Be The Best Employer In Town: To find, hire and keep only the best there is a five step process to follow. [similar to the pattern we follow to help you find, get and keep only the best customers]
- Be the kind of person/business top performers want to be associated with.
- Know your Market– Know who your target audience is. What do the best people look like?
- Create your Message– What is your unique story? What makes you appealing to the best people?
- Choose your Media– Where do these top performers hang out? Where is the best place to reach them?
- Keep them.
First: Be the kind of person that others want to follow and associate with.
- Be likable
- Be trustworthy
- Be competent
Second: Who is your target audience? What do your best people look like right now? Where do they come from? Where do they get their information from? What is their worldview? – our decision-making, and theirs, is influenced by the way we think. What are their goals and values and how can we contribute? What are some objections to working with you? Why would someone choose NOT to work for you? [Note: this is not an exhaustive list]
Third: Once you have a good picture or profile of what your best people look like, then create the message. What makes you unique? What are the benefits, for this target audience, of working with you? What do they want to hear that is true of you?
Fourth: Once you know these things, Where do they hang out? Where do they go to get their information? You can now determine the best media to use to reach them.
To market and sell your business as the place they want to be employed, the very first thing you must do is get clear on who your ideal employee is, where they are hanging out, what their challenges are, etc…Every marketing piece must know what your ideal employees and potential employees “hot buttons” are-what’s important and/or relevant to them. Once you find who your target audience truly is then you can know what those hot buttons are.
Never forget the following marketing principle: You are better off running a weak ad to the right audience than you are running a strong ad to the wrong audience.
Fifth: Keep them.
- Be more like a coach than a manager.
- Provide them with opportunities to be rewarded appropriately.
- Lead by principles not rules. Every rule has an exception, principles do not.
- Be an effective communicator.
Cultivate and model these 9 Habits of Emotional Bank Account deposits as taught by Stephen Covey to build strong meaningful relationships and set the example of the way you want your staff to treat others:
- Seek 1st to Understand…listen with the intent to understand rather than simply to respond.
- Keep your Promises.
- Act with Kindness & Courtesy.
- Clarify Expectations (make sure everyone fully understands including yourself). Almost all conflicts are a result of “violated expectations.”
- Be Loyal to the Absent (never talk badly about anyone behind their back)
- Apologize when Wrong (it takes a Big person to admit when wrong)
- Accept Responsibility (don’t blame anyone else)
- Be Open to Feedback (be willing to listen to criticism; Correction does not mean rejection)
- Take time between the Stimulus and the Response so that you can Exercise your Freedom to Choose Responsibly.
Good results come from good people. To gain more influence, identify the similarities within your target audience and work from there.
If you want to be able to attract, hire and keep Eagles, the best people, then be the best employer in town and ALWAYS BE RECRUITING – 365 days a year!