Uncomfortable landscaper conversation…
Saratoga Springs, NY
I was seated at a round table with six landscape business owners discussing each company’s hiring processes. The goal of the conversation was to “improve” each company’s hiring process by sharing ideas. Then…
One contractor said, “I want to ask you guys something. Have you noticed that you just can’t find any people who really want to work anymore? Especially young people. These kids only work about half the time they are on the clock. What happened to people?”
As soon as the question had been asked, another contractor jumped into the conversation. “Yes. You are right. These kids these days. They just don’t seem to want to work.”
One-by-one, each contractor shared a comment or personal experience where employees were falling short of employer expectations. I took a deep breath, “Not again”, I thought to myself. “Let’s not start the complain-game today.”
It’s sad really. These contractors had gathered to work ON their business. But here we sit sharing our frustration, disappointments and a variety of employee challenges. The discussion was not going to help fix the problem.
We know being an employer is tough work. We’ve been an employer since 1987 (35 years and counting). We’ve been lied to, stolen from, sued by and been greatly disappointed by our share of employees over the years. But… along the way, we’ve learned how to find, hire and keep great employees with confidence.
You see. To be an employer, you will always have to hire employees. It’s part of the job. If you are frustrated with the responsibility of hiring, it’s a good sign you would benefit from education on the subject of finding, hiring and keeping great employees.
Back to our small group roundtable discussion on the subject of improving hiring processes…
I said, “You know something guys? Now is the perfect time for you to develop your “Perfect Invitation Employee Recruiting Script”. Think of it like this.”
“What would you say to a well qualified employee who might be looking for a job? What would you say to make them feel like the job opportunity in your company is a good fit? What would you say to a prospective employee that would turn away the unqualified, lazy or dishonest candidate? What questions do prospective employees ask you during interviews? If you answer these questions in writing, you will have your “Perfect Invitation Script”.”
“Oh”, one landscape business owner said, “It’s the end of the season. I don’t really need to add any employees right now.”
Yes…I get it. Landscape work can be seasonal for many contractors. Many contractors slow down in the winter months. Layoffs and reduction in workforce is quite common.
But the winter season is the absolute best time of the year to work ON your business systems. In fact, the winter season is a perfect time to work on YOUR business skills like recruiting prospective employees.
After 35 years as an employer, here’s a little secret I’ve learned.
I’ve found the off-season to be the perfect time to find great candidates. There’s a lot less competition from landscapers trying to hire employees in the off-season. And…it doesn’t cost a lot to shop for employees if you learn how to automate your recruiting.
One of the contractors said, “Automate your recruiting? How could you do that?”
I said, “It all starts with the “Perfect Invitation Script”. I’ve developed a formula for how to write such a script. There’s three things you need. These include your company vision for the future, feedback from a few of your existing employees and a few details from your policy manual. You just follow the formula…sort of like fill in the blanks or paint by numbers. And you will be able to create your “Perfect Invitation Script”.
I could tell there was some skepticism among my tablemates. But they had listened and four of the six had taken notes as I explained a few more of the details.
About that time, the moderator said we were out of time. For the moment, the discussion was put on hold.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Here’s one way you can make massive progress to improve your skills as an employer…without leaving your home and paying for tuition for a seminar.
We invite you to purchase a limited edition copy of The Landscaper’s Guide to Finding, Hiring and Keeping Great Employees. Order online before October 31, 2023 and you will get a 50% discount off the purchase price.
We know that your Time is your most valuable asset. We know you are already busy. We know that reading a book might not be on the top of your priority list. But it should be. Here’s why.
The only competitive advantage you can count on for your company…year after year…decade after decade…in fact, generation after generation…is to outlearn your competition.
We continue to see technology advance and human behavior shift. Some folks look at the changes and predict problems. Some look at the same issues and see opportunities. Who is right?
Both are right.
You see, whatever you believe to be true, you will likely find supporting evidence everywhere you look.
Getting access to a step-by-step system that improves your hiring system could be worth hundreds to thousands of dollars to you.
For example, if your time is worth $100 per hour and you improve your hiring systems in such a way to cut 10 hours of wasted time on dead-end employee interviews each year, you just saved yourself $1000.
Another way to look at it is this. Let’s say you are one key employee away from helping you provide a better customer experience in your company. And let’s say that one key employee helps you service five more top accounts in the next year, that could be worth thousands of dollars in new revenue.
Or perhaps the new employees you hire will allow you to fill a new 3 person crew for next season. A new crew can generate $300k to $600k in annual revenue. Are you starting to understand how important it is to improve your hiring process and your skills as an employer?
There’s nothing that will insure your future wealth more than becoming a confident employer. An employer that learns how to recruit, hire and retain employees will always be able to grow their business and support their family.
Give it a try. Order your copy of The Landscaper’s Guide to Finding, Hiring and Keeping Great Employees. If you read the book and don’t learn at least one thing to improve your company, we will refund the purchase price, no questions asked.
I look forward to working with you.
Tony Bass, author
866-923-0027
PS – The 50% discount price expires at midnight on October 31 2023. So go ahead and click here so we can get your copy of The Landscaper’s Guide to Finding, Hiring and Keeping Great Employees. Included with your book is bonus online access to 7 powerful employee management tools including:
- A well-written Company Handbook perfect for landscapers.
- An Employee Incident Report to help you manage employee relationships.
- A Job Description Example to help you improve recruiting and job performance.
- Employee Phone Interview script to help you identify winning applicants in 10 minutes.
- A Professional Job Offer that helps you attract winners with average pay rates.
- Employee Review Interview Form to help you keep the best employees growing.
- The Moving Up In This Company Training Program that builds a career path inside a small but growing company.
These bonuses could save you countless hours as you build your employee systems. If you decide The Landscaper’s Guide to Finding, Hiring and Keeping Great Employees book is not helpful for your company, you can return it for a 100% refund. But you can keep the 7 free bonus tools as our gift.
Once more, the special 50% off purchase price ends at midnight October 31, 2023.
