Having worked with clients in the Oil and Gas sector over the past 20 years I know the current ‘cycle’ is different to those we’ve experienced previously.  Businesses working across the supply chain are under considerable pressure and indeed many have had to implement cost cutting measures to ensure business continuity.  Even if your business is not directly servicing the oil and gas market, it’s possible you are still subject to the effects of the current market conditions.

With these conditions in mind, conversations with our clients and broader network over the past few months have centered around the need to compete more effectively to win business and grow market share.  This has highlighted that there is little doubt we are now in a new reality where anything but sales excellence simply is not going to cut it.  This typically raises a few questions: Continue Reading

John is under pressure; he is well behind target – despite the fact that his target has already been revised downward in light of market conditions. The Sales Director is also under pressure from the Board and….well we all know that shit runs downhill. John needs to make a dent in his target to keep the Sales Director off his back. Redundancy is something he worries about. There’s been no indication of this so far but he knows many people in the industry that have been made redundant.

However, he believes that he has a great opportunity in the pipeline, he gets after it… and get’s shot down – by three different contacts in the client – because they have a freeze on capex spend in the face of the current downturn. What John does next is more a reflexion of John, his core attributes and his sales experience than whether there really is another viable strategy. Continue Reading

With pressures from the current low oil price continuing to bite, costs can only be cut so much, but to move forward and emerge stronger Oil and Gas service companies need to improve their sales performance.

Many businesses across the oil & gas sector are struggling with order books that are worryingly sparse.  However, the current climate is also creating opportunities for smaller, more nimble organisations that can adapt and innovate more rapidly to changing market dynamics. Continue Reading

Prior to entering it myself I had a very poor view of the recruitment sector. This was based on my experiences as a hiring manger and also as a Consultant working with businesses to transform sales effectiveness. What I saw were agencies that had little to no idea about the role I was looking to fill, who didn’t take the time to really understand my needs and were focussed on getting me CV’s in the quickest possible time so that they could get their fee – quality didn’t really seem to be a consideration. Continue Reading

Online recruitment is a  numbers driven fickle, fickle world. How many of you have seen a position you’re well qualified for, registered, uploaded, ignored the ‘due to high number of applications’ message and ten minutes later got a call from an enthusiastic sounding recruiter? If you’re lucky you will have got through to an interview before your recruiter went on radio silence. Often, the optimistic chat about how good a candidate you are is the first and the last interaction you’ll have.  The reason you’re not getting great job opportunities isn’t you, it’s your job seeking strategy. Continue Reading

Most people have had times where they’ve hated their job, it’s normal when the balance of what we like to do and we don’t like to dois loaded the wrong way. Sales and Business Development are high pressure roles. Tough times can definitely take their toll. Long hours, getting stuck in airports and at train stations missing special occasions, managing difficult clients, months of work nearing a close and then falling at the finish line. Throwing in the towel and walking can be hugely tempting. There are reasons you shouldn’t throw your toys out of the cot, why you should plan your resignation. Continue Reading

Myself and the team at Kingman Lennox like the start of a New Year. December is a frantic push to get interviews scheduled before our clients are on their Christmas breaks. January, February is a month for setting out on the path we’ve mapped out at our end of year review with the energy that comes from recharged batteries and a new year optimism.

When we started Kingman Lennox we knew our biggest challenge would be attracting the calibre of candidate we wanted – consummate sales professionals. Great sales & business development people are always hard to find and businesses with great sales people are eager to hang on to them. Equally, successful sales people can understandably be reticent about taking a chance on new businesses. We had a strong client base, there were jobs we were looking to fill, we needed the right people to fit them.To attract the candidates we want to build our reputation on, we worked on the way we ran our recruitment business. We focused on selling ourselves to candidates. As with any industry there’s no shortage of stories about unethical recruitment practices.Non existent vacancies, references being used for leads, commission driven pressure, recruiters lack of knowledge about the target industry. We wanted to be chosen by top class sales people so we had to step up and deliver a service that stood out.

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My sales career has spanned 20 years and counting. In my career I’ve developed sales territories, key accounts and sales teams. The last few years I’ve been selling talent. My goal is to build a reputation for supplying high calibre sales people to Scottish businesseswho need help to drive sales and capture market share. Good sales people are a precious asset. While there are similarities in skills each sales person has a totally unique way of selling and getting their customers to sayyes. See ‘The Ten Greatest Salespeople of all Time‘ I know what makes sales people tick and I know what they need from a workplace to thrive. When I take a job brief from a client looking for a sales star its followed by a conversation which probes the environment the sales person will be working in. I want to put people in companies which won’t mess them around. Kingman Candidates represented by Kingman Lennox are those who can reach their targets, deliver business development strategies and win new business in highly demanding and competitive environments. These are the types of skills we’re known for sourcing. Continue Reading

Many, if not most, recruiters will say that candidates are their life-blood, therefore it’s extraordinary just how often we hear complaints from candidates about the very poor level of service they have received from other recruitment agencies.

At Kingman Lennox we pride ourselves on providing a truly exceptional level of service to our candidates.  We place genuine value on each and every candidate relationship and aim to build a relationship that lasts throughout your career.

With that in mind we have pulled together a basic guideline to follow to ensure that you get the most from your relationship with Kingman Lennox, and therefore ensure that we are advising you on the best opportunities and opening doors with prospective employers. Continue Reading