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Linkedin - Quality or Quantity?
2012-01-18


During his 17 years working in ad sales at Meredith Corporation, Mark Josephson, 49, took on new business accounts as his role evolved. That meant less contact with other key clients over time.

After joining Reader's Digest in November 2010 to fill a top sales position, he wanted to reconnect with some of the clients he had lost touch with, especially the ones who make the big media buying decisions at their companies. He knew he could use a number of digital networking platforms to reach out, but his experience told him to take a more human approach.

"How did I get back in touch with those clients?" said Josephson, chief sales officer of Reader's Digest. "I focused on making personal contact with them over the phone or through emails. I would target the top decision makers on our accounts and I would immediately call and reconnect."

It's a question you hear a lot these days: Has LinkedIn wiped out the importance of developing and maintaining a Rolodex, that is, a list of people that you know on a personal basis?

Absolutely not, say recruiters and sales reps. People do become easier to track down as more of their information moves online, but an extensive contact list means little without genuine business relationships to back it up.

"It's easy to go onto LinkedIn and start connecting with new people," said Josephson. "But how many of those connections are quality connections? Probably less than 20%."

In many ways, the insignificance of a fleeting business card exchange without a real connection has been heightened by the ease of clicking "connect" online, said Atlanta-based e-commerce recruiter Harry Joiner. It's a common error that has been exacerbated by technology, he said.

"Just because I have someone's name, rank and serial number doesn't mean that when I call them they know or remember who I am," said Joiner, 47, owner of EcommerceRecruiter.com. "That's the difference between a legitimate Rolodex and a list of names and job titles. Nothing can substitute for the real-life connections you have."

If you work in sales in 2012 -- at a time when the amount of turnover in nearly every industry can cause head spins -- those connections need to be updated, filtered through and managed on a regular basis, said digital media recruiter Michael Adler. The only way to do that is by reaching out to people directly, he said.

"To consider someone a part of your Rolodex, you have to have corresponded with them in the last three to six months," said Adler, 40, a managing partner at the recruiting firm AC Lion. "The problem with LinkedIn is that everyone wants to expand their professional networks, but they're not doing much beyond that."

LinkedIn's user base is growing at a rate of more than two new members per second, according to the company. As of November 2011, the professional networking site had more than 135 million members around the world, up from 100 million members in March.

If used beyond cold connecting, the site's features enhance the correspondences between sales reps and their clients and prospects, said Christian Sutherland-Wong, product lead and general manager of LinkedIn's Premium Subscription business.

"LinkedIn is a very strategic tool for sales professionals, particularly as they think about how to get information on their current network and extended network of leads," he said. "The more you know about a person's background and the common connections between you and that person, the higher your response rate will be."

In one recent case, a company's sales team was able to secure a high-profile client through the organization's shared network on LinkedIn, said Sutherland-Wong. That prospect was sitting right under their noses, linked to the company's chief financial officer.

"The company's sales team reached up to the CFO to make that connection and they ended up closing the deal," he said.

LinkedIn does enable users to make their most successful business relationships visible to others, said Rachel Barash, 44, a national sales rep at Realtor.com who sells online advertising.

"I have asked some clients to endorse me on the site and I do believe recruiters and sales directors look at that," she said.

January Job Fairs -- SOLD OUT!
2012-01-10


Hiring is picking up. Our January 2012 Job Fairs are all SOLD OUT! These means that the Job Seekers that attend our job fairs will be happy with the large numbers and the diversity of companies attending. The companies represent all areas of the economy which is a good sign that we are gaining traction with the overall US Economy. Happy job hunting.

Unemployment 8.5% - Are We there Yet?
2012-01-06


It was just announced on Friday that December payrolls increased 200K. It beat economists estimates of 150K. This resulted in a unemployment rate of 8.5% The issue lies in if this is sustainable job growth in the right direction. Time will tell, but things are pointing in the right direction and here is a reason why they are. For all of the upcoming job fairs in the cities that NATIONWIDEJOBFAIRS.COM is having Job Fairs, the unemployment has fell by as much as a full point in the last year. In all of the locations, only 2 showed a year over year drop of less than 1%. That is something to feel confident about. The question remains, how much further will the unemployment rate drop prior to the November elections. Stay tuned!

Job Blog - Auto Insurance Sales 101 General Auto Insurance
2011-08-02


In keeping with our theme on Auto Insurance in which we get asked many questions on who is hiring and what the salaries or commissions are we have a bit of education on the subject matter before we get to those details.

Happy reading/learning!
Rebecka

Consumers may be protected by different levels of coverage depending on which insurance policy they purchase. Some states require drivers to carry at least liability insurance coverage to ensure that their drivers can cover the cost of damage to other people or property in the event of an accident. Some states, such as Wisconsin, have more flexible "proof of financial responsibility" requirements.

In the US, automotive liability insurance covers claims against the policy holder and usually any other operator of an insured vehicle; provided they do not live at the same address as the policy holder and are not specifically excluded on the policy. Drivers living at the same address must specifically be covered on the policy. Thus it is necessary, for example, when a young adult reaches driving age that they be added to the policy.

Automotive Liability insurance sometimes does not protect the policy holder if they operate any vehicles other than their own. When you drive another person's car you are not necessarily covered under their policy. Non-owners policies are also available. These policies insure drivers on any vehicle they drive, even if it belongs to someone else. This coverage is available only to those who do not own their own vehicle and is sometimes required by the government for drivers who have previously been found at fault in an accident. Non-owners policies are also known as Named Operator Policies. The policies are useful for people whose drivers license has been suspended and they have to have automotive insurance for their license to be reinstated.

Job Blog - Auto Insurance Sales 101
2011-08-01


We get alot of Job Seekers that request information about Insurance Sales, specifically Auto. They know everyone that drives needs it and in most states it is required. I have a series starting with information that you can use to learn more. We all could use a little knowledge to help us in the Job Market Today!
Rebecka

Automotive insurance, in the United States and elsewhere, is designed to absorb most of the risk of financial liability or loss a motor vehicle owner may face if their vehicle is involved in a collision resulting in property or physical damages. All states require a motor vehicle owner to carry some minimum level of insurance, except for Virginia, where uninsured vehicles must be paid for directly to the state (see below). In these states, automotive insurance is said to be compulsory.

Other states do not require drivers to carry automobile insurance, but even these states offer drivers the option of carrying insurance. A motor vehicle owner typically pays insurers a monthly fee, often called an automobile insurance premium. The automobile insurance premium a motor vehicle owner pays is usually determined by a variety of factors including the type of covered vehicle, the age of any covered drivers, their driving history, and the location where the vehicle is primarily driven and stored.

Many automobile insurance companies offer premium discounts based on these factors. Automobile insurance companies provide a motor vehicle owner with an automobile insurance card for the particular coverage term which is to be kept in the vehicle in the event of a traffic collision as proof of automobile insurance.