“Be excited and act for the purpose of achieving the future you want. Second, be clear about your non-negotiable. And third, manage every detail of the process.” – Abel Lomas in today’s Tip 451
How about you? Do you have your own steps to getting hired after being laid off?
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Abel Lomas on Sales Success Stories Interview
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today’s tips come from my friend Abel Lomas. Abel talked with me in episode 59 of the Sales Success Stories podcast and recently got laid off. Here’s what he actually did to quickly land his current role as an Enterprise Account Executive at Workfront:
Abel Lomas: Hey salespeople. If you’re listening to this, you may have recently been laid off or you’re living in fear that it’s about to happen. Coronavirus has changed all of our lives. I was laid off recently and was lucky enough to start a new gig just before things got really ugly.
I want to give you three steps to help you land the next gig and I’ll go into more detail on each. Number one, be excited, not down. Attitude is everything. Number two, be clear about what you’re looking for. Think about the non-negotiables. Number three, manage the process from networking to interviews and offers. Let’s break each of these down.
So number one, be excited. You asked, “How can I be excited when I just lost my job?” Well, the moment the layoff is communicated to you, it is in the past. It happened. It’s over. Stain in the past is like running in the mud it’s exhausting and he may never reach your destination. In the future, you’ll land in a better opportunity than where you were before, but don’t get lost in the clouds. You have to put in the work that will get you to your ideal outcome.
Be in the version of the present that will help you achieve landing in a better spot. This is all about mindset. Wake up early, get some exercise, have some breakfast if you like, but most importantly, have a plan every single day and work the plan. That is how you’ll get what you deserve.
Number two, be clear about what you’re looking for and prioritize it. It’s important to define what you’re looking for and they’re going to be negotiable items and non-negotiables. You need to come up with your top two or three things that you aren’t willing to negotiate then named them and prioritize them.
For me, it was culture followed by opportunity and in that order. Culture was so important to me that I wrote a definition of great culture and a post on LinkedIn. This helped me in a couple of ways. People who are really interested in me read my post an advance and proactively disgusted with me. People who are either less interested or just didn’t find it allowed me to tell them my beliefs with conviction. I’d send a link to my post and my followup, which always left them impressed and wanting more. They knew I was serious and this wasn’t negotiable.
With regard to my second item, opportunity, this had to do with short and longterm expectations of income. This was easy to discuss in conversation and would be taboo to discuss in a public forum like a LinkedIn post. The order is important because in my case, if he didn’t have the culture I was looking for, the income potential just didn’t matter. So what are your top negotiable items?
Number three, manage the process. In the current environment, this is difficult but the process doesn’t change. Companies are hiring and you deserve linen a better place than you were before. You had the right mindset and he know what you want.
So how do you manage the process to get there? Here are a few thoughts. Make a couple of lists, one list as a list of people you love working with, and the other list is all the companies that you’d love to work for. This should be guided based on your top non-negotiable items.
Second, start reaching out to the list of people immediately. Be open and honest about the situation. They’ll have empathy or they wouldn’t be on your list. Tell them what you’re looking for, your non-negotiables, and ask them who they’d recommend you connect with. Make it easy for them. Track your progress down your list of people and their referrals. You want to make sure that you thank them along the way or let them know if you haven’t heard from the person they refer to you to. Make sure to tell them about any companies that you’re hiring on your consideration list. You never know who they might know that might not have been obvious and looking on LinkedIn.
Third, this process will connect you with people you either didn’t think about or people you haven’t met. I realize I’m an extrovert and you may not be, but this was my favorite part. I met so many interesting people during this process. Sometimes we laughed. Sometimes we’d cry. Many of the connections ended up having nothing to do with my career, but I was so thankful to meet these people, hear their stories and share mine and I’m willing to bet you’ll have a very similar experience.
Next. I’d be surprised at this point, you haven’t landed interviews by now, but you should have gained greater intelligence in the tare companies you want to work for. It will be attempting to apply online, but they’ll most likely not get you anywhere. The process of networking, finding someone inside the company who can champion your cause is critical. Especially in a down market. Think about it. What are your chances if you’re one of 1000 or more online applicants versus one that’s walked down the hall or sent via Slack with a personal recommendation and an internal champion, I think the answer is obvious.
Next, the rest is all salesmanship and managing the process. People not remember details of your interview, but they’ll remember how you made them feel. Make them feel good. Do your research before meeting them. In your followup remind them what made them feel good in their words because it’s not about you, it is about them. Managed next steps and stay on top of the process. This will help you get offers. You one, you will succeed. You deserve to land in a better situation than you were before.
So in summary, be excited and act for the purpose of achieving the future you want. Second, be clear about your non negotiable. And third, manage every detail of the process. Best of luck and let me know if I can help you.
Scott Ingram: For more about Abel, just click over to DailySales.Tips/451, and if you have a friend whose recently been laid off. I hope you’ll share this with them. Let’s work together as a community to help these folks get back on their feet. It all starts with mindset.
Thanks for listening and be sure to come back tomorrow for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!