More Advice...

Since we deal with hiring managers on a daily basis, we would like to share some hiring tips that our clients have shared with us. Jack Confrey, the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Citizen Systems of America, was instrumental in the decision-making process of candidate selection and hire for a Sales candidate recently. Jack has been in his position with Citizen since 2003 and teaches Selling and Sales Management at the University of California, Riverside. He has a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Jack Confrey
Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Citizen Systems of America

TS Consulting: What important qualities do you look for in sales candidates? Jack: You know I wrote a book about this. I can give you a whole list: optimism, confidence, greediness, aggressiveness, ability to think on one's feet, humility, patience, trustworthiness, perseverance, and motivation by peer respect. Basically, for sales people, you have to remember that the customer is always the customer. They have their own view and they have the money. Sales people have to have a thick skin and not take things personally. About Jack Confrey: Jack was the Vice President of Sales for Epson during its ten-fold growth period and the Vice President of Sales of the most successful IPO of 1997, SCM. He has sold products for Fortune 50 companies, midsize and startup companies, including systems, large and small hardware, software, and technology licenses in a variety of industries. Jack has been published in Selling Power magazine and has released two books, Practical Selling – No Seminars in Foxholes and Practical Sales Management – Alone in the Field.