Saturday, May 23, 2009

Finding Good People Is Not An Option

Whatever you want to call this economic period we are moving through, the focus is on the bad news, yet there are so many good things that happen. For example, one business I talked with said that the slowdown gave him the perfect reason to get rid of some under performers and make his company more effective.

A few days ago, I went into Jos. A Banks clothing store to look at suits. They had a huge sale going on. I was the only customer in the store. I was greeted by a salesman and almost immediately got into a disagreement about their ad. I had it in writing and he was saying I was incorrect. I let it go. I told him what I was looking for and he took me to the suit rack. He guessed my size fairly close and to check it, gave me a suit jacket to put on. It didn't fit well. He was saying things to try and convince me that it did, buy I know when it doesn't fit, so don't you think he should? We moved up one size and it fit perfectly. He pointed out where the suits in my size were and he left. . . well, you're probably getting the idea, but it went from bad to worse and finally after being in the store only about 8-10 minutes, I said, I have to leave now and I just walked out. One of the worst salesmen I have ever encountered. I wouldn't buy a pair of socks from him, otherwise I might be encouraging him. They lost a nice sale and haven't even got a clue. Too bad. I truly cannot imagine this company lasting much longer here. Men's Warehouse is no better in this city. I have to leave town to get better. Sad.

Not to accentuate the negative, but in this economy with many looking for work, this spells opportunity to me. Get rid of the warm bodies and find someone who can excel. Now is the perfect time! When business is so good, it is harder to find good talent and you might have to accept a few warm bodies. Now is an opportunity.

And, I cannot leave this without spelling one of the most important words for an employee: T-R-A-I-N-I-N-G. There is almost never enough of that going on. Of course, it may make all the difference.

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