Are staff a cost or an investment?

Some years ago my boss sat me down and gave me a good talking to.  I had been asked to turn round a company.  The sales weren’t growing and the previous manager had recruited huge numbers of new people resulting in a whacking loss.

My boss basically gave me two bullet points: Read more

Determine What Type of Sales Talent Your Company Needs

According to a recent survey by CSO Insights, 43% of salespeople do not achieve quota, ramp up time continues to increase, and the ability to close forecasted business is less than 50%.

So why do sales people who may have been stellar performers in one company turn out to be underperformers in another?

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Pineapple beer and hiring the wrong people

Belgians are unique. Being in Brugges recently reminded me of the immense time and effort shopkeepers take when packaging their goods. You  will find examples in everything from shop windows to beautifully packaged chocolates to every beer having its own unique glass. Remarkable, when there are over 400 on offer.

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Online Psychometric Testing: is the printed test dead?

Is paper and pencil testing dead?  A year ago I’d have written off printed tests.

I’m not so sure now?

I first came across a computerised tests in the 1970s; it used special input devices to measure the effect of chronic alcoholism!  Progress was slow at first but on-line personality tests are now.

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Do your staff demand training?

In 2010 22 million workers could have the legal right to demand training time. This could lead to an extra 300,000 people being given skills training. About 40% of employers provide no training whatsoever, which might cut costs but, in some cases, hobbles their performance.

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