The client is a rep for a major fashion company. She supervises counters at 10 stores In the first session, concluded she aspires to a non-retail, people-centric corporate management job. Also, she wants to meet Mr. Right.
C: My parents asked me about my session with you. Everyone told me how much more relaxed I sounded. I then emailed or called 10 people in my network. Some said they knew of admin positions or things like that. A few people said they’d help me if I was more specific about what I want, and a couple said they’ll get back to me if they hear anything. I’ve created two versions of my resume: a sales resume and an office manager resume. I’ve shown it to my brother and a friend and they’ll get back to me.
M: One of the things we talked about last session was that you said you wanted to make a stronger effort to try to land a launchpad management job for your current company but not in retail.
C: I haven’t had a chance to do that.
M: Was that intentional, if only unconsciously?
C: No. I just haven’t gotten to it.
M: Okay. With the benefit of a week’s time, have you gotten clearer about whether you might prefer that job, an admin job, or a non-retail salesperson?
C: I'm not sure.
M: It’s probably wise to pick one for your Plan A.
C: I know I don’t want to go back to sales.
M: I’m talking about being a corporate sales rep.
C: I’m not sure what that would look like.
M: It varies but typically you try to get in to see major wholesale or business clients, make a sales presentation, helping them try to solve their problems with an advice, an article an so on. It is a quota-driven business. Is that a turn-on or turn off?
C: I’m feeling indifferent.
M: So let’s ask the same question about admin. I have a client who’s the office manager at a medical practice. She hires receptionists and billing clerks. She creates or tweaks processes to make them efficient and supervises people to make sure things get done.
C: It’s not something I’d want to do long-term but if it would lead somewhere else, it would be an option.
M: That’s not a likely launchpad. The sense I’ve gotten about you is that your best launchpad job would be that entry-level people-centric manager in a corporation. Because you don’t have a degree, your best chance to get such a job would be through your network because most advertised such jobs generally require a degree.
The people who said they want you to be more specific are encouraging you to be what I call “falsely precise.” That’s because you’ve said that as long as the job was people-centric, as long as it wasn’t highly technical, it wouldn’t matter whether it’s fashion, consumer products, or education services. If to please that person, you said, “I want to be a people-centric manager in the shoe industry,” that would eliminate any other jobs they might know.
So you need to push back, to educate them: “What matters is only that it is a people-centric entry-level corporate management job with good people and product. If you’re going to use the ads to try to land a job, your most realistic shot is to apply for other sales manager positions for companies selling non-technical products. Let’s double check: Are you sure it doesn’t matter what the product is that you’d be a sales manager or other kind of manager for?
C: I don’t know. I need to think about it. M: One more check: Last session, you described yourself as artistic, liking fashion accessories, and travel. Would you be more interested if the company was a furniture chain, boutique chain, adventure travel tour company?
C: I’d need to see what that looked like.
M: You’re a visual person. So let’s try this. Close your eyes and take three comfortably deep breaths. Now picture the work environment in which you’d feel best.
C: There’d be a lot of people, mainly my age, dressed in business casual. It would be an open space…
M: What would you be doing there?
C: I see myself walking around a lot and talking a lot with people.
M: What would you be talking with them about? C:
Other than personal things, projects for the day.
M: What else do you picture about that work?
C: I see it as similar to what I do now: Talking people to make personal connections and then figuring out a game plan with them: for a project, an event, the agenda, the action plan?
M: So the product doesn’t matter. It’s more about being relationship-centric?
C: Yes
M: So that confirms our original thought: that you’d like a people-centric entry-level management job in a young-person’s environment, with the product irrelevant. I also see you working in a pretty environment.
C: Yes.
M: And you’re motivating them, helping them plan like marketing, running meetings, maybe standing meetings.
C: Yes.
M: Key to success is what they say to students at Harvard’s orientation: Ask for what you want and when they say no, ask someone else. So when they ask you to be more specific, push back and don’t state false precision. Ultimately, that will get you more leads and good ones. A related point: The keys to almost everyone’s job happiness is a good boss,good product, ethical workplace, nice workers, reasonable pay, reasonable commute. You have a better chance of getting one by cramming as thorough of a job search as you can in two weeks so you can pick the one that, overall is likely to be good. If, instead you do a drips-and-drabs job search, you’ll probably only get one offer and you’ll be very tempted to take it even if it isn’t great.
C: Are there any other key words I should use in making my pitch? M: If there were a Goddess, what would she say your best skills are?
C: I’m good at motivating people, improving processes, being organized.
M: So, if you were an employer in a position to hire an entry-level manager, even though you weren’t advertising for such a job at the moment, how would you feel about receiving this letter: I’m currently a sales manager at XXXX and have topped out here. I’m particularly good at motivating people, improving processes, and being organized. As long as it’s a product I can believe in and the job isn’t tech-heavy, I’d be happy. If you think we should talk to see how I meet be of help to you, I’d appreciate it.If you were a power person at a company, how would you feel about getting such a letter?
C: Great.
M: Just as with a guy, while we all have to make some compromises, you need to stand firm on the things that are important for you.
C: I agree.
M: Let’s be silent for 30 seconds and you get in touch with how you’re feeling about reaching out to people with that pitch. (30 seconds pass.
C: Great. I’m already thinking of additional people I could reach out to. For example, I have a friend who works at Uber corporate.
M: I like that because unlike the fashion industry, the travel industry has plenty of guys. And since you say you’re looking for Mr. Right and wanted to talk about that, remember that the workplace (along with getting set up and online dating,) is a great way to meet Mr. Right. In a bar, you can’t hear what people are saying and you may be inebriated. At work, you get to see what the person is like, day in and day out. What kind of dating site would work best for you?
C: One that isn’t so visually centric. I want to know about the person.
M: Are you clear on your non-negotiables in your Mr. Right?
C: That he values family. I want a family some day. Goal-oriented, driven. And I’m spiritual so I’d like someone who agrees with that. Someone who likes travel, is intellectual. M: Does he need to be educated? You don’t have a college degree.
C: No. Just someone I can talk politics with, about everything.
M: I created a Relationship Report Card. Would you like me to print it out to see if it unearths something important to you?
C: (After reading it) I’ve never thought about it but having a positive outlook on life is important.
M: Yeah, life has enough real ups and down. So it helps to have a positive bias.
C: Also, he needs to be free from serious problems.
M: You said you had written a bunch of questions. Are there any, I haven’t answered?
C: The only one we haven’t covered is that it’s hard for me to see big picture. We’ve talked about my next job being a launchpad. What do you see for me in five years?
M: Tell me what you think feels accurate and not about this scenario: I picture you landing your target job and striving for work-life balance. On the personal side, You’re cute and nice and so I picture you achieving your goal of being married and after, a few months of travel, you’d get pregnant and take an extended period of time for maternity leave and even after that, probably not be that upwardly driving. What feels right and wrong about that?
C: I had a come to Jesus moment when my boss told me about a promotion I was up for. She said that if you have kids, you probably won’t be able to put in the required hours. I do want to make family first. I used to think I wanted to be a CEO but now I know that work-life balance is important to me.
M: Okay. I want to be sure that your job pitch is as well-delivered as possible. Key is the PAR story. For each of your best skills that might impress your target employer, you describe a work problem you face, the clever or dogged way you approached it, and the positive result. It’s good to have a few of those in a few sentences each, in your quiver to put in your cover letter, in interviews, even in your resume. Can you think of one?
C: My largest store has a three-person counter and the counter manager was having a hard time motivating the person who used to be the top salesperson and very competitive but had fallen down and now is too much about chatting. So I reached out to the 3rd person who’s people-driven and competitive. After brainstorming with her, we agreed we should make things competitive: posting the sales results of each person, using that 3rd person rather than me to egg on the competition. Soon, she was selling really well again.
M: Great. The specificity of that feels credible. You can stick a PAR story in your cover letter. “An example of the kind of work I did is…insert your PAR story.
C: I did have a question about my sales resume.
M: Since you said you’d much rather be a people-centric manager, I’d suggest you not send out your sales resume or administrative one but rather, create one aimed at the launchpad job you really want. So the summary at the top of your resume should be aimed at that job and the related skills you said are your best. Again, ask for what you want. If they say no, ask other people, whether it’s for a job or Mr Right. M: Okay, be silent again for 30 seconds and let the session and the game plan wash over you. Then I’ll ask you what are you feeling.
C: I feel excited. Before I was mainly nervous. M: A weird question: What kind of skin makeup do you wear?
C: Something with tint. My skin is pasty white.
M: You do have a pale complexion. I’m wondering if it’s worth experimenting with one or two shades darker.
C: Of course I want to look tan. Why do you ask?
M: It looks like that makeup actually makes your skin look lighter. It also looks a little powdery. I’m wondering if you should try another brand? Just when you’re at one of your stores, try a couple options for fun, maybe even go with a friend of yours?
C: I have a couple of friends that would be really honest. M: My sister made a lot of money selling makeup. Do you want to hear her story?
C: Sure.
M: After college, the only job she could get was selling toilet paper for Scott toilet paper. One day she heard that the highest-profit margin item is cosmetics. She found out that one manufacturer will sell to an individual. So she bought a line of makeup and called it “Let’s Make Up.” She then rented a tiny space in the window of a high-end beauty salon and did makeovers. And because she’s great at applying makeup and selling, she sold a lot. Then she rented a small storefront in a great location, painted the outside in pink and white stripes and of course, called it “Let’s Make Up.” Soon, she hired other people and trained them in applying makeup and selling it. That’s all she needed to make a helluva living.
C: That was a great story.
No comments:
Post a Comment