When you hire someone new, the on boarding process is the most crucial part of that employees lifespan with you. It sets the tone for what it looks like to work here. - Is everyone lazy and waiting to be told what to do? - Should they know your core values and live by them? - Is it a wake up hustle and win type of environment? - Do they think for themselves and solve problems? - How fast is the pace and what are the expectations? - And are they given the tools, training and scripts to be successful in their job? I have redone my onboarding every year since I started. Always making it better. And our hiring process is getting more specific and our employees are coming out of training more prepared for the job. If you don’t have a training manual set up yet, here is what it should look like: - Greeting from the owner and welcome to work - The company’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values - An overview of the business and services - An overview of the work this employee will be doing - A daily view of the work this employee will be doing - KPI’s and metrics that the employee will be accountable for. - Vehicle expectations like driving score, cleanliness, restocking, and the fee for turning in a dirty truck when their employment ends. - Clock in and out expectations, personal hygiene, dress code - Gas card expectations, supply runs, and communication expectations for any other purchases - Individual job breakdowns. Go through every type of service that you do and write a detailed description of that service, a step-by-step walk-through on how to do that service, the equipment and tools needed for that service, customer expectations, sales scripts, pricing, and warranty information. - Technology training. Walk-through any use of technology for this employee. This may be supplemented by videos that you create. - Advancement or progression paths so your employee can see their future and work towards it on their own. - Holidays observed by the company marked as paid or unpaid - Current benefits and their limitations - Termination reasons, process, and any fees that will be withheld from their final check

I have found that a really good sales rep will pay for themselves and maybe even teach you a few things. Not just a good one. A phenomenal sales rep. They come with experience and they may have a few tricks you haven’t seen. And if they came from a bigger company, they may have seen the service done differently or better than yours so leverage that employee’s knowledge to see if you could be more efficient or take on a new service. Sales is one of the easiest positions to manage. 1. Set their minimum quota based on sales from each month last year + 5%. 2. If they don’t hit that number, put them on a PIP. For the next 3 months they have to hit 80% then 90% then 100% of quota. If they miss a month, they get let go. 3. Set their commissions to grow AFTER they hit their minimum quota. Our reps are required to hit $50k. Once they hit their number, their commission grows only 1-2% at a time for the first 3 levels. And then it grows increasingly after that. This is to set the standard that at the minimum, you won’t make much money. But if you push past that you will make boatloads. This mitigates your risk and reserves a fat payday for the sales rep to the point when you can afford it. 4. Know when it’s time to hire your next sales rep. How many leads or appointments can one rep handle? What thresholds will you create so you have guidelines to make your next hire?

Did you get stuck on something this week? Did you try something new this week? Did you get some bad news, or fire someone this week? Did you make as much revenue or profit as you planned? Did you get interrupted too many times during the day and feel like you got nothing done? Did employees cause any new problems? Was it hard to get inventory? Did too many people call out sick? Look back at your week and post your roadblocks here

This is the #1 sales objection I see across industries. The person in front of you defers their decision making powers to someone not in the room. Why would they do that? They don’t feel overwhelmed by the value, so they worry they are making a bad choice. So instead, they deflect to the need of a cheerleader. Does that cheerleader have all of the information? No. They weren’t there for your presentation. They won’t see the value, so it will turn into a price decision or brand recognition decision. If you find yourself having this objection frequently, it’s not them, it’s YOU. You are failing to build the value before the pitch. I’ll make a separate post on this. Let’s work on the objection itself. Method 1: Bring the power back Why are they the chosen one to be at the home during your inspection? Because they are the one who spends the money. They are the caretaker of the home. They deal with these things. Or the other spouse can’t be there so they have delegated. All of these reasons are the reasons why they ARE the decision maker. Re-empower them to make that decision. **Word track: “Ohh I get it. Well I don’t wanna leave you in a bad spot. I couldn’t expect you to repeat everything I just went through for your spouse. So let’s just make sure you can answer their questions. What questions do you think they will have? … (it always boils down to price and reputation, if it’s anything else - you didn’t do a good job in the education portion before the pitch) … Ok so it’s just the money? And if you’re not jumping on board right this second it’s probably because it’s higher than you were either expecting or hoping to pay am I right? Check the boxes close: Perfect now we’re getting somewhere. Look I’ve done this thousands of times and the most common thing that people are looking for are: -A thorough inspection -An expert that can 100% solve their problem -A mom and Pop shop because you’re spending your money locally and you get better customer service -A place with a human that answers the phone

The more often we go out with our team and spend time together after work, the less negativity spreads within the team when they don’t like something. This also goes for spouses. As often as possible, invite your team’s spouse along to outings. Their spouse is their cheerleader when they’re having a tough time. Give their spouse something to cheer for and help them to like the business as well. If their husband or wife thinks that you are a good owner and likes that they get invited to things and can tell what kind of person you are and is friends with your wife or husband, when things get tough they will give you the benefit of the doubt. I made a post on Facebook about working hard and giving it. You’re all every day and you will be noticed and it was very interesting to see the response. So many people had negative things to say about their employer and how they were never noticed. Taking your team out is a great way for them to feel noticed and rewarded. It doesn’t have to be expensive either. -Breakfast at IHOP -Batting cage -Tickets to a baseball game -Bowling -Rent a movie theater and invite the entire family -Take them to lunch anytime you do a ride along -Bring their favorite drink when you meet them at a job -Watch the fights at Buffalo Wild Wings -Barbecue swim party at your house for families Pro tip: Bring your kid or spouse with you. Let your team get to know your family. It’s good for kids to see their mom/dad work. And it’s great for your spouse to know as many of your team as possible since you probably talk about the team with them at home. Plus it tightens the circle even more. And for this example, I got to write-off taking my kid to a baseball game. Win-win