(HIRING) Standing Out In The Competition To Hire!

7-17-2013

We have all written and talked about how important it is to recruit, hire, and keep top quality employees ? not doing so will mean the end of your business, or at least cost you big money and cause lots of undue stress.

One of the most important things you can do is to ensure that your company has a solid reputation. Job seekers today are doing their homework; they have access to online articles, research, and other employees, and they want to find out what working for your company is like before they even agree to the interview. According to a Career Builder Candidate Behavior Report from 2012, which surveyed more than 1,000 full time employees, job candidates search more than 15 resources per job search!

It is important to have a strong online presence and can share stories about your culture with current and potential employees. Some things you can do are to make sure your own website and social media sites includes any unique benefits that you offer; when you gain recognition or positive press, include those on your site; and invite key clients and community leaders to your office to learn more about what it is like to work there.

Having a positive work environment can help in many ways -- it can keep your unemployment taxes low and you save money on separations. High turnover costs you much more than money and time, it also hurts your reputation as not being a solid company so is a killer for recruitment.

What are some things you can do to increase your reputation as a great place to work?

First and foremost, recognition is always a top item that employees want so why not offer more awards, such as reaching a certain level of calls, proposals, or closings? Gift cards can go a long way.

Host pizza parties or have lunch brought in, not only does this create camaraderie, it also helps staff become friends. Studies have shown that having friends at the office is a strong reason to stay in a job and make someone want to come in and do well.

Encourage health and wellness which not only entices people to work for you, it also can keep people working more. Offer health club stipends; bring in a massage therapist one day a month; bring in a yoga instructor once a week.

Most importantly, invest in your people. Think creatively and promote what you do. This is radio, after all, we all can surely come up with some fun ideas!

Laurie Kahn is Founder and President of Media Staffing Network and can be reached at 480-306-8930 or via e-mail at laurie@mediastaffingnetwork.com. Visit the Media Staffing Website www.mediastaffingnetwork.com

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(SALES) Standing At The Podium

3-1-2013

When we are in that first-ever interview with a prospective client, there is a great deal at stake in the time we have with them. This is our only opportunity for a first impression. It?s our first and often best chance to really separate ourselves from our competitors. That?s one of the reasons why the questions we ask and the way we ask them are so important.

I believe these questions and this very first meeting set the stage for, not only the sale, but the foundation of the relationship. When these questions are a different, refreshing, and inspiring experience for a business owner or advertising decision-maker, magic happens! Over the years, I?ve refined this process from dozens and dozens of questions down to 10 key questions.

Today, I want to share one of them with you. It?s called inviting the client to ?Stand at the Podium.? You can fill in the blank with the type of business you wish. I don?t care if it?s a car dealer, a restaurant owner, or a funeral home director, the process is the same. Let?s use a restaurant for our example. We?ll call it Ned?s Fine Dining and I?m sitting with Ned, the owner and founder. Here?s what you would hear me say to Ned when I get to this particular question?

Ned, I want us to enter the world of make believe for a minute. You?re going to have to pretend with me a little. This exercise will help me help you. Let?s pretend I?ve rented a small auditorium at the hotel across the street and I?ve invited 100 people there. They all represent the kind of folks you?d be proud to serve in your restaurant. I?ve given each one of them enough cash to dine, with a guest, in your restaurant once every week for one year. At an average of $35.00 a plate, that represents $3,640 over the next 12 months, each! If my math serves me correctly, there?s a potential $364,000 in revenue in the room for you. I?m going to invite you to come up to the podium and I?m going to give you 60 seconds to tell everyone in the room why they should choose Ned?s. There?s only one catch. There?s an alarm that will sound off if you say the words ?quality? or ?service.? You can?t use those two words. The reason is because those words are in 80 percent of the commercials they hear every day and they have become numb to those words. I want you to be creative and sell them! Then, after your time is up, I?m going allow the local manager of Ruth?s Chris, Morton?s, and Texas Road House to have the same opportunity. After the four of you have had your time, I?m going to invite everyone to vote and the presenter with the most votes gets all the business over that next year. Now, I?m going to take copious notes. What would like to say to them?

Several things occur when you invite a client to ?Stand at the Podium.? First and foremost, they will never forget you. To say this exercise has an impact on them is an understatement. Next, you?ll learn more about their business in their answer than many people who work there. If it?s a men?s wear store, every man in the room has $5,000 for a new wardrobe. If it?s a car dealer, every person has $30,000 cash for a car. If it?s a funeral director, every person has $10,000 in pre-planning money. You see how to customize the exercise. You?ll learn how the person at the top sells their own business and that is incredibly valuable. The wording above is an example, but the rules to follow in the exercise are critical.

In addition to hundreds of local clients over the years, I?ve had the CEO of a 1,000-store fast food chain sell me a chicken sandwich, the CEO of a worldwide battery company sell me a car battery, the CEO of one of the world?s largest online matching services tell me how they?re the best one to find me a mate, and university presidents convince me to enroll. They almost sweat when they visualize the auditorium and standing there making their case. It will amaze you what you learn and how this one exercise, this one question, will help you help your client. Lastly, you?ll get almost everything you?ll need to write their first commercial campaign.

Invite a prospective client to ?Stand at the Podium? and let the magic begin!

Rob Adair is the President of Pinnacle Solving. His company provides revenue growth solutions, branding and differentiation strategies to radio and other industries. Adair is a former radio industry COO and Sr. VP overseeing 25+ stations and multiple major markets. He can be reached at 405-641-0458 or by e-mail rob@pinnaclesolving.com

(3/1/2013 5:36:37 PM)
Minor point but you stand *on* a podium, you stand *at* a lectern.

Look it up.

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