Old Guys Rule!

— by Jim Hinshaw

What would a seasoned veteran bring to the table, and how can we use them to help scale our business?

I just recently had a conversation in which someone asked me how to find young people who could be part of his organization. My first response was that you have to hang out where they are. They are on social media, which is more than just Facebook. I saw a study that showed 80% of employees are not happy with their job, but only 20% have posted resumes on the employment sites. The rest are engaged in social watching for new opportunities.

But why limit the search to young people? I am aware that the trades are physically demanding, and younger folks have the ability to move faster and longer than us old guys. So, what would a seasoned veteran bring to the table, and how can we use them to help scale our business?

 

Experience Matters

First, they have experience. They have seen things that will stop some of the less experienced team members on the spot. This is the concept behind “supervisors.” They are available for questions from a future tech, or apprentice or helper, whatever you call them. We see this played out in the call-by-call concept, where someone calls the customer prior to the tech arriving, giving a background on the tech, and letting the customer know they are available when the tech is on the call to give feedback and answer any questions, and provide more information if needed.

Service Nation has companies that use the concept really well. One supervisor can work with multiple technicians, and they can help if a sales opportunity arises. Supervisors don’t have to be in the home. Our phones have cameras that can give that supervisor all the information needed to prepare an investment package.

Taking the idea of seasoned employees a step further, another key concept we use is for relationships. My son, Jonathan, works for a global company that helps internet companies scale their businesses. They have tools and systems that can help young website developers improve the business.

He was in need of another sales rep, and rather than go the old school way of posting ads, and so on, he reached into his Rolodex (see, an old guy concept). Rather he searched in his phone, found a guy who worked with him in the past, maybe 10 years ago, and connected again. The guy came on board, and Jonathan shared he had an excellent week, selling four out of five packages they did that week.

 

First-Hand Experience with Tough Times

The other things you get with the old guys is that they have seen the markets improve and slow down. They’ve been through COVID-19, with its ups and downs, recessions and strong economic times, and everything in between. They know not to get too used to the strong seasons. They also know to put together an emergency marketing plan for those days when the phone stops ringing. They know the value of hiring slow (checking references), and firing fast. In regards to firing fast, in most cases when you fire an underperforming employee, that employee will do better at the next job, and the rest of the team is glad they are gone.

I am not saying to ignore the younger generation. We need team members who can move fast and help us with the new software programs and technology that we need to run these businesses with today. My point is that we need to look at the valuable experience that can be found in the older generation as well. A phrase that comes to mind is something about an old dog and new tricks. It just may be that there is value in some of the old tricks.

Thanks for listening, we’ll talk later.

Jim Hinshaw is vice-president of sales for Service Nation, a best-practices group focused on the trades. Service Nation has systems and tools to help you on your journey, no matter if you are $250,000 a year or $250 million a year. Yes, we have members at both those levels. He can be reached at jhinshaw@servicenation.com or
602-369-8097.

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