{"id":107,"date":"2015-07-29T22:44:54","date_gmt":"2015-07-29T22:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/salesx17xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=107"},"modified":"2015-07-29T22:47:02","modified_gmt":"2015-07-29T22:47:02","slug":"selling-u-six-power-packed-tools-to-let-the-right-people-know-about-your-brand","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/cerritos-sales-1\/chapter\/selling-u-six-power-packed-tools-to-let-the-right-people-know-about-your-brand\/","title":{"raw":"Selling U: Six Power-Packed Tools to Let the Right People Know about Your Brand","rendered":"Selling U: Six Power-Packed Tools to Let the Right People Know about Your Brand"},"content":{"raw":"
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Learning Objective<\/h3>\r\n
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  1. Learn about six different ways to get your cover letter and r\u00e9sum\u00e9 to the right people.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\nNow that you understand how preparation can help you be successful in selling, let\u2019s go back to selling the most important brand of all\u2014you! In the Selling U<\/em> section in Chapter 7 \"Prospecting and Qualifying: The Power to Identify Your Customers\", you did your research, identified and qualified your twenty-five target companies, and obtained the contact information for at least two key people at each organization. Of course, there is still some homework to do before you see the payoff of securing an interview. As Andrew Sum, director of Northeastern University\u2019s Center for Labor Market Studies, says, \u201cYou\u2019re never going to find anything unless you apply.\u201d[footnote]Steven Greenhouse, \u201cBright Spot in Downturn: New Hiring Is Robust,\u201d New York Times<\/em>, May 5, 2009, http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2009\/05\/06\/business\/economy\/06hire.html<\/a> (accessed July 15, 2009).[\/footnote]<\/span> However, you can think of this step in the process as the exciting part. Consider what happens when a company releases a new product. The company doesn\u2019t keep the news to themselves, discreetly shipping the product out to stores with the hopes that the right buyers will just happen to find it. Instead, it leverages every resource it has to get the word out. Think about the new Prius. Toyota took advantage of publicity surrounding the car\u2019s fuel efficiency to generate buzz with newspapers, radio, and television reporting on Prius-related press releases. Toyota leveraged Web resources (e.g., blogs, discussion forums, product fan sites) and highlighted positive product reviews in its press releases and online.[footnote]\u201cToyota Promotes Prius Buzz with New Forum,\u201d Company Car Driver, June 16, 2009, http:\/\/www.companycardriver.co.uk\/news\/article\/?art_ID=315742919<\/a> (accessed July 15, 2009).[\/footnote]<\/span>\r\n\r\nWhen a company has designed a new product or brand, it is excited to let people know about it. The more enthusiastically it shares the news, the better the payoff. The same should be true of your job search. You<\/em> are a new brand that is about to go on the market, you know you have unique qualities to offer, and you should be excited to let other people know this about you, too. Sending the news to potential employers at your target companies is a good way to start. If you take advantage of this tool, in combination with five other power-packed tools for getting the word out, you will be surprised by the positive results you see.\r\n
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    Power-Packed Tool #1: Professional Social Networking<\/h2>\r\nYou learned about the power of networking, and especially professional social networking, in Chapter 3 \"The Power of Building Relationships: Putting Adaptive Selling to Work\". More and more companies are turning to professional social networks such as LinkedIn to identify potential candidates for jobs. But it\u2019s not enough to simply create a profile on LinkedIn. To be noticed on a massive professional networking site, just as in the real world, you have to stand out. That means completing your profile, adding content, participating in discussions, and linking to other content, such as your blog. Also, share your content by joining groups on LinkedIn, such as The Power of Selling<\/em> (a group of selling professionals to support you in this class and beyond), Sales and Marketing Executives, and Salesblogcast.com, or other groups in your area of interest. These groups include thousands of professionals with whom you can connect and network. And ask people such as supervisors from your job, internship, or volunteer organization; professors; or other professionals to speak on your behalf by posting a recommendation about you.\r\n
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    Link<\/h3>\r\nPowerful Profile\r\n\r\nMeet Mig Pascual on LinkedIn by clicking on his profile using the link below. Mig uses content to build his personal brand by providing complete experience, including topical videos, slide shows, and book recommendations to demonstrate his skills. In addition, he has several recommendations from supervisors and colleagues. This powerful profile works\u2014just take a look at the number of connections Mig has in his network. You can connect with Mig and ask him to join your network by clicking on \u201cView Full Profile\u201d (you will need to create a profile before you can ask Mig to join your network).\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/migpascual<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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    Power-Packed Tool #2: Direct Mail<\/h2>\r\nDirect mail is a powerful but often overlooked source you have for getting your cover letter and r\u00e9sum\u00e9 to people who are making hiring decisions. Now that you\u2019ve done your research and identified your twenty-five target companies and key decision makers at each one, it\u2019s time to put that information to work.\r\n\r\nYou might think that sending letters to companies that don\u2019t currently have open jobs posted might be a waste of time. The fact is that hiring managers don\u2019t like to post jobs, as it takes time and energy to come up with the job description, clear it through all the proper channels, sort through r\u00e9sum\u00e9s and cover letters, and interview potential employees. This means that a number of your contacts may have open positions they haven\u2019t yet publicized, and they would be delighted if a qualified candidate like you could save them the hassle of a drawn out hiring process. And if you\u2019ve done everything correctly (e.g., addressed your cover letter individually to key hiring managers, not just human resources), but your letter doesn\u2019t end up in the right person\u2019s hands, your contact at the company may very well pass your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 on to someone else who would be a better fit. (\u201cHey Dave, is your department still looking for a marketing assistant?\u201d) If you want your letter to stand out even more, consider sending it to some top prospective employers with a return receipt requested or via FedEx. It\u2019s a good way to ensure that the recipient received your cover letter and r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and there\u2019s a good chance your letter will get opened quickly.\r\n\r\nSending your cover letter and r\u00e9sum\u00e9 to several people at your twenty-five target companies will set you apart from your competitors because very few people send information by mail these days. Think about the number of e-mails you get in your in-box daily. A letter stands out, and the best part about sending direct mail to your target companies is that it\u2019s easy to do. You can use the spreadsheet you created in Chapter 7 \"Prospecting and Qualifying: The Power to Identify Your Customers\" to easily personalize cover letters and envelopes to the people at your target companies by using the mail merge feature<\/strong>.[footnote]Kim Richmond, Brand You<\/em>, 3rd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008), 142.[\/footnote]<\/span> Watch the video below to see how it\u2019s done. Keep in mind that hiring managers are busy people, and sometimes letters get lost or forgotten. If you don\u2019t get the response you were hoping for, send your letter to the same people in your mail merge again in three to four weeks.[footnote]Kim Richmond, \u201c10 Ways to Get the Word Out about Your Brand,\u201d presentation in the How to Market Yourself as a Brand to Get the Job You Want Workshop Series, Upper Merion Township Library, King of Prussia, PA, June 1, 2009.[\/footnote]<\/span>\r\n
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    Video Clip<\/h3>\r\nHow to Do a Mail Merge\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/uCN4VCU5igE\r\n\r\nYou can personalize hundreds of cover letters in just minutes using the Mail Merge feature in Word (Microsoft or Mac). Watch this video to see how easy it is to do.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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    Power-Packed Tool #3: Company Web Sites<\/h2>\r\nDuring the preapproach to a sales call, a good salesperson spends time at her prospective company\u2019s Web site, researching the organization and its key people in greater depth so that she can go into the meeting knowledgeable about basic company facts and informed of any recent developments. This is also an important technique when researching prospective employers\u2014and it\u2019s a task that requires minimal effort on your part. If one of your target companies contacts you for an interview, the knowledge you gained from this Web site research will prove useful.\r\n\r\nThe online job boards for your twenty-five target companies are another avenue for getting the word out about your brand. It doesn\u2019t hurt to apply for published positions, particularly if you take steps (using techniques described here and in other chapters) to set yourself apart from the majority of other applicants. If the Web site gives you the option, sign up for e-mail alerts that will let you know when new positions open up. Company Web sites are excellent resources for finding advertised positions because the job descriptions posted there are often more detailed than the descriptions you might be able to find through general online job boards.[footnote]LT International, \u201cJob Searching: The Importance of Examining Company Websites,\u201d BNET, January 2008, http:\/\/jobfunctions.bnet.com\/abstract.aspx?docid=915723<\/a> (accessed July 15, 2009).[\/footnote]<\/span> Moreover, many companies post open positions only on their Web sites to avoid the cost of posting on other job boards.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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    Power-Packed Tool #4: Online Job Boards<\/h2>\r\nThe benefit of online job boards like Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, and Yahoo! HotJobs is that they make it a snap to perform searches by industry and keyword, and they often return a wealth of results. In fact, Internet job boards have recently become one of the fastest growing online categories.[footnote]Sarah Radwanick, \u201cJob Search Ranks as Fastest Growing U.S. Online Category in 2008,\u201d Reuters<\/em>, January 22, 2009, http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/pressRelease\/idUS243039+22-Jan-2009+PRN20090122<\/a> (accessed July 15, 2009).[\/footnote]<\/span> These sites can be an excellent avenue for learning about career opportunities in your target industry, and they should be an ongoing part of your efforts to find the right employer.[footnote]Kim Richmond, Brand You<\/em>, 3rd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008), 133.[\/footnote]<\/span> These sites might help you find job opportunities through companies that you wouldn\u2019t have otherwise considered working for, and they will certainly keep you informed about the kinds of positions for which people are currently hiring in your industry and the particular qualifications for which many employers are searching.\r\n\r\nMost sites will allow you to set up e-mail alerts (customized by your chosen keywords) so that new job postings come to your in-box regularly. It\u2019s best to enter as many keywords as you can think of that are relevant to your interests and experiences so that you don\u2019t miss anything. For instance, if you want a job in advertising, you would choose advertising<\/em> as a keyword, but you could also list words like promotions<\/em>, account executive<\/em>, account manager<\/em>, account coordinator<\/em>, customer services<\/em>, brand manager<\/em>, advertising agency<\/em>, and social media<\/em>.[footnote]Kim Richmond, Brand You<\/em>, 3rd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008), 139.[\/footnote]<\/span> You might also consider creating a separate e-mail account to keep track of your job-related e-mails, particularly if you have subscribed to alerts through several job search Web sites. In fact, it\u2019s a good idea to go through a number of Web sites so that you can stay informed about as many opportunities as possible. You can go through general job boards like Vault.com or CareerBuilder.com, industry-specific job boards like MarketingSherpa.com, location-specific job boards like SeattleRecruiter.com, or a combination of these options.\r\n
    \r\n\r\nTable 8.2<\/span> Online Job Boards\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    General<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nCollegeGrad.com<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/collegegrad.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nCareer information and job board directed at college students<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nVault.com<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/vault.com\/wps\/portal\/usa<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board, internship opportunities, and information on career planning<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nExperience<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.experience.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board, articles, and career planning advice<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nCareerBuilder.com<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/careerbuilder.com\/<\/a><\/td>\r\nOne of the largest job boards on the Internet; includes career planning articles<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nWetFeet<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/wetfeet.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board and career planning information<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nCraigslist<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.craigslist.org\/about\/sites<\/a><\/td>\r\nLocation-specific job boards<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nYahoo! HotJobs<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/hotjobs.yahoo.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nLarge job board with articles on job searching<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nRiley Guide<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/rileyguide.com\/<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board and career planning information and resources<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Industry Specific<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nAssociation Job Boards<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.associationjobboards.org\/find.cfm<\/a><\/td>\r\nIncludes links to Web sites of professional associations and job boards<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nSMEI<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/smei.associationcareernetwork.com\/Common\/HomePage.aspx<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board for sales and marketing executives<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nAccounting Jobs Today<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.accountingjobstoday.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board for careers in accounting<\/em> and finance<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nJobs in the Money<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.jobsinthemoney.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board for accounting<\/em> and finance<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nAccounting.com<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.accounting.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board for accounting<\/em> positions<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nSologig.com<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.sologig.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board for freelancing<\/em>, contracting<\/em>, consulting<\/em>, and temporary<\/em> work<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nMarketingSherpa.com<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.marketingsherpa.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board for marketing<\/em>; includes articles<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nMarketinjobs.com<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.marketinjobs.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board for marketing<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nTalentZoo.com<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.talentzoo.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board for marketing<\/em>, advertising<\/em>, and PR<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nStylecareers.com<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.stylecareers.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board for fashion<\/em>, apparel<\/em>, and retail<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    \n\nMediabistro.com<\/strong>\r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.mediabistro.com<\/a><\/td>\r\nJob board for marketing<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n
    \r\n\r\nSource: Adapted from Kim Richmond, Brand You<\/em>, 3rd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008), 221\u201323.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nAlthough it\u2019s important to use direct mail when submitting a cold-contact application, when you apply for positions you find on online job boards, you should apply through the Web site using the format they prescribe. Just make sure you include a cover letter when you submit your r\u00e9sum\u00e9. Hiring managers are likely to throw away r\u00e9sum\u00e9s that come in without cover letters because a cover letter is what allows you to personalize your application, sending the message that you care enough to make an effort in your job search. Finally, keep in mind that while many job seekers rely entirely on online job boards for their searches, and while these sites can be a good avenue for learning about opportunities, they are not an end-all method. They are strongest when used in combination with your direct-mail campaign and the other power-packed tools mentioned in this chapter.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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    Power-Packed Tool #5: Get Out There<\/h2>\r\nFinally, when you want to let people know you are on the market and have unique skills to offer, consider integrating a number of methods discussed in other chapters of this book to let people see your face. Phone calls, letters, and online communications are critical to your job search, but nothing creates an impression and establishes personal connections like face-to-face interaction.\r\n