You are in the People Business!
There’s one thing you can never have enough of… and that’s good people. In these days when many people are looking for a job, there should be more qualified people than ever to pick from. Whether you’re in a hiring mode or not, it’s worthwhile to bring them in and keep them on file for when you do need someone.
I mean, let’s think for a moment how important your people are. To do so, answer this question: What is your real business? You may provide home services, but how is it accomplished? It’s your people who walk into customers home and fix their problems. In other words, your people are your business.
Your people must deliver on the expectations you have. All of your plans must be executed through them. You cannot turn every screw or tighten every bolt yourself. You cannot create every accounting entry yourself, and you cannot answer every phone call yourself. Only with a team of caring people can you deliver your goal of a company that can run itself.
By creating a service-centric culture within your company, you will create success. You work the system, and the system runs the business. Your real business is recruiting, developing, and leading people.
Let’s begin with recruiting: How many techs do you want or need next year? Every year you should review your employees and make a decision on who you have a concern with. Then, you have to make a decision to either “change your people or change your people.” This ensures that you don’t keep any bad apples on the trees to spoil everyone else’s attitude.
So what is the plan? Firstly, determine your staffing requirement for the next year. Look at the plan for 2012, if you don’t have a plan now is the time to start getting one together. For example, if your plan calls for $500,000 in service sales—and you want to keep your field labor at 20 percent—you will invest $100,000 in direct labor. Divide $100,000 by $2,000 to find your allowable dollars per hour. This equals $50.00. Using a full year of 2000 hours at $25 per hour, you could employ two people full time or a senior tech at $35 and a junior tech at $15. This is a guideline that helps us understand what to do next.
As your real product is your people, you want the best waiting to work for you. That’s why you must always look for talented people to join your organization. You might be surprised. There are potential people everywhere.
Here are some people with technical ability that you may want to talk to:
- Building superintendents are candidates,
- A photo copy or computer technician,
- The person that works in the dive shop rebuilding regulators tanks or equipment,
- The mover that assembles furniture,
- Somebody that builds kitchen cabinets or manufactures furniture,
- Somebody working at a car manufacturer or recently laid off,
- An auto mechanic who has slowed down at work,
- A great restaurant employee that is working at night, or
- A night manager that treats you well.
All of the above are people who are able to learn a trade and have great customer service skills. Here are other areas to consider finding people: gas bars, Quick Lube locations, and other service or consumer-focused industries. And considering advertising in non-conventional places. I’ve hear success stories about finding people on craigslist.
By understanding what your real business is and recruiting when you don’t need people, you will be able to have a line-up of quality people waiting to work for you. Now, go out there and recruit!