As a former recruiter and HR representative I can tell you that finding, getting and keeping the right employees is the backbone to a successful company.  There is a direct connection between top-line growth and having the right employees that understand and are aligned with the company’s brand. Simply understanding this doesn’t make the process of finding and securing the right talent any easier. There are many schools of thought on the subject of attracting talent and hiring, but in the end the majority of companies are fishing for talent out of the same pond.

The internet has change the nature of the hiring process and all but eliminated the tradition of placing an advertisement in the newspaper.  Now out of work employees use companies such as Monster.com or Careerbuilding.com to post their resumes as well as applying directly on that company’s web site. This has automated and streamlined the search process for employers but has not necessarily made the decision of who is most qualified for that specific position any easier.  However, what hasn’t change for job seekers is the presence of Job Fairs.  This is still a very traditional avenue for employers to search for candidates who are looking to possible start a new career in a different field or to simply search for a company who is hiring.  Although companies who attend have the possibility of meeting a large number of job seeking candidates, is this the best pond to be fishing from?  The next logical question then is who attends these job fairs?  Simply put it is those who don’t have jobs.  However if companies are truly looking to hire the best candidates, those candidates are already employed. The bigger question then is how do you get those candidates away from their current job and into your company?

The constant struggle for HR departments is how to find the best talent for the company.  This could be made easier if companies hired the best talent available regarding of prior training.  The choice is whether you want to train them to fit your company needs or if you want to  re-train them from how they were previously trained, by someone else.  If the best talent is already employed chances are then the normal channels that companies use to advertise open positions will not be effective.   Here are a few ideas that may be more effective:

1.       Referral Program- why not provide an incentive to your current employees for candidates that get hired.

2.       Start a contest for within your company for the most creative advertising ideas.

3.       Utilizing Social Networking sites such as Facebook, Linkedin , etc. Take advantage of how quickly information can be shared within people’s networks.

Once the best candidates are found and selected the work doesn’t stop there.  Successful companies have great new hire orientation and training programs.  It is simply not good enough to throw your new hires into a conference room and have them fill out paperwork and watch videos about your company, culture and brand.  If you do not provide a great training program you are risking losing the very employees that you worked so hard to get. Thus, the first day activities are crucial to the longevity of the employee and the company. Instead of watching videos about what the company is about, why not show them what the customer experience is by involving them in what your customers actually experience. 

The process of hiring and training new employees is not a static process. It needs to continually be refined so that companies are always raising the bar in regards to talent and management. HR guru John Sullivan states it this way: “So as you raise the quality of your talent, you’ve also got to raise the quality of your management.”
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One thing you have to look hard to see in business is companies or employees being original or going against the grain. Why is originality often viewed as a risk instead of an asset? It seems that once we step into our workplace we check our personality and originality at the door.   Fear may be one of the reasons why but I don’t believe it’s acting alone.  Before we look at another possible reason, let’s dig deeper into this lack of originality. Are we under the impression that business can only be successful if all companies think and act alike?  Many companies may differ in product offerings, advertising and price but deep down at its core, most companies are more similar than we would like to believe.  When companies are increasing their revenues and increasing shareholder value, it’s hard to argue that another way would be better. The more a company is successful the less chance of it breaking out of the conformity and into originality. However, if a company is still conducting business as usual and yet not being successful, then they are living out the definition of insanity.  If we are doing things the same way that everyone else is, why do we think we are going to do it better than them?

When a company is original and unique, they demand attention.  A couple of examples of this are Southwest Airlines and Craig’s List, which were highlighted in “Mavericks at Work”. Southwest airlines decided to offer a no frills service which in the end proved that they could operate by keeping fares low and put forth an easy to use service for its customers. Southwest is original in how it interacts with its customer s, by using humor and a more personal approach which offsets the amenities that most all other airlines provide.  The key to Southwest’s success was not that it offers the lowest fares but provided an alternative. Southwest Airlines flew more passengers in 2005 than any other airline. This is just one example that proves that originality is an asset. Craig’s list is another example of a company that was original in its business model and continues to be a great success story to this day. Craig’s List is unique in that they don’t take the same approach that traditional companies do. They don’t focus on branding; they spend zero dollars on advertising, they don’t have a logo and they don’t conduct focus groups.  However what makes them a great example is that in spite of all this, they have one of the strongest brands for their size company.  To most companies this would seem like a big risk or a death sentence. We typically think that throwing money into advertising and branding will gain market share. These two examples show us that traditional business is not the only avenue to success.

The second reason which keeps many companies and employees from being original or going against the grain is that they don’t understand their purpose or what their companies stand for. Author William Taylor states it this way, “What you stand for is as important as what you sell or produce.”   Both Southwest Airlines and Craig’s List have not only been intentional about who they are and what they stand for but more importantly, their customers perfectly understand this as well.  “A good barometer for finding out if your customers and employees understand what your company stands for is to listen to how they talk about the company.”  What they talk about is evidence in what they have experienced firsthand.  Companies that are original and willing to go against the grain understand that the rewards to being original far outweigh any perceived risk.  
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Death by Jargon 02/13/2010
 
It seems like every time you turn around there is a new business training program out there or someone has writing a book about the “latest and the greatest” way to conduct business better, or say something in a different way.  When you stop to look at these programs or books, most of these are not new ideas but merely repackaged in a new or different way.  As our world becomes more connected digitally and the speed of business increases, we have forgotten the motto of “keep things simple”.  We have gotten sidetracked and forgot that in business it is better to inform than to impress.  Companies continue to try to impress by using jargon or creating new acronyms rather than just using non-business, everyday language. As Mark Twain once said, “I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English- it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it, don’t let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in.”

Today’s primary currency is not money but information.  If companies are to remain leaders in their respective industries and fields, they must remain “thought leaders”.  Consumers and employees look not only to their leaders for inspiration but more importantly for information. This cannot be accomplished by focusing on flashy complicated jargon but rather using language that will resonate with the audience we are trying to reach.  As a salesperson or businessman, a large component of information as currency is persuasion; however this does not need to be weighted with nonsensical jargon.  I believe today more than ever we have underestimated the value of persuasion. It is not only a critical part of negotiation but is used on a daily basis, in many areas of life. This can be demonstrated in simply asking for something from your boss such as additional time off or as complex as interviewing for a promotion. How important is persuasion in negotiations or day to day business?  A study was done in 1995 by Donald McCloskey who concluded that one quarter of the gross domestic product is linked to persuasion. Persuasion is not about the jargon we use but rather it’s about how we say share the information and the words we use that is important.   

If you watched this year’s Super Bowl you saw a great example of a company that took a simple idea and advertised it in a persuasive way. Notice as you watch the video below how they avoided jargon, remained simple and yet were persuasive.
In summary, keep these points in mind:

1.       Use non-business speech in the workplace. “Remember, you don’t have to lose your personality when you step into your workplace on Monday morning.”

2.       Avoid using acronyms. Never use your own internal company acronyms when speaking to a customer. This will inevitably make the person feel like they are an outsider

3.       It is better to inform that to impress.

4.       To be an industry leader, remember that information not money is today’s primary currency.

5.       Straight talkers usually get more credit.

In “Why Business People speak like idiots”, author Brian Fuguere, so poignantly states “When you have nothing to say jargon is the best way to say it.”
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Brand Trust 02/07/2010
 
When you think of your favorite brand, what emotions or feelings does that brand produce?  Are they feelings of security, success or even a sense of belonging?  A great brand will not only make you want to do business with them or buy their products, but will make you feel that you are someway connected to the brand. This is marketing at its best as it fulfills a human need; the need to feel that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. This is known as “brand trust”. “Brand trust” not only produces repeat customers, but allows a company to expand their product offerings or delve into a new market at less risk that those who don’t have “brand trust”. Or said another way, each brand has at its center something that gives it strength, once “brand trust” is established, therefore allowing them to take risks. These new products become the spokes of their center strength. As a company, you must understand what your strength is before you can grow it.

A common misconception among companies is that they believe a brand is something they produce, or something it does. On the contrary, brand is how you do it.  It is not the strengths or value proposition that your company or product brings to market but rather it is how your customers view your products or connect with it in a personal way.  The brand may even encompass more than your actual product as in the case of Starbucks.  Founder and CEO, Howard Schultz tells a story about a barista who once told him that “We are not as he once thought, in the coffee business serving people, but rather in the people business serving coffee”.  Early on Starbucks realized how critical their front line employees (baristas) were to the overall brand.  If they took care of the baristas by offering them great benefits and working conditions, this in turn would result in greater customer loyalty and trust in their brand. I think no one can argue about the success that Starbucks has had not only in growing their business but creating one of the truly great brands in business today.

“Brand trust” is not easily earned but can be easily lost. Companies should be very cautious when they are producing new products or launching new marketing strategies.  Perhaps reflecting on whether or not this product will coincide with the overall brand or asking if it will help build brand awareness. If the answers to these questions cause one to pause, these product ideas possibly have the potential to damage the brand

In the end, building” brand trust” is more than just having a great marketing strategy or creating great advertisements.  It is about connecting your company and products in a personal way with your customers.  What are you doing to build “brand trust” Do you know what your competitors are doing?

 

For further reading on this topic: “A New Brand World”, Scott Bedburry.

 
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