What a Great Time to Recruit!

by: Michael Rees

There is always opportunity, if you look for it. Now is the perfect time to upgrade your team. You may think that you have the right quota – ask yourself if you have the best. If you don’t think you have the absolute best, then do something about it.

The poor economy has resulted in a lot of job losses. That means there are a lot of good people out there looking for jobs.

So, what kind of people make the best RV salespeople? I would not recommend “experienced” RV or car salespeople that are out of work, the good ones are working already. Let’s consider the type of people we need to help your customers:

• They must like working with people
• They must be able to work flexible hours
• They need to be able to work unsociable hours
• They need to be energetic and enthusiastic
• They must have a great attitude 
• They must be willing to work on commission

What businesses typically employ the kind of person described above? The one business that immediately springs to mind is the food business. A manager for a restaurant like Applebee’s or Chili’s will have the attributes you should be looking for. They work with the public everyday, all day. They work unsociable hours and generally have a great work ethic and attitude to go along with it.

Waiters and managers will get in the RV business where the hours are less, and they will be amazed at the pay. They will soon realize what a fun business this is to be in, so their already good attitude will become great. They are used to working for tips, and know that the better service they provide, the more they will earn. This holds true with selling RVs, only magnified!

There is absolutely no need to settle for second best, you have invested a lot in building your business, make sure you surround yourself with people who have the same mindset as you.

Proactive vs. Reactive
The best dealers with the best teams are the ones who proactively recruit salespeople. In other words, they may have enough salespeople, but they are always looking for others. They don’t stop looking until the team is perfect.

I worked with a successful dealer a few years ago who would have me come and run a recruiting campaign every quarter. Most of the time, before I got there, I would ask him how many salespeople he was looking for. The answer was none. He kept running the campaigns to see what was out there, and was always looking for good people and was not afraid to take another person on if they fit the dealership’s requirements. This way, the dealer never had to hire for the sake of hiring. If you hire only because you have to, you will end up with “bodies” instead of professionals.

Don’t get caught in the trap of having to recruit “reactively” – the pressure of having to employ someone to have coverage will often cause you to employ the wrong person. This decision will cost you a lot of deals and a ton of money.

So, do what most dealers won’t do right now, take advantage of the quality talent pool available at the moment and recruit a future superstar or two – you may not be comfortable stepping out of your normal recruiting comfort zone, but once you do, you will be pleased. Remember this, “Successful people do what unsuccessful people won’t do.”

Don’t wait for the economy to come back to recruit, you will be too late. Make sure you are ready by having the very best talent available, and right now there is more talent available than ever before.

So, next time you are out eating, take note of the people surrounding you; waiters and managers. Talk to them about a career in the best industry around, one where we sell fun. Remember this, they will be as excited as you are, so make sure you come across as best you can. Once you start this, you will constantly do the same – a great habit to form to build the perfect team.