There is a famous quote from Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, "They're single serving friends". If we are all honest with ourselves we like having them.

A single serving friend is one that is there for a small window filling a specific need. It is a very indulgent luxury that all of us can have, and that many times we go back to over and over again. I have more than a few in my life, like the server at Starbucks. I am an admitted coffee addict (there is a giant cup next to me now) and go in to Starbucks daily for a large black coffee. Each time I go in the same server is behind the counter, and we have what amounts to a 30 second exchange daily. When I get to the counter she smiles, most times already has my coffee order ready because she noticed me in line, asks how my day is going, and generally makes a comment about the weather, news etc. For my part I compliment her on remembering my order and being so quick, have some comment or another on the weather, work, etc, and then tell her to have a great day. The perfect single serving friend that I pick up when I want.

Most of us have a network of people like this that can be counted on to be a friendly face at the time of our choosing. The price of a cup of coffee is a small price to pay to have a friend any time I want. Social media is a this concept on a larger scale. How many accumulated followers/friends/connections do you have that are not actual friends, family, or associates? Like the rest of tons. We connect, play games online, chat to have a friend at the time and in the situation of our choosing.

Now how does this relate to being a professional sales representative? Simple, your potential clients coming in want a single serving friend. A person that is there strictly to be nice to them, listen to them, agree with them. When people feel this they keep coming back, it builds loyal clients. Consumers coming in to your business want to be able to have a relationship on their terms, as they want it. That could be anything from formal to extremely personal. A great salesperson adapts and allows the client to have this indulgent friendship.

P.S. If anyone would like to be my single serving friend I am always looking for one. Send me a connection request, or find me on twitter @hggershman

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner - Recruitment HQ

There is a famous quote from Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, "They're single serving friends". If we are all honest with ourselves we like having them.

A single serving friend is one that is there for a small window filling a specific need. It is a very indulgent luxury that all of us can have, and that many times we go back to over and over again. I have more than a few in my life, like the server at Starbucks. I am an admitted coffee addict (there is a giant cup next to me now) and go in to Starbucks daily for a large black coffee. Each time I go in the same server is behind the counter, and we have what amounts to a 30 second exchange daily. When I get to the counter she smiles, most times already has my coffee order ready because she noticed me in line, asks how my day is going, and generally makes a comment about the weather, news etc. For my part I compliment her on remembering my order and being so quick, have some comment or another on the weather, work, etc, and then tell her to have a great day. The perfect single serving friend that I pick up when I want.

Most of us have a network of people like this that can be counted on to be a friendly face at the time of our choosing. The price of a cup of coffee is a small price to pay to have a friend any time I want. Social media is a this concept on a larger scale. How many accumulated followers/friends/connections do you have that are not actual friends, family, or associates? Like the rest of tons. We connect, play games online, chat to have a friend at the time and in the situation of our choosing.

Now how does this relate to being a professional sales representative? Simple, your potential clients coming in want a single serving friend. A person that is there strictly to be nice to them, listen to them, agree with them. When people feel this they keep coming back, it builds loyal clients. Consumers coming in to your business want to be able to have a relationship on their terms, as they want it. That could be anything from formal to extremely personal. A great salesperson adapts and allows the client to have this indulgent friendship.

P.S. If anyone would like to be my single serving friend I am always looking for one. Send me a connection request, or find me on twitter @hggershman

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner - Recruitment HQ

Hiring in sales departments can be an exhausting and frustrating experience. Whether it is marketing for applicants, fielding resumes, or the actual interviews. Each of these are time consuming.

The biggest problem we find in our clients is that the job of handling all these time consuming activities falls to the sales manager. A typical hiring campaign can take upwards of 18 hours of real work to complete, and that does not take into account the need for training once a hire is made. Of course, who is responsible for training the newbie? Yep, the sales manager.

Most sales managers are both judged and compensated on production, and training takes away valuable time that could be dedicated to additional sales. So why strain the business? Why not just do what many sales organizations do and either farm out the entire training process or skip it all together?

There is one decisive answer, your manager needs the training. Who is keeping your sales manager sharp? When we get tunneled into simply reacting to sales on a daily basis the actual information and material we use to manage our sales staff and process falters. The act of training material is as much a sharpening tool for the manager training as it is for new sales staff.

One of the key things that drives increased sales after a hiring, is not only the added personnel serving clients, but management being refocused after being involved in training the staff. It may seem near impossible but it is necessary for your management to either conduct or be intimately involved with the training of your new staff. The hours will gain amazing results.

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner - Recruitment HQ

Hiring in sales departments can be an exhausting and frustrating experience. Whether it is marketing for applicants, fielding resumes, or the actual interviews. Each of these are time consuming.

The biggest problem we find in our clients is that the job of handling all these time consuming activities falls to the sales manager. A typical hiring campaign can take upwards of 18 hours of real work to complete, and that does not take into account the need for training once a hire is made. Of course, who is responsible for training the newbie? Yep, the sales manager.

Most sales managers are both judged and compensated on production, and training takes away valuable time that could be dedicated to additional sales. So why strain the business? Why not just do what many sales organizations do and either farm out the entire training process or skip it all together?

There is one decisive answer, your manager needs the training. Who is keeping your sales manager sharp? When we get tunneled into simply reacting to sales on a daily basis the actual information and material we use to manage our sales staff and process falters. The act of training material is as much a sharpening tool for the manager training as it is for new sales staff.

One of the key things that drives increased sales after a hiring, is not only the added personnel serving clients, but management being refocused after being involved in training the staff. It may seem near impossible but it is necessary for your management to either conduct or be intimately involved with the training of your new staff. The hours will gain amazing results.

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner - Recruitment HQ

The Federal Courts recently made an important decision concerning employee pay, while engaged in screening, or outside required activities.

Here is the case:

A warehouse required it's workers to undergo a security screening at the end of each day.  They would have to punch out and submit to screening, that would take approximately 25 minutes to go through the process.  The employees submitted a complaint to the Labor Department, stating that since the activity was strictly to the benefit to the employer that it must be compensated.

This is covered by the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act), which states that any activity that is an "intergral & indespensable" part of performing the principal work an employee is required to perform must be compensated.  The Court decided that screening does not fall under this, since it is not an actual part of performing ones job.

So, what is the upshot for a dealership?  First, this means that when a dealership asks an employee to go for drug test, as an example, even if it is outside of their scheduled hours this does not have to be paid.  On the other side, training would be required to be compensated, whether or not it was during normally scheduled hours.  Training is indespensable part of performing the job, so any training much be paid.

Follow my blog for more info on hiring, and managing your staff

The Federal Courts recently made an important decision concerning employee pay, while engaged in screening, or outside required activities.

Here is the case:

A warehouse required it's workers to undergo a security screening at the end of each day.  They would have to punch out and submit to screening, that would take approximately 25 minutes to go through the process.  The employees submitted a complaint to the Labor Department, stating that since the activity was strictly to the benefit to the employer that it must be compensated.

This is covered by the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act), which states that any activity that is an "intergral & indespensable" part of performing the principal work an employee is required to perform must be compensated.  The Court decided that screening does not fall under this, since it is not an actual part of performing ones job.

So, what is the upshot for a dealership?  First, this means that when a dealership asks an employee to go for drug test, as an example, even if it is outside of their scheduled hours this does not have to be paid.  On the other side, training would be required to be compensated, whether or not it was during normally scheduled hours.  Training is indespensable part of performing the job, so any training much be paid.

Follow my blog for more info on hiring, and managing your staff

You scour the web, searching for anything that even remotely asks for a skill you have (probably some you don't fit).  Next is obsessing over your resume like considering a dress before the prom; rummaging through how to websites, aimlessly walking up and down the paper aisle in Staples looking for the resume paper color that will speak to interviewers, and finally the great font debate.  Really what font says, "I am super talented", without being too cocky?  (btw, my vote is for NY Times)

Waiting, waiting, waiting and finally an email back.  IT IS GO TIME!  Take the long shower and recite the affirmation statements you learned on some motivational site or another, "I am a winner", "People like me", "I will not trip or stumble walking in for the interview".  Dress and spit polish yourself, and you are off.

You get to the office for the interview and fill out more paper that has the same information you sent in online, and fidget in your seat while you await your time in the interviewers office.  Take that last look at your resume; was I right on the font?  does ecru coarse paper send the right message?  Your thoughts are interrupted and your are called in.

You are razor sharp!  It is almost like the interviewer is purposely asking the questions you prepared for, this is going great.  You get to ask the questions you had ready, everything is just as you planned.  Then there is some silence, while the interviewer seems to be considering some information, and finally you are told that you are a great candidate and will be hearing back soon.

Why don't you have the job, after all that?

Interviews are a selling opportunity, and you never asked for the sale!

When you walked into that interview it was a sale presentation, and you are selling yourself.  I see some many applicants nail the product presentation, and client questions, only to never actually ask for commitment.  This happens on the sales floor, and the interview room.  It is particularly tough for people that work in positions that have never had to sell to the public.  At the end of the interview (sales presentation) take the opportunity to ask if you earned the position.  It isn't too forward, and the worst that can happen is the interviewer tells you they have a longer process and more candidates to consider.  The upside is earning the position right there and then, because interviewers are looking to end their search, give them the excuse to say yes by asking.

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner - Recruitment HQ

You scour the web, searching for anything that even remotely asks for a skill you have (probably some you don't fit).  Next is obsessing over your resume like considering a dress before the prom; rummaging through how to websites, aimlessly walking up and down the paper aisle in Staples looking for the resume paper color that will speak to interviewers, and finally the great font debate.  Really what font says, "I am super talented", without being too cocky?  (btw, my vote is for NY Times)

Waiting, waiting, waiting and finally an email back.  IT IS GO TIME!  Take the long shower and recite the affirmation statements you learned on some motivational site or another, "I am a winner", "People like me", "I will not trip or stumble walking in for the interview".  Dress and spit polish yourself, and you are off.

You get to the office for the interview and fill out more paper that has the same information you sent in online, and fidget in your seat while you await your time in the interviewers office.  Take that last look at your resume; was I right on the font?  does ecru coarse paper send the right message?  Your thoughts are interrupted and your are called in.

You are razor sharp!  It is almost like the interviewer is purposely asking the questions you prepared for, this is going great.  You get to ask the questions you had ready, everything is just as you planned.  Then there is some silence, while the interviewer seems to be considering some information, and finally you are told that you are a great candidate and will be hearing back soon.

Why don't you have the job, after all that?

Interviews are a selling opportunity, and you never asked for the sale!

When you walked into that interview it was a sale presentation, and you are selling yourself.  I see some many applicants nail the product presentation, and client questions, only to never actually ask for commitment.  This happens on the sales floor, and the interview room.  It is particularly tough for people that work in positions that have never had to sell to the public.  At the end of the interview (sales presentation) take the opportunity to ask if you earned the position.  It isn't too forward, and the worst that can happen is the interviewer tells you they have a longer process and more candidates to consider.  The upside is earning the position right there and then, because interviewers are looking to end their search, give them the excuse to say yes by asking.

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner - Recruitment HQ

The latest US job report is making its way around the web. Here is the long and short of it. Good news first:

The latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that US employers added 252,000 jobs in December, better than expected.

Unemployment dropped to 5.6%, another good sign, the lowest unemployment percentage since June 2008.

Now some disappointing news for those that got hired, the average rate of pay actually dropped from November to December by .02%. Sounds like a small number, but considering that living costs always rise it is a tremendous drop for the actual buying power of the American workforce.

What does that mean for employers?

As unemployment rates drop, the available pool of active job seekers diminish, meaning online job boards have a shallower pool of applicants.

So if you need employees what is the answer?

When pay rates and unemployment is low the best answer is to resume database search to reach passive job seekers. People that are not willing to be unemployed in what is still a topsy-turvy economy, but have been under-employed for a long period of time now and have abandoned their active job search.

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner - Recruitment HQ

The latest US job report is making its way around the web. Here is the long and short of it. Good news first:

The latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that US employers added 252,000 jobs in December, better than expected.

Unemployment dropped to 5.6%, another good sign, the lowest unemployment percentage since June 2008.

Now some disappointing news for those that got hired, the average rate of pay actually dropped from November to December by .02%. Sounds like a small number, but considering that living costs always rise it is a tremendous drop for the actual buying power of the American workforce.

What does that mean for employers?

As unemployment rates drop, the available pool of active job seekers diminish, meaning online job boards have a shallower pool of applicants.

So if you need employees what is the answer?

When pay rates and unemployment is low the best answer is to resume database search to reach passive job seekers. People that are not willing to be unemployed in what is still a topsy-turvy economy, but have been under-employed for a long period of time now and have abandoned their active job search.

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner - Recruitment HQ