I recently hired someone for an important position. It looks good; I'm pleased with the potential this person brings to our company. The odd thing is she had a good job and was happy there. I found her through an employment agency.
Now I've griped about how much I had to pay the agency — $12,000 —but the fact is that without them I wouldn't have made this hire. The best ad in the world wouldn't have brought this person in for an interview, because prior to being contacted she hadn't even considered looking. The agency manager was in a networking group with my new employee and thought we'd be a great fit.
Have you ever had the experience of trying to talk the do-it-yourselfer out of doing his or her own project? When you can't convince them, you drive off thinking this guy's an idiot, because doing it yourself is going to cost more in the long run than hiring a professional. Well put me down as an idiot, because twice in the past 16 months I've done my own hiring. And if I took time to look at what those two fires cost me, I'd be rejoicing over that $12,000 investment.
Here's my point: The way you attract good employees is by being a good company. And, in between servicing clients, taking care of your existing employees, and finding new jobs, managing a good company is a full-time occupation. Unless you have a Ph.D. in hiring, let someone else do it.
I'm aware that the odds of sales-people making it are less than many other professions. That being the case, find a good agency that will work with you, just like you'll work with a client when you want that business. Finding the right employee is difficult. When I complained to the agency about how much I was paying and that I'd only interviewed three people for the job, I was asked if I had any interest in looking at all the applications they hadn't sent me. Doing it yourself will take take more time than you're willing to devote to it. Want to be sure to hire right? Hire a professional to do your hiring. —Phil Rea has conducted more than 13,200 in-home sales calls and trained more than 1,750 salespeople. He shares his sales strategies each month with salespeople across the country through his MasterMind Program. For more information, call 866.441.7445.
