Jim Bardwell was my special referral marketing agent who helped me implement my referral marketing systems. He was with me for eight years and did practically everything in my company before taking up that role. I met Jim at an industry networking group and my positive attitude is what attracted him to me. His words were, “Whatever that man has, I want!” (by the way, this was the same group of negative guys who laughed at me and asked me, “Who do you think you are, Zig Ziglar or somebody?”). Of course Jim was one of the few positive people in the group, and we really hit it off.
He and his wife invited me out for dinner and asked me for a job. He was working for a competitor, and I told him that I would have to call the owner and ask permission; and second, I didn’t have a position. He told me he was leaving the other company regardless, and as fate would have it, I had to fire a guy the next morning. Jim came onboard and not only helped me take my company to the next level, he also became one of my best friends in the entire world. He has been one of my biggest cheerleaders. At lunch one day after being laughed at by the other guys, he looked across the table and
told me, “I do see you as the Zig Ziglar of our industry.” A tear rolled down my cheek because little did Jim know that what I am doing now was a hidden dream of mine.
Jim now works with one of my first Phenomenal Products clients, John Browning, who is also one of my coaches and also one of my best friends and biggest supporters. This is what is possible! This is why it is worth building a phenomenal team!
I briefly mentioned Scott and Dennis previously. Scott came aboard as a partner way back in 1997. I had met him at an industry function, too, and we played golf together once and awhile. Well, I should say that Scott played golf. I finally realized that whatever I was doing out there on the golf course wasn’t actually “playing golf,” it was more like the ball was playing “hide and seek.” As we tooled around the course, we talked about the ultimate service company and what it would look like.
We took on another partner as well. Dennis was also a colleague who was in some groups where I networked. The three of us had a great eight-year run in many ways, although we made tons of mistakes and built up a lot of debt. Finally Scott bailed, and soon after Dennis and I collided. Dennis went on
to do training, which is what he loved. After a stint working with one of our vendors, Scott came back to work with me and now manages the Administration Department for all of my companies.
What you need to notice is that all of these people came from networking. I’ll say it again, your most valuable skill as a business owner is the ability to build a large network of phenomenal relationships. All of business is about relationships.
My first and second employee were both with me about 20 years. The only reason they didn’t stay with me was due to a lack of phenomenal leadership systems. We went through some periods when I was absent and the management team I had in place wasn’t getting the job done.
When you think about the Phenomenal Marketing Systems for clients, think about it also in terms of attracting and acquiring the best employees. Earlier you learned about positioning yourself as the only obvious choice for your niche market. You must position yourself as the obvious choice as an
employer. You learned about referral marketing. Building your network and offering a reward for a new employee works well.
Client-based marketing—start with your existing team members. We offer a $300 reward for a new hire. $100 when they are successfully hired, $100 when they have been with us 90 days, and $100 when they’ve been employed for six months.
Direct Advertising and Internet Advertising would personally be my last choices for finding potential employees because I want to know someone who actually knows this person. Michelle worked at a retail store that was closing, and my wife happened to frequent the store. My wife referred the manager of
the store to me, who was not the right fit; but he referred Michelle who was a manager under him. When someone refers someone who works under them that highly, pay attention!
(Reference Pages 221- 223 of the 5 Secrets of a Phenomenal Business Book by Howard Partridge)
