Job Market Insights for Sales Professionals

There is 0% chance I’ll ever hire a salesperson who only applied via the “quick apply” or the career website. Why? Because it's not how top salespeople get hired. Would you consider an SDR who only sends out generic emails? Of course not. They should research, prospect, follow up, and engage. When you apply for a job, show your sales skills. A few tips: 1. Multi-channel Approach: Apply online? Sure. But that's just step one. Take action: - Find hiring manager on LinkedIn - Find other employees and ask for insights - Maybe get 1-2 of them to recommend you - Send a contextualized message - Follow up with an email - Engage with their content Just like in sales, being persistent is key. 2. Engage and Contribute: Don’t just apply—engage! - Comment on hiring manager’s posts - Share your valuable insights - Contribute to the conversation Show your knowledge and expertise publicly. It’s the ultimate differentiator. 3. Network Smartly: Work your network: - Seek warm paths and recommendations - Ask for introductions from mutual connections - Leverage recommendations to get your foot in the door Warm paths almost always beat cold outreach in job hunting too. 4. Understand Signals: Look for companies signaling growth. - Got funding? They’re hiring. - Expanding? There are multiple roles. - Announcing new products? Jump on it! These signals are your opportunity to stand out. 5. Serious Prep: This is a non-negotiable. You studied for weeks for exams that never impacted your life. But for job interviews, many just wing it. Wild, right? Learn everything: - Their product - Their culture - Key challenges If you’re not impressing in the interview, how can they trust you’ll impress their clients? TAKEAWAY: The job market is brutal right now. The only way to break in - Is by standing out. 

7 years. 15,000+ sales professionals. Hundreds of intimate conversations with Fortune 500 sales leaders. Building Sistas in Sales has given me a perspective few others have. From late-night calls with members navigating tough transitions, to strategic sessions with VPs reshaping their sales orgs, to partnerships with tech giants transforming their teams – I've had a front-row seat to what's really shifting in sales. Not just what's in the headlines. Not what's trending on LinkedIn. But what's actually happening behind closed doors. In "The Sales Shift: A Leader's Lens," I'm sharing insights you won't find anywhere else: - What top performers are quietly doing differently (based on real conversations, not theories) - The data-backed approach diverse teams are using to outperform their peers - Why mental wellness is the hidden multiplier in sales success (and how the best leaders are addressing it) This isn't another "how-to" guide. It's a collection of real insights from the trenches, powered by thousands of conversations with professionals who are rewriting the rules of sales success. Check out my first edition, and stay tune for monthly drops! P.S. Leading the largest community of women of color in sales in the world has taught me one thing: the future of sales looks different than its past. Let's build it together. 💫

Every quarter I meet with our entire team and ask a single question to start a discussion… 👉 "What are you seeing in today's hiring market?" 👈 And, as you can imagine, that question opens up a can of worms in the best way possible. It’s my opportunity to share what I’m hearing and the opportunity for our entire team to speak up and share what they’re hearing and seeing from employers and prospective employees. Regardless if you’re a hiring manager, executive leader, recruiter or job seeker, I hope you’ll find our insights relevant for today’s market. Here are the themes we took away from this quarter: 💰Employer trends💰 ✅ Everyone and their brother wants to hire sales talent right now! ✅ Client expectations are a bit out of balance: they want to hire the best talent but they’re not all thinking about how they’re going to secure and retain that talent. ✅ The drayage market is booming and companies that play in the drayage/intermodal/freight forwarding space all want talent with experience in drayage. (ps- we have access to this talent!) ✅ Companies are focused on hiring and retaining revenue producers and cutting roles that are important, but feel like more of a luxury (i.e Positions focused on DEI, Culture and People). 📝Job seeker trends📝 ✅ There is a lot of passive talent out there looking for new opportunities! These folks are currently employed but unfulfilled and want more from their employer. ✅ Some candidates are willing to take a pay cut in exchange for a great culture and leadership that cares. ✅ Spike in talent from the transportation service provider side that is interested in moving to the Shipper side. ✅ Imbalance of candidate “wants” (flexibility, advancement, engagement) vs. their “needs” (compensation, benefits, location). ✅ Middle management candidates are re-considering “Independent Contributor” roles and expressing less interest in having direct reports or being a “player coach." 📊Market trends📊 ✅ Market data predicts freight will pick up in Q2 2024 which means hiring will hopefully pick up then too! ✅ Retailers like Wal-Mart are seeing a decline in consumer demand for food and beverage. Time will tell if this is a short-term or long-term trend. ✅ Wise companies are preparing for the new year and proactively opening searches and posting roles to support their growth efforts. ✅ Holiday retail sales predicted to increase 3.5% - 4.6% between November-December 2023, but this is lower than previous years where the increase generally falls in the 4-6% range. ✅ Companies that recognize the importance of culture are investing in consulting projects and initiatives to improve employee engagement and bring purpose to work. Would love to hear from my network to understand if this is "news" or just stating the obvious 🙃 Share your thoughts on what you're seeing and how that compares to our findings! 👇 #supplychain #logistics #recruiting