Sell More - Disengage!

BobSales

that sounds right to me.

Bald Dog

I don't say it's reasonable in general. But it's only reasonable for me as a soldier (well, once a soldier, always a soldier, as the saying goes) and my past experiences. And don't merely hope I get trust and respect from others. And I expect it by giving it first. And human nature is pretty predictable. There is a huge difference.

In my 29 years of jumping, I've made several hundred parachute jumps with chutes someone else (no idea who) packed. My basic premise: Anyone who engages in packing chutes in the jumping area is qualified to do so. I've never see someone be caught of fiddling with chutes but was not qualified to do so.

Maybe we have to better learn how to expect something as opposed to hope for it. And learning a bit of psychology for that can be pretty helpful.

This is how I help clients to hire employees. No resume, no reference check. A few pointed, yet seemingly irrelevant, questions open up the person like a book. We just have to learn how to read it.

Thoughts?

__________________
Raise your sight! Blaze new trails! Compete with the immortals!
Tom “Bald Dog” Varjan
Request your free copy of "B2B Online Business Development Insider For Wise Buyers" at http://www.varjan.com

MitchM

"Maybe we have to better learn how to expect something as opposed to hope for it. And learning a bit of psychology for that can be pretty helpful.

This is how I help clients to hire employees. No resume, no reference check. A few pointed, yet seemingly irrelevant, questions open up the person like a book. We just have to learn how to read it.

Thoughts?" -- Bald Dog

If you haven't read my post about a classroom experience it was about expectation and a little psychology vs hoping for something. My expectation was that I'd find a way to control that class and with a little psychology and food my excpectation was met - I should say it included an extension of trust and respect already established and I didn't have to demand it to get it.

I know you'd agree Bald Dog that you can be wrong reading a person - time tells it all or that person's circumstances can change. An astute and intuitive and experienced person in the right situation can do what you do and do it well I believe.

Where do these psychological tests come in to play today for hiring people and what do you think of them?

MitchM

Bald Dog

I've read it. It's a brilliant approach. You see, you went first. You expected respect by giving it first, knowing that trust and respect, just like love, commitment or enthusiasm, cannot be demanded.

But where there is trust and respect, there can be love between spouses and parents and their kids, commitment, passion or enthusiasm.

> Where do these psychological tests come in to play today for hiring people and what do you think of them?

I think as people can beat lie detectors, they can also beat psychological tests, unless the questions in the tests are very very indirect.

I've done the Gallup Organisation's Strengthsfinder test and I think it's the best out there. I've found out that I was...

http://www.bald-dog.com/strengthsfinder-talent-assessment.pdf

To me that was very very valuable. People's performance depends on their natural strengths and how their managers bring out those strengths in them. So I start asking candidates three basic questions. These three questions were developed by Kathy Sierra, and I've modified them a bit to suit for business development folks...

1. What were the last two trade/professional journals or books you've read relevant to your work? (Or the last two industry conferences, learning programmes or seminars). Most candidates fail right here. They don't bother learning. They're too busy chasing money.

2. Name two of the key people in the business development field. Two people who have made some serious contribution to modern day B2B business development. Here most people name some sales gurus who had their heydays in the 50s, 60s or 70s, selling commodities, but ignore how much the world of selling has changed during recent years.

3. What materials have you purchased recently with your own money which has improved the quality of your work and advanced you as a professional? This is a great filter. Most people would never spend their own money to advance their own careers. They wait for their employers to pay for it. Or they are too busy doing what they learnt years ago.

Three questions and I just read between the lines. It's not foolproof, but a lot better than the retarded resume+reference approach.

Oh, and I would never pay commissions. I don't want people who work for the money. I want people who have something bigger than money.

I like running a business development department like the blend of a functional family and a deadly effective and precise military commando. Treating my people with the care and compassion of a parent and running the family based on principles like a commando. Discipline, accountability, pride, honour, integrity. The pride of enhancing the firm's and the profession's reputation, and the honours of enhancing clients' lives. I've found that this oddball approach attracts great buyers with sexy projects.

To me the commission structure is like paying my kids for good marks at school but refusing them dinner when they bring poor marks. And if they repeatedly bring poor marks, threatening them with giving them up for adoption or giving them to the local bogeyman.

Read more idealist stuff on David Maister's site at www.davidmaister.com And the great thing is that it works.

Rant's over...

Thoughts?

SpeedRacer

What does that mean Tom?

MitchM

Excellent rant, Bald Dog! Your questions are superb, very casual with a purpose and would uncover much - thanks. They go into my cache of questions to ponder and use.

Also, I'll check into the link - thanks again.

MitchM

Bald Dog

I mean we all have different values and base our decisions on them. That's why everything I say is based on my values.

Am I making sense?

SpeedRacer

Maybe. From your posts it looked like you were saying that 'trustworthy and self-respecting people trust and respect others by default'. In response to Houston's post that it wasn't reasonable expecting 'trust and respect from every Joe off the street because you gave it first' you wrote 'I don't say it's reasonable in general.' Can you reconcile those two statements please?

Bald Dog

This is my belief based on my values and experiences.

Everything I say is my truth. But I'm not claiming this is The Truth. it's My Truth and I live by that.

Does this help?

SpeedRacer

Yes. These are your beliefs. Thank you for the clarification Tom.