Michael Schmidtmann 1

Success is a Game of Statistics!

• November 5, 2012

Good fortune often hinges on a lucky break, and these breaks will happen to people because of the way they act. That’s the conclusion reached by British Professor Richard Wiseman in his fascinating study, “The Luck Project.”

Create Your Lucky Breaks

• September 4, 2012

Think back to the last really big sale you made to a new account. Not to “Old Faithful,” but a brand new account where you faced real competition. Remember the steps that led up to the sale: How did you hear about the opportunity? How did you get that first appointment? When did the dynamics of the competition change, giving you an edge over the other guys?

Technology Sales Recruiting: Seven Deadly Sins, Part II

• June 11, 2012

Previously, in The Seven Deadly Sins of Sales Recruiting – Part 1, I gave an overview of the common business layout in terms of salespeople ratios of excellent performers to underachievers. Now, we cover what exactly the seven deadly sins of sales recruiting.

Technology Sales Recruiting: Seven Deadly Sins — Part I

• June 4, 2012

“How can I put the rubber to the road, when all I see are retreads?” The owner of the Information Technology VAR was voicing frustration with me, and it’s a complaint I hear frequently. Retreads are people with industry experience who hop from one company to another, bringing their big promises and low performance along with them.

Attracting Talent: Got A ‘Black Friday’ Recruiting Offer?

• May 7, 2012

Does your family go crazy the day after Thanksgiving like mine does? We all know this mass hysteria is called “Black Friday” — when millions of people rush to the malls to get a jump on their Christmas and holiday shopping. Now let’s focus on your company’s recruiting. Do you have a “Black Friday” offer — something to get candidates stampeding to your company? Probably not.

First, a little about the Black Friday phenomenon.

Sales Recruiting Lessons From A Pool Hustler

• April 24, 2012

My “Spidey Sense” started tingling as I answered the phone. I smelled trouble. A Sales Manager called me, brimming with excitement about a rainmaker sales candidate. “She’s got industry experience, a strong track record, and she wants to relocate to our market to sell!” But as I probed for details, the picture didn’t look so promising. What were the red flags?