7 Job interviewer mistakes....

Job candidates make a lot of mistakes in interviews. That's bad—at least for a person hoping to get hired—but what's much worse is when you, as the interviewer, make one of the following mistakes:

1. Mistake nervousness or shyness, for a lack of ability.

Some people just don't interview well. They're nervous or shy and don't make a great impression. An awkward interview does not mean a candidate can't do the job, though: Great communication skills in no way signals expertise.

When candidates seem nervous or uncomfortable, give them the benefit of the initial doubt. Help them relax. You're a leader and your job is to get the best from people—even people you haven't hired yet. You might just uncover a diamond in the deer-in-the-headlights rough.

And if the people you interview often seem uncomfortable, take a step back and consider your approach. You might be the problem.

2. Fail to go off script.

An interviewer should follow a plan and ask a reasonably specific set of questions, but the best questions are almost always follow-up questions. (Most candidates are prepared for an initial question, but questions that drill deeper are much tougher to fluff.)

Listen to initial answers. Then ask why. Or when. Ask how a project turned out. Ask what made a position hard or made a project difficult.

Not only will you get past the canned responses but you will also learn details—positive and negative—the candidate never planned, or would have thought, to share.

3. Expand on possibilities.

Candidates naturally sell themselves. Interviewers often try to sell the candidate on the job. (That's especially true when you love your company.) Before you know it you've described exciting new projects, enhanced benefit programs, opportunities for promotion due to potential expansions... lots of hopeful stuff that might happen in the future.

The problem is the candidate translates "might" into "will," and you've unwittingly created expectations you may not be able to meet.

Never describe possibilities. Describe typical career paths, for example, but only in a general sense. When you discuss future plans only share details on approved projects or efforts currently underway.

If you can't promise, don't bring it up.

4. Spring the surprise group interview.

Group interviews: Convenient for lazy interviewers, terrifying for job candidates. You rarely get the candidate's best, plus it's easy for the interview team to fall into the group consensus black hole where everyone gravitates towards the same opinion.

Of course if the position requires working predominately within a team, a group interview can provide a feel for the candidate's suitability. Tell the candidates ahead of time so they can prepare.

Otherwise, hold individual sessions. It's only fair, to the candidates and to your business.

5. Take over.

Interviews often turn into monologues... delivered, unfortunately, by the interviewer.

When that happens the candidate will rarely interrupt or try to restore balance to the interview because they want you to like them. Thirty minutes later your hiring decision is based on whether the candidate was a good listener.

Briefly describe the opening. Briefly describe your company. Better yet, make sure the candidate has a good feel for the position and the company before the interview. Explain you'll answer questions at the end. Then dive in.

The conversation should be 90% candidate and 10% you—at most.

6. Turn 10 "okay..."s into one "yes!"

It's easy to check off mental boxes during an interview: experience, okay; qualifications, okay; attitude, okay... and before you realize it a mediocre candidate with no negatives seems like a great candidate.

But do you want to hire the candidate whose qualifications and interview fails to raise any red flags... or do you want to hire the candidate who excels in a number of critical areas?

An absence of negatives is not superlative. Always look for excellence. Feel free to check off mental boxes as an initial sorting tool, but then look for the candidate who not just meets requirements but kills the requirements.

Never settle for good enough. If good enough is all you find, keep looking.

7. Ignore input from casual encounters.

Job candidates give you their best: They're up, engaged, and switched on. But how do they act when not trying to impress you?

What candidates do while waiting in the lobby can indicate a lot. Find out how they treated the receptionist, find out what they did while they waited, ask about any chance encounters with other employers... occasionally you can identify a disconnect between what they show you and what they show the people they're not trying to impress.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (905) 275-2907      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Some general ideas on forecasting sales….

There are all sorts of ways to estimate sales revenues for the purposes of sales forecasting.

One point to remember when sales forecasting is that if you plan to work with a bank for financing, you will want to do multiple estimates so as to have more confidence in the sales forecast. How do you do this?

Sales Forecasting Method #1

For your type of business, what is the average sales volume per square foot for similar stores in similar locations and similar size? This isn't the final answer for adequate sales forecasting, since a new business won't hit that target for perhaps a year. But this approach is far more scientific than a general 2 percent figure based on household incomes.

Sales Forecasting Method #2

For your specific location, how many households needing your goods live within say, one mile? How much will they spend on these items annually, and what percentage of their spending will you get, compared to competitors? Do the same for within five miles (with lower sales forecast figures). (Use distances that make sense for your location.)

Sales Forecasting Method #3

If you offer say, three types of goods plus two types of extra cost services, estimate sales revenues for each of the five product/service lines. Make an estimate of where you think you'll be in six months (such as "we should be selling five of these items a day, plus three of these, plus two of these.") and calculate the gross sales per day. Then multiply by 30 for the month.

Now scale proportionately from month one to month six; that is, build up from no sales (or few sales) to your six month sales level. Now carry it out from months six through 12 for a complete annual sales forecast.

Don’t Just Do One Sales Forecast

Instead of forecasting annual sales as a single figure, use one or two of the sales forecasting methods above and generate three figures: pessimistic, optimistic, and realistic. Then put the figures in by month, as depending on your business, there could be HUGE variations by month. (Some retail firms do 50 percent of their gross sales around Christmas, from the end of October to the end of December, for example, yet barely get by June through August.)

Include Expenses in Your Sales Forecasting

Now put in your expenses by month, including big purchases by season (or however you buy materials/goods). Remember, you may buy materials or inventory in say, July, for Christmas, yet not get all of your receipts until 45 days after Christmas. There can be big cash flow implications. Also, will you be buying vehicles? Capital equipment? Make sure to show depreciation expense.

In your expenses, put in an allowance for bad debts. Figure how much of your sales are by cash, how much by credit card, how much by your extending credit. Deduct say four percent or more for credit card expense for that portion sold by credit card. For payroll expenses, put in estimated tax withholding payments quarterly that must be paid to the government.

If you're going to a bank for financing, be able to answer questions such as, have you made an allowance for a reserve cash account, for your slow months, but also in case you have to quickly replace a vehicle or equipment? You say you'll charge x dollars for your product, but what happens when your competition cuts the price by 33 percent and still makes a profit?

How specifically will you grow your business-- selling more to existing customers, selling existing products to new customers, selling new products to existing customers, and selling new products in order to attract new customers? They're going to want to see if you've got a real plan.

Remember that it is acceptable (and realistic) to have a negative cash flow projection for the early months of your cash flow projection period.

Sales Forecasting Summary

I guess you can see that instead of estimating one big sales figure for the year when sales forecasting, a more realistic monthly schedule of income and expenses gives you far far more information on which to base decisions. That's what "keeping the books" is designed to do: give YOU information you can make good decisions on.

So in effect, you prepare three cash flow projections, where you vary the percentage of sales or other figures to arrive at three different scenarios: pessimistic, optimistic, and realistic. The pessimistic view should be the "worst case" situation; plan to have enough capital and patience to get through that scenario. If it turns out that the actual results are better than that - great!

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (905) 275-2907      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

10 things a good sales person should never say and why......

It seems like no matter how often sales managers say it, or how frequently sales people hear it, there are some phrases they will just NOT stop using. Share with me some insight as to what I (and your clients) hear when you use these lame highly over used lines.  

1.     I was just in the area and thought I’d drop by. Are you serious! The professional I am trusting to help me with X issue has nothing better in the world to do right now than just “drop by” to see me?  If you are not doing business with me already I am probably thinking who is this guy? Why is he here and how do I get rid of him as quickly and politely as possible. Unless we really are buddies, don’t just drop by unless you are only expecting to leave something I am expecting with my secretary. Trust me; she already knows to tell you I am in a meeting, and that if I am interested I will call back. If I really am expecting something from you she knows that too. Don’t try to fool her. She hates that!

2.      Have you got a minute? No I don’t! I am busy, and I have 100 other things I could be doing. In my opinion I think you are better off trying to engage me than to give me the easy out and slit your own throat. If I am too busy to talk believe me I WILL let you know.

3.      I’ll try.   I only want to know what you will or can do not what you will TRY to do. If you are not confident enough to say you can do it, do not mention it to me. I would much rather hear, give me 24 hours to do some research on that and I’ll get back to you than I’ll try.

4.      I’m really not sure. Again, your default answer should be “give me x hours or days to do some research and I’ll get back to you. This answer tells me you do not know the answer, but you are taking my concern or issue seriously and want to help. I am really not sure is not the answer of the confident professional.

5.      It’s not my fault. Like it or not, you are most likely my only contact in the company; everything that goes wrong is your fault. If it isn’t it is still your issue to fix. The best way to deal with this is to apologize, and take the most serious and immediate corrective action as soon as possible. More importantly let me know what it is you are doing to fix it, and how you will prevent future issues of this nature.

6.      What would I have to do to get you started today?  Ever seen the movie Tin Men? Unless you want to sound like those guys, avoid this phrase at all costs. This phrase screams “I am a slimy salesman!” and any rapport you have built with this client is eroding quickly from this point forward. Instead, use something softer like this. You: Are there any other issues or concerns we have not covered sufficiently? Client: No everything looks good. You: Great! Then the next step is to…

7.      We are the lowest price in town.  You very well may be, but is this really how you want to try to compete. It typically does not take much effort to come up with a better value proposition than that. Moreover, if I DO find a lower price, you are a liar now, and any trust you built is gone. My old grand dad once told me that when picking a service you have only  three choices; good, fast, or cheap. (Price, quality, service). Pick any two, but recognize you will always sacrifice the third. Your job is to help your clients to understand this. 

8.      Always and Never.  Always and never are just plain bad. There is going to be an exception to every rule. My general rule is to avoid absolute statements wherever possible. Use these sparingly, if ever.

9.      What you need is…  Unless you are a trusted friend, I think this phrase should be avoided. I don’t even use it during a proposal. If I call you with a problem, and we have been doing business for years, and you are intimately familiar with my issues it may be ok, otherwise, present me with options and let me pick. I am the ultimate decision maker as to what   it is I need.

10.  Trust me. If you feel the need to tell me this, I am starting to wonder why and will usually assume I shouldn’t. Trust is like love. It’s built over time and the only way to gain it is to earn it. 

 Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (905) 275-2907      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

How to Handle Prospective Employees with Tattoos?

Set your policy with care.

Here's a problem HR managers didn't face in the good old days. What to do about prospective employees who have facial piercings or visible tattoos? Is it any different for existing employees? The questions matter for more and more employers. A surprising number of potential hires are tattooed, and its not just the kids. According to the Pew Research Center, four of ten 26 to 40 year olds have at least one tattoo.  

For the most part, employers have the right to set policies as they see fit. The employer's ability to conduct business trumps the rights of expression of its employees. That said, it is important that employers provide these policies in writing. The terms must be non-discriminatory, so no separate rules for men and women. Rules vary across states, so be sure to check with your counsel before crafting your own policies. Just be sure you do make them! You might run into trouble if you fail to provide them before hiring tattooed employees. 

          While the majority of tattoos are not a protected form of speech, one form of tattoo is protected. Religious tattoos that are a sincere expression of belief are protected under the law. Failing to address this can be costly. In a 2005 case, an employee fired for visible tattoos that were an expression of his religion received a large settlement. Again, check with your lawyer and be proactive in creating your policies.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (905) 275-2907      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Eight Yes’s Secures A Sale…..

Statistics show that if you can get your customer to say "yes" at least eight times through trial close questions then you will secure a sale! When asking trial close questions, always help the customer to say "yes" by nodding your head --they will automatically nod with you. Have you ever tried to say no while your were nodding your head up and down?

Using trial close questions in the presentation is like going down Main Street through traffic lights. As long as the lights are green, you can keep on going. If you ever come to a red light, you have to stop. At the yellow lights, you either proceed cautiously or come to a stop, at that point, a change has to take place before you can proceed down the street.

 The same is true in closing a sale. Each trial close question is like a traffic light with the client at the controls. As long as he gives you a "yes" (a green light) you can keep on moving with the presentation and progress toward the sale. The minute you hit a "no" (a red light) you have to stop, handle the objection and then ask more trial close questions. When a customer continually responds negatively to trial close questions, shorten your presentation and, if necessary, gracefully finish up and move to another appointment--you can only do so much.

Remember, when people see red lights or green lights, they pretty well know what to do. It is the human problem of what to do on the yellow lights that causes most of the trouble. The same is true in the close. In selling products, it is not the yes's or the no's that will cause you not to do well, but the maybe's.

When a customer responds to trial close questions with maybe's or indecision, proceed with caution by showing more and asking additional trial close questions. You hope all of your customers are excited and say "yes" to every presentation that you make. The important thing is that you gently bring them to a point of decision--even if the decision is not to purchase the product today.


 Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

5 ideas to increase your sales…..

1.   Encourage your sales staff to upsell.

Essentially, upselling involves adding related products and/or services to your line and making it convenient and necessary for customer to buy them. Just placing more products near your usual products isn’t going to increase your sales much. To upsell successfully, the customer has to be persuaded of the benefit. For instance, when I last had my carpets cleaned, the cleaner noticed a pet stain. Instead of just cleaning it up, he drew my attention to it, and showed me how easily and effectively the spot cleaning solution removed all trace of the stain. Did I buy the spot cleaning solution? You bet. He persuaded me that buying it was beneficial to me and made it convenient to purchase it. Result: increased sales for the carpet cleaning company.

2. Give your customers the inside scoop.

Recently I was shopping at a retail housewares store. I had picked out an item and was mulling over whether to buy it or not when a salesperson came up to me and said, “I see you’re interested in that blender. We’re having a sale next week and all our blenders will be 20 percent off. You might want to come back then.” Guess what? I did – and bought two other items as well. Lesson: if you have a promotion or sale coming up, tell your customers about it. They’ll come back – and probably bring some friends with them too. (And don't forget - you can give your customers the inside scoop by emailing or calling them, too.)

3. Tier your customers.

There should be a clear and obvious difference between regular customers and other customers – a difference that your regular customers perceive as showing that you value them. How can you expect customer loyalty if all customers are treated as “someone off the street”? There are all kinds of ways that you can show your regular customers that you value them, from small things such as greeting them by name through larger benefits such as giving regulars extended credit or discounts.

4. Set up a customer rewards program.

We’re all familiar with the customer rewards programs that so many large businesses have in place. But there’s no reason that a small business can’t have a customer rewards program, too. It can be as simple as a discount on a customer’s birthday or as complex as a points system that earns various rewards such as discounts on merchandise. Done right, rewards programs can really help build customer loyalty and increase sales.

5. Distribute free samples to customers.

Why do so many businesses include free samples of other products when you buy something from them? Because it can increase sales in so many ways. As the customer who bought the original product, I might try and like the sample of the new product and buy some of it, too. Or, I might pass along the sample to another, who might also try the product, like it, and buy that and other products from the company. At the very least, the original customer may be thinking warm thoughts about your company, and hopefully telling others about your products.

Attracting new customers is a good thing. But attracting new customers is not the only way to increase your sales, and is, in fact, the hard way of going about it. Shifting your sales focus to enticing your current customers can make increasing your sales easier – and best of all, build the customer loyalty that results in repeat sales.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

Break Into a New Industry  

Are you ready to open the doors to a new industry? Here are some strategies for getting up to speed and winning sales.

Thinking about introducing yourself, your product and your company to an industry you have not previously pursued? Perhaps you have a new service to sell, or maybe you've found new applications for your existing product. You may even be ready to branch out of your current customer base.

Whatever your reason, getting started in a new industry will require massive organic research and activity. By organic, I mean it becomes a part of you--breaking into the new industry becomes your focus 24/7. To accomplish your goal successfully, try these tips:

1. Start calling. Call your entire network of friends and business associates, and ask who they know that might have some insight into that industry. Get as many referrals as you can collect. At this stage, you're searching for information. You want to find people who can share their wisdom and experience about the particular industry you're exploring.

2. Study the products and services of the industry. If you're dealing with products, find out how they're marketed and packaged. Go to retailers, or look at catalogs. If it's a service, use it yourself, or talk to someone who has. Study the way other companies do business in the industry.

3. Go to trade shows. Nowhere else can you find the same concentration of people in the know, all at the same place at the same time. At a trade show, you can talk to people in distribution, marketing, sales and manufacturing. Take a notebook along, and ask questions that will help you understand their businesses and the industry as a whole. It's an exhausting process, but well worth the effort. After the last trade show I attended, my feet were killing me, but I came away loaded with literature, a pad full of priceless information and a significant number of new contacts. It's an invaluable day-long lesson you can't get anywhere else.

4. Research online. Use a search engine like Google to help you find articles and information about the industry. You'll find many sites offering extensive information; some even have visual presentations as well.

5. Read, read, read. Gather every magazine and industry publication you can buy or subscribe to, and read about what's new and what's changing in the industry. Learn about the movers and the shakers, where they are and what they're doing. Make yourself familiar with as many aspects of the industry as possible so that when you do meet people, you'll know the jargon and speak their language.

6. Contact those at the top. Don't be shy about contacting the bigwigs. When you're reading industry publications, cut out articles that recognize individuals for their achievements. Laminate each article, and send it to the subject with a note of congratulations. Follow the note up with a phone call. While there's no guarantee you'll get an appointment, it will definitely raise the odds. In the meantime, see as many people as you can, even if they're not the biggest players in the industry. They can still provide valuable information and may even be able to refer you to more qualified people.

In the end, you get the greatest education from actually doing the deal. That's when you're forced to learn about the intricacies of an industry. But until you get to that point, your best bet is to practice the six steps above.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net

How to Determine New Employees' Annual Bonuses.

When to Give an Annual Bonus to a New Employee

Chances are, you have recently been tasked with the job of determining (or at least helping to determine) what your employees’ end-of-year bonuses should be. With your long-term employees, you've have had some historical practices, as well as a, hopefully, comprehensive performance review to rely on to help you. But what do you do with employees who haven’t been with the company for a full year, including those who may have joined very recently? While there are no hard and fast rules, here are some approaches for you to ponder.

Luck of the draw. Some companies have a firm policy that says that employees who haven’t been with the company for at least a full year (or some other arbitrary cut-off date) are not eligible for an end-of-year bonus. It is the luck of the draw, so to speak, when an employee starts with the company. This is certainly a valid business choice, and may seem desirable these days when budgets are tight. But, it may come at a cost, especially if you have some outstanding new employees who are not recognized at a time when everyone else is.

Categories. You may decide to split up your new employees into categories. For example, employees who have been with you for under three months may receive a small lump sum bonus, say $100. Employees who have been with you for three to six months may receive a slightly larger lump sum bonus. Employees with you for six to nine months may receive a sum slightly larger still. And employees who have been with you for nine to 12 months may be eligible for the full bonus under the same parameters as all your longer-term employees.


Prorate. When you prorate, you use the same parameters you would use for your long-term employees, but adjust the bonus based on the number of months the employee has been with you. For instance, if an employee who has been with the company for over a year would be eligible for a five percent bonus, then a new employee in the same position who has been with the company for six months would be eligible for a 2.5 percent bonus (half the year=half the bonus).

Of course, you have to keep in mind that you may have hired someone within the past year who clearly isn’t performing well, in which case it is recommended that you refer to rule number one in compensation: don’t reward a poor performer! 

Be Consistent.Keep in mind that whichever option you choose should be used across the board – if you decide to go one route with one employee and another route with another, you may open yourself up to liability. Above all, your bonus practices should stay in alignment with the company’s compensation strategy, as well as the overall business strategy. And finally, at the end of the day, make sure you stick to the budget. If you can’t stay within your allotted budget, you run the risk of your CFO cutting the bonus program altogether.

Chris Wilkinson.                              

Certified Business Behaviour & Attitudes Analyst.               

Business Coach.

Tel: (905) 275-2907 (Mississauga).

E-mail: buspilot@bell.net