How to Answer the Nasty Little Question Buyers and Interviewers Love to Ask

There is one question that often strikes fear in both sales people and job candidates. For this reason, I call it the "nasty little question." In sales situations, this question usually takes the form of "What's wrong with your product? For job interviews, it usually morphs to, "What are your weaknesses?" Before providing advice on how to best answer this question, it is useful to first understand the underlying psychology behind why interviewers and prospective customers so often ask it.

Why prospects and job interviewers ask this question

In sales situations, buyers feel as if they are at a disadvantage. Sellers have the advantage of being comfortable in their place of business selling a product that they know better than the buyer. To level the playing field, buyers typically resort to this question to throw the seller off balance and to try to gain a negotiating advantage. During interviews, interviewers have a similar agenda. They want to throw job candidates off balance, test their ability to answer similar questions they will likely get from buyers, and get some indication how they think on their feet under difficult "real-world" conditions. In general, it is a "trick" or challenging question.

It's usually a mistake to admit a weakness

While most sales people and job candidates feel compelled to admit a weakness, this is a very risky move. Many will not believe the most common answers, which attempt to disguise strengths as weaknesses ("I work too hard" or "the product lasts forever"). Additionally, some interviewers may have the idea in their mind that workaholics are unhappy and unpleasant to work with. After this question was asked in the October 28, 2015 Republican Presidential debate, "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert joked...

"No one in human history has ever answered honestly."

Colbert went on to tell his audience that when he interviewed for the "Late Show" job...

"I said my biggest weakness was sometimes I work so hard I forget to cash my paychecks."

Walking the tight rope

While Colbert can be funny and get away with it, most people have to "walk a tight rope" to successfully answer. I don't agree with Colbert. To succeed, you have to answer honestly, but not admit a weakness. Sales people and job applicants have to tell the truth because they have to develop a trusting relationship with their customer and employers. Nobody trusts liars, and lies usually are uncovered sooner or later. At the same time, if they admit a weakness, it is likely to ruin the sale or cause the interviewer to hire someone else. Furthermore, admitting you have a weakness is what is in your own head. It has little to do with what the employer or buyer wants. In fact, if you admit to weaknesses, you might be labeled as a "head case" that lacks confidence and is unable to function in a normal working environment.

Why admitting a weakness is usually a big mistake

In addition to being an obstacle to getting the job or making the sale, admitting a weakness is often the wrong answer. Huh? Don't all humans and products have weaknesses? Of course, nobody is perfect. That is not the issue. This issue is "What does the customer want?" Only the buyer can make that determination. The seller cannot. The seller might prefer chocolate, whereas the buyer prefers vanilla. If the customer asks you what's wrong with the product? In your mind, the honest answer is that it is not chocolate. However, the customer wants vanilla so asking you does not add any value. In fact, it would give the buyer the wrong answer from the buyer's point of view.

Structuring the answer to the nasty little question

The first question the sales person should ask the prospective buyer is "What do you want?" The job candidate should ask a similar question, such as, "What qualifications are you looking for to fill this position." This is usually answered in the posted job description. When the interviewer or buyer asks about weaknesses, perhaps the best answer (if it's true) is

"In the context of what you want, I don't see any."

Universal marketing truths to support your answer

It is important to remember that the marketplace is your mirror. You look and sound very different to the rest of the world than you think you do (remember the first time your heard your voice on a tape recorder). This is why you cannot properly answer the question for a buyer or employer. You have to always reference your answer to what they told you they want.

1. Outside-in thinking. If you are self-focused (explaining what you think are your, or your product's, weaknesses), you are likely to provide the wrong answer. You have to think outside-in and find out what the customer or interviewer wants.



2. Relativity. The universe is governed by relativity. Everything, except the speed of light (which is a constant) is relative. In marketing terminology, it is based on the lock (the market segment with the unfilled need) and key (the image of your product that fills that need better than competitors). You need different keys for different locks. Some prefer chocolate and others prefer vanilla. Some women like sensitive guys. Others prefer macho guys. If you are a man talking with a women that likes sensitive guys, being sensitive is not a weakness. It's a strength. If you say it is a weakness, you are making the decision for the customer, which will not work.



3. Testing you. In a job interview, the interviewer is interested in discovering how you can handle objections. By asking you "What are your weaknesses?" they are testing how you will handle the situation when customers ask you about their products. If you say that you have a weakness, the interviewer is likely to think that you will say the same thing about the company's products, and you are not likely to get the job.



4. Intelligence question number one (What do you want?). This will save you in most cases. In a job interview, the job description is your question #1. You can say, "I read your job description, and I do not see any weaknesses. Of course that has to be true. Now, if you do see a weakness, such as you are not an expert in Excel, you can say that you have a working knowledge of Excel, but you are not an expert and that you are willing to work on it on your own time to be as proficient as they want you to be.



5. Objectivity answer. If you have a super difficult interviewer that insists on your identifying a weakness, you can give them perhaps the most honest of answers, "I cannot be objective about myself. It is up to my boss to identify any areas where I need to improve. If that happens, I work on this area on my own time to turn it into a strength." You should be ready with an example if they ask for one. If the question is about a product you are selling, you can say, "Based on what you told me you want it to do, I see no weaknesses. In fact, it will do what you want better than other alternatives on the market." Again, this has to be true. If they want to do something your product does not do well, you have to disclose that, and ask them how important that capability is relative to the others your product offers.

Avoiding the traps

To better compete, potential buyers of what you are selling often ask the nasty little question - "What's wrong with your product?" or "What are your weaknesses?" I hope that this post has given you the tools you need to answer this question so you better succeed at getting hired and selling products.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Purpose at Work: It Comes from Within

Over the last few years a lot has been written about making jobs "purposeful."

Reid Hoffman just posted an article about the importance of purpose, and described how LinkedIn creates purpose.  Earlier this year the New York Times described how Mark Bertolini, the CEO of Aetna, has applied purpose to their workforce. And my own research with Glassdoor shows clearly that "culture and values" are the most highly correlated factors in someone's likelihood of recommending their company as a great place to work.



Fig 1:  Correlation of "company ratings" to various factors in Glassdoor, n=200,000, August 2015

But as much as I have been a huge fan of building a "purposeful culture" and communicating values and mission in the workplace, some new research by a research firm named Imperative actually shows us something different:

Purpose Comes from Within

I spoke with Aaron Hurst, the CEO of Imperative a few weeks ago, and he educated me about an existential truth. There are essentially two reasons people choose to work:

Reason 1:  Work for financial gain or personal status.  (not "purposeful")

Reason 2:  Work to help others, contribute, or for personal fulfillment ("purposeful").

Their research shows that everyone in every profession falls into one of these categories.  You can be a "purposeful" software engineer (do it for the love of it), or you can be an "unpurposeful" software engineer (do it for the money).

Imperative's research points out some pretty amazing statistics.  Those of us who are "purposeful" at work are much higher performers.  Specifically, these lucky folks are:

• 55% more likely than average to rise to Director-level roles


• 39% more likely to rise to VP or C-level positions


• 50% more likely to be in the top position


• Significantly more likely to be net promoters of their organizations, stay longer, have stronger relationships, report higher levels of fulfillment, and get higher performance scores.

And as Imperative's research shows, being "purpose oriented" is not about the work, it's about YOU.



Fig 2:  From Imperative Workforce Purpose Index study

What the Imperative research shows, which I found to be quite profound as I thought about it, is that we are all in control of how we perceive our work.

If we were brought up in a family where the breadwinner came home each night tired and unhappy and sat on the couch drinking beer and complaining, we are likely to see work as drudgery and just a way to get a paycheck. On the other hand, if your father or mother came home excited about work and talked openly about how much fun and excitement they were having (which my father did every day), then we look at work as a place to find self-fulfillment.

Think about this. You have the power to make your work more meaningful!  (It may mean quitting and changing jobs of course, but remember - much of happiness is based on the stories we tell ourselves in our own head.)

Now here's the unfortunate news.

Only 28% of the US workforce is
"Purpose-driven"

Imperative's research, sadly, found that only about 1/4 of us are in the lucky position to find work meaningful.

This, to me, is incredibly sad. And there are trends here:

• Only 20% of tech workers are "purpose oriented"


• Women and people over 55 are much more likely to be "purpose oriented."  In fact the older you get, the more purpose-oriented you become.


• Only 50% of CEO's are "purpose oriented."  (Probably the ones who take time and energy to focus on their people.)  And only 39% of VP's are.  (They're striving to get ahead I'd imagine.)


• Purpose oriented people have much deeper relationships at work (69% vs. 45%) - which tells us that "connecting with people at work" might be one of the keys here.


• Artists are by far the most purpose-oriented (almost 2X higher than the average), followed by professionals.  Laborers and hourly workers are the lowest, as you might imagine.  But service workers are above average in purpose-orientation!


• By industry, education, forestry, non-profit, and healthcare organizations tend to have more purpose-oriented workers - but as you can see, they're still mostly filled with non-purpose oriented people!

Fig 3:  Purpose-Orientation by Industry, Imperative study

So What Does This All Mean

For me, after spending almost two decades studying work and talent practices, I take away a few profound findings:

1.  If you're an employer, you should seek out people who "want to do the job you're hiring for" - people who love it for its own sake, people who love your company's mission, and people who genuinely like to help others.  These people are relatively easy to spot, and while they may not be the most "ambitious" (many are), these are clues you can spot.  (We have always had people like this apply to work at Bersin.)

2.  If you're and HR manager or business leader, you should work hard to create jobs that can offer meaning to people. Give people autonomy and freedom to create and innovate; give them flexibility to work the way they want;  thank them regularly for their efforts; and give them a clear mission and view of the organization's goals so they can find their own purpose at work.

(You can read more about how to build a "Simply Irresistible" workplace in my article explaining the new world of employee engagement here.)



3.  If you're a recruiter or hiring manager, remember to ask people "why are you applying for this job?" This simple question will tell you about someone's purpose-orientation, and give you a clue as to how well they will adapt, grow, and contribute to your organization.

4.  If you are a job seeker (and aren't we all?), take some time to rethink your own motivation.  What do you really want to get out of work?  How do you define your own measure of "success"?  Can you think more about your impact on others and less about your personal gain? Are there tasks, jobs, organizations that really excite you that you can look for?

The bottom line message is pretty simple.  We all spend 50-70% of our working hours in some kind of trade, job, or profession. If we don't really like it, it's up to us to change. We may need to change what we do, change the team we're on, or change the company we're in.  Or we may need to change our own attitude.

Every individual at work deserves an opportunity to find purpose. I'd challenge you - for yourself and the others around you - to look for purpose in a serious and deliberate way. It will make you happier, healthier, and more successful in all areas of your life.

 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Direct Marketing: Perhaps the Most Effective Way to Do Marketing on a Budget

Ever since the World Wide Web began to be commercialized in 1995, the center of gravity in the marketing universe seems to have shifted toward the Internet and, more recently, social media and mobile devices. The problem for marketers is how to effectively use these tools to develop brand relationships and sell products. Many marketers seem lost, and one of the reasons is that they have not learned how these new tools fit into the marketing strategy hierarchy. Those that have achieved considerable success have recognized that the Internet and its "offspring" are really forms of Direct Marketing. Why? Because Direct Marketing channels are where buyers and sellers can transact business and communicate on smaller budgets without ever meeting face-to-face or touching and feeling the merchandise. To make more effective use of these new tools, marketers need to become better educated in the concepts of Direct Marketing. The most commonly recognized Direct Marketing methods in historical order of discovery are:

1. Direct Mail,


2. Telemarketing,


3. Direct Response Advertising,


4. Internet, or online, marketing.

Direct Mail

In the United States, the roots of Direct Marketing can be traced to Benjamin Franklin who used Direct Mail to market Poor Richard's Almanac throughout the American colonies starting in 1732. Direct Mail continued to flourish with the creation of the Montgomery Ward catalog in 1872 and the Sears catalog in 1888. These catalogs were popular since a large segment of the American population lived outside of cities and towns that had stores with sufficient product choices. As more people migrated to cities and suburbs, direct mail became popular for those that wanted to shop anonymously or could not easily travel to available stores. In its best form, Direct Mail provides a convenient way for prospects to receive information about products they want and order them without leaving the comfort of their home or office. In its worst form, organizations send unwanted mailings to people that are not interested in the products being promoted. Of course, unwanted mailings are also known as "junk" mail, and their electronic equivalent is called "spam."

Telemarketing

Some might argue that telemarketing began with the invention of the telephone, but marketers began to use it on a significant scale in the late 1970's with the introduction of WATS lines for economically calling out to prospective customers and toll-free numbers for prospects to call in without paying for the call. This created the two main components of telemarketing - (1) Inbound (toll-free numbers are provided for customers to call in) and (2) Outbound (telemarketers call prospects). In its best form, companies use outbound telemarketing to answer questions, provide customer service, facilitate the ordering of desired products, and cross-selling (which some mistakenly confuse with upselling). In its most hated form, strangers "cold call" prospects, interrupt what they are doing, and try to sell them something they do not want. Some uses of outbound telemarketing became so annoying that a law was passed creating a Do Not Call Registry.

Even so, outbound telemarketing can be very effective under the following conditions:

1. Prospect has given prior permission or wants the company to call,


2. Product is highly desirable or greatly needed,


3. Telemarketer is skillful and properly trained,


4. Telemarketer listens to the desires of the people that answer the phone (rather than try to keep them on the line when they want to end the call).

Direct Response Advertising

Direct Response Advertising is advertising with a goal of getting the prospect to order the product directly from the ad. Some examples of direct response advertising are a direct mail piece with a postage-paid business reply card that is used to order the product, a TV ad that provides a toll-free phone number to order, and an email that provides a link to order the product from a Web site.

Internet and Mobile

Perhaps the method that has caused the most explosive growth of Direct Marketing is Internet marketing. There are two main reasons for this - (1) convenience and (2) economics. Even though the Internet has not reached "adulthood" (in reference to the beginning of its commercial use in 1995), nothing is more convenient or economical than the Internet for researching and ordering products. Even so, those that are using the Internet and related mobile technologies for marketing would be far more effective if they better understood the other Direct Marketing methods described above. Knowing how to use the Internet and its mobile "offspring" in conjunction with direct mail, telemarketing, and direct response advertising can create a synergistic force for marketing products most efficiently and effectively. Some people live online and some people don't. Those that live on the Internet may not be online when a company needs to get their attention. Additionally, repetition of the information off-line helps them remember any exposure online. Similarly, those that spend most of their time off-line, can learn more about products when off-line marketing drives them online. A poster in a shopping mall, a direct mail post card with a coupon, or a display in a retail store may get their attention. If these offline devices have a link or QR code, prospects can be transported to a Web site that gives them the opportunity to find out more about the product, provides them with reviews from product users, helps them find where they can buy it, and enables them to order it directly. Taking this integration of direct marketing methods further by combining them with other off-line marketing methods can give marketers the greatest power at the lowest cost.

Direct Marketing can lower sales costs

One powerful example of integrated Direct Marketing used in conjunction other forms of marketing is in the area of personal selling. In a previous post, I talked about the importance of personal selling to success in business. When it comes to promoting products, however, personal selling is also one of the most expensive methods in a marketer's toolkit. According to the latest studies by McGraw-Hill, it costs $137.02 for an industrial sales call and takes an average of 4.3 calls, or a total cost of $589.18, to close a sale. Since it is not possible to make a fraction of a call, the real-world cost (using 5 calls to close a deal) is $685.10. That might work for selling airplanes and satellite systems to billion-dollar clients. It would be too expensive for selling many other products. That's the bad news. The good news is that sales people can use the Internet and other Direct Marketing techniques for some (or even all) of the calls - thereby lowering overall sales costs.

Social media

As discussed above, just about everyone is talking about using social media in marketing products. The problem is too many don't know how to effectively do it. While "earned media" techniques such as hauling videos represent very exciting new ways for promoting products, most of them are experimental and outside the control of your business. In an effort to take advantage of social media without ceding too much control, marketers need to have some understanding of popular social media channels and how to integrate them with other Direct Marketing methods.

• Facebook has a large number of active users (over 1.55 billion at last count) and a lot of data on users so that advertisers can better target them. Since people go to Facebook to interact with friends and family, they do not like intrusions from companies. However, a lot of friends and family recommend products on Facebook, and company pages are very popular places for prospects to learn about products, discover new uses, find discounts, and share all this with their friends. At the very least, Facebook can make more brand impressions than other media. Companies pay3 million for the opportunity to reach roughly 110 million Super Bowl viewers one day a year. On Facebook, they have potential to reach a much larger audience at a much lower cost every day of the week. While Facebook limits ad sizes to very small spaces so as not to ruin user experiences, good marketers can make effective use of the space allotted with concise headlines.


• Twitter is great for those that know how to write good headlines since it limits users to 140 characters. While it accounts for much less Web traffic than Facebook and other social media, Twitter users tend to be more influential. Also, Twitter can easily be linked to other SM sites, such as Facebook, so that if you post on Twitter, your Tweet can automatically appear on Facebook simultaneously. Twitter has proven to be very effective in responding to complaints, rumors, and factual mistakes for damage control and to provide better customer service. Companies that have learned to use Twitter in this way have been able to "turn negatives into positives" and build closer relationships with their constituents.


• YouTube provides a place for companies large and small to reach their target audience without paying the high "real estate" costs of commercial TV channels. Furthermore, YouTube videos can be shared, and if they go viral, the numbers of viewers that actually watch the commercial can rival and even surpass TV audiences. YouTube viewers can also play the videos over and over again as well as share them with even larger networks of viewers enabling advertisers to make more brand impressions and greater sales.


• Linked In is good for business markets. The HR departments of businesses use it to find candidates, and businesses can put profiles of their products and white papers on the site, and use it to promote their business. According to Linked In, 43% of marketers have found a customer on Linked In during 2014.

Integrating Social Media

To increase the marketing power of social media, marketers should be sure to integrate it with all other direct and non-direct channels. Direct mail, telemarketing, and direct response advertising should have links to social media, and vice versa. A lot of companies ask market targets to visit their Web site and "like" or "follow" them on social media, but too often they do not provide the benefit for doing so. Similarly, social media rarely ties campaigns to off-line and other direct marketing efforts - missing opportunities for marketing synergy, making additional brand impressions, and increasing sales. Companies with effective campaigns have linked product packaging and off-line media to social and online media. In addition to asking people to "like" or "follow" or visit social media and Web sites, they have given people codes in traditional media and on product packaging that give those that make the effort a chance to win something or save money. The feedback and contact information provided is more than worth the costs of the prize, rebate, or discount, and gives the company a chance to improve the product or add contact information to their database.

Advergaming

Some companies have successfully used Advergaming as a way to tie their media efforts together. When it works best, users have to go online and off for clues that teach them about the benefits of the products and company. They have fun while they are learning, are engaged, and remember the benefits. As a result, brand impressions and reasons to buy the products are better planted in the brains of market targets.

The power of Direct Marketing

Direct marketing has grown in power for a variety of factors that include the following.

1. Less time. Market targets are busier than ever before since they have to work harder to earn a living.


2. Less hassles and dangers. Increasing traffic, parking costs, and other hassles have reduced the desire for buyers to go to retail stores to do their shopping.


3. Less expensive. The costs of buying and marketing products in "non-direct" ways has skyrocketed at the same time that financial disruptions, natural disasters, and government dysfunction has forced buyers to become more frugal.


4. More convenient. The Internet is perhaps the most convenient way for buyers to research products, comparison shop, and order from their home, office, or mobile device.


5. Anonymous. Some buyers prefer shopping for certain products anonymously.

Based on these economic and convenience factors, Direct Marketing is expected to grow rapidly. Marketers that better understand Direct Marketing and how to integrate its various components into a synergistic mix of marketing strategies will reap the benefits. And, the benefits are substantial since the Direct Marketing Association estimates that Direct Marketing produced $2.05 trillion in sales in 2012 - representing roughly 8.7% if US GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Since the economy has improved over the past 3 years, current numbers, while not readily available, are sure to be significantly higher. If you want to do better marketing without blowing your budget, Direct Marketing is likely to be very good for you. Best of luck.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Hillary Clinton Proposes Reclassifying Marijuana As A Less Dangerous Drug

Hillary Clinton wants to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous substance in order to allow more research into the drug's medicinal properties, the Democratic presidential candidate said Saturday in South Carolina. 

Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I drug, the most dangerous of five substance categories listed in the Controlled Substances Act. According to the federal classification, Schedule I drugs have "no currently accepted medical use." Other Schedule I substances include heroin, ecstasy and LSD. 

Under Clinton's proposal, marijuana would become a Schedule II substance, which are considered to have "less abuse potential." Cocaine, OxyContin, Adderall and meth are Schedule II drugs. The move, Clinton said Saturday, would allow federal researchers to explore how to best use marijuana as medicine.

"What I do want is for us to support research into medical marijuana because a lot more states have passed medical marijuana than have legalized marijuana, so we've got two different experiences or even experiments going on right now," Clinton said after being asked about marijuana prohibition during a town hall. "And the problem with medical marijuana is there's a lot of anecdotal evidence about how well it works for certain conditions, but we haven't done any research. Why? Because it's considered what's called a Schedule I drug and you can't even do research in it." 

"If we're going to have a lot of states setting up marijuana dispensaries so that people who have some kind of medical need are getting marijuana, we need know what's the quality of it, how much should you take, what should you avoid if you're taking other medications," she continued. 

Clinton has said previously that she does not support legalizing marijuana, but believes in the medical use of cannabis and reforming the criminal justice system to keep low-level drug offenders out of jail. 

"We have got to stop imprisoning people who use marijuana," she said last month during the Democratic primary debate.

Clinton's proposal is similar to policies floated by some medical marijuana advocates. Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics called on the Drug Enforcement Administration to reclassify cannabis in order to promote medical research. And in July, members of the U.S. House introduced an amendment to the 21st Century Cures Act that would make it easier to conduct marijuana research. 

"The rescheduling of marijuana is a step in the right direction, but only going down to Schedule II is mostly a symbolic move," said Tom Angell, the chairman of Marijuana Majority. "It may make research slightly easier, but on its own wouldn't do anything to protect seriously ill people who are using marijuana in accordance with state laws from being harassed by the DEA. Only changing the federal criminal statutes can effectively do that."

 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Clinton's main rival in the Democratic presidential primary, has called for striking marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act all together. Earlier this week, he introduced the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act in the Senate, which would allow states to move forward with legalizing marijuana without federal intervention.

"Too many Americans have seen their lives destroyed because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use," Sanders said at George Mason University in October. "That’s wrong. That has got to change."

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is also running for the Democratic nomination, has proposed rescheduling marijuana as well.

Recreational marijuana use is now legal in four states and the District of Columbia, while 23 states and D.C. have legalized medical pot.

This article has been updated to include a statement from the Marijuana Majority. 

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Volkswagen May Offer Cash to Ease Owners’ Ire

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen is expected to offer cash to the owners of diesel cars this coming week as it steps up an effort to recover some of the good will it lost after admitting in September that the vehicles were programmed to cheat on emissions tests.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Telltale Signs It's Time To Quit Your Job

If you're like most people, you spend more of your valuable waking hours at work than you do anywhere else. It's critical that you spend your time at the right company, pursuing the right opportunity.



Choosing to leave a job can be a gut-wrenching decision. You need to know that you're making the right choice.

Here are the telltale signs that it might be time to move on:

You dread going to work.

We all get a case of the Mondays from time to time, but if even thinking about your job fills you with dread, it's probably time to leave. Don't keep telling yourself you're having a bad week if what you really have is a job that's a bad fit.

You know more than your boss.

It's frustrating to work for someone you believe to be less skilled or knowledgeable than you are, but the real issue is deeper than that. If you can't trust your company's leadership to make good decisions and steer the ship in the right direction, you'll be living in a constant state of anxiety. And, if you're right that your bosses don't know what they're doing, you could find yourself out of a job when the company goes under.

The company is circling the drain.

A recent study showed that 71 percent of small businesses close their doors by their tenth year in operation. If you're worried about your company's health, there's a good chance you're right. Watch for clues, like suddenly needing management approval for even minor expenses, an increase in closed-door meetings, or an increased number of upper-management departures. If you suspect that the business is in trouble, it may be time to leave. If you wait until the company closes, you'll be in the job market competing against your former co-workers.

You're out of the loop.

Does it seem like you're always the last one to hear about what's going on at work? If you're left out of meetings, rarely get face time with upper management, and have never even heard of the big project everyone else is so excited about, that could mean that your bosses just see you as a body filling a desk, rather than as a valuable contributor. That's bad news for your career and may mean it's time to leave.

You've lost your passion.

Even if you love the company, your boss, and your co-workers, it's not worth the effort if you hate the work. Passion is a necessary ingredient for success. If you're unenthusiastic or even indifferent about the work you do, it's time to reassess your career.

You have a bad boss who isn't going anywhere.

Bosses come and go, which is why conventional wisdom says that it's best to just wait a bad boss out. But that's not always the right move. If you have a bad boss who's well-liked by upper management, it may be time to leave. In addition to making you miserable every day, a two-faced manager who's loved by the higher ups can wreak havoc on your career by taking credit for your work, bad-mouthing you to others, and blaming you for things that go wrong.

There's no room for advancement.

It's easy to get stuck in a job and, if you love what you're doing, getting stuck can be comfortable. However, it's important to remember that every job should enhance your skills, and add to your value as an employee. If you're not learning anything new, and are just puttering around doing the same old thing while people around you get promotions and plum assignments, it's time to look elsewhere.

Your health is suffering.

No paycheck is worth sacrificing your health. Job stress can lead to depression, insomnia, headaches, frequent illness, and worse. Don't let this happen to you.

Your personal life is suffering.

Whether you work too many hours or you're stressed and miserable when you come home, it's time to leave when your job starts affecting your personal life.

Bringing It All Together

Staying in a bad job for too long can be very harmful to your career. If you've tried everything you can think of to make things better and haven't seen any big changes, it may be time to move on.

If you do decide to leave, be smart about it. Don't burn bridges by venting about all of the reasons you're leaving. That accomplishes nothing, and could even haunt you later. Instead, simply explain that you're leaving to pursue another opportunity, and then do so graciously.

When did you know it was time to leave a miserable job? How did things work out? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.