Things Your Branch Manager Will Never Teach You
Chances are if you are an account manager, much of the following information won't come as a surprise to you. If you're an old hat - you know these tricks for making the most of the account manager role in staffing enterprises.
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3 a# ], \1 @1 L5 B+ J N' B6 h$ NBut if you're new, or if you're getting out of the mortgage industry and are thinking of taking another crack at recruiting because it's hot, keep these tips in mind for when you land that sweet, sweet sales job. , f/ V" B" d5 y% T1 C! k j: `
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1) 9:00 a.m. Meetings Give You The Chance To Sleep In.
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9 E3 }3 N* S4 H6 z* U gYes, that sounds contradictory, but if you're working for a company that likes you at your desk at 7:30, your best bet for some extra bed rest is scheduling a 9:00 meeting near your house. If you have a far enough commute, it makes no sense to drive in to work just to turn around and drive out to the client.
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9 u7 I: t) Q5 X7 T. o2) Enjoy the Countryside.
- i$ D% q$ H9 {0 R9 YSometimes it's your job to travel long distances to visit clients. If you can manage it, it's very nice to take the day off and drive off, say to Winston-Salem, or maybe all the way up to Roanoke to place a developer. If you can get a good deal with a good margin, who is going to complain? Take your girlfriend and head off for the day, stopping to meet the client, of course.
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3 F# g. C6 |' a9 O* ?3) Bring back sweets to the office.
1 U; ^; @- f$ I0 W# |8 y: qWhen ordering 5 dozen donuts for the local IT guys, don't forget to pick up a few muffins extra for your office. It makes your recruiters feel good, and you get to be a hero on the company dime. 6 q: s8 _% A1 ?0 c7 J' D1 U% J8 d* W
8 K) a+ {5 k) Z4) Take candidates out for coffee when you need a pick-me up. 3 F: H4 w6 v& o* W
Sitting at your desk tired and pounding away at the phones? Stand up, head out into the lobby, and grab a candidate leaving an interview with your recruiters. Offer to buy them a coffee. Don't forget the extra shot of expresso and a pack of gum.
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5) Subsidize Your Social Life: z2 z# x, g7 f8 P& n
If you're going to be a salesman, you better learn how to make friends with your customers. If you're young, this is a problem, because your friends have no control over budgets. If, however, your friends are directors and VP's, then you owe it to yourself to take them and their wives out to dinner. $ |: _$ @0 d" I0 U, H
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This always made me uncomfortable until I was told in no uncertain terms that my performance was judged partly by my expense reports. And don't scrimp on those meals. Your health is important, so go to nice restaurants and order the fish. If you're in Seattle or LA or San Francisco, sushi once a week is the way to go.7 O7 z7 s3 E% G$ N2 F! _0 v7 B
* ` F2 `% z0 o H" [. l9 z |6) You Drive Way More Than You Think. 2 |& z1 Y: w" _
Always, always schedule ways to start the day and end the day with a client. The best thing to do is to work in a mixed use building with the client downstairs. The next best is to cultivate clients in between you and work. Stopping by once or twice a week, even if it's to stand in the lobby and read the paper while managers walk by is a good use of time, and it allows you to take the mileage of your commute and add it to your report. It's also legal if you do it that way, and besides, the managers will think you have a meeting with someone else.
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If you are weighing a couple of job offers, and one of them has a Runzheimer package for your car, make sure you take it. This will add a couple of hundred dollars to your compensation a month, tax-free. Runzheimer says they offer an accurate and fair package, and if it's true, than the rest of the companies are really ripping you off for use of your car. Short of a company car, the Runzheimer package is the absolute best. They pay you a set fee ($300-500 a month), plus mileage. Unless you're a truck driver, this is the way to go.