Chapter 17Chapter 17Managing Your Career

Opportunities In SellingOpportunities In Selling

Fast paced growth

- Since 2006, more good jobs than candidates

- 1 million new jobs expected in the next decade

International opportunities are unlikely for most entry-level salespeople

Making A Good MatchMaking A Good Match

1) Understand personal needs and offerings

To thine own self be true – Shakespeare

*BUT, to be true to yourself, you must know who you are, what you need, and what you can offer others.

*You also must have a long-term view.

*Your first job is a job someone wanted to leave behind for a good promotion

Company Needs & OfferingsCompany Needs & Offerings

2) Understand company needs and offerings

Special Skills required?

Special Abilities required?

Certain G.P.A.?

Corporate Culture?

Understanding YourselfUnderstanding Yourself

Understanding Your Needs

Structure

Motivation

Stress and Rejection

Interest

ContinuedContinued

Understand What You Have To Offer Skills

Knowledge

Qualities and Traits – See Exhibit 17.2

When To Ask These Questions Search for a job prior to graduation Students are three times more likely to find a job than

those who wait until graduation

Understanding The CompanyUnderstanding The Company

What The Company Has To Offer Compensation and recognition programs, training, career

opportunities, and other information Pick a company with a comfortable compensation

program Size, promotion policies, or foreign

What The Company Needs Three qualities company look for: good communication

skills, self-motivation, and a positive and enthusiastic attitude

Relative technical skills and knowledge See P. 459 for 4 bullet points – employers’ needs

The Recruiting ProcessThe Recruiting Process

Selecting Salespeople

Applicant Information Sources

Five important sources of company information:

1) Application forms- preprinted form that the candidate completes

2) References- people who know the applicant (validate information)

3) Tests- provides information that cannot be readily obtained from other sources

4) Personal interviewers- interactions between recruiter and candidate (important source of information for recruiters)

5) Assessment centers- central location for evaluating candidates

Selling Your CapabilitiesSelling Your Capabilities

Preparing The Resumes – Examples: P. 463-464

Conventional Resumes Form of life history organized by type of work experience Three categories of experienced most often used:

educational, work, and activities/hobbies

Functional Resumes Reverse the content and titles of the conventional resume,

organizing by what the candidate can do or has learned rather than by types of experience

Begin the list with qualities most important to getting the job

ResumesResumes

Make objective two-sided – what you are seeking and what you can do for them

Example: Seeking an entry level position in professional selling where I can contribute to your firm’s strategic and revenue goals

Resumes - Big 3!Resumes - Big 3!

Two sided objective

Show results!

Parallel construction – Examples:

led, developed, created, supervised (all action past-tense verbs)

Sources of Job InformationSources of Job Information

Career Services – Texas State UniversityCorporate ContactsProfessional selling – Corporate Partners’

ProgramPast studentsLists of local, regional, & national companies

who are hiring!Note: Refer to handouts!

Gaining The InterviewGaining The Interview

Using Personal Contacts Contacts from school projects, job fairs, and trade shows

Using Employment Advertisements Carefully interpret employment advertisements and respond

effectively Look for two things in ads: what the company needs and what

it has to offer

Responding To Advertisements Many companies ask you to write and may have a blind box

number

Writing Cover LettersWriting Cover Letters

Focus on what you can do for the company – FEB Use the system you learned in class

Be direct

The body of the letter should center on two or three reasons you should be hired – benefits you can bring to their firm

The letter should close with a request for action

No response doesn’t necessarily mean rejection

The InterviewThe Interview

Preparing For The Interview

Research the company

Plan responses to questions

Scenario questions are popular

Prepare questions to ask about the firm

Ask about career advancement opportunities, typical first-year responsibilities, and corporate personality

Shine your shoes!

Interview TipsInterview Tips

Mirror what you said in your cover letterStick to the three or four benefits you stated

that fulfill their needs (not yours)See typical questions employers ask: Exhibit 17.6 – P. 468 Role play interviews at career services KSA – Knowledge, skills & abilities

STAR Approach STAR Approach

Often used by interviewers S or T – tell me about a situation or task at work A – what action did you take R - what results occurred as a result of your

action – not someone else’s action This approach isn’t about responsibilities – it’s

about you and the results you made happen!

During The InterviewDuring The Interview The Approach Social amenities will begin the interview

Needs Identification Both individuals have needs defined prior to the meeting Determine if the interviewer is a sales manager or personnel

manager

Presentation

FEB- feature, evidence, benefit

Portfolio- organized collection of evidence of one’s career

Gaining Commitment Ask for commitment and confirm information signals

Special Types Of InterviewsSpecial Types Of Interviews

Disguised interviews- interviews in which the candidate is unaware that the interviewer is evaluating the candidate

Greeter- helps relax interviewee before interview, and offers an opportunity to ask questions about the job and the company

Stress interview- designed to place the candidate under severe stress to see how the candidate reacts

Panel interviews- encounter multiple interviewers

Group interviews- similar to panel interviews, but include several candidates as well as several interviewers

Follow-UpFollow-Up

Send a thank-you note shortly afterward

Thank the person in the first paragraph

Write a paragraph that summarizes the interview

Focus on the reasons why you should be hired

Reiterate your thanks and end with an assumptive statement

If you don’t hear by the contact date, contact the person

Interviewing Never EndsInterviewing Never Ends

Promotions

Admission to management development programs

Prepare properly, conduct the interview professionally, close or some level of commitment, and follow up

Managing Your Career GoalsManaging Your Career Goals

Set life-based objectives and use them to determine career objectives

Balance is important

Making The Transition From College To Career

The first year is important You must learn from mistakes Learn organizational culture, values, and how things are done You are under a microscope Seek a partnership with your manager

Managing Your CareerManaging Your Career

Requires a conscious effort Lifelong learning is important Lifelong learning can improve your current position and

help enjoy what you do

Dual Career Path A sales job offers two roads for career paths: sales and

marketing

Learn Your Current Job Learn everything possible about your current position, you

may be managing others at this level after promotions

Your CareerYour Career

Learn The Job You Want Next

“In order to become a manager, you must first be a manager.”

Solicit the help of people who hold the job now

Volunteer to take on special projects that demonstrate leadership and organizational abilities

Develop your “soft skills” – See P. 476 – Exhibit 17.9

Developing Your SkillsDeveloping Your Skills

Years of practice Constantly seek new ways to improve – keyboarding

classes, watch very successful people – figure out what they can do that you can’t do-then learn it!

Sources of Improvement Actively seek assistance Start with the field sales manager Learn from peers Read books Seminars and cassette tapes

Managing StressManaging Stress

Meeting quota is one of the most stressful part of the job Sometimes coping with stress results in changing jobs Managing stress is important to leading a happy and

healthy lie

Situational Stress Short-term anxiety caused by a situational factor Imagine the situational factor has been removed Learn to control situational stress and feelings (Ex. Impending presentations, deadlines for closing orders,

and similar situations)

StressStress

Felt Stress

Felt stress- psychological distress brought about by job demands or constraints encountered in the work environment

Role accuracy- refers to the degree to which the salesperson’s perceptions of the sales role are correct

Role stress- brought about by role conflict and/or role ambiguity Role conflict- occurs when two partners demand incompatible

actions of the salesperson Role ambiguity- occurs when the salesperson is not sure what

actions are required Role accuracy- the degree to which a salesperson’s perceptions

about the sales role are correct