Hiring and Keeping Great Staff Members

Summary: In this week's episode of the MegaMarketer Coachcast, hosts Justin Jacob and Jimmy Hiller talk about a problem that is plaguing the industry. Hiring is something that every business struggles with but Jimmy has some unique advice that will make it easier for you to find the right people for business. Key Lessons Learned: The Origins of Hiller Jimmy had his first job as a senior in highschool pumping gas but he didn't have a lot of direction in his life. His father guided him to become a plumber and after working for several years and getting his Master's licence went into business for himself. There are three things that Jimmy attributes his success to. Jimmy knew he always wanted to be a business owner and it's important to know what you want in the first place. Jimmy was also willing to do whatever it takes to make his business successful. That meant going out and learning the things you don't know right now. The third element of success is tenacity. The world will knock you down and you have to make the decision to get back and move forward with your life if you want to succeed. In terms of daily struggles, finding good people is the ever present and greatest challenge to building a great business. Hiring The Right Team Members  Early on Jimmy had relationships with everyone that worked for him, but now that his business is so large that's not really possible. Now he lays the foundation for the kinds of people they are looking for within the business. The first thing they look for is a good attitude. Are they going to show up and be happy to work there, as well as put in a good effort. Next they look for skill, but they've got the training and knowledge so if the person has the right attitude Jimmy's business can impart the skills. If you effort, attitude, and skill on a foundation of integrity then you have what Jimmy calls the "perfect picture of an employee". When hiring people it's important to have an established and reliable process. For Jimmy that includes drug testing and background checks. The Zig Ziglar Connection One of Zig Zigler's more famous quotes is "You can have everything in life you want, if you help other people get what they want." Jimmy listened to Zig Zigler for many years, he was actually fortunate enough to become Zigler Legacy certified and can now teach Zig Zigler's methods.  When a customer calls you they want to solve their problem. Your business needs the revenue the customer has to keep the business going. The employee that services that customer wants to provide for their family or rise in the organization. As the business owner, it's your job to help them achieve those goals. Keeping The Hiring Pipeline Full There is a shortage of people in the industry so looking for the right pool to find people is crucial. For Jimmy one of the best places to look is the military. The discipline that the military instills aligns very well with working in the trades. Jimmy has developed a close relationship with the nearby military base and offers a lot of people coming out of the military employment opportunities. Jimmy's business developed a training program that has trained over 470 soldiers and 94% of them have found a job in the trade. Jimmy has employees that have worked for him from anywhere to 18 years to just six months. His business is hiring anywhere from 10 to 15 per month depending on the market they're in. If you're in a smaller population area, the first thing to realize is that there are qualified people out there. There are kids who are graduating from highschool that want to get into a trade but just don't know what the path is. Getting someone in the business when they are younger gives you the opportunity to train them exactly the way you want to and gives them a great foothold in the industry. Hiring employees is an investment, you have to make sure you are finding the right individuals. You have to put in the work to find them but they are out there. Increasing Interest In The Trades The industry needs to reach out to highschool guidance counsellors if they want to increase interest in the trades. They are realizing that college is not the best answer for every student. If you have any kind of training in the trades, you can find a job somewhere. You have to show up and get in front of the guidance counsellors and they will get you in front of the students. Highschool teachers want their students to be successful and the trades are a great way for people to build a successful life. The Smart Contractor vs The Wise Contractor The smart contractor works hard and learns from his mistakes and never makes those mistakes again. The wise contractor finds somebody who has been where they want to go and then never makes those mistakes.  Mentors can open your eyes to a world of opportunity that you didn't even realize existed. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating and review in iTunes! Links to Resources Mentioned [email protected] [email protected] 800-489-9099