69 - How to Attract Talent by Using Sales & Marketing Tactics

Resource Links:  A free copy of my Kick-Ass Meeting Report (https://www.ericanderton.com/kickassmeetings) Book Recommendations:  Who by Geoff Smart  Traction by Gino Wickman  Good to Great by Jim Collins  Snowball by Warren Buffet With the average turnover rate being 38% to 40%, construction companies are experiencing a struggle of finding good talent in the industry resulting in company growth being put to a halt. Any successful company can say that success is a team effort and not just a one-man show. People are our most valuable assets but attracting the right talent does not just happen without strategies in place.  In this episode I talk with Justin White, the President of K&D Landscaping. He shares how his company has managed to reduce the turnover rate to 18% by a shift in mindset that led to the mirroring of marketing and sales strategies that they use with clients. He provides concrete examples of tactics that worked for them and how they make sure that they don't just hire the right talent but keep them. The points discussed in this episode can serve as an eye-opener to construction business owners.  If you are excited about getting the right talent but clueless on what steps to take to go about it, then this episode is definitely for you.  What's Discussed In This Episode:  What Justin's company is focusing on this year [3:06] How dilution of talent impacts company growth and client experience [3:36] Effective strategies to attract good talent [4:26] Applying the marketing mindset to attract talent [4:59] Marketing in the hiring perspective [6:14] Community outreach as a marketing strategy [9:03] Justin shares hiring methods that did not work out for them [11:46] Phone interviews [14:18] The hiring manager [17:04] 1st in-person interviews [19:12] 2nd in-person interviews [21:29] The screening process  The 'hire slow' methodology [23:08] Use of assessments [24:53] Onboarding: The '90-day' period after the hire [27:18] What happens when you hire the wrong person [29:36] How to mitigate employees having negative leverage over the employer [33:12] The importance of getting in touch with applicants right away [35:52] Why employees should be top priority [38:30] Wrap-up of discussion [39:24] About the Guest:  Justin White is the President of K&D Landscaping a full-service construction and maintenance landscape company located in Santa Cruz, California.  Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. Thank you for tuning in!