In this Issue:  Mediocre Employees Don’t Build Great Companies

(By Grant D. Robinson, President of People Values & Creator of the Market Leadership System)

 

  

            If you are not reaching your productivity, sales and revenue goals for 2006, it is time to figure out why.  Especially since the year is more than half over. 

 

            We’ve found through helping business owners and managers build great companies since 2000, greatness is a goal of every driven leader.  Though greatness can be defined many different ways.  Here are some of the ways our clients define greatness:

• Become their market’s most respected company
• Double (or triple) productivity from one year to the next
• Saturate their geographic sales area with the most profitable stores/office
• Touch and improve the lives of more clients than their counterparts
• Dominate the marketplace to the point that competitors are forced to close their businesses

 

            Whatever your vision of greatness is, this month’s article will show you how to build a great company as you accomplish all of your important professional (& personal) business goals.

 

YOUR Business Success Formula

 

            Here is a formula I realized early in business:  Great People make Great Companies!  Through helping business leaders attract & hire the most productive people in their industries, we’ve seen many organizations become great. 

 

            Organizations that at one time were mediocre.  Not only would we classify them as mediocre, that is how they described themselves.  They were not reaching their productivity, sales or profit potential and their leaders were not accomplishing their dreams. 

 

           Unfortunately, many of our clients had tried just about everything by the time they became partners of People Values; including: new software, moving locations, teamwork and motivation consultants, creating “infrastructure” and reorganizations.  All of these strategies were not only time consuming but very costly. 

 

            Then they took our advice from one of my monthly newsletters, an article, a free workshop or a client referral: “Put the right people in every one of your positions and take your organization to the next level of success.”  No matter how little organization or infrastructure you have in place, TOP Performers will naturally succeed and grow your business. 

 

To Learn How to Attract & Hire Only TOP Performers Right NOW, Follow This Link!  (http://www.peoplevalues.com)

 

 

What is YOUR Sales Potential?

 

            TOP Performing employees are 5 to 8 times more productive (& profitable) than average, mediocre employees.  The quickest and easiest way to double or triple your profits is to replace all non-performers with TOP Performers.

 

            To prove this point, complete the following exercise to realize what your Sales Potential is with TOP Performers in every Sales Position:

 

1.  Write down your number of Salespeople:  _____

2.  What is the monthly average sales of your TOP 20%?  $______________

3.  What is the monthly average sales of your “Workplace Survivors”  $______________
            (Your Workplace Survivors are what we at People Values call the other 80%)

4.  What is the gap between the two?  $_____________  (#2 minus #3)

5.  Gap $___________  X  #____ of “Workplace Survivors”  =  $____________

           

            The total in #5 is your Monthly Sales Losses (to your competitors)

 

6.  #5____________  X  12 (for months in the year)  =  $__________________

 

            The total in #6 is your Annual Sales Loss. 

 

            To realize YOUR Sales Potential with TOP Performers in every position, add the total in #6 to your 2005 sales.  This is what your 2006 sales would be if you employed only TOP Performers.

 

5 Keys to a Successful “People” Process

 

            Without a Successful “People” Process of recruiting and hiring TOP Performing Employees, the odds are you’ll never become a Great Company.  To accomplish your goals, it is important to follow these 5 Keys:

 

1.  There’s No Luck Involved in Hiring TOP Performers

            Great companies are dominating their markets because they have created and follow strict hiring standards and benchmarks and don’t leave hiring decisions up to instinct, chance or luck.  National studies prove, only 1 in 7 of those hired with just a resume, interview & “gut feel” (AKA: luck) are with a company a year later, performing as expected. 

 

2.  Realize the Importance of the “Right” People in Your Business

            The exercise above should show you how important your people are to your bottom line.  You must realize, nothing has more of an affect on your success than your people.  TOP Performers will make you great.  Mediocre people will cause you to struggle.

 

3.  Every Position…

            There is no unimportant position in your company.  When you have an employee that can’t show up for work on time, perform as expected, get along with others, etc., you must replace them before they start affecting your company morale, customer service, productivity and profitability.  Usually your lowest paid employees have the greatest affect on your bottom line, due to their continual interaction with your clients... 

 

4.  …At Every Level

            …Your managers have the greatest affect on the prerequisites for greatness: retention, motivation & productivity.  80% of past employees claim they quit because of their managers, not because of the job.  Proving although it’s important to hire the right people, it’s just as important to develop your leaders.  (Learn How Here! http://www.peoplevalues.com/dlvideo.htm)

           

5.  Use a Proven Process

            If you don’t have a process for recruiting and hiring the best people in your industry, you’ll never become as successful as your market’s leaders.  If you have a selection process that doesn’t seem to be working, improve it today.  The most successful leaders have adopted and then customized processes to staff their teams with only TOP Performers.  To build a great company, you need to do the same.