Jeremy Johnson has a new guest blog post this week on how job seekers are in sales if they are job hunting and how you can effectively “sell” yourself to companies.
Jeremy is a recruiter in Kansas City for EHD Technologies, a recruiting, staffing and managed services company serving the IT, Engineering and Automotive industries.
You can also follow him on Twitter at jsquaredkc
If You’re in the Job Hunt, Then You’re in Sales
Yes, you heard right. If you’re looking for a job, whether actively or passively, and even if you’re not looking for a sales position, you’re in sales. Don’t think there’s a connection? I think there is. In fact, I’m more convinced of it every day.
For those of you who think about the idea of selling with the same affection as chewing glass, don’t worry. This is easier than you think. And, for those of you who just don’t see the connection, I think it will make pretty good sense in a minute.
For starters, let’s ask some basic questions: what is a job? and what is the purpose of it? and why do employers hire for jobs? Isn’t the basic reason that a company or organization hires for a job is because it has a need? A company isn’t just trying to put a rear end in a seat. It’s filling a need; it’s taking away a pain; it’s solving a problem. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what salespeople do. They fill needs; they take away pain; they solve problems. So just as you may purchase a certain insurance policy because it cost- effectively hedges against risks that concern you while giving you peace of mind, a software company needs a developer to support its products, keep it competitive and solve interesting problems for its customers. In both cases, it starts with a need. For insurance, the need is financial protection against catastrophe, and for software development, it’s making effective products that people want to use.
So, back to you as the salesperson. Whenever you apply for a job or are called about one, think of it this way: what is the need and how do your skills and experience meet that need?
Salespeople – good, ethical salespeople – do this by first understanding their prospect. They find out what’s important to people — what they want to gain, what pain they’re trying to alleviate, what they liked or didn’t like about similar products or services they’ve used in the past. Once a good salesperson uncovers what the real need is, he can then match the features and benefits of what he’s offering to show how it meets the prospect’s need.
This is what you should do. Now, YOU are the product and COMPANY is the prospect. You have to first look outward – to your audience. Understand what need the company has or what problem it’s trying to solve with this job. Then, position the appropriate experience that you have that best meets that need.
What a good salesperson does NOT do, is start with her product or service, and then try to convince her prospect why it’s the best. This approach is self-focused, not needs focused.
Here’s an example to demonstrate both approaches. My wife and I have three children, ages seven, six and three. Let’s say we need a new car (knock on wood, hope this isn’t prophetic), and I show up at a Dodge car dealership, ready to see what options are available. The first salesperson gives me a quick but firm handshake, then takes me straight to the Vipers (for argument’s sake, let’s just assume money isn’t an issue) and start’s gushing about how awesome of a car this is – its speed, acceleration, cornering, style. All the while, the only thing I’m thinking is, “Where am I going to put the car seat?” The Viper may, in fact, be super fast, super sleek and super cool, but to someone needing reliable and comfortable family transportation, it’s really just a super dud. IT DOESN’T MEET MY NEEDS.
But isn’t this what a lot of job seekers do? Don’t they focus on themselves the entire time and write their resume or answer interview questions from their own perspective? Don’t they sort of assume that their audience is going interpret that resume and those answers the same way they, themselves, do? Don’t they assume they know their audience’s need beforehand, without even giving it any thought? If you’re doing this, you’re acting like the salesperson who just took me to the Vipers. Guess what. You’re probably not making the sale.
Ok, so we’ve just established that salesperson #1 crashed and burned, and salesperson #2 now comes over to help. After the greeting and handshake, he doesn’t move me anywhere. He starts asking questions. “What brings you here today? What exactly are you looking for? Who will primarily be driving the vehicle? What are you looking to improve from your last vehicle? What did you particularly like about your last vehicle? Are you looking for more power or fuel economy? What does the new vehicle absolutely have to have?” Since we’re still talking about me in this example, he’s going to learn about my family, that my wife will be the primary driver, and that I’m looking for reliable family transportation. So, now he understands my need, and we start to move across the lot. He’s taking me to the Caravans, because whether I want a minivan or not, my answers told him I NEED one. Then, he starts showing me all the Caravan’s features and functions and how they all fit to meet my need for reliable and comfortable family transportation.
So what did the salesperson do? He uncovered my need, identified his offering that best fit that need, then he stepped me through why and how that product would take away my pain and solve my problem. This is what you need to do. SHOW the company why your experience will help them. Connect the dots for them so there’s no doubt you’ve communicated how your skills and experience will benefit them.
Sales is just the psychology of why people say “yes.” But, so is hiring. The mindset behind both are the same. There’s a need; there’s an expectation or assumption of what is needed to fill it; and there’s a fear of not actually getting it (and thus facing buyer’s remorse). The prospect has a need, a pain, a void, a problem — whether that prospect is a potential buying customer or a company hiring for a job. And you, the job seeker, are now the product. It’s your job to show how and why what you have to offer can best solve the problems for which the job you’re considering was created.
The salesperson whose starting point is product or service will NEVER do as well as the salesperson whose starting point is need or problem.