Sales: The Critical Piece

Sales - The Critical Piece To Your Successful Future

 

Sales: The Critical Piece To Your Organization’s Successful Future

What drives your business?

Technology, finance, marketing?

These are all good things, but what it actually comes down to is sales.

I’m not saying that your other departments aren’t important, they are. They all contribute to the business, but sales is critical to the immediate and future lifeline of an organization.

Sales revenue is what allows you to succeed as an organization. You can have the best technology, the best services, and the coolest marketing campaigns, but if no one buys your product, you don’t have a business.

Sales in the door is what allows you to invest in advancing your services, providing marketing dollars, and keeping the wolves away.

Aside from new revenue, a customer’s first call (if they have an issue) is often to their sales rep, and I can’t think of a more important time than now to keep your current customers happy. A happy customer is a repeat customer and it’s often down to your sales rep to prevent them from going to the competition.

On that note, whether you like it or not, a lot of customers buy your products because they like the sales rep. If the rep is gone, the client will often follow.

When times are tough (hello Covid!) companies start cutting back and putting hires on hold.

It makes sense in these uncertain times to save as much revenue as possible for a rainy day (and it’s been pouring for months now). But, the one department that can help get you through this is sales; and the job postings I’ve been seeing certainly reflect this belief.

While a good number of companies have cut at least a portion of their sales staff, there are companies looking to expand their teams, which is great news for those sales reps that have been laid off.

As opposed to thinking of cutting back your sales team or putting all sales hires on hold, perhaps now is the time to be bold and look to the future.

While this may not be the year to expect record figures, if you’re fortunate enough to have the type of products or services that companies simply cannot do without, maybe now is the time to go for it and position yourself ahead of the competition when things go back to “normal”.

Here’s a great article from Harvard Business Review that explains how to re-focus your sales teams efforts now and when things go back to “normal”.

To be fair, there are some industries that simply may not survive no matter how many sales people they retain or hire. Fortunately, that’s not the case for all industries.

So, if you’re a company who are feeling the pressure to cut costs and hold off on hiring, really take the time to consider the impact a smaller sales team will have on your bottom line both now and in the future.

Sales are the critical piece to your successful future.

But how do you know you’re hiring the right person?  After all, every dollar spent is now more critical than ever. The answer is simple – contact a professional to help bring in the perfect candidate.

Rostie & Associates are those professionals.

At Rostie & Associates we invest time in understanding your organizations’ functions, your strategies for business success, your cultural environment, how to sell your organization to the candidate market, and associated success stories that differentiate your value proposition from competitors in the marketplace.

We provide a professional recruitment solution to a wide range of organizations in the United States, Canada and Internationally. Our clients range from the largest and most established firms to entrepreneurs on the cutting edge of technology.

Simply put, we’re dedicated to creating a perfect match between organizations and candidates.

Check out some of our hottest jobs!

If you’re an organization who is planning for a successful future by adding to your sales team, contact Rostie & Associates today.

We look forward to providing you the best sales representatives on the market!

 

resume writing perfection

How to write the Perfect Resume

Well, the title is a bit cheeky as there really is no such thing!

You can ask ten different people and get ten completely unique opinions on what sets a resume apart from the rest. Every hiring manager, recruiter and HR consultant will also have their own opinion.

That being said, there are some basics that you really do need to follow:

Resume Tip 1: Name and contact information

Your name and contact information needs to be in the header – so it shows on every page. And, yes, some people still forget to do this, leaving a hapless recruiter with a page on their desk and no clue as to who it belongs to! In this day and age your details should include your first and last name, cell number, email address and, ideally, a (working) hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile.

Or, if you want to get fancy you can add a footer to page 2 with your name and contact details.

If you write a summary – which is a good idea – make it clear and succinct. And I do mean clear and succinct!

I don’t know how many times I’ve read a summary that seemed more like a novella with every keyword under the sun and no clear insight as to what the person actually does.

Resume Tip 2:  Format (Functional, Chronological or combination of the two)

They are all valid choices and it comes down to personal taste or style – or perhaps one style fits your experience better than the other. For instance if your work is more project based you may opt for a functional (or skills based) resume. If your positions have been more conventionally focused you may opt for a chronological resume.

Personally, I find that purely functional resumes can be a bit frustrating to read. You may understand this if you consider how many resumes a recruiter or hiring manager has to read when searching to fill a position – so have mercy!

While all the projects and skill-sets are listed in great detail and frequently followed by a chronological list of employers, there is often no indication of what the candidate did while working for each employer – just a list of dates and company names.

I find it incredibly helpful when a candidate that’s used a functional format provides at least a couple of lines highlighting their role beneath each position. Otherwise it can be very difficult to know which skills are most current.

Resume Tip 3: Grammar and spelling

I cannot stress this enough – edit, edit, edit!

Remember, “spell check” cannot tell you if you have written the wrong word if it’s spelled correctly.

I think it helps tremendously to read your resume aloud, word for word, and then have someone else read it to you. (You may have to provide enticements for this – doughnuts, beer, whatever works!)

Resume Tip 4: How many pages should my resume be?

Again, there are a lot of opinions about this. Convention says that your resume should be no more than two pages. I’m actually a bit flexible but would raise an eyebrow if a resume is more than three pages.

If you’re extremely technical and have a sleeve-length list of certifications you may want to add an addendum to your resume. An additional page that only highlights your education and certifications – no sneaking work experience on to this page! If you’re work has been project based, you may want to also have an addendum providing more in-depth detail.

Resume Tip 5: Clarity, clarity, clarity!

Take your time and remember that your resume will serve as a first impression – of you. A winning resume includes all the elements listed above, but most of all, it’s a resume that hiring managers and recruiters will enjoy reading!

Now that you have your resume in better shape, why don’t you test it by checking our available jobs and applying for a few? 

Holiday Breakfast 65

Annual Holiday Breakfast 2018

We had a great time at our Annual Holiday Breakfast 2018! Chef Jordan Diniz cooked up some amazing omelettes and delicious crunchy waffles with fresh fruit.

See for yourself below by looking at our photo and video gallery!

 

 

Entrepreneurial State of Mind

 

Entrepreneur mind

Being an entrepreneur is an innate trait that some are born with and some aren’t. It’s a mind set that many with this gift can’t seem to escape. They see the world as a large opportunity and continuously seek ways to seize the moment.

The world has seen its fair share of entrepreneurs who have succeeded and others who have not. It truly is a high risk, high reward life style.

Companies such as: Microsoft, Apple, Virgin, Tesla & Amazon all began as an idea on a piece of paper, by larger than life personalities that once started out in their parent’s basement. After countless trials and tribulations, these individuals were able to successfully penetrate a market and become king pins of their respective industries.

However, this success certainly didn’t come overnight. It’s a known fact that even these successful would-be billionaires were once on the verge of being homeless, surviving on the standard college diet of ramen noodles and living out of the back seats of their vehicles. It was only their entrepreneurial instinct that kept them pushing through these hard times and as luck would have it, their hard work and determination paid off.

Then, you have the other side of the coin.

In the early 2010’s, the world became obsessed with the reality TV concept of seeing entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to investors on shows like Dragon’s Den or Shark Tank.

These shows gave the everyday viewer a chance to see what entrepreneurs were coming up with, prior to their multi-million dollar success. Some shined through, while most failed to develop a concept that could wow not only the investors, but the audience who were watching the show. In some cases, the feedback went as far as telling these individuals to “stop putting money into this and walk away while you still can” or “this is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard of”.

One thing to be taken from the countless seasons of good ideas and bad ideas is that the mindset of the participants never veered from their end goal of being a successful entrepreneur, regardless of the feedback they received.

Whether you possess this way of thinking or not, it’s important to remember that each person has a place in the world to be successful.

Most importantly, any good Entrepreneur needs the proper space for their ideas to develop and grow. That’s why The Rostie Group provides Offices of all sizes so you and your new growing team have a place to make your dreams come true!

The Office Industry is Changing

Office Industry

Okay, so when is the office industry not changing? This may be a general statement in the world of ever-growing technology and real estate pricing. But, the business centre in a conventional sense is becoming very hard to define.

What is your work environment like? Are you a start up or do you have 40 employees? Do you primarily work at the same desk or find yourself always on the go?
In the past, there have been clear cut destinations that business owners have found themselves drawn to, based on a multitude of criteria. For example, finance companies worked in structured environments with rows of cubicles surrounded by water coolers; graphic designers worked at large communal tables in brick and beam buildings that formerly hosted industrial assembly lines.

They didn’t mix.

But what if these companies could find themselves rubbing shoulders with each other? Could a world filled with both left and right brain thinkers possibly get along together?

The shared office space industry certainly thinks so, and companies are beginning to prove them right.

With industry giants such as Regus & WeWork competing at either ends of the shared office space spectrum, we find numerous office providers who are starting to position themselves somewhere in between – with no clear cut definition of their target market.

A once relatively unknown industry is now being considered by multibillion dollar per-year companies, as it presents a cost-cutting method to operate their businesses with a strict fiscal bottom line in mind.

Once considered feared competitors to be reckoned with, the global recognition and media attention that these industry giants are garnering actually benefits the smaller shared office space providers.

How, you ask, can small businesses benefit from the ever growing giants within an industry?

I pose this question to you – have you ever had a pizza from Domino’s? You know the price, the quality, the speed of delivery, the shape, size, and consistency, but you’re never wowed by the end result. It is a quick alternative that hides itself behind flashy marketing and a cell phone app. They don’t know you, the customer. They don’t know the specifics of your order (unless you tell them, time after time). They are a generic food factory servicing the masses, without the ability to cater to each of their clients’ immediate needs specifically.

Now, have you ever eaten at your local pizzeria, owned and operated by a family in your very own neighbourhood? These are the same people that know you by name, face and voice. They know that you live on the same street and know that you don’t like too many black olives. They may even be charitable enough to sponsor your child’s soccer team, or better yet, allow you to pay them back next time when you find you’re short on cash. At the end of the day, they’re friends.

The point, very simply, is that people like to pay for a service that is specific to their likes, wants and needs. Sometimes choosing the largest company in the industry is not the best way to proceed.
This is where privately owned business centres secure their slice within the industry (pun absolutely intended). It is very common to have business owners move to these smaller outfits after stints with large corporations. They do this because they are unhappy with the giant’s inability to cater their services to the specific requirements of each company’s business practice.

So, I challenge you to consider all elements of this ever-changing industry when selecting your next office space provider. Whether you’re a financial giant or a start up app developer, why go with Domino’s when you can choose an experience that is fundamentally yours?

Like they say, you never know who you’re going to meet.

Click here for more information about available Office Space at The Rostie Group.

Why you need to Lease your Toronto Office Today

Lease Toronto Office

If you want to do business in Canada, there’s no better option than an Office Lease in Toronto. Home to most of Canada’s business population, this vibrant city’s economy is the largest of any city in the country. All of Canada’s largest industries are headquartered here- everything from mining to law, accounting to construction. In order to adequately approach the Toronto market, an office is essential. A prestigious Bay Street address is even more essential- show your clients that you’re not running a fly-by-night operation by starting a Toronto office lease with the Rostie Group. All of the Rostie Group’s Toronto office leases include:

  • Mail Service
  • Phone Service
  • Live Reception Service
  • 24/7 Access
  • Bay Street Address
  • Full Access to Kitchen and Amenities
  • 16 Hours of free Small Boardroom access
  • Rostie Group membership allowing you to book your own meeting room time
  • Wi-Fi
  • Customizable Offices
  • Access to Gym Membership at reduced rate
  • On-site Technical support
  • Invitation to all Social Events being held on the floor
  • 30% discount on all large boardroom meeting space prices
  • Access to Union Station from via the PATH
  • Complimentary Coffee

All of these services are included- that means that when you start a Toronto office lease at the Rostie Group, all you need to bring is yourself, and your computer. We take care of literally everything else- so you can get your business in Toronto up and running in no time at all. You need to ensure that your business gives off the best possible impression to your clients, and if you want your business to be successful, well, why would you waste time dealing with admin, reception and organizing mail? All of those services that we provide save you the time it would take to do it yourself, and save you the cost of hiring several full-time staff.

So why wait? Lease one of The Rostie Group’s Toronto Offices today.

The May Scoop is Out!

Enjoy this month’s Scoop and learn about exciting events happening around Toronto’s Waterfront. If you would like to advertise in our growing newsletter we are always happy to showcase local companies and community partners. For more information on advertising, email marketing@rostiegroup.com

And you can download a PDF version here

The Oxford Way

Back in September 2017, Oxford Properties conducted a customer satisfaction and loyalty survey. Many clients took the time to let Oxford know whether they were meeting or exceeding service expectations. To celebrate the fantastic results Oxford have created a visual representation of this commitment via “The Oxford Way” video:

We love being part of WaterPark Place!

Here’s some events they’ve held in the building over the past year:

[envira-gallery id=”9035″]

Click here for more information on how you can become part of the Oxford community.

Go Back Through Toronto’s History Thanks To Side Walk Labs

Have you ever wondered what originally stood where your condo stands now? Well now you can find out.

Earlier last week Google Sidewalk Labs revealed their project ‘Old Toronto’ (OLDTO). Inspired by web applications developed in San Francisco and New York, the website maps more than 30,000 photographs from the City of Toronto Archives. Extremely user-friendly, to use the tool all you need to do is search for a location and then browse through the archived images in that area. See below to check out what the area where our building is located originally looked like:

[envira-gallery id=”8896″]

In a statement released by Side Walk Labs they stated that they are also in the process of preparing OldTo for release as an open source tool, so local urban-tech enthusiasts can build on top of it. Engineers say they’re exploring additional features to add to the tool, including an aerial button that will “enable people to see how the city has changed from a birds-eye view”. Clicking on a photo will show any information contained in the description such as the title, date, conditions etc.

Try it out for yourself in the interactive map. (If you want to find us, we’re at 20 Bay Street)

If you’d like to work at such a historical location in Toronto, you can take a look at our available spaces.