Some people have little difficulty attracting and
maintaining higher paying clients. Others can't get to
first base. Higher paying clients consume less time,
exchange energy instead of zapping yours, have higher
regards for your relationship, give more referrals, pay on
time, and this in turn allows you to make higher profits.
When asked how I recommend raising client’s fees, I answer
honestly, "It’s very difficult." Why? Let me share this
story, one I'm sure you can relate to. You go to the store
to buy more of something you like but you don't have to
have. Before you paid $10 and now its $15. You play with
the package and stand there rethinking your need, it’s value
and also wondering if can find it cheaper elsewhere. You
leave empty-handed or buy something else. If your price is
higher, their reaction gets magnified.
Another angle is to increase their deal, add something to
the pot, something of perceived value. It can work if
handled correctly. A value added item could be a client-
only monthly teleclass or access to a membership-only
website. An infopreneur can add client-only informational
products.
To collect higher fees, you will most likely need to change
demographics, your mindset, internal and external language,
marketing strategy and materials.
Here is a list of ten barriers that might be interfering
with attracting higher paying clients:
1. Equal stature. People take the time to listen to people
who are as or more important than they are. Are you at
their listening level? Do you dress and act the way they
do? Phone interactions require mirroring their language and
thinking. Can you speak their language? Or do you need to
learn. Talk as equals. Learn their mindset and shift
yours. If your values are too different, then find another
market. If stature doesn't match, they will smell it like
cabbage cooking in a kitchen. Show a similar state of
authority, confidence, and posture. Walk, talk, and sit the
way they do. If their mannerisms are too assertive for you,
either raise yours up or find another market.
2. Thoroughly know each of their challenges and what
solutions you provide that answer each challenge. What
problems are they experiencing? How can you make their life
or business easier? People take the path of least
resistance. Be that path. Higher paying people are proud
of their world and their decisions. They feel they deserve
it, they took the risk that the average person doesn't take,
and you need to give them that respect but also have your
own.
3. Be friendly with them but don't allow them to manipulate
your time or energy. Normally, higher paying professionals
know how to delegate and leverage and they will use this
technique to test you. Be friendly with their
administrative assistants, receptionist, or other
gatekeepers but don't bribe them with flowers or something
to get in the door. That worked years ago but the trend now
is tacky. And, yes, they will always report your language
and behavior back to their paycheck controller.
4. The higher their status, the more likely they will be
visionary people. Learn how visionary people think, their
viewpoints, and language. Visionaries surround themselves
with people who believe in their visions. Listen to their
visions and respect them. They have the wherefore to make
them happen. Support their visions in any way you can.
Provide something that answers a step to their vision, even
if it something outside the scope of your service or
product. Do they need a referral or can't find something,
do the research for them.
5. The higher you go, the more they expect from your
service. They expect special care and outstanding service.
They know their money can buy it and they demand it. Don't
deliver anything less. They know what you provide and what
your competitors provide; you must know this as well.
6. Integrity is usually one of their top five values.
Always keep your promises and they will keep the
relationship. Even if they break theirs, you will need to
keep yours. The higher you go, the less you ever want to
break a promise. You probably will not get a second chance.
It’s like sitting in Donald Trump’s boardroom and he says,
"You're fired."
7. Don't brown nose. It’s a cabbage thing. If they smell
it, they will either quick answering your calls or play you
for entertainment and then toss you away. If you get this
label, just move on.
8. People that earn more money substitute the word "mistake"
for "learning lesson." If you don't share this philosophy,
change it. It’s a good one to change any way. They
experience life and don't worry about the valleys. The
mistake belief holds an underlying fear. Fear is energy and
has a smell, and they sense it, easily.
9. Their first response to your proposal will always be "how
can they do it with their own resources." Expect this to be
their first immediate thought. Prepare to be able to
demonstrate what you offer is what they can't find within
their own resources -- they can't match it without more
effort or a different focus. This will earn you brownie
points towards a sale.
10. The higher the stature, the higher leveraging skills
they learned. Leveraging also includes negotiating. The
number one skill I recommend people getting in business is
to learn how and when to negotiate and how people think when
they are in negotiation mode. The game changes with
decisions need to be made and the cards are on the table.
Higher paying clients don't connect business and pleasure.
You will want to learn how to do the same. They may win in
business and have drink with your afterwards. Learn to let
go quickly.
11. The first "no" is always a test. Don't take it
personally or as the final answer but make sure you have the
right match. Listen if they say no and give three reasons
why not. This is a firmer no and they are telling you what
they need (the reasons). It’s your turn to tell them if you
can answer those reasons. If not, you loose, negotiation
over.
12. When you are looking for higher paying clients, look for
people who see your product or service as not only valuable,
but also essential to their goals or objectives.
13. Know what your service or product is worth and stand by
that value. Discount isn't in your vocabulary or theres.
Don't make it yours and speak of it first or even second.
Only speak of it if they are willing to show you the money
now and it leads to a higher value for something.
14. Remove the "under earner" mindset behind. If you have
more money then they do because of what you do, don't talk
down to them, or make them feel inferior in any way.
15. Make it easy for them to work with you. Remove any
hoops or extra steps that take up their time. They are very
time sensitive. If it takes chasing you down by phone, they
will not bother. If you don't answer their emails within a
comfortable time for them, they will move on and accomplish
whatever was on their agenda without you. When they do
contact you, rest assured, it’s important. They don't waste
their time.
16. Decide in advance, how you are going to hand any
rejections or protests. What, when, where and how will you
follow-up? What back doors can you come in from -- with
integrity, of course?
17. High presentation quality required. If they feel
comfortable seeing a slide presentation, don't use a hand-
drawn flip chart. If you don't know, ask a few of their
current suppliers and a staff member.
18. Set up a sophisticated referral-marketing program. It
really is who you know in their circle. Find their circle
and consistently show up. Not to market but to build
relationships and make connections. When they like you,
you're in.
19. Be confident about your attraction. Feel the energy of
the universe, sense it’s attraction, remove any doubt and
believe in it 100%. Know that it will occur and allow
attraction to enter and be a total part of your life and
business.
Are you ready for this step up? Attracting higher paying
clients when you previously didn't, takes commitment,
planning, and changing. Jump in without the all the
answers, and tweak. It’s guaranteed to work, that’s the way
the Law of Attraction works.
Multilevel Marketing, commonly called MLM, Network Marketing or direct sales is one of the highest potential income sources anywhere, but particularly on the Internet. It has been claimed that in the last 10 years more people have become millionaires through MLM's than in any other business or profession.
I don't know how true that is, but I do know a lot of people have made a lot of money through MLM's.
Multilevel Marketing is also known as Pyramid Schemes and a number of other less-than-complimentary names. This is unfortunate because MLM's have a lot of potential.
There are some things you need to know about an MLM before you join one though:
- You need to be selling something. It can be selling a product or a service, but it must be selling. If all the MLM does is recruit new members, then it is what is called a "Ponzi Scheme" and it's illegal.
- They have to have a good product. You can send all the traffic in the world to an MLM website, but if the product they are offering has no appeal, it won't sell no matter what you do. If it doesn't sell, you won't make any money. Simple as that.
- They have to have "staying power.” That is, they have to be good enough to last for a long time. Many MLM's are gone in a year or two and no matter how well they were paying you, once they've folded, you won't get any more money.
- Plan on working at it for a long time to realize any significant income. MLM's don't usually build quickly, so you have to be very persistent. Once they do start to build though the growth is exponential and the income unlimited.
You have probably heard of some MLM companies, and maybe you've even been a member of one or more of them. Odds are, if you were a member, you dropped out after a while because it was just too hard to promote these systems successfully.
One of the worst parts of promoting MLM's is the rejection you will face. Try to think of this differently. I like to think of myself as the miner prospecting for gold during the gold rush. I sift through tonnes of dirt to find my one or two pieces of gold. All I am doing is prospecting, the more 'dirt' I can sift through the closer I am to finding my 'gold'.
If you have done the research on your MLM company then you will have chosen one with a product that has an attraction to a mass market so you are not limited to one demographic of the community. Look at the economic environment, what are the trends or 'boom' industries?
Research has shown that health, weight management and anti-ageing are some of the fastest growing industries worldwide. - A huge market is starting to unfold as the 'baby boomer' generation ages and increasingly becomes more concerned with staying healthy and youthful.
If nothing else, being involved with an MLM company can teach you business and personal skills that can be used in any walk of life. Most MLM companies are very proactive in the area of personal development and from my experience it is this that is the key to a persons success with an MLM business - and maybe in life generally. Taking a close look at ourselves is one of the hardest things to do. We can blame multilevel marketing, the company, the products or even the weather for our demise but lack of personal development would definitely be one of the main causes.
Are MLMs Ethical?
Many people question the ethics of MLM. They claim that the people on the top get all the benefit from the people working below them while the people below don't get much if anything at all. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Think about where you work. Isn't it true that the boss is getting paid out of the money YOU are making for the company? And what about the Chairman of the Board? What is he producing that makes him so valuable to the company? Did he make any sales? Did he build any of the products? No, YOU did, but he's raking in the big bucks for it.
With an honest MLM, you can easily make more than the boss if you put the effort into it. He gets a little bit from your sales, but you get the lion's share - not like a conventional job where you sweat on the assembly line while the CEO sits in an air-conditioned office getting million-dollar bonuses!
But isn't this just a big "pyramid scheme"? Yes and no. Anyone who works a conventional job is in a pyramid scheme. Every company, army, and government in the world is built on the pyramid concept. However, with multilevel marketing, you aren't held back by the people above you like you are in a conventional job.
With an MLM, you can build your business as large and as profitable as you want it to be.
So you’ve gotten the training certification, made up your business cards, and started your web site. You’ve discovered your niche, and you have been marketing – aggressively even!
But still, no one’s exactly beating a path to your door. Kind of make you wonder what you’re doing wrong.
Chances are you’re doing everything right. The only thing that may be missing is a broader chance for the public to really get a taste of which you are. You need to build relationships with these folks. Yet, how can you do that without actually coaching them first?
Enter the big solution: workshops.
Holding workshops targeted to your niche is an excellent way to give your larger audience a real taste of what you do. The full 3-hour, or full-day format of a workshop gives your audience a chance to sit back and observe you at work. Not only that, if you’ve shaped your workshop to fit your niche, you’ll find yourself with an excellent database of interested potential clients. You’ll also be able to test the drawing power of your niche quite graphically, and learn the most effective ways to reach these folks. One psychotherapist I know In New York City built a thriving practice simply by leading three workshops about Jung and dream analysis.
An added perk: when you lead workshops, you get all kinds of terrific stories you can use in future articles, books, and speaking gigs. Three best-selling self-help authors I know actually lead workshops for this reason alone.
That said, there are a few key things that must be in place to turn your workshop the client magnet that it can be.
1. Give yourself and your workshop a brand name. Some of the most successful I know of are “The Ezine Queen”, “The Comfort Queen”, “Marketing Shaper”, “The Publicity Hound”, “Authentic Promotion”, and “The Grok”. These are ownable, distinctive names that let people know exactly who you are … (well, maybe not The Grok.) One thing’s for sure… these folks, especially the Grok, are not easily forgotten.
2. Teach with your heart on the line. The teacher who cares the most wins … so come prepared, give it your all, and don’t say good-bye until literally everyone in the group has had some kind of breakthrough.
3. Hand out plenty of handouts. Class notes, additional resources, your own articles, forms, great quotations, etc., are essential marketing tools. Every one of them should have all of your contact information on them, including your brand name, email, website, all phone numbers, and fax. Put them in a snappy folder with a sticker on the cover that bears, yes… your brand name … and website. Then staple your business card to the inside of the folder. And be sure to include a well done one-sheet or brochure about your coaching services.
4. Give away a free coaching session during the break. Simply pass around a hat or jar to collect business cards as folks come in (they can also substitute name and email on paper.) Then draw your winner just before the break, which gives you the opportunity to give your coaching a discreet plug. This technique is especially helpful if you’re doing your workshop in a venue where you have not done registered the class, and you lack contact info for the group. That nice jar of business cards gives you fodder for your database.
5. Don’t oversell your coaching. Just mention it a few times lightly, and let the truly interested approach you. Better yet, instead of selling it, tell some stories (protecting confidentiality, of course) from your practice that demonstrate what you do. That gives you the power of attraction, as opposed to the stink of the hard sell. If you do your job effectively, they will come.
6. Stress the importance of getting support at some point in your presentation. Support is one thing that most people really deny themselves, yet that is so critical to success. And what better support is there than coaching? Seed it lightly but firmly in your talk.
7. Continue to do your workshop in any appropriate market. Nothing builds a base of clients like consistently getting out there. Your name gets heard, and your brand registers each time it does. You can travel locally or globally with this. But make a point of researching different markets to find your perfect group. I do this by seeing where other comparable workshop leaders are doing their thing, and I observe how they market themselves to these groups. Then I set up comparable tours.
As a successful small business owner,you're accustomed to long hours; non-existent holidays and weekends spent working. When was the last time you went to your dentist? When was the last time you had an uninterrupted night out with your partner? Whether your goal for 2005 is to find more time for family or personal enrichment --like attending classes and conferences -- you'll want to consider bringing on some help. The following tips can help you get started whether you want to bring on a team of 10 or an occasional backup! Don't expect to hire a replica of you! Each person you meet and interview will be a living, breathing human, with their own habits, mannerisms and even ideas! This is fine - -as long as their ideas and habits are not philosophically opposed to yours. My first hire, Jen, was pursuing a graduate degree, had just moved to the area and is nearly 20 years younger than I am! She's detail-oriented and relies on schedules to get things done. I'm a bit more 'seat of my pants' type of operator. She's a perfect fit because she complements my way of working! Over time she's grown into managing portions of my business that I neglected - like maintaining scheduling and billing. Know exactly what you expect from your new hire. Before you advertise for help, sit down and write a job description. List your goals for the new hire - do you want someone who can fill in on short notice when you need to take a day off, or do you want someone who can work a regular schedule? Do you want someone who can meet with clients, set their own schedules and attend meetings and events on your behalf or do you simply need someone who can pick up your overflow? By spending time working through your thoughts on hired help you are setting yourself up for a great working relationship. If you can clearly articulate the job to all applicants, they will have the opportunity to determine if this is a mutually agreeable fit. Be sure to concentrate on specific job-related descriptions, and not subjective information. Determine what type of manager you are! It's imperative that you’re honest about your workstyle. After all, if you say you want an independent thinker, but really do a lot of 'checking-in' you may end up with an unhappy helper. On the other hand, if you hire someone who needs lots of feedback, you need to be sure that you are cut-out for the 'people part' of the management process. Set aside time. If you expect to hire someone by the 15th of next month you may be setting yourself up for failure. Just as you can't expect to find a perfect replica of you - you can't always put a deadline on your hiring process. In other words, plan to advertise, interview and train until you find the RIGHT person. (SECRET TIP: If you find the right person - Hire them right away and then find work for them! Never pass up a great hire!) Ask your insurance carrier about your responsibility for insuring your team members. Whether you hire Independent Consultant's or Employees is a topic for another article, however, you need to make certain that your company is covered. Determine your time-off policy. Just like you, your team members will need time off - whether to recover from the flu or just to re- charge. How will you handle these absences? Create a disciplinary and review process. Whether you need to tackle issues of poor performance, or chronic absenteeism -- have a policy in place before you bring on your first team member. Questions to address in this process include: How many emergency absences are acceptable in a given time period? How will you deal with customer complaints and concerns? How will you reward outstanding performance? What format will you use to communicate with your team? Find a reputable company for conducting background checks. If your company’s product or service requires your employees to access clients’ homes, children or possessions do not overlook the importance of conducting a background check. You can search on the web, ask your insurance provider, or talk to your local police authorities for recommendations on companies to conduct this check for you. In each instance, you will need the applicant's signature and understanding that you will have a third party conduct a background check as a condition of employment. Create a Fact Sheet for Applicants that you can provide along with an application to interested candidates. This sheet should cover your basic job description, expectations and hiring process. Create your training program. Whether a detailed manual or one-on-one training for a specified period of time - make sure you have a written outline. Your training program should include all aspects of the job you expect your new hire to complete. Many misunderstandings and frustrations occur simply because a new hire didn't understand the expectations of the boss. By following these tips, you are well on your way to a happy and productive working relationship with all your new help!
FACT: 30 to 60% of visitors tend to drop off and click to another site when they are forced to click their mouse more often than necessary.
FACT: People who use the internet are usually those who are always on-the-go and don’t want to spend time figuring out how to navigate any web site.
FACT: It takes all of ten seconds for most first-time visitors to spend time on any web site before deciding if it's worth any attention.
Yes, it only takes ten seconds for viewers to get interested and stay a little longer to know more about your site and get the information they're looking for.
This is the main reason why the first page is the most important in any web site. Rule of thumb is to have a page that is direct to the point, doesn't waste time, and doesn't waste bandwidth. It's necessary that you get to the crux of your message and do it quick. Or else your audiences are outta here.
Studies prove that human nature cause to lose focus on whatever it is that we are paying attention to after the initial ten seconds. The mind seem to think that after ten seconds, either the object of attention gets better and interesting, or the attraction just fades because of too many things.
And ten seconds is important in any web designer's job. A designer has to remember that in ten seconds, the web page should be able to deliver something useful, if not everything.
One designer relates that ten seconds is enough for an average person to read a length of 40 words. And 40 words can mean a great deal of a good opening paragraph. The opening paragraph according to the designer is your "contract" with your reader. With your "contract", you promise to deliver what your viewer needs, in every page of your web site.
And in ten seconds, you should be able load your page and everything in it if possible. In addition, you should also take advantage of the text and its worth for your web site. Text is the first element that gets delivered upon connection. So make reading your text worthwhile. Deliver your promise, and deliver them good.
This is the essence of usability in the wide world of the web. Utilizing those precious ten seconds to deliver what you promise, and provide what your viewer needs. Use those ten seconds wisely. Plan, design and execute in ten seconds.
People go to your web site because of what they can get from it. Ten seconds is all it takes for viewers to know if you have what they need. So make your ten seconds count.
So you want to be successful, healthy, happily married, and rich? Do you feel like a successful, healthy, happily married, accepted, rich person? Or do feelings of resistance, frustration, anxiety, insecurities and deceit shadow you? Are you still feeling needy, lost, rejected and deprived? Do you "see" wealthy people as scavengers ready to gobble up the goods? Are you envious of what another has? Do you feel guilty and identify with poverty and failure? Are you surrounded by people who don't believe in you?If you feel negative about money, success and yourself, you are not resonating from the fulfillment of your prosperity dream. You are still being defined by lack.
If so, your desire for success will remain just that -a desire. If you continually feel depressed, annoyed, upset, and irritated with yourself or the outside world, you are generating negative vibrations. If you are someone who is used to suffering and not getting what you want from life, you are still living in a poverty/ failure vibrational frequency.If your old mental and emotional habits don't feel right anymore, stop wearing them, the way you would stop wearing a pair of shoes that don't fit. It is up to you to create an alternate future and set forces to work for you rather then against you.
Habits are like clothes, you wear them. They fit your personality and self-image. Some clothes make you feel like a million dollars while others make you feel fat. So often, we wear the same old clothes just because we are use to them.The same can be said for mental habits and feelings. Over 90% of your thoughts and reactions were learned. Whenever a situation arises that reminds you of the past you tend to interpret it through old emotional responses. If for example, you were whipped a lot, you have to help yourself move through your fearful feelings every time you see a whip. When you free this blocked emotion, whips are just whips. When you deal with your feelings using the Principle of Imaging you will heal your past memory and move into the present moment. Instead of being reactive you become proactive!
Here are 10 steps to Feeling Prosperous and Fulfilled.
1.Listen to your inner conversations. What are your mental habits telling you? A poverty mindset knows why things can't work out. A successful mindset always steps up to the plate and looks for a way to work through a crisis. Start having discussions with yourself the moment you feel a hysterical reaction coming on. If you get in the habit of intervening on your own behalf you will proceed to hold a correct attitude and change your emotional reactions.
2.Meet the Challenge. If you have a melt down and lose your focus, freak out, and go into an emotional tail spin, once it's over go back to your image and refocus. You don't have to beat yourself up because you lost it. A fall out doesn't have to become a major set back. You are learning to identify when you are vibrating from an error pattern. Things may still scare and upset you for awhile .You are in the process of building self- trust and self-confidence. You will be able to meet an obstacle every step of the way once you develop a good relationship with your deeper Self.
3.Congratulate yourself.Give yourself credit when you react to a negative situation as an opportunity rather then a setback. Get in the habit of comforting and nourishing yourself when things don't go right and you will not succumb to destructive emotions. Each time you do this you will make a deposit into your emotional security bank. And feeling safe and secure is the vibration that attracts prosperity. Keep investing in yourself and you will resonate with abundance and optimism. Before you know it, you will start feeling entitled to having good relationships and success!
4.Throw off the old you like a snake shedding its skin. If something happens that threatens your peace of mind reassure yourself that all is well. How? Direct all of your attention to that which is good. Focus is the winner's companion. In time you will learn how to keep your cool when the boogie monster shows up.
5.Treat yourself well.You don't need to prove that you are a failure anymore. You need to treat yourself like someone you love and care about. Once you get in the habit of feeling lovable and acceptable you will repel abusive people.
6.Let go.It is time to clean house and surrender your concepts of lack. Why allow negative people to scramble your brain? Why keep reminding yourself of painful uncomfortable times? Let go and let the Power work for you. Let go means let go! Make room for the money, success, healing, and fulfilling relationships you desire to be drawn to you. You deserve to feel like you are # 1. If you need to have a good cry, have it. Once your eyes have dried persist to let the "old you" go. Do this and you will invite (vibrate with) the fulfillment of your dream into your life.
7.Accept Responsibility.Make changes gradually and you will start feeling better about yourself. Just image. How many times should you do an image? Do it and do it and do it until you change your emotional point of attraction.
8.Commit to new results.Keep your partnership between your conscious and subconscious mind strong and success will be your closest companion.
9.Feel like a million bucks.Feel good. The Power to Create is anchored in the present moment. If you want to realize your dream for success start feeling grateful about your success. Accentuate the positive and you'll build up your vibrational frequency.
10.Don't look back!Once you have consciously imaged a new result don't turn your attention back to your former concept of yourself. If you do, you will re impress yourself with what you don't want and go back to a lower emotional frequency. Success, health, happiness and wealth don't just pop in. Most visionaries who are wealthy, successful, healthy, and happy have certain things in common. These people have a certain mindset that include big dreams, good habits, imagination, strong positive beliefs, unshakable inner confidence and a connection to The Source of All That Is. They don't just "talk the talk, they walk the walk".Someone who uses Spiritual Principles to attract positive outcomes simply focuses his or her conscious mind and absorbs new ideas until he or she feels entitled to the gift of a new experience. This type of person loves and enjoys the adventure of life. They attract money, opportunities, good people, and harmonious situations that reflect their mindset. They are passionate about feeling their joy the way some people are passionate about their golf game.People who know how to vibrate from higher emotions do not attract negative people who cling to them like lead weights. They attract people who believe in them and are in harmony with similar creative results.
Once they know how to apply the Principle of Imaging, it wouldn't matter if the money went away. Their awareness of how the Universe operates and their confidence would simply get them to start imaging all over again. Knowing that the Law of Identical Harvest is always at work, they would simply step up to the plate and hit a home run.The only thing standing between you and the fulfillment of your dream is an opposing belief and feeling not bad luck or a past life.If you truly want to bring the object of your thought into manifestation you have to make a decision to get in the habit of feeling prosperous, happy, grateful, accepted, healthy, loved and successful here and now.
Remember, there is no one to change but yourself
As a successful small business owner,you're accustomed to
long hours; non-existent holidays and weekends spent working.
When was the last time you went to your dentist? When was the
last time you had an uninterrupted night out with your partner?
Whether your goal for 2005 is to find more time for family or
personal enrichment --like attending classes and conferences --
you'll want to consider bringing on some help.
The following tips can help you get started whether you want to
bring on a team of 10 or an occasional backup!
Don't expect to hire a replica of you! Each person you meet and
interview will be a living, breathing human, with their own
habits, mannerisms and even ideas! This is fine - -as long as
their ideas and habits are not philosophically opposed to yours.
My first hire, Jen, was pursuing a graduate degree, had just
moved to the area and is nearly 20 years younger than I am!
She's detail-oriented and relies on schedules to get things
done. I'm a bit more 'seat of my pants' type of operator. She's
a perfect fit because she complements my way of working! Over
time she's grown into managing portions of my business that I
neglected - like maintaining scheduling and billing.
Know exactly what you expect from your new hire. Before you
advertise for help, sit down and write a job description. List
your goals for the new hire - do you want someone who can fill
in on short notice when you need to take a day off, or do you
want someone who can work a regular schedule? Do you want
someone who can meet with clients, set their own schedules and
attend meetings and events on your behalf or do you simply need
someone who can pick up your overflow? By spending time working
through your thoughts on hired help you are setting yourself up
for a great working relationship. If you can clearly articulate
the job to all applicants, they will have the opportunity to
determine if this is a mutually agreeable fit. Be sure to
concentrate on specific job-related descriptions, and not
subjective information.
Determine what type of manager you are! It's imperative that
you’re honest about your workstyle. After all, if you say you
want an independent thinker, but really do a lot of
'checking-in' you may end up with an unhappy helper. On the
other hand, if you hire someone who needs lots of feedback, you
need to be sure that you are cut-out for the 'people part' of
the management process.
Set aside time. If you expect to hire someone by the 15th of
next month you may be setting yourself up for failure. Just as
you can't expect to find a perfect replica of you - you can't
always put a deadline on your hiring process. In other words,
plan to advertise, interview and train until you find the RIGHT
person. (SECRET TIP: If you find the right person - Hire them
right away and then find work for them! Never pass up a great
hire!)
Ask your insurance carrier about your responsibility for
insuring your team members. Whether you hire Independent
Consultant's or Employees is a topic for another article,
however, you need to make certain that your company is covered.
Determine your time-off policy. Just like you, your team members
will need time off - whether to recover from the flu or just to
re- charge. How will you handle these absences?
Create a disciplinary and review process. Whether you need to
tackle issues of poor performance, or chronic absenteeism --
have a policy in place before you bring on your first team
member. Questions to address in this process include: How many
emergency absences are acceptable in a given time period? How
will you deal with customer complaints and concerns? How will
you reward outstanding performance? What format will you use to
communicate with your team?
Find a reputable company for conducting background checks. If
your company’s product or service requires your employees to
access clients’ homes, children or possessions do not overlook
the importance of conducting a background check. You can search
on the web, ask your insurance provider, or talk to your local
police authorities for recommendations on companies to conduct
this check for you. In each instance, you will need the
applicant's signature and understanding that you will have a
third party conduct a background check as a condition of
employment.
Create a Fact Sheet for Applicants that you can provide along
with an application to interested candidates. This sheet should
cover your basic job description, expectations and hiring
process.
Create your training program. Whether a detailed manual or
one-on-one training for a specified period of time - make sure
you have a written outline. Your training program should include
all aspects of the job you expect your new hire to complete.
Many misunderstandings and frustrations occur simply because a
new hire didn't understand the expectations of the boss.
By following these tips, you are well on your way to a happy and
productive working relationship with all your new help!
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