This has been an excellent year for most companies in our industry. Despite that fact, the combination of increased leads and labor shortage has led many owners and executives to make decisions that are detrimental to their businesses including:

1. Hiring sales personnel and installers that are not qualified effectively or do not value the position; and
2. Devaluing or over-qualifying leads that are deemed to be too challenging to sell.

The result of these decisions leads to a steep decline in profitability. Worse, it fosters a corporate culture that leaves you unprepared to handle differing challenges in 2022.

Every lead and every new hire should be valued the same, regardless of your revenue, growth, or market conditions.

Dave Yoho Associates advocates the use of a scientifically structured recruiting and hiring methodology that identifies ideal job candidates, nurtures their interest level, and sets appropriate expectations for their success.

Here is a (compressed) outline to maximize your recruiting and hiring success:

Choosing Your Channels

• Don’t rely solely on online recruiting channels. Test the effectiveness of offline methods to maximize your reach.
• Develop an employee referral program with an incentive plan that encourages participation.
• Create a website or landing page to present your job opportunities.
• Maximize your social media presence by participating in groups and forums.

Ad Creation and Placement

• Who should create and place your ads?
• Test your ads on different platforms and measure the return on investment.
• What timing and frequency works the best?
• Create a brief (1–2-minute) video featuring current employees that focuses on the differentiation and values of your company.

Initial Response and Conversation

• Determine the best personnel for inbound and outbound phone screens.
• Phone screen scripting should immediately uncover personnel who are “not a fit,” do not have a high level of interest, or submitted their resume without looking at the opportunity.
• All online applicants must receive an auto-response that appears personalized. Ideally, you should call the applicant within 2-3 minutes of their indicated interest.
• Always get their cell phone number.

Scheduling the In-Person Interview

• Schedule interviews immediately (the same day if possible). The longer it takes you to see the applicant will decrease their level of interest.
• Use every touch point to nurture the value of the position and remind them of their interview time (phone, email, text).
• If possible, stagger your interview times so that individuals are not sitting and waiting too long.
• Highlight the address of your company and any challenges that may occur in finding your place of business.

Conducting the Interview:

• Share the names of each in-person candidate with your administrative assistant or similar person. Every individual should receive a positive affirmation about their interest in your company.
• Provide an application that is non-biased and gets three references.
• Utilize a DISC Behavioral Profile or similar assessment to uncover hidden information about their “fit” for the position.
• Conduct the interview with the completed application and assessment on your desk and refer to specifics.
• Use a combination of encouragement and challenging questions. For sales applicants, if they cannot handle a difficult interview question, how can they be expected to sell to your prospects?

Remember, if someone is hired without having to fight for the position, you are performing a disservice to yourself, your company, and the applicant.

Brad Yoho is vice president of Dave Yoho Associates.