone to step into the | | | | position.Thad Greer is the Business |
| position, only to watch it blow up in their | | | | Development Manger for Priority Recruiting |
| face down the road. If you are the type of | | | | Solutions, Inc. a retained executive search |
| manager who is swift in taking action upon | | | | firm headquartered in Hollywood, Florida |
| the realization you have made a bad hiring | | | | (just north of Miami). Thad contributes to |
| decision (and by that I mean terminating the | | | | the Priority Recruiting Report, a bi-monthly |
| employee), then I applaud you. There is | | | | newsletter containing topics related to the |
| nothing worse than watching someone toil away | | | | recruiting and staffing industry. |