Jeffrey K. Radt's Blog (67)

Notable Quotable

This one comes to us today from Jeb’s Blog by Sales Gravy…

“Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to excellence.”

Sadly, many people are jealous of (some even hate) anyone who wants to be or achieve more and they will do almost anything to bring everyone down to their level.

Because of their own mediocrity and failure these people discourage success.

This is why it’s absolutely… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on April 8, 2008 at 10:32am — No Comments

What Got You Here Won't Get You There: CHAPTER 3

This chapter titled The Success Delusion, or Why We Resist Change concludes Section One of this book.

One thing that really struck me from this chapter was the powerful statement the author makes about how all of us in the workplace delude ourselves about our achievements, our status, and our contributions.

* We overestimate our contribution to a project

* We take credit - - partial or complete - - for successes that truly belong to others

* We… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on April 4, 2008 at 11:32am — No Comments

Hump Day Humor 4/2

A video from the good people at Upstream Group.

A few of the great moments in Sales history…

“Sales Is What It’s All About!”

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on April 2, 2008 at 3:28pm — No Comments

What Got You Here Won't Get You There: CHAPTER 2

Growing up through High School I always loved CliffsNotes. When I got to college I remember that SparkNotes was also pretty big. While I’ve never been exactly sure who “Cliff” is and why he felt he needed to create “Notes” for his classmates and students everywhere, but I thank him wholeheartedly for his efforts.

A few… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 28, 2008 at 12:51pm — No Comments

Me, Myself, And I

Blogs are great for airing dirty laundry especially if it’s the kind that has a familair odor to others. This particular situation is one I’m sure you can relate to.

It was the perfect book end to a crazy week. I’m always amazed by the number of working professionals who can’t grasp the idea that we’re here to help them. When I write “help” I don’t mean “serve your beckon call” even there are times when I wonder if someone has secretly put a “kick me” sign on me… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 27, 2008 at 10:23am — 3 Comments

Hump Day Humor 3/26

Remember to use your brain and think for yourself! Sales (and Recruiting) is about reading and reacting to each unique customer and their specific needs and not about trying to sell them a one-size-fits-all solution.

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 26, 2008 at 11:50am — 1 Comment

Are You Like Pygmalion?

First and foremost, let me just say that it’s good to finally get back to work after being home sick since last week Tuesday.

The flu bug definitely bit me hard and although it was a battle of epic proportions (the sickest I’ve been in a LONG time; I was so sick I missed Easter!) I’m proud to say that I claimed victory.

Now that I’m back I want to call attention to something that I think may be spreading across the country these days - - the Pygmalion… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 25, 2008 at 12:13pm — No Comments

Notable Quotable

Looking out my window this morning here in East Aurora, NY (and wondering when Spring will officially arrive!) a particular quote comes to mind:

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ”

Charles L. Allen

Seemed apprpriate for not only the current weather and climate, but also for those of us in Sales and Recruiting.

Food for… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 13, 2008 at 11:04am — No Comments

Hump Day Humor 3/12

In Sales (as in Recruiting) we must ALWAYS be ready to adapt to each unique individual and situation we’re working with.

Look for opportunities to be flexible on the fly!

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 12, 2008 at 10:20am — No Comments

The Silver Lining Exists

There is often a silver lining to everything. You just need to look for it yourself.

The big news from last week was the negative report that employers slashed jobs nationwide to the tune of some 63,000 in February. In fact, this news was easily the lead story for much of the day Friday.

Well, here’s some news that’s equally important (and very relevant), but I’d be willing to guess that many people won’t see it unless they’re looking for it and you especially won’t find… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 11, 2008 at 11:15am — 2 Comments

The R-Word Says Hello Today

The big news of the day is the Labor Department’s report that employers slashed 63,000 jobs in February or, the most in 5 years.

This news coupled with the current housing crisis has many people fearing recession. What is up for debate is whether or not we are headed in that direction or already in one.

Regardless, we shouldn’t let the drive-by media machine dictate how we feel and/or think about the current state… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 7, 2008 at 10:56am — No Comments

Score A Goal, Hit A Homerun!

Just a quick comment today.

We’re always watching to see how candidates attempt to separate themselves from their competition in the marketplace.

In fact, we’ve documented a few of these attempts and promoted them as good advice for those of you conducting a job search.

Over the course of the past two days, I noticed something that I’ve never encountered before from a candidate and I thought it was worth mentioning.

Dare I call it a… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 6, 2008 at 12:39pm — No Comments

Hump Day Humor 3/5

Be careful what you promise your customers because you always want to make sure you can deliver and follow-through!

A door-to-door Vacuum Cleaner Salesman manages to bull his way into a woman’s home in a rural area.

“This machine is the best ever!” he exclaims, while pouring a bag of dirt over the lounge floor.

The woman says she’s really worried it may not all come off, so the Salesman says, “If this machine doesn’t remove all the dust completely, I’ll lick it… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 5, 2008 at 12:37pm — No Comments

Advice You Can't Ignore

Today’s post is for Recruiters and Hiring Managers who are tasked with adding Sales Professionals to an organization.

An excellent piece titled “Secrets Buried in a Salesperson’s Resume” on ERE today by Lee Salz talks about the importance of accurately assessing the Resume of a Sales Rep who is better than the average person at selling themself to others.…

Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 4, 2008 at 3:19pm — No Comments

Waterboarding At Work?

I came across two job-related news items over the weekend that can only be classified as BIZARRE to say the least.

At first, I thought I was reading some satire the likes of which are usually seen on popular sites like The Onion, but to my surprise these were legitimate news stories.

Stories like Employee’s Suit: Company Used Waterboarding To Motivate Workers and… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on March 3, 2008 at 11:37am — No Comments

Worst States For Job Hunting

If you’re a Recruiter, a good piece was published the other day on CNN’s website regarding the worst states for job hunting that you should spend some time with.

One frequently overlooked, but critical factor in finding a new job is a state’s Unemployment Rate - - hardly a news flash to us in the Recruiting industry.

The Unemployment Rate is the percentage of job seekers in the work force who are still looking for work. The higher the percentage, the more difficult it is… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on February 29, 2008 at 12:01pm — No Comments

Hump Day Humor 2/27

This is a good one from Work Joke! May we all consider this as it has both professional and eternal significance.

When a young salesman met his untimely end, he was informed that he had a choice about where he would spend his eternity: Heaven or Hell. He was allowed to visit both places, and then make his decision afterwards.

“I’ll see Heaven first,” said the salesman, and an angel led through the gates on a private… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on February 27, 2008 at 12:54pm — No Comments

How To Bond Without A Camp Fire

There’s an excellent article today by Ken Forrester over at ERE titled Bond With Your Candidates that boldy asserts that “before the Internet, Recruiters successfully filled jobs without a Resume or Job Description.”

Imagine that!

All kidding aside, he’s absolutely right and this reminder - slash - piece of advice can also be extended to not only our… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on February 22, 2008 at 11:22am — 2 Comments

Accountability

You know what they say, be careful about pointing a finger at others because you’ll have 4 more pointing back at yourself.

Sadly, there are far too many so-called professionals who fail to take responsibility in even the most trivial circumstances.

“Accountable” can be defined as being “answerable” or “responsible” for one’s actions. Unfortunately, organizational accountability today is lacking.

Specifically, I want to focus on personal accountability of the… Continue

Added by Jeffrey K. Radt on February 21, 2008 at 11:01am — No Comments