tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30158518860643333592024-02-21T23:52:05.917-08:00TVG Search BlogThoughts, suggestions and best practices for executive search, sales, marketing and business development.Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-77050135165430538562016-04-26T15:13:00.000-07:002016-04-26T15:24:18.672-07:00Who Will Be The "Next" Bill Campbell?<img height="200" src="https://fortunedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/bill_campbell.jpg?w=407" width="142" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bill Campbell, the consummate salesman and sales leader passed away last week. I never had the opportunity to work with Bill and met him only a handful of times. His reputation as a leader, mentor, provoker and counselor is legendary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His passing leaves a void. You see, Silicon Valley is all about the next great app, the disruptive product, the multi-billion dollar valuation. What Silicon Valley isn't so much about is cultivating leaders. You may not agree with some of Bill's principles or his methods but from what I understand, you knew where you stood with him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, the questions is...WHO WILL BE THE NEXT BILL CAMPBELL?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Will you as the head of a sales organization or a company devote time to mentoring and developing leaders? Is your focus on product or people? I think Bill would argue that it's people that make the difference, not product. Many of you might disagree but I think he was spot on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may not want to become the "next" Bill Campbell but I challenge you to adopt some of his practices:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1) Mentor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2) Give back</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3) Speak candidly</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If I have to define those characteristics for you then you probably won't accept the challenge. Should these words resonate then put them to practice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There may not ever be another Bill Campbell but there can be leaders who take up the mantle of what he stood for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is our challenge.</span><br />
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Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-47143594140277196492015-05-08T13:23:00.001-07:002015-05-08T13:38:49.802-07:00Get CPR Trained - You CAN Save A Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9ldlf7nhHznr1ZJiXotS3QQArDAUxJql_G2X7Z9kQiujg8oT88Zm7G2ciLlv2715-mYQ3c2P4ZNp-GdGbabktkmQUI1UUgl6P3d1UNYJVnZMoWLzzvP-LrQeC8M6MqAJWMbRGsGvx25x/s1600/Ira+and+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9ldlf7nhHznr1ZJiXotS3QQArDAUxJql_G2X7Z9kQiujg8oT88Zm7G2ciLlv2715-mYQ3c2P4ZNp-GdGbabktkmQUI1UUgl6P3d1UNYJVnZMoWLzzvP-LrQeC8M6MqAJWMbRGsGvx25x/s320/Ira+and+I.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is the man who I performed CPR on April 19, 2015 at the San Jose Airport near my departure gate. He is the 7th "save" at the San Jose Airport by virtue of a trained individual responding within a minute of sudden cardiac arrest. He lived. He had quadruple bypass
surgery 10 days ago. I met with he, his wife, his daughter and his grandson (age 2). They have 4 kids and 6 grandchildren. Below is a link to one of the media stories.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">http://www.mercurynews.com/sal-pizarro/ci_28005295/pizarro-good-samaritan-saves-cardiac-arrest-victim-at</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I agreed to speak with the media to raise awareness of the need to get CPR trained as well as training with an A.E.D. device.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So get trained.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Soon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can save a life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two times in the last 12 months. I don't think there are odds for that but it happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And get this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He, his wife and two of their kids went to UCLA. They are huge UCLA Bruin fans!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He was an Adjunct Professor at UCLA's School of Engineering. I lecture at UCLA's Department of Sociology and at the UCLA Athletic Department.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His
Grandson goes to school with one of UCLA Head Football Coach Jim Mora's
kids in Manhattan Beach. His wife asked me "do you know Jim
Mora?"...yes, I know Jim from teaching a class for the UCLA Football
team and sponsoring the VIP Appreciation Party for his non-profit
CountOnMeFamily.org</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His daughter lives in Los Altos. Her kids attend the same preschool and elementary school my kids went to. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It
hit me as I drove off that this man and his family could plan for a
future and not a funeral based on CPR being performed at the right
time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This has changed all of our lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You could do the same thing for someone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Get trained.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now. </span>Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-67246037755764467442012-10-04T13:47:00.000-07:002012-10-04T13:47:51.144-07:004 Actions To Take While Looking For Your Job<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Okay. You have graduated but you
don’t have a job yet. Welcome to the 55% of graduates who are in the still hunt
for their first job post tassel turning. Does this mean that the remaining 45% have found a job?
Heck no! They are working part time, have gone to grad school, enlisted in the
military or have holed up in their parents basement playing Grand Theft Auto V. Feel alone?
Don’t. Feel unprepared? Well, you don’t need to. While you are looking for a
job, there are many things you can do with your time to prepare yourself for
the first job you want to land. This is critical as many future
interviewers will ask you “so, what would have you been doing with your time since
you graduated?” Going to Burning Man, competing in Beer Pong tournaments
and building yurts in New Mexico probably won’t impress many would be hiring
managers…unless they have lived in a yurt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You can take several approaches but
this is what I would recommend that you focus on:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Skill Development</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If your interest is in sales….take a
course in sales skills. Marketing…learn as much as you can about social media
marketing. Biology? Who knows but there are business classes specific to
bio-med. Take an extension course. WHAT? You mean…go back to school? YES. Get a
professional certificate in the field you want to pursue. Gaining knowledge
through course work taught by working professionals verses professors will be
extremely enlightening. There is a professional society or certification
program for darn near every profession. Search on the internet for a
professional certification program in the field you are interested in. Odds are
with a little bit of money and additional time invested, you will be more
qualified than the other candidates who are applying for the same job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Volunteer</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is no shortage of a need for
enthusiastic volunteers. Find a non-profit in your area, contact the Director
and ask to meet with them about where you can contribute. In exchange, ask them
to be a reference for you. Business organizations like Junior Achievement are
always looking for people. If teaching is your goal, find out if you can
volunteer 20 hours a week at a local school. Find an organization that supports
a cause you believe in and volunteer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Communication Skills</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Demonstrating superior verbal and
written communication skills in business is essential. Sadly,
college does not adequately prepare students to be effective communicators in a
business environment. The ability to speak confidently, concisely and with
relevance will distinguish you from other candidates. So, do you tremble at the
thought of speaking in front of a group? Contact a Toastmasters group in your
area. They provide a supportive professional environment where you can stand up
and learn how to speak publicly. Dale Carnegie has been training business professionals
for over 50 years in the craft of gaining confidence through communication. You
think this is too old school? Get over it. Odds are your bosses's, bosses's, boss
took the same course and will be impressed that you did too. The point is
you won’t learn how to speak confidently in a business environment Skype-ing
with your cousin in Cleveland who graduated 2 years ago and is working in
shipping and receiving. There are many professional organizations who can
assist you in improving your communications skills. Find one. Join. Improve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Build your network</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You have a LinkedIn profile, right?
If not, click on a browser, go to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/"><span style="color: purple;">www.linkedin.com</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and develop a profile. If you are not
on LinkedIn, you are already invisible to the business world. If you are on
LinkedIn start to expand your network by doing the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1)</span><span style="font-size: 7.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Join
your college alumni LinkedIn Group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2)</span><span style="font-size: 7.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Find
groups that are associated with the fields you are interested in pursuing for a
career and join them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3)</span><span style="font-size: 7.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Invite
others to connect on LinkedIn. Classmates, professors, former employers,
friends. Work as fast as you can to build up a network of 200 1<sup>st</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>level contacts, then 300, 400 and
more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The value of your professional
network is more than invaluable. It will be your lifeline at some point in your
career. Lay the foundation now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Where you a member of a club,
sorority or fraternity? Did you play a sport, participate on the debate team or
sing in the choir? Search for former members of the club, team or singing group
who have graduated and are working in a field you are interested in. Your
common association will get you in the door. Ask them for input. Ask them what
was the path they took that resulted in their current position. I will bet you
a latte that more that 60% of the people you reach out to will respond and be
willing to help. Give it a try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finding a job IS a full time job. It
requires tenacity, patience and a strategy. It also demands that you spend your
time wisely so you have meaningful evidence to show how you spent your time
while you were spending your time looking for a job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Keep at it. Don’t lose hope. Move
forward. Great things will happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-10894514595976304042012-09-03T15:17:00.002-07:002012-09-03T15:18:56.171-07:00Bet On Vets: My Challenge To You<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How was your Labor Day? Did you BBQ with friends and family? Chill out at the beach? Pound out a round of golf at your local club? For most of us, this Labor Day is spent doing anything but labor. Heck, most of us don't even want to think about our jobs on this holiday. We are content to take a nap, garden and get off the grid all together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is however an important part of our jobless population that would love to be forgetting about the job they wish they had and those are veterans who have completed their military service but have yet to find employment. On this day, many unemployed veterans are sending out resumes and applying for jobs on Monster.com or other job sites. Sure, they are spending time with family and friends but many wish that today was simply a day off from a job that was theirs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, my question and challenge to employers is this: Do you have a deliberate hiring strategy that focuses on hiring veterans? Sure, you might be open to hire a veteran if they apply but my point is different that merely being open. I am suggesting that you develop an intentional hiring strategy, approved by the executive staff and shared with the board that will accomplish the following objective: At least 10% of your workforce will consist of veterans you hire over the next 2 years and then at least 15% in the years to follow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why hire veterans? They are motivated, committed and disciplined. They bring an array of skills to your company that many other candidates don't. Veterans don't want to be given a hand out. They want an opportunity to compete for the positions you are seeking to fill. Military service prepares veterans for all kinds of jobs in the private sector and you should be considering veterans for every appropriate position they could be qualified for.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you go back to work this week and begin to look at Calendar Q4/FY2013 hiring plans I challenge you to make hiring veterans a key performance indicator (KPI) for your HR and talent acquisitions teams. If you do, future Labor Days will have even more significance than simply a day off.</span><br />
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Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-62396050695610161272012-08-30T16:15:00.000-07:002012-08-30T16:16:21.571-07:00What Marissa Mayer And I Have In Common...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...and it is kind of well, embarrassing. Perhaps you have seen this recent article <span style="background-color: white;">http://tinyurl.com/9u8rroc. It is piece that claims that Marissa Mayer hired a new CMO at Yahoo while her current CMO (now ex-CMO) was on vacation. Yikes! Now, I don't know if this is exactly how it all went down but if the account is even partially accurate...not good!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh yeah. So, what exactly do I have in common with Marissa? I made the same bone headed move at one point in my career. Yes, i started to recruit for someone's replacement while they were still in the job and of course they found out about it. If that wasn't so bad, the fact that this person was actually a friend made it even worse. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"How could I do that?" you ask? Simple. Lack of experience, lack of courage and poor judgement. Whatever reasons Mayer had for handling her situation the way she did really doesn't matter. It was handled poorly. So was mine. By the way, Marissa Mayer and I are not the only ones to make this mistake. It happens all too frequently in Silly-Valley. That doesn't make it right. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the lesson to be learned? Leaders need to lead with courage, clarity and conviction. When making a transition with someone you inherited in your new job it is ALWAYS better to be straight up and clear with your intentions. There is no need to nuance these situations. If you are an incoming CEO, VP of Sales or Sales Manager and you are going to make personnel changes, handle the matters with integrity and directness. Make the changes quickly and don't mislead anyone by saying "hey, you are a member of my team...I don't anticipate making any personnel moves until after I get the lay of the land". People can sense the B.S. from mile away. For your sake (and reputation) as well as for the good of the other person, tell them the truth and get it done quickly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am sure you are wondering if I am still friends with the person I treated so poorly. The answer is yes. He was gracious enough to look past my mistake and I count him as one of my closest friends. And guess what? Karma can be cruel as the very same thing happened to me a few years later. I was in a senior executive role and the CEO began a search to replace ME while I still held the job. Nice! Payback can be a beeoch!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The moral of the story is handle these situations like the leader you are or want to be. That way you can stay on the good side of the Karma Gods.</span><br />
<br />Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-91414090998993207162012-08-28T16:30:00.000-07:002012-08-30T16:17:19.148-07:00Time To Hire Gen - Y!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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They’ll
make up 33 percent of the workforce by 2014. In fact, they comprise nearly
one-third of all Americans living today (as estimated by the Harvard Business
Review). They’re Generation Y: the offspring of Baby Boomers and the new crop
of employees clamoring to the top. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I’ve
said before that <span style="color: #00008d;">the <span style="color: black;">job market has changed</span></span> in favor of
applicants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t believe it, try
to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">quickly</i> hire a Ruby on Rails
developer in San Francisco. It won’t happen fast or inexpensively. As the
economy slowly recovers, the hiring in technology companies has quickened.
They’ll be competing for the best <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">new</b>
talent, which means if you want a stake in this promising workforce, start
paying attention to what the Gen – Y talent pool has to offer. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
First,
we need to alter our perceptions of today’s talent. Once you do, you will begin
to see the positive characteristics of Gen-Y.</div>
<div class="BodyA" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 12.9pt; text-indent: -12.9pt;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>They’re
redefining what makes a great place to work: Foosball tables…. oh so yesterday!
They are looking for an opportunity to make an impact.</div>
<div class="BodyA" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 12.9pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 12.9pt; text-indent: -12.9pt;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>They are
choosy, despite a tough job market. Strange? Not really. It’s up to you to be
an employer of choice. Top talent out of top schools are highly recruited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s an easy one. The talent that will give
you the best return on your hiring dollar may not be from a top school. They
are driven, focused and have a competitive edge.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 12.9pt; text-indent: -12.9pt;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Certain
attitudes, behaviors, and skills set them apart from Gen-X and make them highly
valuable employees. What do I mean? Two words. Social media. They live it, know
it and breathe it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is in the
enterprise and these workers can exploit it to business’ advantage. They are
self-confident, socially connected, and digitally savvy.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 12.9pt; text-indent: -12.9pt;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>They have a
strong work ethic, but well-defined needs: “We’ll come in at 7 and stay until
8, but let us hit the gym at 11 if we want to.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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Alright, for those of you over 40…stop rolling your eyes. It took me a while to embrace
what this prized population has to offer. I am now fully on board and I suggest
that you jump on this train before your winded self gets left behind.</div>
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<br /></div>
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There
are many good reasons to hire Generation Y.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I will address all of these, and more, in later posts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no doubt that investing in this
unique group will pay off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Hire
them. They will work hard and make a positive impact on your business.</div>
Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-50989599462035918612012-06-29T10:17:00.000-07:002012-06-29T11:45:30.203-07:00You Made Your Number! 4 Immediate Tactics For Next Quarter<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For just about every company, private or public, the "end of quarter Friday" is either a reason to celebrate or a grave cause for concern. The CEO, CFO and VP of Sales have been exerting consistent pressure on darn near every functional area save for engineering in order to meet or exceed the number. At the end of the day...and literally, at the end of THIS day your sales organization will have either hit the number or missed the number. There are no Shades Of Grey (50 or otherwise) when it comes down to sales performance. You and your team made it...or you didn't. It is a cruel reality that the sales executive lives in. By the way, when you run your business on Salesforce.com you most likely knew this past Monday or even before that the number was in hand or not. If you run your sales organization with a Sales Enablement solution from The Savo Group, you would have dramatically increased your probability of success. Check them out....www.savogroup.com.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, I have advice for sales executives and managers that MADE their number. First of all, congratulations! No matter how great your CEO thinks the product is and that it could sell itself, making the number in this market is tough. Pat yourself and your team on the back for a job well done. Now, exhale. Now, inhale. Good. It is time to focus on the next quarter which starts on Monday. Here are 4 tactics you can deploy in order to set the tone for next quarter's success:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) <b>Scour The Pipeline</b>: Make sure you have an acutely accurate understanding of what transactions are real and can close within the first 20 days of next quarter. There are bound to be deals that pushed. Get on top of why each deal didn't close and assess the integrity of each. Start the quarter knowing exactly where you stand. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2)<b> Build On Success:</b> You have momentum going for you. Don't let that momentum fade even though it is 4th of July week and a number of sales people are taking all or part of the week off. You can't afford to have the team mentally checkout one week of the quarter. I know, you will hear lot's of reasons that this next week will be slow. Don't buy into it. Those who do will regret it in about 10 weeks. Set the tone and make sure that everyone knows the number the organization MUST hit this quarter and what their individual quota numbers are. Schedule a conference call first thing Monday or at the latest Tuesday to get everyone on the same page.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) <b>Reward The Performers</b>: There are a number of reasons why you hit your number. There are many people who contributed to making that happen. First, recognize each account executive or sales representative who met or exceeded plan. Do this in the next all hands meeting or on the upcoming conference call. A little positive reinforcement can go a long way. Sure, they will earn a nice commission check but kudos extended is very powerful. Be sure to give thanks to the often unsung contributors in Sales Operations, Finance and Operations. These people work very hard in support of the sales team and deserve to be praised.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) <b>Fine Tune Your Plan</b>: Be ready for the predictably classic line from your CFO as you walk by his office at the end of the day..."well, you got lucky and hit your number, what are you going to do for me next quarter?" <span style="background-color: white;">Now....exhale. Now....inhale. Keep walking and remember that he (usually) just can't help himself. Ignore him for sure but do have your plan set when you walk in the door Monday. This plan should include deal review, organizational assessment and changes required, key customer focus and risk analysis. If there is any bad news that needs to be dealt with, get out ahead of it. Don't wait to act. Expect everyone on your team to get their plans in place within two days of the new quarter. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Again, congratulations on hitting the number. If for some reason you didn't my next post will be for you. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame. Rest and recover over the weekend. On Monday, the climb up the mountain starts all over again.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mike Vanneman</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Founder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TVG Executive Search.</span>Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-43087482903339093862012-06-27T13:12:00.000-07:002012-06-29T11:45:46.341-07:005 Steps To Interview Success<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You have done everything right so far. Great resume, strong phone interview, made it past the internal recruiter and now you are scheduled for your first in-person interview with the hiring manager. It is at this point that the well prepared candidate can differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack. That's what you want to do, right? Blow away the competition for this job! You are going to sit down in front of your soon to be new boss and wow them with your wit, personality and expertise. You are going to get this job! Confident? Ready? Not completely? Well, follow these five steps and you will be:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1)<b> Research the industry and company:</b> Everything you need to learn about your next employer is on the world wide web. Amazing! Look into the industry the company serves, how they are positioned, what market share they hold. Become familiar with the company's services and products so you can refer to them in the flow of the interview. Be ready to present their product or service if asked. Smart candidates walk in to the interview knowing how to sell or market what they will be selling or marketing for the company they want to join. Type up several pithy and insightful questions that are relevant to the industry, company or role to ask during the interview. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) <b>Image is everything:</b> Present yourself in the most professional manner possible. When you aren't sure what to wear to the interview, think conservative dress. Leave the jeans, sandals, short skirt and lounge wear for the weekends. (Believe me... at TVG Executive Search...just when we thought we had seen it all...). Be well groomed and rested. Don't go out on a bender the night before. When you greet the hiring manager for the first time, step forward confidently, look them square in the eye and shake their hand firmly without fracturing their index finger. Positive first impressions create lasting impressions. Make the introduction count!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) <b>Don't get too personal:</b> Establishing a solid rapport is essential. Elaborating on you recent vacation or bragging about your kids (or parrot) isn't a way to accomplish this. Certainly, you would have researched the hiring manager's background on LinkedIn and identified a few commonalities. If so, reference them discretely and indirectly in the conversation. Don't try to lay on the secret hand shake if you just happen fraternity brothers. You goal isn't to become BFFs in the interview. Your job is to get the job. Eight five percent or more of the conversation should be devoted to the opportunity. Fifteen percent or less should be about your personal life. If they ask you about your interests and hobbies, provide an answer without great detail. You will have plenty of time to get acquainted AFTER they hire you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) <b>Ask for the job:</b> These days, there is no such thing as an "informational interview". If you are there interviewing, the assumption is that you <b>want </b>this job! If not, what the heck are you there for and why are you wasting their time! Therefore, as the interview is coming to a close, take the lead and say "based on everything we have discussed, I feel I am extremely qualified for this role and know I will be an outstanding contributor to the company's success. <span style="background-color: white;">I very interested in joining your team. </span><span style="background-color: white;">What are the next steps in the process?" They can answer any number of ways. The point is to ACT as though you are the "IT" and assume they will want you. Confidence is attractive. Ambivalence is not.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) <b>Follow up:</b> Within 24 hours but not within the first hour, send the hiring manager an email thanking them for the opportunity to meet and recapping 3-5 reasons why you are the right person for the job. Call them within 48 hours to inquire about the next steps. If you don't hear back within a day after your call, call them again. I see nothing wrong with demonstrating a keen desire and consistent follow up until you get the answer that, a) you are moving forward in the process or, b) for some reason they went in a different direction. Either way, invite the hiring manager to connect on LinkedIn. You never know how that introduction could be of benefit in the future.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Act on these 5 points and you will stand out from the other candidates who didn't have the good fortune of reading my blog!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mike Vanneman</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Founder - TVG Executive Search</span></span></div>
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</div>Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-86198291894808530612012-02-16T08:24:00.000-08:002012-02-16T10:54:09.938-08:00Learning From Jeremy Lin<span style="font-family:arial;">You have to be living on Mars if you haven't heard about Jeremy Lin, a rising NBA star playing for the New York Knicks. Waived by two previous NBA teams, this Harvard educated point guard was playing for an NBA D-League team in some podunk city when he was called up to the Knicks due to a raft of injuries to their staring players.</span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I don't know about you but Jeremy's success has struck a cord in me as well as in a zillion other people on the planet. It has become a personal story, a story we can be inspired by and a phenomenon we can learn from.</span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">So, what can you learn from Jeremy Lin? You don't have to improve your outside shot, lower your turnover ratio or even go to the gym. What you need to do is think about how you will respond to new challenges, impact your organization and adapt to change. Let's see how Jeremy responded to the opportunity to play under the ultimate sports microscope in New York City</span>.<br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family:arial;" >Seize the moment:</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Jeremy wasted no time in making an impact for his new team. As soon as Jeremy hit the hardwood at Madison Square Garden, he began to post numbers few players have ever put up. He joined an exclusive club of 15 players since 1985 that have posted at least 20 points, seven assists and a steal for six games in a row. This club includes Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Chris Paul ... and now it's newest member Jeremy Lin.</span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Think about when you started a new sales job or took the reigns of a sales organization. How quickly did you make an impact? In today's environment you had better hit the bricks running. This means quickly building a pipeline, landing a large deal or making necessary organizational shifts. Move fast, take advantage of the opportunity, make an impact. You don't have a long run way so you had better blast off!</span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family:arial;" >Improve others around you</span><span style="font-family:arial;">: After the Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers and Lin scored 38 points, the Knicks locker room was giddy with excitement. Jeremy's consistent performance has changed the team chemistry and how the other players react on and off the court. The Knicks are revitalized, focused and loose. </span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">There are daily opportunities to impact your team's chemistry and the performance of your peers. Are you lifting up your group through leading by example? Are you demonstrating focused consistency in your sales strategy and activities? A former CEO of mine Al Sisto often said that "sales is an event driven process". It's the ability to string together a series of meaningful events that bring value to the potential customer which ultimately results in a sale. It is executing the fundamentals. There is no short cut. Jeremy's success is largely due to his ability to pass first, shoot second, find the open player and not be selfish with the ball. Your success is directly linked to the activities you consistently execute in the sales process and helping others in your organization do the same. When everyone executes the same plan at a high level, quotas are exceeded and customers win.</span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family:arial;" >Embrace change:</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Lin entered the NBA on July 21, 2010 by signing with the Golden State Warriors. The Bay Area was thrilled almost as much as Jeremy was. Raised in Palo Alto, CA Jeremy attended Palo Alto High School where he led them to and won the State Basketball Title his senior year. With no scholarship offers, Jeremy attended Harvard University and elevated the Crimson to national basketball prominence. He won in high school, he won in college and entered the NBA expecting to win. Then, change happened. The Warriors waived him. The Houston Rockets picked him up and quickly cut him. The Knicks signed him on the cheap and promptly sent him to their D-League team. With each new transition Jeremy practiced hard, kept focused on his goal and overcame discouragement. Then another change occurred. He got the call up to the Big Show and took full advantage of it.</span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Change is a constant in all of our lives. Organizational shifts occur all around us, like it or not. Your ability to embrace the change, even when it temporarily may not be to your advantage, could lead to professional growth and new opportunities. Fighting change and resisting the inevitable will only lead to frustration and may not work to your benefit. Of course, there are some decisions that should be challenged or issues that require push back. I will leave it to you to decide when you should fight for a different outcome. Maybe the change is too much to take and you decide to leave the team. That happens. However, most of the time we are faced with changes in role, strategy or personnel and need adjust. If so, see the change as an opportunity and find a way to make it work for you and your company.</span><br style="font-family:arial;"><br style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">If you haven't already jumped on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon, hop on board! You will not only watch some great basketball and be a part of something special but might just learn some valuable life lessons watching the kid from Harvard.</span><br style="font-family: arial;"><br style="font-family: arial;"><br style="font-family: arial;">Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-44792572812536307732011-10-19T12:57:00.000-07:002011-10-19T13:51:45.058-07:00The Case For Leadership<span class="Apple-style-span">Ok, it has been a while since my last post! I promise I won't stay away for so long. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">What has compelled me to resume blogging is the topic of leadership. Below is the link to a post that I just read and thought it was worth sharing.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/10/we_need_more_mature_leaders.html</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Richard Davis pens a compelling piece about the characteristics of mature leadership. I am no leadership expert and Lord knows I made my share of mistakes leading teams and organizations. However, what I have learned through experience is that the most effective leaders are principled leaders. This comes from experience and hopefully experience breeds maturity.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Take a moment to read Davis' blog. Well worth the time.</span></div>Mike Vannemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07696926576866316441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-71508009562085236732011-05-06T10:09:00.000-07:002011-05-06T10:15:24.333-07:00HIRING TIPS FOR TODAY'S MARKET<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last week's post revealed the shift in the current hiring market. Today I want to address what to do about it. Per my comments, hiring in the technology sector has become much more competitive. Top Engineers, Sales, Marketing and even now Finance professionals are in much higher demand and in shorter supply. Some are receiving multiple offers and others are holding out for the offer they want. "No need to jump ship yet if I am ok where I am at. I will wait for the optimal opportunity". Your competitors are stepping up their hiring and have been so for 3 months. On the extreme, that loud sucking sound is Google, Facebook, Zynga and Twitter pulling in as much talent as they can assimilate. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The good news is that you CAN compete for top talent in today's market IF you are prepared and make course corrections TODAY! Below is a quick primer on the changes you need to make NOW regarding your hiring tactics:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1) <b>Philosophy</b>: What is your deliberate and adopted philosophy on how you manage your recruiting efforts? If you don't have one that is documented...then I offer this as the first recommendation. Much as been talked about Google's "Lake Woebegone" approach to recruiting. Grossly translated: The next person in the door should be smarter that the mean. Works for them but your approach needs to be tailored to <u>your</u> organization. It should incorporate how you treat candidates, how many people <i>really</i> need to be in the vetting process, the speed with which you make decisions, references, qualifications, etc. This philosophy should be bought into by hiring managers. If not, they will default to their own and most likely it won't support the company's approach. Get everyone on the same page.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2) <b>Attitude</b>: Sadly, there are companies and leaders that give off the impression that "we are so hot you are fortunate to be speaking with us". They feel their technology, their VCs, their IQ, their every existence is so special that the candidate's self-esteem must be skyrocketing to be in their very presence. Two words....TURN OFF! Top candidates, the ones you want to hire aren't necessarily looking for job. They possess skills and experiences your company needs. You are RECRUITING them so treat them as such. This decision is made by two parties...the company and the candidate. Treat the candidate as you would like to be treated. Convey an attitude that supports how great your opportunity is but that the company is only as great as the people we attract and hire. In today's market, you can ill afford to project an arrogant attitude. Be confident, positive, excited but not arrogant. Make sure your hiring managers and executives are positively promoting the company through their interactions with candidates.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3) <b>"Be Quick, But Don't Hurry"</b>. One of my heroes and mentors John Wooden, the late former basketball coach from UCLA coined that expression. It means move fast but don't compromise quality or thoroughness. The reason companies can lose great candidates is they get stuck in their own mire. Cranking out an offer letter once the decision is made on the select candidate should take a day, maybe two...at most. All too often we hear of horror stories that it took 3 weeks (or longer) to get the offer out the door. Not good. If the CEO has to review every offer before it goes out....problem. The CFO or HR manager should be held accountable for this step. Set up a process that aligns with the business objectives. If the headcount has been approved, is budgeted for, the candidate has been selected and has verbally accepted...get the offer out the door! Why? Because that candidate might receive (and accept) another offer from a company that has it's act together and really can't quite understand what the delay was about! Make sure that managers know what is expected of them. Adopt and hold fast to this practice that once all of the vetting is completed and the candidate has been chosen, you WILL get the offer out the door within 24 or 48 hours. Anything longer will put your company at a disadvantage.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4)<b> Use Search Firms</b>: Yes, a shameless plug but hear me out. A friend and very successful CEO once to me "if it isn't a strategic capability or a core competency..outsource the function". Search firms can get results faster. It's their business. You have enough to manage. That headcount you want to devote to an internal recruiter could be sales person generating revenue. We see ourselves as an extension of your company. Using firms for key hires makes good business sense. Not convinced? Contact me at www.tvgsearch.com and let's talk about it.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a sound philosophy, an attractive attitude, an efficient process and using the right resource (search firms) you can dramatically improve your time to hire metrics. Incorporate these simple steps and you will attract the top talent you need to exploit your competitive advantage.<br />
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Mike Vanneman </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-43416358402567604802011-04-30T16:01:00.000-07:002011-04-30T16:01:35.651-07:00Memo To Hiring Executives: The Market Has Shifted<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While the national unemployment outlook teeters at 9.2% and California's unemployment rate "improved" by dropping from 12.4 to 12.0% in between January and March, there are indicators in the technology sector that the talent pool is contracting and it is becoming a "buyers" (candidates) market. We are even seeing companies do unnatural things to keep key employees. No, I am not talking about Google's $5,000,000 retention bonus package to keep an engineer from going to Facebook. Not an urban legend...it really did happen. I am not talking about Google giving every employee a 10% raise last November in addition to the free food. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What we are seeing at TVG Executive Search is that progressive companies are locking down key talent by offering more incentives (options and or cash). They are promoting key employees because these are the valuable people that most likely survived the meltdown in late 2008 and now the companies are hiring back people in every department. These new employees need to be managed and many of these management positions are being filled from within. These are defensive moves to prevent experienced producers from leaving. Is it working? Yes, in many cases. In many other situations the candidates are going on the offensive.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The "passive" candidate of yesterday is now the aggressive candidate in today's market. If they don't see more upside with their current employer, they are willing to take more risk and move elsewhere. Two years ago it was hunker down. This year it's saddle up!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is an employer to do? The first step--face reality. Accept it. The market has shifted and you are behind the curve. Now, catch up. Don't listen to that Board Member who continues to blather on that "Unemployment is so high! Everyone is out of work! You can get people on the cheap!" Politely smile, tolerate the same bad joke he tells at every board meeting and get back to the business of building a world class company.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The second step--develop specific talent retention and acquisition plans. What should be in these plans? This will be the subject of my next entry. I don't want to give you too much at one time. Accepting the market reality will be challenging enough. So, let's do a quick meditative exercise. Close your eyes. Repeat after me..."I accept the market as it is today, not what thought it was or told that it is...but what it really is now". Now, don't you feel better!? </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your new motto is "Get over it and get on with it!"</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Until next time.....</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mike<br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-66967378907785083572010-12-02T06:21:00.000-08:002010-12-02T06:21:12.433-08:00The Power Of Who...is YOU<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I recently spoke at a seminar for Executives In Transition. It was a fantastic event put on by an outstanding Executive Coach (and competitive triathlete) Bobbi LaPorte. Part of my personal and professional philosophy is to assist executives (and others) with streamlining their path to their next great career move or job. Lord knows I made a few career turns down this road and if in sharing some of my experiences with people can be of benefit to them...awesome. This was a group of highly focused, energized executives who are taking all of the right steps toward the goal of finding their next great position.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Whenever I have an opportunity to speak one on one or to a group about carrier transitions I always recommend Bob Beaudine's "The Power Of Who". Bob is a fellow executive search professional who has written a compelling book about how networking must be as important to us as breathing air! For more information, go to <b>www.powerofwho.com</b>. It is available at Amazon and other retailers. Also, check out his promotion video <b>http://tinyurl.com/2fz4w93. </b>If that doesn't get you jacked up...you had better feel for a pulse!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More on how I benefited from speaking to this group in an upcoming post. Here I was the "subject matter expert" yet I left that event having learned a valuable lesson and even more inspired to help people who are committed to their success.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mike</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">www.tvgsearch.com</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-74121735431876497792010-11-20T09:09:00.000-08:002010-11-21T09:05:32.348-08:00No More "Good Meetings"!<span style="font-family:arial;">One of my professional pet peeves as a Sales Executives was hearing one of my sales people tell me they had a real "good" meeting with a prospect. When I inquire "why"? as my blood begins to boil, I would be answered with much hand waving, vague examples of what was accomplished and little in the way of next steps. This reminds me of something a former boss of mine would bemoan. Mike Boich, the founder and former CEO of Radius had a favorite saying, "When all was said and done, more was said than done".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I recall unloading on a Senior Director of Business Development after I was again told how "good" his meeting was with a strategic partner with little to show for it other than a lengthy intellectual discourse and supposed alignment with the partner's strategy. After I peeled myself off the ceiling, I sat this individual down and outlined the essential characteristics of a highly productive sales call. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The stage for a highly productive sales call is set well in advance of the actual meeting. Every encounter with a prospective customer must be well thought out. You want to prove the value of your time (and theirs) at each engagement. Some sales people are notoriously known for "winging it" on a sales call and guess what, it comes through loud and clear to the prospect. Know exactly what you want to accomplish BEFORE the meeting and then develop a plan as to how this will be accomplished. Do you want to present the concept of a pilot program? Gain an introduction to a newly identified decision maker? Whatever it is, be very clear in your mind what you want to derive from the meeting. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In turn, know exactly what you want to communicate to the prospect(s) as to how your product or service will solve their problem. Every interaction with the decision maker or influencer is an opportunity to demonstrate and prove your value. Take advantage of it!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Another key attribute of a highly productive sales call are the definitive action items and next steps that are agreed to by both parties BEFORE you leave the room. If the next step is to initiate a pilot program, then the key participants must be identified and contact information obtained. Second, the start date of the pilot must be determined. Third, specific assignments and responsibilities must be outlined. Who is going to do what and by when. Four, the potential customer agrees to this and off you go.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Through out the discussions, always seek out opportunities to affirm what your company can do for the customer. This can be done by presenting a quantified R.O.I. analysis or a proforma estimate of costs reduced or even better yet a forecast for incremental revenue. Promises are not what prospects want. They want proof.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So, let's recap:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1) Conduct a pre-call planning session: Know exactly what you want to accomplish in the meeting and what outcome(s) you need.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2) Determine the all important NEXT STEPS. This includes dates, times, targets, actions, owners, participants, duration and costs. Get buy-in from the prospect.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3) Prove your worth on every sales call: Every interaction with the prospect must advance the relationship toward the ultimate objective--win them as a customer!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Do yourself and your boss a favor. Expunge the term "good sales call" from your company lexicon and from your consciousness. Focus instead on proving your company's value, adding value to your prospect's business and advancing the deal along at each engagement point. When you do this, you will be not only highly productive but you will close more sales.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Happy hunting!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mike Vanneman<br />www.tvgsearch.com<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-14291932918178316722010-09-28T15:35:00.000-07:002010-09-28T17:25:13.866-07:00Different Industry-Same Lingo<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Last week I attended an event in San Francisco sponsored by the Association For Corporate Growth. A.C.G. is a national yet locally driven chapter based organization that brings together founders and operating executives from companies across a myriad of industries. I was impressed by the caliber of executives in attendance and even more so by the panel participants. The topic of the day was "Confronting Reality: Retail And Consumer Trends In The New Economy". The panel was comprised of two Private Equity investors and a former large retail chain CXO, now a consultant. In addition to the networking benefits from attending I was interested in hearing from people who's industry was at center stage in the economic downturn drama. Here are some of the key takeaways:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1. Times have changed. Forever.: When the capital markets tanked in late 2008, the "discretionary" or "aspirational" spender vanished overnight. Gone. Not likely to return. These are people who had a couple of extra grand in their checking account and decided on a whim to purchase those alligator skin running shoes or bought that Rolex watch that they really couldn't afford but aspired to own it. Hey, after all they had a fat line of credit and money was cheap. Times are good. Why not?! So what if Bear Stearns failed that past July...who the hell is Bear Stearns anyway?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2. Consumers will buy what they need-not what they want.: Well, thanks for deep insights into the obvious Mike. What evidence do you have to support this? Target, Wal-mart have moved fast and furious into the food/grocery business. They are opening smaller footprint stores and will sell value oriented groceries seeking to lure you to their location and not your local Safeway. These retailers figured if they sell you what you NEED, you might buy something you WANT while you are there. </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">But I am pretty sure it won't be those alligator skin running shoes. </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Smart move. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3. Investors in technology and in retail base their investment decisions on similar criteria:</span><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Category creators</span>: How many times have we heard this term in high tech? It applies to retail and fashion too: MBT Shoes and LuLu Lemon are two contemporary examples.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Under-served markets</span>: Ranch Markets, a grocery chain targeted specifically at the Asian Community has plopped it's stores into the heart of Asian neighborhoods and customized their selection to meet their market's tastes and cultural preferences.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Multi-channel model</span>: Customers are attracted, acquired and served over the web, from a catalog, a mall location or an outlet. J.Crew is a great example of this. You have to be where the customer wants to buy.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The People Experience</span>: Go into any Apple Retail Store and you will understand. Not only are Apple's products technically superior, but the customer experience in an Apple Retail location is phenomenal. Way better than Nordstroms. If you don't have a business strategy that is customer centric, you won't get funded or much less survive.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">So, what is </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >your</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> take-a-way from this blog?</span></span> <span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Try this on for size:</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Take a hard look at your business. Times have indeed changed but are there areas of your business that are still stuck in 2008 because of denial, inefficiency or arrogance? Have you adopted a multi-channel approach that enables you to reach customers based on how they want to buy verses how you want to sell? Finally and most importantly, what would your customers say about their experience with your company? Is it more like Fry's Electronics or The Apple Store?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Regardless of industry differences if you focus on these common fundamentals you will greatly improve the odds of future success.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-67576072260134216982010-08-13T12:44:00.000-07:002010-08-13T13:25:29.837-07:00Putting It All Together-Part 4-Mike's Four P's of MARKETING YOURSELFIt's game time! Here we go! You have developed and tweaked your PLAN. You can recite your PITCH in your sleep, standing on your head...in multiple languages. As for PRESENTATION, boy...don't you clean up well! You have the right look, outfit, haircut, resume paper and nifty portfolio to carry containing insightful and pithy questions. You have got it! YOU are the total PACKAGE! Yes, you!<br /><br />You are what your future employer wants. They just haven't discovered it yet. The PACKAGE you present to the market place is the result of all your planning, preparation and practice. It is complete and ready to be received. Now, it is all about delivering the PACKAGE. What do you mean?<br /><br />1) Consistently WORK YOUR PLAN: You don't have the luxury of missing a half day to play golf or navel gaze at the beach. There will be plenty of time on the weekends to go that AFTER you have your next great job. Be tenacious in the execution of your plan and you dramatically increase the odds of getting hired...sooner and not later.<br /><br />2) Keep PRACTICING your PITCH: Frequently rehearsing your personal elevator pitch is as important as practicing your short game in golf. (You'd think I play golf given the references--I don't!) Not practicing your pitch and interview skills is a guaranteed way to stammer through the first set of questions during an upcoming interview. Practice begets confidence. Confidence begets success.<br /><br />3) PRESENT with confidence! I am not just talking about physical presentation (though that is very important). It is how you present your <span style="font-weight: bold;">true</span> self. There is nothing better for a hiring manager than when their new employee's performance, demeanor and professionalism confirm what their instincts told them all along...great selection. Only way that can happen for you (being the "great selection") is when you are representing who you truly are.<br /><br />So, there you have it...Mike's 4 "P's" of Marketing Yourself. If any of this has struck a cord or better yet worked for you in your search...let me know! Good luck and good hunting!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-61811571032675402092010-08-06T13:44:00.000-07:002010-08-07T14:49:57.628-07:00Plan Your Work - Work Your PlanNorman Vincent Peale is credited with coining the often used expression "Plan your work and then work your plan". Countless other success minded authors and speakers have use this phrase and others like it to emphasis a fundamental point of success: That planning and preparation are the underpinnings of success. With out a plan, you can't possibly get to your destination with any efficiency or much less get there at all.<br /><br />This principal is especially appropriate to Marketing Yourself. Whether you are marketing your own business, your company's service or the most important product of all-YOU, you have to have a plan that guides you towards your objective. The application of this point to executives in transition (looking for another job) is extremely on point. I have engaged in hundreds of discussions with individuals looking for a new job and a surprising number of them did not map out a plan as to how to get that next great position. Sure, they networked. Yes, they beefed up their LinkedIn profile. Of course they contacted recruiters. Documenting written "Go To Market" plan for any endeavor is critical but especially if you are looking for a new position. It isn't rocket science-just a discipline but without it, you will delay achieving your ultimate goal. What is required is a SMART plan:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">S</span>pecific, <span style="font-weight: bold;">M</span>easurable, <span style="font-weight: bold;">A</span>chievable, <span style="font-weight: bold;">R</span>ewarding, <span style="font-weight: bold;">T</span>rackable<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">S</span>pecific: Create a 1-2 page detailed description of what you want. Get really specific. Scope of responsibility, title, compensation plan--everything that is important to you in your next position.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">M</span>easurable: Set daily and weekly job search metrics. The number of calls, emails, referrals from your network, meetings interviews, etc. You should manage your job search just like you manage building up your sales pipeline or previous customer base. Activity is driven by metrics.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A</span>chievable: Your goals must be achievable. Set them too high and you will spiral into frustration. Too low and you won't get traction. Don't go after positions that are long shots. In this market, companies are hiring for exactly what they need. Be realistic.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">R</span>ewarding: Reinforce your progress with a reward system. Set your daily goal and if you hit that objective, reward yourself with a tangible benefit. The job search process is tough enough. You might as well give back to yourself along the way.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">T</span>rackable: Monitor your progress each week. Determine where you gained ground and where you need to improve. I know one person that used Salesforce.com as their career search CRM. He was able to track his progress based on the measurement system he created.<br /><br />The smartest move you can make is to create a SMART plan that will help you achieve your objective with far more efficiency and far less frustration.<br /><br />Happy planning!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-34533395499894523162010-06-18T14:23:00.000-07:002010-06-18T14:33:37.179-07:004 "P's" of Marketing Yourself, Part 2 -- PRESENTATION <meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/mikevanneman/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>268</o:Words> <o:characters>1528</o:Characters> <o:company>The Pachera Group</o:Company> <o:lines>12</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>3</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>1876</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3">Here is Part 2 of my series, 4 "P's" of Marketing Yourself. If you missed part 1, read the first installment, "PITCH".</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font size="3"><br /></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"> <meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/mikevanneman/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:characters>5</o:Characters> <o:company>The Pachera Group</o:Company> <o:lines>1</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>6</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; 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panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3">Some of you may find this material remedial while others will be enlightened by it. If you are in a career transition it is essential that you learn how to PITCH and PRESENT yourself in the best possible light.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><br /></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><b style=""><u><font style="" face="Arial">PRESENTATION</font></u></b><br /></font><font style="" face="Arial" size="3"><o:p></o:p></font></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font size="3"><br /></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3">“What is the dress code?” If I had a dollar for every time I am asked that question by prospective candidates in advance of their first interview with a client company I would be well, a guy with heck of a lot of dollars! Truth be told, I am flummoxed by that query. No, actually I am really annoyed but it.So, for once and for all let me set the record straight. This is the final, final answer to that question.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><br /><font style="" face="Arial" size="3"><o:p></o:p></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font size="3"><b style=""><font style="" face="Arial"><o:p> </o:p></font></b></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font size="3"><b style=""><font style="" face="Arial">The answer is: You should dress in a manner that is the very best professional representation of who you are and how you will represent the company. Period.</font></b></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><br /><font style="" face="Arial" size="3"><o:p></o:p></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3"><o:p> </o:p></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3">No blue jeans. No Birkenstocks. No all black ensembles that make you look like Dieter from the Sprockets skit on S.N.L. Casual dress is for weekends and walking your dog. It isn’t for an interview. A clean, crisp conservative style always shows well. Think Brooks Brothers not True Religion. There. You now can cross off that “dress code” question from your list.<o:p></o:p></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3"><o:p> </o:p></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3"><br /></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3">Why am I so wrapped around the axle on this issue? Because clients who retain me to find superior talent for them have an expectation of what superior talent looks like, regardless of the position being interviewed for. You will be evaluated by how you present yourself and first impressions are a huge determinate of lasting perceptions. Oh, and in case you forgot. The interview isn’t really about YOU. It is about the COMPANY and their analysis of your fit and function. They will hire you based on your experience, track record and the value they expect you will deliver. Many a qualified candidate are not asked back to the next round of interviews because of one the key stakeholders on the interview team “didn’t like the way he or she <span style="font-weight: bold;">PRESENTED</span> themselves.” Yes. Happens all the time. Leave nothing to chance in the interview process. This includes what you wear.<o:p></o:p></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3"><o:p> </o:p></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3"><br /></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3">Got it? Great!</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><br /><font style="" face="Arial" size="3"><o:p></o:p></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="3"><o:p> </o:p></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><font style="" face="Arial" size="10pt"><font size="4">Now, go buy some slacks.</font><o:p></o:p></font></p> <!--EndFragment--> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015851886064333359.post-50236568985106565792010-06-16T08:26:00.000-07:002010-06-16T08:34:15.230-07:004 "P's" of Marketing Yourself, Part 1<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" >Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with the second year MBA class at San Jose State University. These 50 students are facing a very challenging (but improving) hiring climate. What was refreshing to experience was how hungry they were for guidance and support. It is obvious that most business schools, like undergraduate programs offer little support to students beyond the dreadful career placement center. Below is Part 1 of material I covered with the students.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" ><br />You have all heard of the “4 P's of Marketing”. Well, I have created “Mike’s 4 P's of Marketing Yourself!”: Pitch, Plan, Package and Presentation. Here is part 1....THE PITCH.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" ><br />You are at a conference or a networking event and the person next to you in the drink line turns and asks, “So, what do you do”? As soon as intonation of the person’s sentence rose signaling the inbound question, you began to sweat. At first not noticeably but quickly you felt as though someone just poured a glass of water over your head. Your left eye started to twitch and just as you frame the words in your brain to respond, you stammered out a reply that made the person’s eyes glaze over and then order a double adult beverage.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" ><br />Sound familiar? Well, don’t worry. You are in good company. It happens to darn near everyone when they are “in career transition”. If this is still happening to you, take heart. It won’t for long. What you need to develop is what is commonly called “your personal elevator pitch”. This is a concise, clear and powerful statement about who you are, why a company should hire you and what you can do for them.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" >It should be no more than 45 seconds, 30 if possible. The desired outcome of the pitch is to encourage the fortunate recipient to ask for your card and schedule a time for a longer discussion. Short of that, it is to cement an impression that you are laser focused, know who you are, what you want to do and are supremely confident in your abilities. The goal is to get that person engage further, question deeper about what makes you tick.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" >Crafting and honing a 30 second pitch literally takes hours of work before you become a master at the delivery. You should practice it in front of a mirror. Bribe a trusted friend to listen to your pitch. Rehearse it until you are dreaming about practicing! Then, practice some more.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" >Ready to give it a try? Then develop your pitch, email me when you are ready and we will set up a time and you can pitch me! I would be happy to listen to it. Just don’t make my eyes glaze over.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" ><br />Mike Vanneman</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" ><br />mike@tvgsearch.com</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1