Careerbuilder - Sales Meeting
Company: CareerBuilder.com, Chicago, IL
Company Description: CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 22 million unique visitors and over 1.5 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers.
Nomination Category: Best Organization Achievements
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Meeting of the Year
Nomination Title: CareerBuilder.com Annual Kick-Off Meeting
1800
$672 million in revenue in 2006
As the Chief Sales Officer for CareerBuilder.com, the nation’s largest online
job site, Delaney is charged with developing sales strategies and programs to
drive profitability, increase market share and maximize client satisfaction.
She has played a prominent role in elevating CareerBuilder.com to its current
#1 position in the U.S. marketplace. Leading a sales force of over 1,800,
Delaney works with the nation’s top employers to understand recruitment
challenges and trends and design unique solutions. Prior to joining
CareerBuilder.com, Delaney was senior vice president for InterCall Inc. and
also held a variety of sales management positions at Nestle Corp and Async Corp.
CareerBuilder.com’s 2007 Sales Kickoff Meeting was more of an experience than a
meeting. From an interactive Q&A session with keynote speaker Jack Welch
(former CEO of GE) to “real” insight from customer rountables to 29 different
breakout sessions to choose from, the goal was to empower members of the sales
team be more successful in their jobs, careers and lives.
Another highlight was the launch of CareerBuilder’s partnership with Millennium
Promise to support a village in Malawi. It came in the form of a live phone
call from a remote African village by “End of Poverty” author Jeffrey Sachs.
1. Broadened scope: rather than a product-focused one-size-fits-all approach,
offered the choice of many different sessions designed to help sales team
members be more effective in client relationships. Sample topics: negotiation,
6-month strategies/building roadmaps and selling executives.
2. Maintained a high energy level throughout the event. For the first time,
held a session attended by the entire company. Interviewed members of the top
performers’ families and made the comments part of the awards ceremony. Company
executives were hands-on and planned much of the curriculum.
3. Highly relevant content was developed based on input from customers,
salespeople and company executives.
1. Need buy in from the top: to get attendees to bring their all to the
meeting, it’s important to communicate the energy the company has poured into
the effort – in particular the senior leadership.
2. Empower attendees. A successful meeting makes participants part of the
process. The programming lended itself to idea-sharing and attendees were given
choices – they decided which sessions interested them and would help them be
more successful.
3. Keep attendees engaged – it’s not just about the information, it’s how it’s
presented. From videos to energizing speakers to unique sessions, attendees
experienced a great deal of variety.