Beware the Cassandra Complex

Cassandra was a princess of Troy, who had the gift of prophesy, but who could not persuade anyone because was cursed with a severe credibility gap.   Can you imagine her frustration?  She knows she is right, but lacks the credibility to persuade anyone.  Why should staffing executives be aware of the Cassandra complex?  Because they are responsible for defining the value proposition that the sales team must take to market. Unfortunately, some executives curse their sales people with value propositions they are ill-equipped to credibly represent. A company’s value proposition summarizes the problems a company solves and how they solve them.  It is what makes a company unique, and is the reason buyers will buy.  Value propositions vary greatly and many times a company has more than one.  From diversity to technical specialization the value proposition defines a company in the eyes of the client.  So how does changing the value proposition potentially affect the credibility of the sales force? Many staffing firms are attempting to move up the value chain by providing a greater level of specialization.  From a sales strategy perspective this may make sense, but the danger lies in how effectively the sales team can represent the … Read More