Sell Your Ideas: Get Them to Say Yes!

I’ll graduate this May, and am now starting to contact prospective employers. How can I write a resume that will get them to consider me? —Tom J.

Two things will help your resumé rise to the top of any employer's pile:

First, organization.

How your resumé looks is as important as what it says. Because most executives spend less than ten seconds on your resumé, write it to be skimmed, not read. A quick glance should let the reader see immediately how many sections the resumé includes and how they’re arranged. Use white space, capitalization, underlining, and dashes and spacing throughout to grab the reader’s attention.

Second, quality writing.

Many people slap together a list of what they've done and call it a resumé. Organize and write it so well that it demands to be read. If Hemingway could rewrite A Farewell to Arms 39 times, you can polish your resumé a half a dozen times or more. Because well-written resumés are rare, consider these tips:

1. There is no one way to write a resumé; just make sure you’re proud of it.

2. Resumés should perfectly typed. Employers generally like them on 8 1/2 x 11white or buff paper. Resumés aren’t the place to be creative with graphics or gimmicks. Careful use of color, such as blue or maroon, can highlight important sections. (If you use color, print each original from a color printer, because colors can appear as faded black when you copy them.)

3. If the employer requests an e-mailed resume, use only straight text, with no borders or graphics, because they usually aren’t supported by a website, and won’t transmit well—sometimes not at all.

Hook Your Reader

4. Hook the reader’s attention with a cover letter to accompany your resumé. It grabs and draws the reader’s attention, and highlights your two or three most important points.

5. Don't use a lot of dates or numbers—that makes it hard to skim. Place dates at the end of a paragraph. Generally, words are easier to read than numbers (e.g., "Summer 1980" not "6/5/80 to 9/4/80").

6. Use action verbs. Don't use the verb "to be." Instead of "I did...I was...I am...," begin sentences with verbs like "initiated, created, supervised, edited." (E-mail me for a list of more than 200 power/action words and phrases you can use to energize your resumé and cover letter.)

7. Emphasize your skills and what you accomplished, especially those that transfer from one situation to another. Employers want to know what you can do for them—not how their job opening will help you to grow in your career.

8. Use short, upbeat phrases, and keep your resumé to one or two pages. Omit personal pronouns, especially “I.” Summarize only relevant experiences. Focus on the best three or four, and condense those that are less relevant.

Stay Positive

9. Avoid negative words. Don't apologize for lack of experience or weaknesses. Be positive. Capitalize on your strengths.

10. List a "job objective" at the top. The more specific, the better. Fuzzy goals make you sound as if you don't know what you want. If you’re applying for more than one type of job, you'll need more than one resumé, or at least resumés with different job objectives. You might even follow the “Objectives” like with 4-5 bulleted strengths that mirror the qualifications of the job. Label them as “Highlights of qualifications.” This will let the reader decide quickly if you’re suited for the job.

11. Organize items strategically. Begin with the most-important or most-related information. Make every word count. Omit needless words, and rewrite until you are sure the resumé is the best-edited document you've ever produced.

12. A listing of coursework does not belong on the resumé. Use it only if you’re a student with little or no experience. Then show how the coursework will help you succeed on the job you’re applying for.

Follow Up

13. Most employers call, rather than write, to arrange an interview. So, make sure they have your phone number with area code, and e-mail address. Equally important: say you’ll follow up in few days.

14. Don’t list names and addresses of references. The employer will call your references, if interested.

15. Proofread your resumé. Then have friends or a professional proof it. Ask them to rip it to shreds. Better them than an employer. Ask a co-worker you can trust to review it and confirm what’s relevant to your current position.

16. One final suggestion: Immediately after your job interview, send a thank-you note to the person who interviewed you. It’s not only polite and professional; it gives you a great opportunity to highlight the interview and re-sell yourself. (I’ve never hired anyone who didn’t send me a thank-you note for the interview—and dropped plenty who didn’t.)

Sell Your Ideas: Get Them to Say Yes!

Q. Often when I make suggestions—whether it’s one-on-one or at meetings—I have difficulty getting people to see my viewpoint. Sometimes the same person I tried to convince will accept almost the same idea from someone else. What’s going on? —Harry F.

A. It sounds as if your ideas are fine, and the problem is how to get people to buy into them. Almost any good idea will not appeal to everyone—it has to be “sold.” Especially with technical or professional people, the idea of “selling” an idea suggests being pushy, loud, insensitive, and self-centered—all traits of bad salespeople. Experienced sales professionals rarely act that way. In fact, they’re usually a model of good listening, empathy, and flexibility as they present their ideas in such a way that it shows they meet a customer’s needs. Successful sales professionals help their customers answer the question, “What’s in it for me?”

That’s the key to selling all ideas: Help the other person answer the question, “Why should I do this?” Once you center your efforts on meeting another person’s need, the rest is easy. Here are four ways to do that.

Appeal to basic motives.

Show how your idea or proposal will meet basic needs. For example, show specifically and graphically how they can save money, time, or effort; when they'll save it; what they can do with the money, time, or effort saved.

Support what the other person already believes.

We rarely do something or believe something that doesn't already support our present values. We choose new books and friends that match what we already like; we watch TV programs that confirm our likes and dislikes; we enjoy and spend time with people who agree with us. So if the person you’re trying to convince says, “This idea will cost a lot of money,” don’t suggest they’re wrong. Instead, say something like, “Yes, it does cost a little more than other models. And it will pay for itself in just six months. After that, we’ll net at least…” (In other words, you agree with them—thus decreasing their defensiveness—and then introduce another benefit.)

Use the "Yes" response method.

Begin with less threatening ideas the other person can easily agree with and accept most easily--something he or she will easily say "Yes" to. Keep making statements that will continue to cause your listener to say "Yes." Think about opening statements you probably heard from a good car sales person or a real estate broker: "Isn't this a beautiful car (home)?" And you said, "Yes". If you said "No," they probed for what you wanted until you began to say, "Yes." If you said, "No, the kitchen is too small," the sales person would have been foolish to say, "Actually, it’s really a big kitchen." She may have said, "It certainly looks that way at first glance, doesn't it? Let me show you how compact everything is." (She agreed—then introduced another benefit.)

Use concrete facts, everyday illustrations.

People don't buy abstract ideas such as economy, beauty, comfort. They buy the idea of saving $500 on the room addition, because then they can buy a new TV set. They buy a new chair because they know they’ll feel good when they sit in it. So, draw a vivid picture in people’s minds what your idea will do for them.

Plan for Objections.

Expect people to have some problems with your idea. Try to anticipate what they’ll object to, and have your answers ready ahead of time so you won’t be groping for a response. Example: "Yes, it does cost a little more. And it comes with a two-year service warranty for all parts and labor; it also has time- and work-saving features that no other plan offers.”

Probe for Objections.

Don’t assume that someone agrees with you just because he or she doesn’t comment on what you said. Always probe to see what they think about the idea: “How does this sound to you?” Ask why the person doesn't seem willing to accept your proposal: “Is there anything about this idea that bothers you?”

Never say "But."

Instead, say “At the same time.” “You’re right; this approach could take longer than we originally planned. At the same time, we can increase the final output by another eight percent."

Say Why.

Always give reasons for your questions or statements, so the other person knows your motivation and doesn’t become defensive: “How many units do you produce daily right now? The reason I'm asking this is so I can better determine the right model to recommend.”

Again—if you show how your idea helps another person rather than yourself, you’ll be more successful at convincing them to support you and your idea. Good luck