I often say that all of business and all of life is about relationships. Relying on ads to attract strangers is not the most phenomenal way to get new team members. As a small business owner, the most valuable skill you can develop is your ability to build a network of relationships. Not just with prospects, but with people in all areas of the community.
Recruiting Team Members is a Marketing Process!
When recruiting team members, you want to use the same processes you learned in Phenomenal Marketing Systems. You must position yourself in the community as the preferred employer by the way you interact in the community. The way you do that is by always looking professional, acting professional, and being positive and enthusiastic. When people ask you how you are doing, you say “PHENOMENAL!” They will wonder what you are smoking when you are always positive, but it has an effect.
It is strange to me that people notice what I consider to be small things. For example, on the voicemail recording for my cell phone, I close by saying, “Have a phenomenal and outstanding day” in a very enthusiastic voice. You won’t believe how many comments I get from that small thing. When people
ask me how I’m doing, I say, “Well, phenomenal of course!” Or I say, “I’m doing phenomenal, that’s my job!” Like many things, I learned this from Zig. When you ask most people how they are doing (in Australia, it’s, “How you going?”), the answer is usually “Good.”
That wasn’t good enough for Zig. He answered with “Better than good! But improving!” This is the kind of positive attitude you want to have to attract the right people. You want to attract positive people, not negative ones. Don’t tell people in the community about your problems or complain about the economy. And above all, never complain about your work or your clients! When you do that, you’re going to attract miserable people!
When you display a positive attitude, you attract people who want to be positive. Yesterday I came across a journal from many years ago. We were having problems with my son, I was in the midst of firing my bookkeeper, we had cash flow problems, I was tired and traveling too much, and my success was hit and miss on the road. I was frustrated. But I continued to trust in God, and I continued to display a positive attitude. Hope for the future will help you have the right attitude. You can have tremendous problems but still display a positive attitude. It helps you because it keeps you from going into
despair, which will cause you to make irrational decisions. You’ve got to keep your head and your heart about you. Display a positive attitude even in the midst of tremendous problems.
When you see people you think might be good team members for you, talk to them about it even if you don’t need anyone yet. You don’t wait until you need a customer to start marketing, right? I hope not! Hopefully, you are always marketing to keep your funnel full. The same is true in this case. Always be building relationships with people and attracting people so you will have a number of people to choose from when the time comes.
Kenny Pelletier is one of my inside sales reps and has been with us for over a decade. I knew Kenny from church, and every time there was a church function, I would talk to Kenny. He loved his job as a disc jockey at a Christian radio station, but they didn’t pay him enough. “How are things going with you and your company?” he would ask. “Phenomenal, of course! You should join the team,” I would reply. At that time, I didn’t have an opening for Kenny. But I knew two things: One, it would take Kenny awhile to make
a decision, and by that time something would probably open because were growing. And two, I knew anything could happen the next day.
You need to recruit before you need someone.
Kenny’s daughter Elise began working with us when she was 18. She is a phenomenal team member who has filled many roles with excellence. She referred her then-boyfriend (now husband), Santiago. How was I to know that this skinny, long-haired kid would become such a gift to me? How was I to know that this young man would be one of the most talented, positive, gifted, and loyal employees ever? How did I know he would become a “little Howard” as he teaches my programs at Phenomenal Products just as I would?
I didn’t. But I did and do know that all of business is about relationships. This is one of the reasons I hire family members. Conventional wisdom says don’t do it and that is because they don’t understand how to be real and upfront about the business relationship—that it is separate from the personal relationship. They have to be okay with the decision if I have to let their family member go, even if they don’t agree with it. Yes, there is a downside to hiring family. When they go on vacation, they generally go together! When there is a birth, sickness, or death, there goes the whole family. But, think about this. Because you are close to the family, these times can be the most meaningful to them when you are there to support them.
I have had situations where I had to free two family members on the same day. It was hard but justified. I have also had a difficult situation where I had to severely discipline a family member and I couldn’t discuss the situation with the other family members because they aren’t in management. With all
of that said, I still believe the positives far outweigh the negatives.
After Mary Ann came onboard with us, her husband and son ended up working with us. Their family is like our family. Daniel is like a son to me. Mary Ann has helped us in a variety of roles, her husband Mark was our top sales rep before starting his own business. Daniel started with us when he was only 18 and served as my operations manager for three years.
(Reference Pages 218-221 of the 5 Secrets of a Phenomenal Business Book by Howard Partridge)
