Sales Jobs, Sales Recruitment, Advice, Help, Tips for Sales Professionals

On the 15th March the UK recession reached its lowest point. Why, because the sun came out and everyone’s stories turned from ‘doom and gloom’ to a faint hint of optimism. Aren’t the warming rays of the sun just a fantastic tonic!

Talking of the sun, our global leaders today signed us all up to $1.1 Trillion of debt which at today’s $/£ exchange rate is just a measly £681BN! Apparently this is the equivalent of $1 bills laid from end to end all the way from here to the sun!

Put another way our leaders at the G20 have today signed us up to the gross domestic output of Spain, Australia AND China combined!

Let's put this into context with a bit of history! According to US treasury figures, from 1776 to the year 2000 the USA borrowed a trillion dollars from financial institutions and foreign governments combined. From 2000 the Bush administration then borrowed a further trillion dollars, and today after the G20 summit, as a global economy we’ve borrowed yet another trillion.

As half of this is going to the IMF where and from whom are we borrowing from? The old US debt clock is up to $11 trillion dollars tonight so it’s fair to say that the world’s greatest economy isn’t shoring up this agreement.

But cross fingers it’ll work and as long as the sun continues to shine we can breath a hopeful sigh of optimism that everything in the end will be alright again.

April’s had a glorious start and for the first time in some months more people than not are saying things are looking a little brighter, so cross fingers we’re through the worst of it. Summer’s coming and let us all hope that the negativity of the last 6 months has disappeared with the passing winter.

We can only hope that our leaders at the G20 and their advisors have got it right and let’s once again look forward to making hay whilst the sun shines!

Happy selling

Labels: economy, G20, optimism, recession over, trillion dollars

Aaron Wallis has written a comprehensive guide to help job seekers stay safe when searching for a new job. With identity theft rife in the UK and candidates perhaps not realising how sensitive a document their CV can be, Aaron Wallis have written a no-nonsense guide detailing precautions to take to help protect you against identity crime.

As Rob Scott, Managing Director explained, “most people regularly shred their bank statements and utility bills yet happily send their CV containing their full name, address, date of birth, career and educational history to complete strangers. This information is just one or two pieces of data away from opening a bank account in their name. With a few searches of social networking sites this additional missing information can be found in minutes”.

The guide goes on to detail recruitment scams and the dangers of social networking when looking for a new job. Download the free article ‘Staying safe when job searching’

Labels: Account Manager Recruitment, CV job boards, identity crime, Identity theft, job search, Recruitment Scams, safe job searching, the risks of Social Networking

Once again it was a fantastic ‘hints and tips’ session at Business Breakfast Milton Keynes, a Buckinghamshire networking group on Tuesday 20 January. The topic was how to get the most out of networking, gain greater numbers of referrals and gain more referrals for fellow business networkers.

Here are some fantastic ideas to make business networking more profitable and worthwhile for both you and your fellow members of networking groups.

54 Great Hints to help you become a more successful business networker

1. ‘Perceived value’ and the uniqueness of a gift to say thanks for business or a referral is often greater than the cost. For instance, a single red rose is remembered longer than a £50 store voucher
2. A referral is ‘someone who likes what you do and takes the effort to tell someone else what you do’. The responsibility on you from this point is to deliver
3. After a networking session follow up the contacts that you made with a handwritten note or postcard – say ‘great to meet you’ and don’t overtly ‘sell’ in this message. This is far more powerful than a standard ‘selling’ emailed c.c. to all!
4. After making a verbal referral follow it up with a complete email containing all of the contact information, why you’re referring them and ‘complete the circle’ by copying in the person that you are referring – then it’s no surprise and they can prepare accordingly.
5. Always send an agenda before every customer meeting, for example 1) Your understanding of their current requirements are, 2) Overview on what you do and how you can increase business/reduce cost/maintain stability, etc. ,3) Your solutions 4) What they look for in a service provider 5) Moving forward. Always ask what they’d like you to prepare beforehand and bring with you. After every meeting ask if they know anyone else that could benefit from your products/services and follow up every client meeting with a ‘thanks for the meeting’ mail.
6. Always thank the person that gives you a referral with a written note, bottle of something, a personal gift or whatever – just say thanks
7. Ask every client at the end of every project whether they’d refer you to others. If not, what could you have done better and learn from it! If, yes – great ask for the referral!
8. Ask for referrals at every opportunity. Have a prompt on your order forms/fact-finding sheets to remind you to ask if your prospect knows of others that could be interested in your product s and services (leave it until the end when you have begun to establish credibility)
9. Ask for referrals from people that have used/purchased your products and services. For a win-win offer a financial incentive, discount or gift in return for referred business
10. At networking meetings, and when meeting clients, listen to what they are really saying – be genuinely interested in their business and take the time to understand their challenges to gain a real insight into their business and objectives.
11. Be consistent and always project yourself in a way that you would like your business to be projected
12. Be honest with people – deliver what you say that you are going to do – no surprises! If you say that you’ll call them at 6:30PM – do it!
13. Be proactive – "give to receive" – most human beings are predetermined to give back to those that have given to them!
14. Be specific with the leads and referrals you would like to gain from fellow networkers. Detail why you should be referred and the kind of introduction that you would like made.
15. Be very specific – ask for a referral into a specific name into a specific company – as they say you’re only 6 degrees of separation from every human being on the planet in a local networking group it’s highly likely that one of your co-workers will know someone who knows someone!
16. Belong to networking groups! Belong to different networking groups – perhaps in different geographic areas or industry specific sectors. That way you have a wider contact base to gain transfer referrals with and for
17. Carry your contacts on your PDA or in a business card folder. If a contact is relevant then offer the details there and then and back it up with an email or note at a later point.
18. Celebrate successful leads and referrals that you’ve converted with your fellow networkers. Shout it from the rooftops – isn’t this the whole point of business networking!
19. Consider every opportunity as a networking opportunity – both inside and outside of ‘work’
20. Detail a discount/gift for referrals at the bottom of your invoice – make it bright prink or yellow to stand out.
21. Develop a ‘power circle’ within networking groups made up of complimentary businesses that can pass leads within each other to provide a complete solution to their clients for the mutual benefit of all (including your clients as the scale and low ‘cost of sale’ could reduce the overall project cost to them). For instance, a copywriter, graphic designer, editor, photographer, web designer and SEO consultancy could form a mutually beneficial ‘power circle’. This relationship could be based on a legalised strategic partnership or simply on the basis of karma – what comes around, goes around!
22. Develop an ability to talk to anyone about anything! Prepare a few current and relevant topical ‘small talk’ stories that you can utilise to ‘break the ice’
23. Develop relationships at networking groups to build ‘rich’ and trusting relationships. The great thing about regular business networking groups is that charlatans will only get away with it once!
24. Ensure that you have your picture on the BBMK website. Guests will remember your face longer than your name!
25. Get your message out with clarity! Work on your ‘elevator pitch’ so straight away fellow networkers will quickly grasp what you do and how they may be able to help you
26. Give feedback on all referrals/leads that you are given. Update the ‘referral giver’ on progress and action taken.
27. Have 1:1’s in a networking group to get to know the person and their business. Understand how their business may be able to help your contacts
28. Have a mindset shift. In the way that selling is helping people that have a need, referring your contacts is helping your clients. Most people would prefer to deal with a supplier that has been recommended than one that has no known working history/credibility and in referring your fellow co-networkers you are genuinely helping them. Ask deeper questions to understand your customer’s current challenges. By having a fuller insight into their business you might be able to refer a fellow networker to help them.
29. Have a referral strategy. Action Coach offer a free ebook on referral strategies that includes a few tips to get you thinking about your own strategy
30. Have different ‘hooks’ and ‘angles’ to describe your business. Talk about current challenges and recent successes to get people to understand all of the facets of your business.
31. If you offer a diverse range of products and services change your one minute ‘elevator pitch’ every few weeks and over a period of months your co-networkers will have greater insight into the range of services that you offer
32. If you’ve enjoyed the service delivered by a company then link from your website to theirs – links will help boost their search engine rankings. Similarly write testimonials for your suppliers and ask them to place it on their website with a link back to yours. Link to fellow networkers and ask for reciprocal links back.
33. Keep your ears open to opportunities for your fellow networkers. Spot opportunities for how you can help your client by referring your co-networkers
34. Make sure that your customers are happy before you ask them for a referral!
35. Networking groups are not the only place to ‘give and receive referrals’ – always be looking for referrals
36. One you trust your co-networkers have confidence in referring them – it’ll be hard for them to turn up week after week if they haven’t delivered to your contact!
37. Perseverance is king. There may be people in a networking group who don’t quite ‘get’ what you do. Try different angles and keep ‘telling and selling’ your message.
38. Read trade magazines, business papers, etc. for articles on recent business wins, contracts won, successes, job promotions, etc. Send ‘stand out’ postcards congratulating them on their success (don’t sell) and make it memorable. Track the progress of this exercise
39. Referrals can take a long time to come to fruition – be patient.
40. Sell a ‘complete service’ by building strategic partnerships with businesses offering complimentary services. You can then deliver a total service together with your trusted partners
41. Sell your networking group! If it works for you tell others
42. Set up your contacts on outlook so that you can attach the electronic business card (VCARD) of the person that you are referring
43. Set weekly targets for referrals and leads as part of your business development strategy
44. Successful networking takes time. Don’t become disillusioned if you walk away from your first few networking sessions without a fistful of referrals. It takes time for people to place trust in you before they will refer you to their coveted contacts. Networking is a slow but highly fruitful business generation method.
45. Take the time to find out about your customers and co-networkers on a ‘human level’. They may not need any help in their business from your contacts at the moment. However, they may need a carburettor for their 1967 Triumph Dolomite 1850HL – and you might, just might, know the right contact!
46. Tell people that you rely on referral business and ask for it
47. The value that you will gain from a networking group is in the long term. It will take time for group members to understand and trust you before there is a connection and they feel comfortable referring you
48. Three is a powerful number. Always ask if your happy customer could name three people that they could refer you to. That way you’ll get at least one, normally two and occasionally three!
49. Treat all business like it was referred to you by your top client.
50. Trust the people that you refer before you refer them – remember, by referring them you are from this point associated and if they are unable to deliver it could potentially tarnish your relationship with your contact
51. Turn up early to networking sessions as it’s a great opportunity to informally network and gain a greater insight into people’s businesses Of course, the early bird always catches the worm!
52. Use your ‘five and ten minute’ showcases at networking sessions to let others find out more about you at a personal level. That way when they refer you they can paint a picture of you to their client, i.e. climbed Everest, starred in Brookside, spent 22 years in the New Zealand air force, sang in a rock band called ‘Armitage Shanks’, once had dinner with Bonnie Langford (who was that again!), etc.
53. What is a referral and what is a lead? Should you treat them differently? Shouldn’t you treat leads in the same positive way as a referral?
54. When reading newspapers, trade magazines, websites – print/copy/cut out information that could be useful and send it to your prospects and customers

Once again, great thanks and credit must go to all of the members of BBMK who contributed these fantastic ideas and tips.

We hope that you find them useful. HAPPY NETWORKING!

Labels: business development, business networks, candidate referral scheme, increase sales, networking, referral strategies, sales hints

In another great session at BBMK, a Milton Keynes Networking Group, we discussed hints and tips around cash flow, credit control and cash collection.

Here’s some fantastic ideas here to help you ensure that cash remains ‘king’ in your business.

Remember turnover is vanity, profit is sanity and payment is reality!

60 Great Tips for Cash Control, Cash flow and Credit Control

1. Agree payment terms, invoice path, PO Numbers from the outset. Keep a paper trail from debtor day one and if on 30 days softly chase from day 15. Follow with a ‘low impact letter’ on day 31. Follow up every chase call with an email detailing the synopsis of your conversation, i.e. "Further to our conversation earlier today I shall look forward to receiving the cheque on Thursday as promised"
2. Agree the cost for the year with your client and spread the cost over monthly retained payments. It will help win the business and means you can manage your cashflow accordingly
3. Always allow for late payment, it’s unfortunately inevitable. In addition forecast and make a provision for non payment (Bad Debt Provision).
4. ALWAYS send your invoices on the day that they should be raised
5. Systemise your business when you are small – that way when you grow the process is already in place or needs minor ‘tweaking’
6. Ask for a retainer each month to contribute towards your monthly costs allowing you to budget effectively.
7. Be strict from the start – don’t let your clients get into the habit of paying late. If they pay late once and you didn’t address it then they’ll simply pay late again
8. Be up front. When a sale is agreed make sure that the client is clear about the experience they will receive from you and the payment that you expect from them!
9. Change ‘Payment within 30 days of Invoice’ to ‘Payment must be received within 30 days of Invoice’ be clear.
10. Detail interest charges in your Terms and Conditions for late payment and don’t be afraid to apply them to clients that regularly pay outside of the agreed payment terms. Normally the threat of an interest charge is sufficient to receive prompt payment!
11. Credit check every client – if they don’t pass ask for i) Payment Up front ii) Part payment up front iii) Letter from Director on headed paper confirming that payment will be received within terms. If they won’t agree to any of these steps don’t take on the business or look at alternatives like Escrow services.
12. Dedicate a slot of time every day for raising invoices and credit control
13. Discuss payment terms at the earliest opportunity
14. Do as to others as you would yourself like to be treated, i.e. pay your own bills on time! Is nice as it may sound, don’t expect 60 days to pay your suppliers and for your clients to pay you within 30 days.
15. Don’t ‘overtrade’ – it’s a posh term for spending what you haven’t got!
16. Don’t be scared to stop supplying clients if they are behind on payment
17. Don’t extend your payment terms without increasing your charge – why should you?
18. Ensure that you communicate with your client through the payment terns – be open and honest with them and ensure that they know your expectations of receiving payment
19. Factor all business – it might cost a few % but it takes the headache away and factoring firms are extremely good at cash collection!
20. Focus on what you do best in your business and hand over debt collection to professionals. Debt collection agencies do as ‘it says on the tin’ they’re awfully good at debt collection!
21. Send statements midway through the payment terms and follow the statement with a phone call.
22. Don’t feel embarrassed about chasing money for a product/service that your client has been happy with!
23. For big projects where your client is unwilling to commit to a retainer consider an Escrow service. This means your client will pay a third party that will hold the payment until the work is satisfactorily completed. Then when the client is happy with the completed project they will instruct the escrow provider to release the funds. As the supplier you have the ‘peace of mind’ knowing that you will be paid when you complete the project.
24. Get friendly with the person who pays the bill. Often they are not the person that signed the order form and will have more influence in getting your invoice paid to your terms
25. Adopt the GOYA Principle – "Get off your a**e"! i.e. don’t ‘stick your head in the sand’ and wait for payment, be proactive, politely chase it to 30 days. Thereafter if over terms start getting heavier and after 60 days treat it as debt recovery.
26. Handling common credit control excuses:
a. Common Excuse One: "I haven't received your invoice" - send another copy by fax, email and recorded post to the person you spoke to and phone to check it has been received and when you can expect payment.
b. Common Excuse Two: "I'll deal with it shortly" – ask for an email/fax confirming when it will be dealt with
c. Common Excuse Three: "The invoice wasn’t addressed correctly/The company name wasn’t accurate" - send another copy with appropriate amendments by fax, email and recorded post. Call in two days check it has been received, it is accurate and when you can expect payment.
d. Common Excuse Four :"The cheque's in the post" – ask for the cheque number and postal date. Check your address is correct
e. Common Excuse Five :"It didn’t have a Purchase Order Number" – ask for the purchase order number and send another copy with appropriate amendments by fax, email and recorded post. Call in two days check it has been received, it is accurate and when you can expect payment.
27. Have excellent ‘sound and tight’ terms and conditions that have been thoroughly vetted by a commercial solicitor. Invest time and money now to get your terms and conditions right – at some point in the long term you will be grateful that you made this investment
28. If a client is on 30 day terms then send out a statement after 14 days and follow with a call to ensure that the invoice has been received and that it’s all in order
29. If a debtor goes into liquidation take advice but unfortunately in many cases you can do more then stick your ‘head in your hands’ and hope!
30. If delivering a project then 35%/35%/30% payments are better for all parties than 50%/50%. It’s a genuine win-win for all parties that makes the payments easier to bear for your client and ensure you get a greater ‘chunk’ of the payment before the project is completed.
31. If the cost benefit works then factor your business
32. If the economy is going to run smoothly it requires everyone to promptly pay their suppliers.
33. If you are charging a large sum to a client consider spreading the cost over a longer period. But, make sure you charge a premium to spread these payments.
34. If you offer a service then take a deposit to cover your costs. Therefore, even in the worst case of the client not paying you will ‘break even’
35. Keep promoting and advertising your products/services when you are busy
36. Look after your staff, make them as efficient as they can possibly be
37. Maintain ownership of your product until full payment is received. Don’t be afraid to withdraw your service if payment is not received.
38. Make it easy for your client to pay – accept credit cards, debit cards as well as cheques, standing orders and direct debits (which normally require more than two authorised signatories and will therefore take more time)
39. Make your payment terms explicitly clear before starting any work
40. Negotiate favourable terms with your suppliers – ask for a discount for prompt payment
41. Offer a charitable donation if payment is made early or within terms. Increase the amount the earlier that your invoice is paid. Make your client feel good about paying early!
42. Phone your client before sending your invoice. Are they happy with the product/service you’ve provided? The fee we agreed was £x. Therefore you will receive an invoice for x. Payment terms are x days, etc. Can you confirm that the invoice should be addressed to, the invoice address, is a purchase order number required, etc. This has proven to help rapidly reduce debtor days and is a good example of excellent customer service.
43. Put all of your ongoing running costs on direct debit and standing orders so you know how much money is going out and you’ll never be accused of late payment
44. Regularly review your pricing structure and increase prices in line with your own increasing costs
45. Remember in tough times if you’ve been fair to your suppliers and paid them promptly they are more likely to return a favour to you
46. Remember the ‘Battle of the Forms’ – it is the final Terms and Conditions that have been received that will stand in court
47. Picture two men fighting over a cow – one pulling the head and the other pulling the tail both shouting "my cow". Under the cow are two solicitors milking it! Disputes are expensive and should be the last resort after trying every avenue to effectively communicate your case directly with your client.
48. Set up direct debits/standing orders for your clients to pay – it means that you will get paid on time and will allow you to predict your cashflow.
49. Split a large invoice over equal monthly payments and collect by credit card. It is harder for a client to cancel a regular credit card payment than it is a direct debit or standing order.
50. Systemise your business and have a written debt collection process and follow it! Have checks along the process (perhaps automating them) to ensure you keep on top of payment collection
51. Take as much advise as you can when dealing with debt recovery. If you’re not sure how to do it and the correct procedures you will perhaps save money, time and stress by passing over to a debt collection agency.
52. Take credit card details as a form of security/deposit. Charge a cancellation fee for ‘no shows’. Taking credit card payments rapidly improves cash collection
53. Take out bad debt insurance against big projects or even all of your business
54. Make purchases based upon money received and not orders taken!
55. Take your invoice with you when you deliver the product. Perhaps even collect payment at the same time!
56. There is a British Standard and Code of Practise for payment. Adopt this standard and work with clients that have also embraced this standard
57. This needs to be detailed in your Terms and Conditions that your client signs from the outset but put 20% of the cost on the invoice which you will then deduct for payment within terms (many large advertisers do this)
58. Treat anything over 60 days as debt recovery rather than collection – don’t delay in getting heavy after your payment terms are exceeded.
59. With the adage in mind that a carrot always work better than a stick, offer a discount to your customers for payment that is received within 7 days or 14 days from the date of invoice.
60. Your bank will often provide you with a free (or low cost)credit checking service

Once again, great thanks and credit must go to all of the members of BBMK who contributed these fantastic ideas and tips. We hope that you find them useful.

Labels: cash collection, cash flow, credit control, payment terms

Looking for a job can be a very daunting experience; but whilst salary, working hours and working environment should be important factors when considering what kind of job to take, it is also important to place personal interests, the kind of company you want to work for, job prospects and use of skills as the main incentives when beginning the job search.

Looking For a Job

Knowing where to begin a job search might depend on what kind of career you`re looking for but the internet is full of many websites and recruiters that specialise in hiring those in a particular vocation. Some of the larger national newspapers will have weekly job sections which advertise nationally, and local newspapers will usually have a weekly job insert that advertises the latest local opportunities directly from the employers.

The CV

A good CV will give clear and concise details of education and work experience in reverse chronological order, along with a brief description of qualifications and skills gained and responsibilities these included. Don`t forget to include details or explanations of any gaps in your CV such as time taken to go travelling – use these to your advantage by giving a brief description of any relevant experiences or skills you may have learnt here too. Be wary of small making small mistakes such as spelling errors and too many headings and sub-headings – it is the content that really matters; and a CV should always be sent along with a covering letter which should perhaps elaborate on what you`re looking for and why you think you think would make a suitable candidate for the role.

The Interview

A) Interview Preparation

Always try to do a bit of background research on a company before attending an interview: How and when did the company start? What influence does it have on modern markets? Look for any useful information on their website and see how the company presents itself to its clients and customers as it is more than likely they will want a candidate that best reflects that. Try to rehears answers to the typical kinds of questions you will be asked. "Why do you want to work for us?" or, "What qualities do you think you can bring to our company?" Even if this means giving examples of times when you have failed at something, try to show how you learnt from this experience.

B) Interview Presentation

If it`s true that we make up our minds about the people we meet within the first 3 seconds then this needs to be remembered most at interviews. Dresses smartly; even if the job you would be doing doesn`t require formal wear, always make the effort, and there should always be a handshake. Employers will expect you to be nervous but proving you can stay cool under pressure is one of the things they are likely to be looking for.

Tests

Some interviews, particularly those in specialised vocations, may require you to take an aptitude test to assess your numeric and literacy skills, and any other specific qualifications required for the role such as a particular computer program. Try to take your time with these kind of tests, even if you only have a set time in which to complete it – employers are far more likely to want someone who is thorough than someone who is just quick and careless.

So if you think you`re ready, why not begin your search for Civil Engineer Jobs today?

Aaron Wallis has launched www.telesalesrecruitment.co.uk a portal for telesales jobs and telesales recruitment services. Containing telesales jobs together with the latest news from the telesales sector the site has a unique mail list forum and is intended to become a major force to those looking for jobs in telesales.

Labels: jobs in telesales, telesales jobs, telesales recruitment

I was asked recently about what made a really good Sales Engineer and quite honestly I struggled to answer the question.

Having met, I estimate, around 2000 sales engineers across engineering, electronics, scientific, construction, M&E and Instrumentation, it’s fair to say that they vary wildly and good ones are different for radically different reasons.

In reply I used a bit of a clichéd response that I’ve been using for years. And that is “that there are two types of sales engineers; the first is a Sales engineer with a capital ‘S’ and a small ‘e’” - that’s a sales professional selling a technical product that uses his commercial guile and acumen to win a sale, for instance selling components, commodities or manufactured products. The second is a “sales Engineer with a small ‘s’ and a capital ‘E’” and these tend to sell on their technical qualities, experience and qualifications above their raw sales abilities. In essence they provide solutions which are often bespoke to exact need and the sales engineers involved are often published experts in their field.

It was therefore impossible to answer the question in a simple sentence yet made me think about what an absolutely eclectic bunch made up the ‘tour de force’ that are sales engineers! In tribute Aaron Wallis has launched www.thesalesengineer.co.uk which is technical sales website updated weekly with the latest technical news together with the latest sales engineer jobs. To receive a free copy of a newsletter entitled ‘The Sales Engineer’ simply join the mail list

Labels: engineering news, sales engineer jobs, technical sales jobs, technical sales recruitment

Due to numerous requests for a dedicated portal for Account Managers, Aaron Wallis has launched a new website called www.theaccountmanager.co.uk

With news stories that are updated weekly together with links to Account Management Jobs the site is set to be a central resource to Account Managers from all industry sectors. For further information about the site or to register for regular account management news simply visit www.theaccountmanager.co.uk

Labels: Account Management Jobs, Account Manager Jobs, Account Manager Recruitment, Jobs in Account Management

Instrumentation sales professionals have for some time been looking for a resource that details all of the latest industry news and instrumentation sales jobs. Launched in August 2008, www.instrumentationsales.co.uk has been launched by Aaron Wallis, a specialist sales recruitment provider, to fill this void. With weekly news from the instrumentation and process control sector, together with links to specialist instrumentation sales recruitment services, the site has been visited by over five hundred unique visitors in the first month

Labels: Instrumentation sales jobs, Instrumentation sales recruitment

Aaron Wallis, a leading UK based technical sales recruitment provider has launched www.technicalsalesjobs.co.uk aimed at sales professionals in electronics, engineering, construction, M&E, science and instrumentation.

This site has weekly updated unique news content together with the latest sales engineer jobs from Aaron Wallis and is aimed at being a significant resource to technical sales professionals from all professions.

Labels: technical sales jobs, technical sales recruitment

Aaron Wallis has launched www.fmcgsales.co.uk a dedicated portal for FMCG Sales Recruitment and sales jobs in the consumer goods sector. For news from the FMCG sector that is updated weekly simply visit the site or join the mail list

Labels: FMCG sales jobs, FMCG sales recruitment, Jobs in FMCG sales

Aaron Wallis launches the following top level domains: www.aaronwallis.biz, www.aaronwallis.eu, www.aaronwallis.mobi, www.aaronwallis.net, www.aaronwallis.org and www.aaronwallis.info

Together with www.aaronwallis.com and the main domain www.aaronwallis.co.uk this specialist UK based sales recuiter now has improved online presence in line with planned growth and strategy.

Labels: aaron wallis, sales recruitment, sales recruitment agency

Here’s the third of eight connected Meaningful Minutes from New Meaning to help you reflect upon what is important in your life and discover your path

As a human being you respond to a natural call to find or discover meanings. To help find and discover the meaning behind events in your life you can download the third meaningful minute here

If you like it you may want to consider signing up for New Meaning's Meaningful Minutes – a series of weekly exercises to help you understand your meaning and life’s driving purpose.

Labels: discover, life, meaning, path

Here’s a fantastic article from Peter Moorhead of ‘Celebrate Health and Fitness’, a Milton Keynes personal training business.

Celebrate Easter with Chocolate!

There is no escaping the chocolate at Easter and the temptation is often too difficult to resist, and why should you?

It is not true that chocolate in itself is bad; it is the high fat and sugar content that adds the pounds.

So, rather than deny the simple pleasures of chocolate, choose wisely. A dark organic chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa (70 %+) is a better choice than most milk or white chocolates and even has some important antioxidants. Just don’t overdo it and if you can, enjoy your chocolate with a small handful of nuts. Almonds or walnuts are best.

The protein in the nuts will slow down the rise in your blood sugar levels and lessen the subsequent insulin production that causes your body to get the excess sugar out of your blood stream and store it as fat. What is more, the (good) fats in the nuts will trigger your satiety hormones which say you are full up!

I am told by the best authority I know in chocolate (my beloved wife) that one square of this high coco content chocolate will give you the chocolate buzz you crave –it’s enough, and therefore you get all the good chocolate stuff, without the bad.

You can enjoy your Easter chocolate feast after all, life is a Celebration!

Peter runs Celebrate Health & Fitness, a personal training, healthy lifestyle company based in Milton Keynes. www.celebratehf.co.uk offer a range of services to help improve the general wellbeing of the citizens of Milton Keynes, backed by a 5 star guarantee. Their mission is ‘Let’s Enjoy Life!’

Labels: chocolate eggs, diet, easter chocolate, fitness, health

The Aaron Wallis website has some great features and articles to download on increasing sales, improving marketing and PR, sales management and business growth in general.

Visit the increase sales part of our site to download free articles. We hope that you like them

Labels: business growth, improve marketing, improve PR, increase sales, sales management tips

I take my son to Karate every week and he asked about why the highest attainment was a ‘black belt’ rather than a red, yellow, green or purple one.

I explained that in times gone by everyone had a white belt and as you trained longer and harder your black belt eventually became stained with dirt, dust, blood, sweat and tears. So the black belt was simply a reflection of how well and how hard you’d trained over a very long period of time.

Sensei interrupted and said that all originally all karate belts were white and then as time went on and martial arts developed more structure, they were stained according to the level that you had attained.

And here’s the great bit.

Black belts were originally white belts covered in black silk. Then as you trained harder and longer the black silk wore off revealing the white beneath.

This symbolised that no matter how much of a master and expert you were, you were still a beginner. It sent shivers down by spine. Love it!

For more information on Karate visit the Central Federation of Traditional Shotokan Karate Website. It’s a great information portal for everything Karate and has a brilliant section on translation and detailed pictures of the common punches, stances, kicks and kata.

Labels: Black Belt, Black Belts, CFTS, CFTS Karate, karate, Karate Belts, Karate Terminology, Kata

Here’s another great exercise from New Meaning to help you reflect upon what is important in your life.

The exercise will help you define what success and fulfilment means to you.

If you like it you may want to consider signing up for their Meaningful Minutes – a series of weekly exercises to help you understand your meaning and life’s driving purpose.

Labels: Frankl, fulfilment, Gandhi, Meaning of Life, philosophical, philosophy, success

If you’re feeling philosophical here’s an exercise from New Meaning to help you reflect upon what is important in your life.

The exercise will help you Discover how to benefit from an Amazing Gift From Life

If you like it you may want to consider signing up for their Meaningful Minutes – a series of weekly exercises to help you understand your meaning and life’s driving purpose.

Labels: direction, Life's Purpose, Meaning of Life, philosophical, philosophy, reflection

Describing Behaviours, Thoughts and Actions

This is the second in a series of eight connected Meaningful Minutes that you can choose to experiment with to create your own model for finding and shaping personal meaning within your life.

Download the exercise to help find and shape the personal meaning of your life

Visit New Meaning and sign up to their weekly newsletter

Along side the exercise associated with this Meaningful Minute we encourage you to undertake a second daily exercise.

It is quite simple and only takes 5 minutes each day. Just before you go to bed write down (in a journal or notebook) all the experiences that you enjoyed that day. Don't do anything else at this point - just capture these enjoyable experiences.

This is the first in a series of eight connected Meaningful Minutes that you can choose to experiment with to create your own model for finding and shaping personal meaning within your life.

Download the First Meaningful Minute

These Meaningful Minutes were written by New Meaning that has a clear vision to ‘provide you with a unique opportunity to explore and interpret personal meaning; define a clear and worthwhile purpose; and shape and energise your work-life contribution’.

Visit New Meaning and sign up to their weekly newsletter

As a Human Being you were created to live in this world and born with the abilities to cope with the changes that occur throughout your life. These abilities help you cope with, manage, or embrace changes that occur in the world you live in. At first glance these abilities seem simplistic and yet if you harness them they are all you need to thrive in a changing world.

Change is a given in life, as are the questions created by change and you can discover your own natural abilities to work with change in any aspect of your life.

I invite you to try these exercises and use them to help you use your human abilities; in turn discovering answers to your own questions and no matter the situations faced.

Discover how the Meanings of Your Future are Tied Directly to the Meanings of Your Past

Labels: direction, Life's Purpose, Meaninful Minutes, Meaning of Life, Meaningful Minute 1, philosophical, philosophy, purpose

Here’s a fantastic article written by my Osteopath, Alan Dryer of Joint Solutions in Milton Keynes.

If you drive for a living, (or if you drive extensively for social reasons!), these are great tips to keep you pain free!

Pardon the obvious wordplay, but here at Joint Solutions, a large percentage of the patients we see have back, neck or arm pain which can be attributed to driving for a living!

The fact is, our bodies haven’t evolved to cope with spending lengthy periods in one position, performing repetitive tasks (steering, clutch, brake, changing gear), and to make matters worse, many drivers don’t adjust the seating in their vehicles as much as they might, to alleviate any possible stress on the body.

Top Tips to Help Your Back When Driving

1) Adjust your seat so that you lean slightly to allow your upper back to rest in a natural position. Sitting bolt upright places a continuous stretch on the hamstrings (the muscles at the back of your legs) which in turn, can place a strain on your lower back and pelvis.

2) Make sure you sit high enough – if you don’t, the angle at your hips will be too small – this can produce similar problems to (1) above.

3) Check where you sit in relation to the clutch – if you have to stretch your left leg right out as far as it will go to get the clutch down, you’ll twist your pelvis every time you change gear! Move just close enough that your leg is slightly bent when the clutch is all the way down.

4) We all need to get where we’re going, but try to take a brief break now and again – (it only means pulling into a layby for a minute or two) – stretch your neck in all directions, and if possible, get out, walk round your vehicle and stretch your low back. It sounds time-consuming, but two minutes every now and again, can really help to prevent problems building up.

By the time patients come to see us, their problems have often been building up for years – their bodies tell them it’s time to do something about it, but the damage can’t be undone very quickly – sometimes it takes a considerable length of time.

It’s much better to look after your back and neck to begin with, and perhaps to seek some help to maintain good back health, before it begins to hurt. You wouldn’t wait for your brakes to fail before you took your vehicle to a garage. A regular check up and some mobilisation and muscle treatment could help to prevent all kinds of problems!

Alan Dryer is a Registered Osteopath and runs Joint Solutions a Milton Keynes based multi-disciplinary, practise offering Physiotherapy, Osteopathy, Therapeutic Massage, Sports Therapy, Acupuncture, and Reflexology. Each therapist is registered and fully qualified and where necessary, treatment and advice can be drawn from more than one expert, ensuring patients receive the best possible service. Their mission is to provide ‘Effective Care For Every Body’

Labels: back, driving, neck, osteopath, osteopathy, posture

Here’s great tips from a highly experienced voice coach, Cheryl Hawkins of Sound Perfect. These tips are for anyone looking to improve their public speaking voice:

1] Stand in noble stance, leading with the crown of your head and with weight equally balanced through your legs and feet, but without flexing your knees.

2] Combat nerves by breathing OUT and then LETTING the breath back in. Do this 3 times. This has a calming effect.

3] Dry Mouth? With lips closed, chew your tongue discretely. This releases saliva and no-one will notice!

4] Connect your voice to your breath by rolling an rrrrr or by ‘blowing a raspberry’. Feel the abdominal muscles being engaged as you do it.

5] Increase pitch range by exploring the rumble of the lower voice, lips humming loosely together. Feel the vibration in your chest cavity.

Whoop with joy to enjoy the upper end of your voice range.

Apply all this and then say with relish

‘’ Yes..............Once more Laurence/Lydia. That was marvellous!’’

Cheryl Hawkins qualified with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music before spending many years as a professional singer performing throughout the UK and Europe. Cheryl has worked with many celebrities and has recorded for the BBC.

Cheryl now uses her vast knowledge of human voice physiology and production to help anyone that is looking to be vocally more effective.Based in delightful settings on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, Sound Perfect’s mission is to help you ‘Se Your Voice for Impact and Influence’.

Sound Perfect offer free Half Hour taster sessions where you’ll try out some easy techniques to help you take the first steps forward. Cheryl will also give you some practical pointers that will help you keep your audience onside. For more information call 01296 720787 or visit Sound Perfect

Cheryl has also written 7 top tips for a stunning talk or presentation

Labels: presenting tips, public speaking, stage fright, voice anxiety, voice coach

I love symbolism. I love the way that it’s not always the obvious and when you know the meaning it’s always far more memorable and significant.

Think of the Australian national emblem. It’s a kangaroo and an emu, standing on a wattle bush (Australia’s National Floral Emblem) supporting a shield. Each segment of the shield represents a different state of Australia.

So far pretty mainstream and straight forward.

But why Skippy and Emu? Why not a Koala and a Croc!

Well, often the emblem is emblazoned with the motto ‘Advance’ after the national anthem ‘Advance Australia Fair’

And here’s the great bit.

The beasts were chosen specifically because both Kangaroos and Emus are incapable of walking backwards. Isn’t that great. Symbolism, I love it!

Labels: advance, symbolism

It’s amazing how many candidates that I register want a new job but aren’t altogether sure what they actually want.

After an Aaron Wallis registration meeting our candidates frequently say that the session really helped them to understand what they wanted (and as importantly what they didn’t want) in their next role.

I’ve broken the questions that we typically ask down into our job search checklist. It’ll take 30 minutes to complete but will enable you to articulate to recruiters and employers exactly what you want and why you want it.

We hope that you find it useful,

All the best, Rob

Labels: check list, job search, jobsearch checklist, sales jobs, sales jobsearch, sales recruitment

I was published in the Financial Times last week and I was rather proud of it!

The article was about employee referral schemes and how innovative recruitment businesses are offering incentives to gain referrals from their candidate and client base.

The journalist that interviewed me had a great name, Rhymer Rigby, and he was impressed by the range of incentives that we offer including flights over London, white-water rafting and bungee jumping four different locations across the UK in a year!

Read the article here and remember that for every candidate that you recommend to Aaron Wallis that we subsequently place you will qualify for one of our choices of incentive gifts. Find out more here

Labels: candidate referral scheme, candidate referrals, referral incentive

I was talking to a contact of mine the other day regarding goal setting and he said that he’d been following goal setting principals for the last few years and he hadn’t necessarily achieved his desires and dreams. I asked him to elaborate.

He said that he’d set goals of doubling his income, driving a better car, getting into 32” trousers and moving to a better house. I probed further and he explained how he’d followed all of the golden rules of goals setting. He’d written them down, reviewed them regularly, put them in his wallet so they were close to his heart, etc. etc,

However, he’d missed out on a couple of really fundamental points.

Firstly he hadn’t set milestones along the path to his goals or deadlines for each of them. His goals were simply a shopping list of wants; nothing more than a wish list.

Secondly he hadn’t set any consequences, i.e. what he’d do if he didn’t achieve his goals by the dates he detailed.

But the biggest omission was that he didn’t have a deep down, burning desire to actually achieve his goals!

His partner wanted a better, bigger house and for him to lose a little weight. He was quite comfortable with his thirtysomething paunch and his work-life balance that allowed him to keep up with his hobbies and enjoy the odd beer after work. He didn’t want to eat less, exercise more and work harder, smarter and longer to increase his income and lose a few inches off his weight. He wanted a better car, but mainly this was impress his friends and, on a scale of one to ten of burning desires, it was a flicker rather than an all consuming conflagration!

He didn’t have the ‘spring out of bed every morning’, continuously thinking about it, kind of goal. They weren’t even deep down his own goals. They were someone else’s goals that he was half-heartedly looking to achieve. And, this is the main point, they were goals that he thought he should be setting rather than what he actually wanted!

I explained to him in a ‘kind of roundabout kind of way’ that what the ‘heart doesn't desire your hand won't reach for’. And this got me thinking.

How many of us have set goals that our society and our position in society expects us to. How many of us set them for others; our partners, our loved ones, friends, colleagues and peers. How many of us really know what we really want?

I commonly ask at interview ‘what’s your life goal’ and four times out of five it’s answered – “I want to be a millionaire”. Then, when I delve into the ‘whys’ the answer is most commonly ‘it sounds good’, ‘financial freedom’, ‘enjoy a life of luxuries’ and, more often than not it’s largely superficial, largely ego driven and will probably never materialise.

And this got me thinking some more. In order to set goals you have to really, really, want them. A real guttural, almost instinctual hunger, to achieve your goal. A real 9.9 out of 10. Then it needs a deadline, milestone steps and some idea of how to overcome the inevitable obstacles along your path. Then, well armed with it in your wallet, written down and regularly reviewed, you stand every chance of achieving it.

Based upon what my contact had said about how disillusioned he’d become with goal setting I’ve completely rewritten and re-recorded our Goal Setting and Goal Setting Template. I’ve also devised an accompanying workbook to download with it.

I hope that you like the modifications and it helps you achieve everything that you desire.

Rob Scott is the Managing Director of Aaron Wallis, a UK based sales recruitment provider that offers a wide range of career and life tools including a comprehensive goal setting guide and goal setting template. Visit www.aaronwallis.co.uk for further information.

Labels: goal setting, goal setting template, goals, sales, sales jobs, success

A good friend of mine has a motto – ‘the only thing better than making money is saving money!’ and I hunt high and low to try and get the best possible deals, particularly on software.

However, I’m one of those open source hypocrites. I’m forever informing others of the virtues of Thunderbird and StarOffice yet use Microsoft Outlook and MS Office 2007 myself but hey, ho!

This open source hypocrite therefore details some of his favourite FREE CONTENT and FREE DOWNLOAD sites on http://www.aaronwallis.co.uk/favourite_sites_free_downloads_content.php

I hope that you like them, there’s some brilliant sites here.

All the best and have fun, Rob

Labels: free downloads, free software, great websites, unique content

I was moaning to a contact last week that after three dry cleans my suits were so shiny that they were no use. He told me that I was getting it all wrong.

He told me to dab any stains on my suits with a sponge dampened with water and then hang them out to dry on the washing line on a dry, blustery day. Of course I scoffed but fed up with buying a new suit every couple of months I thought I’d give it a try.

Sunday was perfect. It was a crisp, dry and gusty day so I pegged my jackets and suit trousers onto the line. I left them outside for a few hours then hung the jackets on good shaped hangers and clamped the trousers by the hems on trouser hangers and weighted them down with a belt. I left them overnight.

The following morning it was amazing. It really works, the suits were clean, fresh as new and had their shape back. Give it a try!

I was once a suit hanging cynic but am now a convert AND with no perchloroethylenes used it’s got to be better for the environment!

Have you ever dreamt of becoming a millionaire?

Most people have at some point and why not, I don’t blame you! To help you keep a check on your progress Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment has developed a millionaire calculator to see how long it will be before you become the magic millionaire based on your current savings and your monthly saving habits.

To see where you are on your path to ‘Millionaire Status’ , and how you may need to increase your monthly savings simply visit the Candidate Quizzes and Calculators section of http://www.aaronwallis.co.uk/ and take the dropdown to Career Quizzes

We hope that you find it fun and that you’re not too disappointed with the outcome. If you are disappointed and need to increase those monthly deposits perhaps you might consider increasing your earning potential by landing a new sales job with Aaron Wallis. Search for a new job at http://www.aaronwallis.co.uk/

All the best, Rob

NB Did you know that the only word in the English language that ends in 'mt' is 'dreamt' - well you do now!

Labels: career quiz, career quizzes, millionaire, millionaire test

ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS IN 2008

Its New Year’s Eve and the time of year when everyone makes resolutions that they keep for well, maybe a couple of weeks, maybe a month!

The reasons why New Year’s Resolutions typically don’t work is because they are either thought up in the heat of the event or they are not focused upon, written down and systematically executed. So how do we give ourselves more of a chance? We simply turn a New Years resolution into an annual goal.

Yeah, yeah, heard it all before but why will it work? Quite simply you will engage both your conscious and subconscious brain to enable you achieve your goals. Yeah, yeah but How!?!

Here’s the technical stuff. It is estimated that your conscious brain can process 16 bits of information per second, compared to our non-conscious brain that absorbs 11 million bits per second!

Our sub-conscious brain is both the creative part of our brain and the part that processes incredible amounts of information from our sense organs such as breathing, heartbeat, and blood circulation, not to mention instincts and emotions. It does all this without you even realizing and in the same way it will help you to achieve your goals. Can you imagine the difference if you multiply your brain processing capacity by 687,500!!

At Aaron Wallis we’ve taken the SMART goal setting formula one stage further in our SMARTER goal setting formula to allow you to use both sides of your brain in achieving your goals. It gives you all the form and discipline of SMART goal setting but with the advantages of visualization (Envisage), Motivation, Relevance, Responsibility (Consequences) and an affirmation statement. In essence it engages both sides of your brain that massive brain processing capacity of your sub conscience.

MAKE 2008 THE YEAR TO REMEMBER AND ACHIEVE YOUR POTENTIAL WITH WWW.AARONWALLIS.CO.UK

To find out more visit http://www.aaronwallis.co.uk/goal_setting.php and for the full article and the accompanying podcast MP3 simply register for our mailer.