Who is Most Important?

By: Barbara J. Bruno
Date: 3/1/2007

Business is great, job orders are pouring in and staffing firms across the country are enjoying "record sales." Many owners are adding to their sales team to handle the influx of business. Do you realize this is the most important decision you make? Who you put on your team is more important than what, why and when you plan to accomplish your goals. Extremely successful people surround themselves with amazing people. You don't make someone into a top producer you hire top producers - individuals with successful track records and sales ability. I have to share a conversation with you that I had this past December with a very experienced owner. He owns a direct placement firm and had set sales goals for 2006 at $2.5M. His office did under $1.5M and he joined my coaching club to find out how to dramatically increase his sales in 2007. I asked him if he was involved in production at which point he told me he is the top producer and he produced $280,000 in 2006. I asked him how many recruiters worked for him and he said six. Even if all of his recruiters matched his production, his office would have produced $1,960,000 - not reaching his goal of $2.5M. The average producer in his firm produced $150,000, so you can easily see why he set himself up for failure!

This owner has three choices:

1. Add additional recruiters to the team.

2. Elevate the level of production for the existing team.

3. Change the goal.

Too often, owners hire "ducks" and want them to produce like "eagles." Your recruiters will do things for their own reasons - not yours. Unless they have the desire, persistence and tenacity to become a top producer, they won't! It all starts with your hiring process. You owe it to yourself to give your own hires the same attention, you give to the clients you represent. Here are ten tips for doing just that:

1. Write a detailed job description including the good, the bad and the ugly of our profession.

2. Identify the traits that are missing in your current team. You need to screen for personality traits and attitude as much as you do for experience.

3. Have a list of questions you ask every candidate.

4. Use the words "telemarketing sales" when you describe what we do. Your new hires must understand this is a sales career and it will involve cold calling!

5. Design an interviewing process and take no shortcuts.

6. Have a job description and list of expectations that you share with potential hires. The expectations should include what they can expect of you and what you will expect of them.

7. Have this person come in to your office to observe your recruiters for three hours. After 30 minutes of observing, bring them in and ask for their opinion of what they observed. Listen carefully to their response. Hand them a script and give them a list of at least 25 company names and telephone numbers. Role play a recruiting call with them, give them a list of common objections and answers to those objections, and have them go out on the floor and finish the list of calls. Tell them that if they set up an interview for a candidate that you end up placing (whether they are hired or not) they will receive a $500 bonus so they see the WIIFM - What's In It For Me - to succeed when making these calls. Have an experienced recruiter watch and listen for natural sales ability. You will also easily detect personalities that are too analytical, too perfectionist, too detailed oriented, or just filled with phone fear. You then bring them back into your office and discuss the experience and results.

8. Check references - both business and personal. The beauty of a personal reference is there is no filter.

9. Make sure your compensation plan is commensurate with the needs of this individual.

10. Have a structured training program in place to ensure this individual learns the fundamentals of the placement process.

You should proactively be interviewing always, whether you have a position available or not. You want to get away from the habit of "filling a desk" and instead hire your next top producer. Remember you can't turn a duck into an eagle - you need to hire the eagles.

Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS is the Owner and Founder of Good As Gold Training. To sign up for Barb's FREE 'NO BS Newsletter' - go to www.staffingandrecruiting.com/newsletter. If you're interested in an INSTANT TRAINING PROGRAM for your office, go to www.topproducertutor.com.