Remember that acquiring “internal clients” is a marketing process. You have recruited them, now this is the first “sales call.” You are going to qualify them and they are going to qualify you, just like in a sales process.
You may or may not have met them before. What is their first impression of you? As I shared in Phenomenal Operations Systems, people make eleven assumptions about you in the first 30 seconds of meeting you—before you even open your mouth!
You want them to see you as the one and only person they would work with, just like you want your prospects to feel that same way. So be sure to follow these steps:
Be prepared.
Review the application. Have your questions ready. Don’t multitask. Don’t be in a hurry. This is a very important event as it will set the tone for the entire employment experience. Make sure your office is neat and organized. No one you want working for you wants to work for a slob. If you don’t have an office, meet at Starbucks or someplace like that.
Observe.
Was the candidate on time? Remember, this is probably the best you will see. How are they dressed? How are they groomed? Any quirks that would cost you sales? Is the person’s handshake weak? Too strong?
Ask open-ended questions.
Avoid “yes” and “no” questions unless you are just confirming information. Let them talk! One of the biggest mistakes in interviewing and sales is talking too much. Listen, listen, listen! Listen to the person’s responses and pay attention to whether he or she is making eye contact or not. Is the person confident? Too confident? Cocky?
There are many questions and many programs you can attend to learn more about this interviewing process, but I have been successful with a few basic questions:
• How are you today?
• Tell me about yourself…
• I see that you are applying for <position>?
• I see you are/were working at…
• What did you like?
• What didn’t you like?
• Why do you want to work here?
• Why should I hire you over someone else?
• Do you have reliable transportation? (It’s illegal to ask if they own a car.)
• Do you have a valid driver’s license?
• Do you have a clean driving record?
If you feel you want to hire this person, share the opportunity with him or her. Begin by effectively communicating your vision, mission, and purpose. One of the things I do is let the person know that there is a simple two-part agreement that is important for us to work together:
Part one is that we care about their dreams and goals. Here’s what I say: Other companies may treat you like a number and devalue you as a “human resource,” but we care about you as a person. We want to put you on a track to reach your goals and dreams. We’ve created a system where you can grow
and you can write your own check.
Part two is that we can’t provide that without reaching the company goals: The company has goals, a mission, and a purpose. We have systems that we operate by. When you help us implement those systems and fulfill the mission, we can help you reach your goals and dreams. Otherwise we can’t.
At this point, you will then go over:
• Job description
• Pay plan
• Benefits
• Work hours
• And anything else the person would need to know to make the decision. You may want to conduct additional interviews or get your team involved in the interview process before you make the hire.
(Reference Pages 225- 227 of the 5 Secrets of a Phenomenal Business Book by Howard Partridge)
