Avoiding your next hiring mistake and/or deciding upon your next career are best made the same way

What thrills you? And why is that important? 

I'm currently in Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training and “taught “ my first class this weekend. I made several mistakes, but one stands out. I tried to “practice” as I taught. Teaching well requires a different skillset and mindset than learning. Trying to do both well is literally impossible. 

Similarly - Selling is not Managing. Nor is Managing, Selling. 

Selling is not managing. Nor is managing, selling

Yet this is what many SaaS companies ask their Sales Managers to do. C and V level execs are so focused on revenue attainment they demand their Sales Mangers to be “hands-on, customer-facing and involved in deals” on the reg these days. 

Sales Management responsibilities consist of leading and selling every day for most of you . 

The question we need to contemplate is this focus on short term /immediate goals detracting from long term personnel performance?  If Managers were left to manage and sales reps remained focused on selling how would that impact the quality of your HR? Would hiring, training, onboarding, and retaining metrics benefit? 

How would this classic separation of duties effect employee satisfaction, morale, culture? 

No one knows because everyone's running too fast to calculate the answer. 

Am I a Manager or a Sales Pro?

How do you know if you're more well-suited for selling or managing in the first place?  My experienced eye says the difference between sales and management is simple. But it's not easy. 

Slowing yourself down, looking inside for answers, again,  is the key. 

The less you think about the answer and the more you allow yourself to feel what's best for you the clearer your path will be. 

That's why it's important to ask yourself what thrills you! 

Stop analyzing and start getting in touch with your true nature- where your passion resides. You can do this by meditating, spinning clay on a pottery wheel, riding your bike, or punching the hell out of your pillow. Just do it…

Your heart is the most intelligent organ in your body ( another lesson learned in Yoga Teacher Training ). 

Your heart knows what it wants. Listen to it. And don't worry about the opinions of others. Or how your resume looks. 

How do I hire the right candidate?

If you're interviewing a prospect that has experience managing and selling, how do you know which role he/she is most likely to perform best at?

From the outside looking in I help my clients by asking our job applicants this critical question… 

Are you more motivated more by earnings and personal achievement or by team goals and the development of others around you?

Most candidates reply by saying “I'm really good at both, can go either way”. Hiring authorities dealing from a position of strength, and are looking for an ideal fit, reject that answer; and/ or that applicant. 

Employees that have taken the time to get out of their heads and into their hearts will know what thrills them, what really turns their crank. The candidate you covet will voice that innate power. Whether you like their answer or not, hold on to the applicant who's truth emboldens their reply. 

As an empowered manager it's your role to find a place for that rare asset. 

Walking or talking

At pinnaclesource.com we walk the talk. We recently screened a 3rd generation Accountant with no sales experience that expressed an interest in an AE role we posted online. His replies to my emailed questions gave me faith in his candidacy. Upon further review and phone calls, we are confident he is a qualified asset for the right client and we are arranging Sales interviews for him.

Why?

He's been listening to his inner voice and knows he is not an accountant- at heart. His will and desire will persevere. And those are critical elements of sales-person success. 

As we enter the glorious Spring season I encourage all of us to reflect on what really fuels our individual fires, and once found, to blow those flames in daily expressions of professional communication. 

For more insights into our why, reach out to me today at jordan@pinnso.com.