Dr. Devan Kronisch’s Post

Here are some less-talked-about job-seeking tips related to getting a sales role. These won't make or break your job search, but these small things add up and can make an impact. Check out these 5 tips: 1. Answer the phone professionally. Avoid answering with "hello?". Try using something more professional like "Hi this is (name)". First impressions matter! 2. Save your resume as a PDF and save it with a professional name. You don't know what type of device the hiring manager will be reading it on. By saving it as a PDF, you'll make sure it works across all devices 3. Establish clear next steps on the first call. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that you are capable of doing the job. Take it. 4. Send a follow-up email. Make it conversational. The biggest mistake people make here is that they don't include anything that was discussed on the call. Be sure to mention things you talked about! 5. When asking questions, piggyback off of something that was mention earlier on the call. Example: "You mentioned earlier on the call you have one rep who is blowing his quota out of the water, what makes that rep so successful?"

Getting a job in SaaS is not easy. Crazy competitive. I am in the privileged position of interviewing for new AE's at Seamless.AI. I am not one of amazing recruiters, but I still receive hundreds of InMail applications every month. Ideally, I'd reply to each one, however it's not practically possible - I'd be lying if I said otherwise. Who do I reply to? Who do I recommend for interview? Who do I hop on a quick call with to chat/possibly offer some guidance? There is no one answer or straight line. Few things I would say are this. - If you are applying for a sales role, remember the reality is many people have similar CV's, you want to stand out in a positive light. Sounds obvious, right? But how?... put yourself in the "prospects" shoes - the Recruiter, Sales Director etc. If you are using a standard LinkedIn template - you won't stand out. If this was a sales process - what would you do? Possibly; personalize a short LI message - why specifically you this company? less than 1% of applicants send me a video. less than half of those are personalized. less than 5% will send a 2nd message or use a secondary medium - email / call / text. did you multi thread? recruiter Sales Director VP for example? have you been active on their LI feed? Commenting on posts etc.' Lots more to add - but hopefully this gives food for thought. Ps. I got turned down my first 2 times applying to Seamless.AI - only once I tried a more creative angle, approaching Ryan Feely did the door begin to open. Cheers Ryan 😎 #interviewing #careeradvice #sales #saas

I saw a job posting today on LinkedIn where there was “more than 100 applicants” for an EVP of sales at a company with 11-50 people. My comment was – This is an unsolicited RFP. Don’t answer, don’t apply. Here’s why. In a company of up to 50 people, the “EVP of sales” would definitely be a key role. The fact that they don’t have a lead on the right person to lead their sales organization, that they don’t have advisors that can point them in the right direction tells you something about the organization itself. The fact that there are 100 applicants is just another crazy component. It sadly tells you about the state of stability in the workforce when it is an employer’s market. This, if you are in sales, is an unsolicited RFP. And sometimes, you answer one because there is a good fit, your product is the best and you are willing to give a great price just to jump the queue. Sadly, it is also the flip side to this.  Coming in late in a process where you haven’t had insights into the requirements, understanding how the team works and likely screened of by an AI screening application. If you want to be an EVP of sales in a small start-up, identify the start-ups of your choice.  Understand those start-ups and figure out what unique value you could bring to them. Then, call the CEO or email the CEO. If this is a sales job, why would you answer an RFP and not prospect it as you would a client that is of high value? Later this week, I will share a funny story where I did get caught up in an RFP style process and it didn’t turn out how I or you would expect. But I didn’t apply for a job posted on LinkedIn either. Happy prospecting! For careers or clients, do your homework, be proactive and go sell you or your product! #sales #salescoach #coaching #prospecting #recruitment

As a business founder, building a strong sales team is critical. Recently, while reviewing applications for a sales rep, a surprising trend emerged: a significant number of resumes came with just "Dear [Name], kindly find attached" in the email body. Now, here's the deal, applicants are essentially selling themselves. An empty email body is the equivalent of a weak sales pitch – it doesn't showcase the skills or initiative we're looking for. Since we are looking to create a professional environment, here's a tip for aspiring Sales Reps: Personalize your application! Take a moment to write a brief email highlighting a relevant skill or experience. Demonstrate your communication skills. Why are you interested in our company? What excites you about the role? Show initiative. Research our company and services. Briefly mention something specific that caught your eye. A little effort goes a long way. It shows you're serious about the opportunity and sets you apart from the generic crowd. #recruitingtips #saleshiring #founderproblems #sales #tips #coaching #consultant #trainingconsultant #learningspecialist #application #cv

My top tips for getting a new sales job in this market (as someone who was laid off, considered a career change, and then ended up at my favorite job yet): 1. Before you apply to the job, research the company to find the hiring manager (aka the person who would be your boss). 2. Once you've identified this person, figure out their email address. There are a few ways to do this - sometimes just Googling the email domain of that company will provide you the format. There are also tools like LeadIQ that can help. (Or looking at the recruiters' or sales peoples' LinkedIn pages can help - they sometimes list their emails). 3. Apply to the role. I always applied with a cover letter even if it wasn't required (regardless of my thoughts on cover letters). 4. Make a PowerPoint presentation highlighting why you are a good fit for the role. Make sure to sow your genuine personality in this as it can help determine really quickly if the culture will be a good fit! (I have attached an example of the PowerPoint I used for myself to this). 5. Using Loom (what I used) or Vidyard, create a short video (I tried to keep mine less than 2 1/2 mins tops) going over your PowerPoint at a high level. 6. Email this video directly to the hiring manager with a quick note about your interest in the role. This might sound tedious and time consuming, but it's less tedious and time consuming than applying for roles and receiving an automated rejection email months later. With this tactic, I and a few friends that I shared this with, have all at least gotten to the point of an initial interview. It's actually how I got my current job! If you have any questions, or want to see an example video that I would send - which makes the PowerPoint make a lot more sense, lmk and I would be happy to make one (once I wash my hair lol).

Is your job post or job description setting you up for attracting mediocre or unskilled salespeople? They are if your requirements are non-specific. Generic task descriptions such as: "Research, develop sales opportunities, and manage a pipeline of potential accounts" do nothing to help candidates determine if they're a good fit before applying. For instance: - What does "research" entail? Do I have to scour business journals, the Internet, D&B, devise my own research strategy? - What constitutes "sales opportunity development"? Cold-calling, drip campaigns, networking? What exactly does this mean? - How large of a pipeline are we talking about? $500K or $20M? Big difference in skill set. A job post or JD like this could alienate serious candidates with the specific level of expertise you need. To correct: Just tell them specifically what you need them to accomplish. You may receive fewer responses but they'll likely align better. #HR #talentacquisition

#graduates…I get asked all the time “how do I get into #sales?” The answer is simple in a way, “#start #selling #yourself” What do I mean by that? Well I would strongly suggest that if you think you might want to be in sales when you are younger, try to get a job serving people in a shop or cafe. You won’t even know it but you will develop some patter but mainly confidence. Or try some kind of phone work. A role where you interface with a customer for some reason. If you have these skills then you will be suitable to be put forwards for #telesales roles or #customer #service. This can lead to internal sales quite easily. And if you are good at internal sales this can lead to external sales. Gather your #evidence as you go along that allows you to sell yourself. Ie note down your victories on your CV. Eg I was the highest tip earner in the shop or I was commended for customer service and mensioned in reviews by #customers. If you are in internal sales note down the big wins you have and notable customers you sold to. Facts and figures that are credible, plausible and you can answer questions on. NO #BS! Get numbers and victories onto your #CV Stand out from the crowd. Make sure your LinkedIn profile has contact details, and is upto date with your victories. Ie make your #linkedin profile sell you. When a recruiter looks at your profile it has 5 seconds to grab their attention. 5 seconds!!! Make sure you are the best you can be at what you do. Be knowledgable about your chosen #industry. Do these things and you can get into #sales. It isn’t always easy. How did you get your break into sales? Comment to help those aspiring to.

Can't believe it... Since I posted about the roles I'm recruiting for I've had aspiring SDR's & ADR's submit their interest, send me their CV, and had loads of connection requests on LinkedIn. But do you know what I haven't had? ANY COLD CALLS?!!! 🤯 Not one. Literally, one. And I think it's crazy. Here's why... 🔥 Actions Talk CV's are fine, but cold calling puts your skills where your mouth is, plus it demonstrates initiative and that you're not afraid of a challenge. 🔥 Easiest way to stand out Top reps see potential everywhere. This is a golden chance to stand out, showcase your skills, and maybe even land an interview on the spot. 👀 🔥 Pass the test This role will involve you cold calling people on a daily basis. If you can't do it now, when I'm literally asking for it, then why would you do it when people are not even expecting it? Listen, I'm not looking for perfection. I just want to speak with people who have grit, creativity, and the drive to make things happen. Is that too much to ask for? So, if you're reading this and a lightbulb just went off, what you waiting for? 07491161224 ☎ P.S To all the recruiters out there, if you call me, I'll assume you want to apply, as we can't work with external partners. #SDR #ADR #SalesDevelopment #ColdCalling #StandOut #DontBeShy #Hiring #Opportunities #IsColdCallingDead #HiringManager #Recruiters

In sales, you must build value somewhere in order to get the attention of the decision maker. When applying for a job as a candidate, you must build value in yourself in different ways to get the attention of the Recruiter/Hiring Leader and stand out. If you're just mass applying you're really diminishing your chances by not showing your value. You're just one of multitude of resumes. You don't have to be fancy or over the top or pushy but do small things that build value for yourself! 🔸 Connect with leaders at that company on LinkedIn and strike up conversations with no expectation. 🔸 Start creating content on LinkedIn and other platforms showing your skillset and tag the leaders/company. 🔸 A/B test your resume and see what gives you the best response rate. 🔸 Create an online portfolio if applicable to show off your work These are just a few easy things you can do than just blasting out applications blindly. Yes, there may be frustrations that come with this approach but it's also frustrating applying to 100 jobs and not getting a response either!

I had a lot of traction on my last post, with DMs on how specifically individuals can set themselves up for success when applying for an SDR role... So I wanted to elaborate on some of the points I made 🤔 "Research, research, research" 🕵♀️ 💡 Look into the company product market fit, note down their vision, mission, look at other job posts to see what they really value in individuals working with them. Go on a mission to find the Team Lead, Sales Manager, Sales Director etc 🔍 (Click on company LinkedIn... and go to 'People' is a great start). "Hyper Personalization" 😎 Not only specific to the individual you're reaching out to, but also specific to why you are looking to apply for that company. Get creative! So...what do I do with all this information?! 💬 Reach out to the individuals listed above... essentially multi thread like you would on a deal. LinkedIn message, e-mail and cold call (if you can find the number!) 🔍 In your outreach, follow the same method you would in an SDR role; -Pain point (e.g. Sales Managers find it difficult to find superstars for their team) -Value proposition of hiring you - keep it succinct -Call to action "Follow Up" 📝 SO important. This is relevant throughout the whole interview process. Thank the interviewer for their time, and summarize next steps in an e-mail. Also, follow up if you haven't heard back in the timeline established on the interview. I hope this helps 😀 #SDRtips #interviewtips