The Career Pivot

Hey! It’s alright. Change your job, switch industries, do something different… Heck, travel the world for a bit. Who is ANYBODY to tell you what to do with your life or job? After all, it is YOUR life, right?

Why limit yourself to any predisposed assumption that you’re supposed to take a path that has already been created for you, or one you ‘should’ take? Why can’t you do something different?

Who says you can’t work a job, for a few years, or within an industry and then change? Why do you have to ‘know’, what you want to do after high school or college? There is no ‘perfect’ position for anybody.

The Pivot:

Do you remember, growing up, people would always say, ‘Find your passion and you’ll never work a day in your life’?

I was passionate about playing Football, but didn’t work out. AND that’s okay!

I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t find that passion until I hit my mid to late 20’s.

So, what did I decide to do? Well, I found a company that would ‘try me out’ and I entrenched myself in that industry. Fortunately, it was the software industry and I grew from there. And.. looking back, it was some form of sales.

Never, in 100 years, would I guess that I’d be in sales. If you would have asked me at the age of 5, what I wanted to be when I grew up, I wouldn’t have said sales. Not because I didn’t like it, but because I didn’t know anything about it. Nothing, absolutely nothing. High school, College or my MBA, there is no class designed around sales; in your traditional school system. That’s insane, right?

We’re continuously being sold something… Homes, cars, computers, cell phones, Netflix, airlines, hotels, the amount of ‘things’ we’re being sold, is endless. There is an aspect of sales in ALMOST everything we do. How did I miss that?!

Well, looking back, I’m so glad that company took a chance on me. Here I am today, selling enterprise software and I love it.

I was:
A bag boy at Safeway
A certified fork lift driver and heavy machinery yard worker
A bounce house delivery guy (assembly included)
A college campus councilor and facilities assembler
A store manager at Abercrombie & Fitch
Taught English while playing Football in Germany
Played American Football in Germany & Finland
Account manager in Affiliate Marketing
Built websites and did SEO
Business Development for HCM/LMS company
Outside Sales for payroll/HCM company
CSM for healthcare customers
Enterprise Sales for HCM/LMS company (Now)

What inspired me to write this:
You don’t know what you don’t know… And that’s okay! I think you need to experience different things firsthand before you can decide what you want to do. And then… you can change. There’s no shame in that. Jobs and careers are ever evolving. There is no ‘right’ answer to ‘what I want to do’. What people do at the age of 20 will be wildly different than at the age of 40. Your personal responsibilities change and that could change the trajectory of your career.

Of course, there are some folks that know exactly what they want to do from an early age. Good for them. If you’re not one of those people, that’s alright.

My recommendation:
Find mentors in different roles and industries
Social Engagement on LinkedIn
Talk with friends and family
Read material on industries you find interesting
Begin writing content on said industry

There are so many people willing to help. The hardest part is just asking. Being vulnerable and asking people for help. Why not start today?

Drop me a message and let’s brainstorm some ideas!

(Before anybody jumps to some conclusion, I love my role and company.)

3 Things to Improve Your LinkedIn Experience

1. Personalize!

Think of LinkedIn like a real-life networking event. If you walk in and try and tell everybody about your product right away, people are going to be annoyed. They’ll avoid speaking with you all together. Same thing goes for LinkedIn! Timothy Hughes (@Timothy_Hughes) talks about this in his book “Social Selling”.

bad invitePersonalize your message to whomever you’re trying to connect with. DO NOT leave the generic “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”. Also, don’t try to sell them on your product on the ‘introduction’ screen.

Instead, lead with something genuine! I like to comment something nice about their experience or background. Maybe we have mutual connections in common. Perhaps they’d be an asset to my network because we’re in the same industry. Whatever the case may be, take an extra second and personalize it. You’d be surprised at what people have to say in return.

That took me an entire 3 minutes to look up the most recent post Jason shared, personalize the approach and send the connection request. Now, when Jason accepts, he’s going to see my personalized message and think, ‘Hmm… This guy actually took a few minutes to be relevant. I wonder what he does.’ This could be the beginning to a long and prosperous relationship and I could even help him with a problem someday.

2. Save the Math Equations For Facebook

If you truly care about developing your network, providing value and establishing yourself as an industry thought leader, don’t bother engaging with things that are a waste of time. They seem harmless and it’s an easy way to get a lot of new profile views and connections, but all its takes is one bad ‘like’ and you could ruin your reputation to a potential influencer or buyer. Because… as I’m sure you’ve all seen, you accept a new connection and your feed gets filled with junk.

hide unfollowFor most of us, I don’t want to clog my feed with silly things. Once I see someone like, share or comment on something irrelevant to my ‘world’, I either ‘hide this particular update’ or ‘unfollow user’. I don’t have time to scroll through my feed and see something irrelevant. I go to Facebook and Instagram for that stuff.

Think of it this way; would your boss, mentor or favorite leader find your post worthwhile? If not… then don’t like or comment.

3. Show Your Appreciation!

When someone comments or shares your content, send them over a quick thank you. Envision this: Karen shares my article with her network of 2,000 people. My name, and article have just been introduced to her network. That’s a completely new audience that I’ve been introduced to… Maybe someone in Karen’s network has some questions for me about what I do for a living.

You never know the opportunities that can present themselves unless you do the little things. All of these tips only take a little time to do but will pay off tenfold. If the person never connects with you, even though you personalized it, don’t get discouraged! You can always remove your connection request and try again. (LinkedIn Article on how to do that)

Your ‘Cold’ Follow Up Email Sucks

You got a lead because someone attended a webinar that your company was hosting or sponsoring. Or maybe someone downloaded some content. Now it’s your job to follow up with them to see what sparked their interest and if they want to buy what you’re selling.

If you’ve ever attended a webinar or downloaded content, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

The majority of sales people send the same generic email template to those leads because it’s easy to do and it doesn’t take much time. Copy and paste the template, change the name, the title of the webinar and the subject line. Or, configure a mass email and you’re done even faster. Boom!

You’ve followed up to all 20 leads you got and now you can go back to doing what you were doing prior.

But, where’s the value?

The subject line of you letting me know that you’re my point of contact doesn’t encourage me to open the email. I open it anyways because I’m in sales and I’m always trying to evolve.

Introducing yourself as the main point of contact and letting me know that you saw I attended the webinar isn’t valuable; I don’t care. I know I attended the webinar and if I wanted to buy your product, I would call you direct.

Run on sentences about all the cool things your product does, and all of the cool clients you have doesn’t help me either. Good for you; so how does that help me in my job?

The soft close at the end of the email asking for 15 minutes is such garbage too. Having used this approach myself, I know it wouldn’t be 15 minutes. It’s a bait and switch to get 30 minutes on my calendar.

The crazy signature with all of the different images is slightly overwhelming… AND don’t forget about the unsubscribe hyperlink at the bottom of the email. Wow, I can remove myself from your list? How personable of you!

So, it goes from, ‘Do you have any questions about the webinar?’ To ‘When can we talk about my product?’

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! And I used to do it! Man, it feels good to admit I’ve come a long ways. No wonder nobody ever responded to my awful ‘cold’ follow up emails. I wasn’t providing ANY value. I was just doing my job of following up to the leads.

Having the right subject line is a game changer. Do a little research on the prospect and personalize your approach to following up. A few minutes on LinkedIn or Twitter will give you plenty of information about the prospect or the company they work for.

“Well Jordan, What if I can’t find them on the internet?” If you can’t find them on the internet, chances are they aren’t real. And, if a prospect can’t be found online… are they a good candidate to talk to about your software? Also, depending on your company, the form should capture a phone number. Try calling! Cold calling isn’t dead.

Leveraging information within the webinar and how it pertains to sales people is a better approach than asking me if I have any questions. I can’t even remember when the webinar was. Try relating the webinar to something on my profile. Even though I’m not the decision maker, I’d be more likely to respond to your email if you personalized it and somehow caught my attention.

Instead of asking me if I’d be interested, you need to tell me why I need to be interested. “You’re going to be more efficient, giving you time back in my day.” Or “you’re going to continue receiving great customer service reviews.” (My company is well known for great customer service and someone that has done research would know that.)

I’m not a fan of the soft close for a meeting because it’s kinda like the, “Got time? {shrug}

I personally like something like, “How can I get 30 minutes on your calendar to share more?” Or, if you’re in outside sales, “I’m going to be in your area next week, what day and time work best so I can share more?”

Everyone has their own favorite close. Your geography can change the type of close you use too.

I used to write those sad ‘cold’ follow up emails. Now I’m receiving them. 18 months ago I stopped writing those types of emails because I started focusing my time and energy on personalized outreach. Social Selling is a word that’s taking the industry by storm. Do yourself a favor and personalize your approach. Your prospects won’t roll their eyes every time they get an email from you.

“Okay, Jordan… You’ve told me what I’m doing wrong. How can I fix it?”

I’m glad you asked!

Do your research! What information do you already have about this prospect in your CRM (Customer relationship management)? Look at the prospects website. Look at their LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media platforms. Do they follow or engage with people you follow too? Search the company’s 10-K, ‘about us’ page or just plain Google them!

What are their business priorities? Are they focused on building their brand or reaching new markets? Are they opening up new locations and have a lot of job openings?

Example:

Subject Line: Mutual Connections – Connect week of April 4th?

Hi Karen,

Those recommendations on your LinkedIn profile speak volumes about your character. Look at that! We also share a few connections. Based on your Tweets, I can see that you absolutely love your company. Wouldn’t it be great if it was easier to find dedicated talent like yourself?

The webinar you recently attended touched on a few ways to cut down on time spent recruiting. Imagine getting 2 hours back in your day!

My company aggregates all jobs boards allowing you to post to THE very best ones… seamlessly!

I really think I can save you time and possibly money. At the very least, you’ll acquire a new online resource.

When can I share more with you?

Thanks,

Jordan

 

Did I get your attention and did I provide value? Did I leave you feeling like you want to learn more? Take a little more time to personalize your emails and your prospects will be thanking you. Nobody has the time for you to ask them about their strategy or if they have questions about your product… They want solutions and innovative ideas.

Be human, personalize your approach and most importantly… provide value!

 

If you’ve liked what you’ve read, you’ll definitely like The Ah-Ha Moment. Don’t hesitate to connect with me on LinkedIn & Twitter!