Hit the right notes. Recruit the Right Salespeople.

 

The quality of people’s resumes amazes me every day of the week in terms of details, consistency, layout and logical flow. I read thousand’s of selling CV’s a year now and even years ago the trend is always that, the better the BDM skills, the worse their résumé. Given some CV’s are total works of fiction I don’t know why BDMs don’t at least make the detail up more often.

In regards to grammar and spelling, I postulate this is because the fast paced style of a BDM is incompatible with spelling and structured detail. When you deal everyday with technical writers this must be very glaring for you. I say this also in my own defense. I‘m sure you have found stacks of typos in my communication. I used to have a business partner (Mez is what he calls himself) who was more of an Account Manager-style Salesperson than me and he was mortified with some of the mistakes in my emails. I certainly didn’t notice any in Mez’s.

As for KPIs, clear territory definitions and achievements are usually missing – and that baffles me too. Certainly in clear BDM roles, people don’t survive for years at a time like Mez has done without bringing in the numbers. I wonder if not bringing in the numbers is the real explanation for why Alex (a good old Hunter style Salesperson and I suppose a Jack-of-all-trades when it comes to careers) has moved so often.

Also, good Hunters are also by nature, risk-takers and so, they are willing to move more often. Though our Alex seems to have some underlying problem as he keeps moving in and out of recruitment. Yet here is something for recruiters and HR Managers to keep in mind – it is this constant moving about that indicates someone who is happy to take risks (or actually adores it), happy to push past their comfort zones; a trait that may possibly indicate an exquisite Hunter-style Salesperson.

Warm regards,

Maya Saric

Managing Director – Corporate Coach Aust P/L

SIP helping you build sales results quickly and cost effectively by identifying people who can sell.

More information on SIP: Why SIP has no age limits