At the upcoming Kelsey Group’s Directory Driven Commerce 2007 conference (DDC2007: The Future of Yellow Pages), which takes place in Reston, Virginia next week, I will have a unique opportunity to address the Yellow Pages community on a topic that is near and dear to every publisher in this industry – what are the sales reps, the people are so critical to their future business really thinking about. This article provides a summary of what I will be covering in that presentation. For the full slide deck, go to the Hawthorne Search website where we will post the slides after the conference (click here).

A quick summary of the key points I will provide attendees are:

1. Numerous managers commented on how difficult it is for today's directory sales rep to stay organized with all the different products they are now expected to sell.
2. Sales reps told us their biggest complaint is that more and more of their time is spent in data entry and administrative paperwork, taking away from what they really want and need to be doing: meeting with potential and existing customers."
3. Many reps told us that too many sales managers are still planted in their offices instead of in the field with them.
4. Nearly 2/3 of the entry level and recent college grad reps we interviewed said they were using the YP sales job as a launching pad into software sales, pharmaceutical sales, etc.

These results are from a recent survey that Hawthorne Executive Search conducted with sales reps/account executives and selling manager across a wide range of publishers – big and small. It illustrates how the workplace in general has changed, and how the recruiting landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years. The warning flag I saw was that the pool of potential future sales reps is not super excited about the YP industry. Those that are already in the industry indicate some real uneasiness about the future of the YP industry. I think it’s an early indication that as an industry we need to do some more public relations work about why this such a great industry to work in. I’m not sure the world at large has gotten that message. My concern is that this industry will struggle to attract high quality, college education young people in sales in the future.

Here are some suggestions on how to deal with this changed recruiting marketplace:

The Hiring Landscape:
There is no doubt the Internet has had a monumental impact on the process of hiring

• A new way to hire: gone are the days where people look in the Sunday newspaper classifieds for a job
• The Net also is a new way to position your company and promote what you are, and why you are such a great place to come to work for
• With the advent of the Internet, candidates are much more aware of what opportunities are out there, what they pay, and what it’s like to work for the company – a number of sites like Vault allow employees to post comments about your company for other potential candidates to look at.
• While I know you want to recruit someone to stay with you for decades, the reality is on average someone stays with a company is only about 4 years. That’s not specific to YP, that is an overall employment trend

Let me also talk a little about the generation shift underway: These new generations Generation X (born between 1964 and 1982) and Generation Y (born in 80’s) think differently and want significantly different things out of life than previous generations. And they are demanding new business models to give them the kinds of work experiences they seek.

Working with Gen X & Y
During this survey and recent interviews our team of 10 recruiters had an opportunity to talk with people every day. Here is a list of key things you need to know about recruiting these new generations:

1. Give them the big picture on mission, vision, values. They want to know about the company as much as they do about the position you are contacting them for.
2. Explain explicitly what their role is, why they are of value to the company, and what’s in it for them
3. Set expectations up front. Clearly define their roles and responsibilities (in writing)
4. Talk to them. Directly interact with them regardless of your reporting structure. This is a generation looking for leadership
5. Walk the talk. Model the behaviors you expect from them—they will only respect you if you do what you ask them to do
6. Performance reviews -- “straight talk” good and bad.
7. Acknowledge successes – they crave recognition. Find situations to reward and publicly acknowledge results
8. Lighten up. Have a sense of humor. Take the time to have fun!

Many Gen X & Y people say they leave their job not because there is a strong reason to leave, but because there is no real compelling reason to stay. So give them some.

And if you need help in building your team, give us a call.

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