Executive Search, Goodfellas-Style

I've spent the past few years in the world of executive search.

..........equal amounts of time with job hunters AND corporate/agency hiring managers.

What I see and hear from both sides reminds me of the classic Mafia line- "This is the business we have chosen."

Everyone seems a little resigned to the reality, but accepts the situation as something that must get done.

No job hunter likes being involved in the process and they fear the risk that each interview could feel like Michael's spaghetti house meeting [Thank God, they never really end that way!].

Hiring managers often approach candidates with the same mindset that Don Corleone takes going into a "sitdown".....a "what's in it for me?" selfishness and a healthy dose of "what's your angle, you piece of baccala?" skepticism. eg- Me first, no trust.

Add in the "consiglieri factor" called an executive recruiter and everyone starts to envision the horsehead scene from Godfather 1.

Candidates wonder if they are the horse. Hiring managers wonder if they are the film producer being coerced. Pressure and suspicion abound.

How to avoid it all?

Candidates- "Keep your friends, close and your enemies closer." Keep your head up all the time. Tell the truth, but never let others in on the "family business", just stick to the hiring facts. Trust no one. Trust yourself.

Hiring Managers- Pick your team, as if you are picking your "crew"- look for core values, loyalty, commitment. Treat everyone with respect. You learn more about the candidate being nice and letting them talk vs intimidating them into the answers you want to hear.

...and please use your imagination.

Don't be so literal with the job spec and your needs. Bugsy never would have dreamed up Vegas if all he was thinking about was bootlegging and loansharking.

Executive Recruiters- Be a good soldier, do your job well, be loyal to your "Godfather" [client] needs. But.....respectfully stand up for your point of view. They hired you as an expert, not some "resume bagboy".

...and be nice. Don't be too arrogant on behalf of your client. Don't project a "know it all" attitude. Listen for signals. That's why Tony is still around and Johnny "Sack" is in jail.

Do these things, my friend. Otherwise, you will all eventually end up like every Pesci character in every Scorcese mob movie......

Pissing the wrong guy off, making enemies, and everyone wishing that you inherit a hole in the ground all your own.

"Leave the gun, take the cannolis."

Is Scion Selling Cars or a Lifestyle?

I am a "CarGuy" by heritage, so things automotive get my attention.

.........And Scion's success has me wondering.

Is it the cars? Or is it the lifestyle brand connection they created with their audience?

I got into the auto industry years ago, not because of the engineering [although, if you know me you know I like the technology of going fast] but, because of the marketing.

I remember how families had bonds to brands.......How the first Mustang clicked..........How VW ads worked with their audience........How racing really used to sell cars! Everyone seemed to have a opinion about cars and an affection for their favorite. How did the industry get that done, I wondered? I needed to know and I wanted to be a part of it.

So, in 1977, I signed up......and went to work for Ford.

Last year, I had the chance to reconnect with some old car friends at the NY Auto Show media days and Scion was a "topic du jour".

Competition still looks at Scion as an anomaly......eg- It's not the "real" auto industry. .....Trends come and go. .....Industry hits are notoriously cyclical. .....And buyers are fickle, so this is the 'flavor of the month'.

.......And I personally don't think the first edition Scion cars are all that profound [I do, however, like the new t2B concept.......seen above].

But, I see how Scion has authentically connected with its young target audience with lifestyle relevance and respect. ........And I think that goes a long way towards why buyers are rewarding Scion with car sales.

.........So, then the marketer in me says, "You know, if Scion means authentic hip and cool, then there could be Scion fashion, food, coffee shops, phones, music, movie, sports, podcasts, broadcasts.........."

Without diluting the brand.

I think Scion built itself a brand with strong "lifestyle attributes". They just happen to sell cars with the customer affinity they created.......they could probably sell anything to their loyal following right about now.

What do you think? Did Scion build a Lifestyle Brand or a Car Company?

..........And why can't so many others seem to build either!?

You Can Say So Much with "Good Design"

A more expressive Freedom Tower? Dick Cheney's NY apartment? No? How about what I felt after 9/11 and now what I fear the World thinks we are saying to them.........

Beware! Rookie at the Keyboard

So, here we go. ......my first attempt at blogging.

Patience, please, as this could be a painful learning process.

From school study to sports, to dating, to work, I repeatedly discover I am no "Roy Hobbs" when it comes to mastering skills [eg- "The Natural"....eg- Robert Redford........eg- Roy Hobbs.........eg- A show of hands, please, on how many readers I already lost with my first cross-reference].

But, eventually I got good enough to get by..........Blogging?
We shall see.

PDCABlog is intended to create a dialog with those of you attuned to the world of sales, marketing, and business management........

* to share insights into what is right and what is wrong with today's approach to running the sales and marketing "assembly plant" and getting customers to listen and act.

* to build a network of knowledge, people, and shared opinions.

* and to introduce to you opportunities as they are introduced to me.

In my work with PDCA Inc. [http://www.pdcamarketing.com/], I also deal with corporate partnership search and executive search. We can include those topics in the discourse, as well.

So, let's see what happens next.............Thanks for visiting and, hopefully, participating.

LeoParente