The Small Business Safari
Have you ever sat there and wondered "What am I doing here stuck in the concrete zoo of the corporate world?" Are you itching to get out? Chris Lalomia and his co-host Alan Wyatt traverse the jungle of entrepreneurship. Together they share their stories and help you explore the wild world of SCALING your business. With many years of owning their own small businesses, they love to give insight to the aspiring entrepreneur. So, are you ready to make the jump?
The Small Business Safari
Essential Tips for Recruiting in Home Services Businesses | Tina McKenna
Tina explained her company’s approach to recruiting by using a sales mentality! It’s interesting where she developed those skills. Tina built her toolbox while working in broadcast media sales and marketing consulting. Her company approaches filling in positions in the home services and professional services space using a well written job description, insightful culling of candidates and a structured interview process that works well with the applicant. Where she really stands out is being able to provide insight into the prospect. This process that Tina and her partner (Megan Ritchie) created allows them to place candidates in companies with HUGE success rates. Check out Qualified Applicants if you have a need! Did you know our amazing voices can go beyond just the microphone? Yes, we have video! Subscribe to our YouTube channel here!
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Tina’s Links:
• LinkedIn | @tinamckenna
• Website | https://www.getqualifiedapplicants.com/
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GOLD NUGGETS:
(04:59) - Filming TV Shows to Sales?
(11:10) - Career Transition and Opening a Business
(20:54) - Hire a Marketer, & Ask the Right Questions
(27:06) - Marketing Strategies and Client Stories
(39:33) - Starting a Recruiting Company
(49:43) - How to Market a Recruitment Company
(01:01:31) - Retainer Agreements and Hiring Challenges
(01:06:02) - Packers Fans and Favorite Books
(01:14:09) - Home Improvement Mishaps and Encouragement
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Books Mentioned:
• Tools of Titans - Tim Ferris
• Rise and Grind - Daymond John
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Previous guests on The Small Business Safari include Amy Lyle, Ben Alexander, Joseph Sission, Jonathan Ellis, Brad Dell, Chris Hanks, C.T. Emerson, Chad Brown, Tracy Moore, Wayne Sherger, David Raymond, Paul Redman, Gabby Meteor, Ryan Dement, Barbara Heil Sonneck, Bryan John, Tom Defore, Rusty Clifton, Duane Johns, Beth Miller, Jason Sleeman, Andy Suggs, Chris Michel, Jon Ostenson, Tommy Breedlove, Rocky Lalvani, Amanda Griffey, Spencer Powell, Joe Perrone, David Lupberger, Duane C. Barney, Dave Moerman, Jim Ryerson, Al Mishkoff, Scott Specker, Mike Claudio and more!
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If You Loved This Episode Try These!
• How Justin Hatcher 3X His Ticket Size in Home Services
• Inventing Uber for Landscape Services | Bryan Clayton
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Have any questions or comments? Connect with me here!
I step back down and I have forgotten to take one of the two by sixes with the nails and I put my nail right through my foot. Oh my god Love it. Ha ha ha, it's perfect, oh my god. Oh yeah, yeah, right between the main, right in the pad, right in the pad of the toe.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it was beautiful Dad talk about a nightmare. Yeah, thank you. I hung drywall, though I did.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Your husband is very handy, as I mentioned the Tiki bar, and we did. We didn't step on nails, though, because he's smarter than that.
Speaker 1:Right, thank you, I'm going to be a little bit more careful. Ha ha ha ha. Welcome to the small business safari, where I help guide you to avoid those traps, pitfalls and dangers that lurk when navigating the wild world of small business ownership. I'll share those gold nuggets of information and invite guests to help accelerate your ascent to that mountaintop of success. It's a jungle out there and I want to help you traverse through the levels of owning your own business that can get you bogged down and distract you from hitting your own personal and professional goals. So strap in adventure team and let's take a ride through the safari and get you to the mountain top. Ha ha ha, and we're rolling right into the laughter. The pre stuff all better, so I know you should have hit record about eight minutes.
Speaker 1:It's called pre podcast in the world baby. So that's what we just did. We did pre podcasting and we should be we did, we were PPP and all over ourselves guys. So you've got a great guest today, alan. We've got somebody in studio with us. It's so much more fun that way. Oh, and she is pumped up, did you? Did you have to wriggle by his loaner truck to get down here?
Speaker 2:Was that what I saw there?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's been two weeks, two weeks. Dude I actually my all right. My truck has been in the shop for a month.
Speaker 2:Have you thought?
Speaker 1:about finally switching to Ford. No, really, you're just going to go down that hard, always Like a rock. No, listen, I know so. I'm from the Detroit area, so I've grown up. I drive all kinds Chevy, ford and every once in a while Christ, but not very often, no way back when. Yeah, so actually I really only drive to Ford and Chevy, and then even with that one's also a Cadillac, so, but I stay in the family. But when it comes to foreign cars, that's a big no, okay, yeah, yeah, I just, you know.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I drove up in my Toyota. There you go. No, that's not good.
Speaker 1:That's why I let you make you park on the street down two doors.
Speaker 2:I have a Cadillac.
Speaker 1:Thank you, all right, so we have Tina McKenna-Pollin, as I found out right before this as we were in PPP, but I always called her Tina McKenna.
Speaker 2:It is fine, mckenna's fine.
Speaker 1:All right. So Tina is with qualified applicants. She's been helping the Trusted Toolbox out sourcing in a very hard space and we'll get into all that. But before we do that we've got to get her background down, because her background's pretty cool, although she did come and likes the wrong football team, so she came from the Wisconsin area. We like people from Wisconsin. We've just had a string of people from Green Bay and Oshkosh on the show.
Speaker 2:I know, and we like them all. They are nice.
Speaker 1:They are nice, even if they cheer for the Packers.
Speaker 2:Hey who won.
Speaker 1:The Lions.
Speaker 2:Yes, thank you. In where, oh Lambo? Yeah, and the only trip and who was there?
Speaker 1:Me.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:That's right, all right.
Speaker 2:So it's kind of funny that you're talking about what's called a smack.
Speaker 1:I did talk a lot of smack.
Speaker 2:That's cool.
Speaker 1:My buddy gave me a silver chain and a blue chain and they kept calling me two chains in the way, and so I lived up to the billing.
Speaker 2:So the ladies all around the Z or S Like yeah, I went to chains. Okay, just want to make sure.
Speaker 1:Right the Z, but so all the ladies up there wear the overalls with the Packers.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:And a ton of a run. Let's just say I had the entourage. That's what I thought, although the guys that I was with all backed away from me and started filming it going. I think you're going to die, I think they're going to kill you, but no, it was cool. We had a lot of fun. Lambo, I just got done telling the guy this morning bucket list stuff, man. I'm going to tell you it was so cool it's very cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, if you ever get a chance to go it was. I mean we did this on a Thursday we started tailgating at two for a night game.
Speaker 2:That was late.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we hit four bars. No, we were drinking in the morning. We hit four bars in the way, and it was just. I got a picture with a priest. I mean the whole thing was awesome. And despite all that, you start off by disparaging Wisconsin.
Speaker 2:So yeah, let's get back to it, all right?
Speaker 1:So all, right, but she had no sense enough, like we all do, from the north to get out, so cheers to that yeah. So what I wanted to get into is Tina, what was your first job out of college and what were you doing?
Speaker 2:Well, I had my well, not current job. I did not have to find a job after college. I got a job that I stayed into after college, during college.
Speaker 1:You know, you're really, you're really. Oh, there we go, Thank God. She was really teasing.
Speaker 2:TV show TV station.
Speaker 1:So what were you doing?
Speaker 2:Everything Production operations. What was I in the? In the mass control to help learn to editing. I was not good at it.
Speaker 1:So is that? Is this a field you wanted to be in? That was like that was your love. You wanted to be in the TV world.
Speaker 2:I wanted to be in. I always knew marketing anyway in the entertainment business and then. So mass communications was the easiest degree probably to get to get anything. But I didn't want to be production.
Speaker 1:There's a gold nugget parade.
Speaker 2:Make sure you find the easiest degree to get out of school as quick as you can. Yes.
Speaker 1:I wish somebody would have told me One of them All right, so that mass communication. But you said you wanted to be in that meeting, but I wanted it, yes, in marketing, but in entertainment somehow right.
Speaker 2:So production was they. That was the easiest part of that segment of that, you know, degree. But I did not like to be in the studio, in the cold studio. I wanted to learn everything else. Operations was cool because you were in everything from news promos you helped with marketing everywhere. So while I was learning that as an intern in college or, yes, during college I said what can I do to make more money? Though I saw all these Lexuses and these people go to lunches and drive. I went, oh, sales, oh, that's what they do. They're out all day and they're driving nicer cars. But I said is that really that fulfilling? So nobody gave me a chance, though to do sales.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I felt I could speak to people, I had fun with people. I was always doing, you know, bartending my way through college, way to tables, all that good stuff. But my general manager, who I was there forever said you know, you don't really have experience. I'm like I've been in every department in this station since what? For eight years, I think at that point. And then the back in the day, do you remember?
Speaker 2:the New World Fox bought everything and I don't know if you paid attention back in the late, you know early nineties, and I said the guy that said no to me got fired. So I said well, there you go. But I ended up taking a sales job for radio.
Speaker 1:Were you the first lady salesperson there.
Speaker 2:Exactly no, I was not.
Speaker 1:So there were plenty of sale.
Speaker 2:He, yeah, I don't know why or what, but I just felt, you know, I had a different. I wanted to be out more, I wanted to make a difference and I felt in a station, I'm confined, I do it, you know I can't do anything.
Speaker 1:So you wanted the Lexus. I love that.
Speaker 2:Correct, I wanted the Lexus.
Speaker 1:This is so against the Simon Sinek line. I want that damn Lexus man. I want some spinners on my wheels.
Speaker 2:I want the cat out of the back. Early lunches, yeah, I think I wanted the fun lunches.
Speaker 1:She tries to backpedal on. You know, I want to change the world. I want to serve others, make humanity a better. You know, now I want the Lexus. There's a golden.
Speaker 2:I mean when you're struggling and you know paying your way through school and you're doing all that you're like, okay, I'm a little tired. So you know, you want a Lexus.
Speaker 1:There we go. All right, did you get any formal training in sales? Or do they just say go out there and make it happen? No, no training. Cold call city.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, yeah, I think I still have blisters from Coke on back in the day you know you had to punch that phone.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and how long before you're like? Hmm, maybe I, maybe I didn't like this sale idea.
Speaker 2:Um, I well, I mean, it got me here so I was probably doing. How many years was I? Probably 12?, probably about 12. But it what I enjoyed most was working with the small business owner. So um helping solve their problems. Uh, in terms of what marketing could do, you know um, but I only had a small nugget right, so I only could sell my station.
Speaker 1:So you can only sell your station and cold call city, going out there pitching people on how why TV and your TV was the best station out there.
Speaker 2:Cause back in there there was no digital Okay, it was just the on air spots. No website to sell you. You know. No WSB TVcom, you know anything of that? Literally the air. That's it. Yeah. So it's gotta be hard to do, man.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think about the skills that she built in terms of being able to talk to anybody about anything to get them to go. Um, maybe I'll do something on air. What are we talking about? And what was the minimum investment?
Speaker 2:Oh God. Well, I mean, the last job I had was here at WSB, so I mean, it's still the most you guys are here. So you know, those one month proposals are not cheap.
Speaker 1:Nope.
Speaker 2:No, I mean it's $2,000. That's 30, second spot in the mornings, you know right. So I mean back in my day, I mean if I didn't get a $100,000 a year deal. That was high. Wow, that was 90s, early 2000s.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean that's big bucks, man. I mean you know, when you think about advertising, you're thinking about throwing it at the TV. It's a big number when you see that out there. Yeah, it's a little easier today with all the different stations and you can really kind of you can really dive deep. I mean I had my store. We actually did some TV spots, but it was like, you know, it was Comcast Day. My buddy who we need to get on the show and he's like, okay, I've got this plan for you. He goes it's these shows nobody really watches, but those that do are 100 percent your target.
Speaker 2:Target demo Gee, I've never said that before, oh she knows that Wow.
Speaker 1:He snuck my commercial in a duck game though. Oh nice, that was a cool thing.
Speaker 2:That's what I like to do. If you earn it, you know we do try to make it happen for you. That's cool yeah.
Speaker 1:I was sitting there watching, you know, pac-12 After Dark and all of a sudden, hey, there's my commercial. Nice, yeah, it was great. Yeah, that was worth all $100,000.
Speaker 2:No, all right.
Speaker 1:So you were good at it. You liked it. I think I was good at it, I don't know.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, I mean I feel I was okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I the I guess that what would you say the crossroads, or now how I'm here, was 2004,. Right, it was 2004. And I was working for WSB TV and I went to a sales conference in Orlando and I see my one of my favorite former clients in Orlando when I lived there and worked there for four years and he walks up to me I didn't know you were here, he was a speaker. He's a car dealer, really smart, savvy guy. It was probably two years younger than me. I'm betting the car business for what? 18 years at that point, very savvy, smart. He started his own marketing agency and he walks over and goes I need somebody to run my agency. You want it? Just like that.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:And I went. What?
Speaker 1:How many times have we had these stories on where people you know like, hey, how come you got in this business? Well, this person told me hey, give it a shot. And I did this. Hey, I got invited and I took the journey, you know, I opened, the door opened and I went through it so you had the door open.
Speaker 2:How many times?
Speaker 1:did that happen to you Door?
Speaker 2:opened Zero.
Speaker 1:Yeah, me too. Well, maybe I'm not very good at opening the door. Well, hey, if you're listening to this podcast, you want to open a door. I make it really obvious, really obvious, but it's got to be. I'm talking that door's gonna be one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's gonna have to have a suck in or something.
Speaker 1:Yeah instead of saying you know what? I've never been in this business before. I'm just gonna start a hand to hand business. Yeah, I think.
Speaker 2:I got this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what I did, yeah well, there you go All right.
Speaker 2:So he did that, and so you're done in Orlando and you're like OK, well, it was funny because he I will never forget it, because it did change. I was unhappy, I was bored. I had my son at the time was two years I think at the time and I was getting angry because I couldn't. It was the same thing every day Groundhog Day. I felt I was smarter than some of my bosses at the time. But I always wanted to run a GM.
Speaker 1:Be a GM.
Speaker 2:I didn't sign that in there, yeah right.
Speaker 1:And I wanted to run a station Because the GM had the SUV, lexus, sports car, lexus, yeah, yeah, some of them did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but he so Dave's. I see him like oh my God, and he says this to me, but when he's walking he's in the conversation. It was like diamond shape. You know, he's right in front of me, my boss at the time was on my left and then his boss was over there, and when Dave just said that they just went, it was like the parting the Red Sea. They're like bye, oh yeah right in front of my bosses who he was spending money with in that company A lot of money.
Speaker 2:Wow, so, and they just go well, well, tina's out of here, because they, if Dave asks people, follow one of those guys.
Speaker 1:OK, so you did it.
Speaker 2:So I did it, I ran. I said to the husband, I said OK, because at the time was the best time to do this Jump from a very highly successful station was 2008.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And we've been there. No, it was eight, it was a way. Wow, so that was not the best time.
Speaker 1:I kind of blacked out for a couple of years. Yeah, yeah, well, he started to twitch already. Everybody, we're going to have to get him back. Alan, he's, he's glitching. He can't even talk anymore.
Speaker 2:There's my there, not to the number, not to the. I'm sorry I didn't do that up.
Speaker 1:I'll be back in a couple of minutes.
Speaker 2:OK, back.
Speaker 1:Hey, I'm going to jump because I got this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because while he offered me a nice chunk of change, I didn't leave just blindly Right, and it was a good offer and I said I like let's do this because I wanted to help him. You know, atlanta, let's build up Atlanta. He started Orlando, so I went back and forth and at that time I mean remember, oh eight, sorry.
Speaker 1:Sorry, alan, I really don't.
Speaker 2:You blacked out.
Speaker 1:Oh, there it goes again. Oh no, alan, yeah, it's OK, it's OK you can come back.
Speaker 2:It's even better now.
Speaker 1:You can turn the lights back on. It's all right, it's 23 now.
Speaker 2:We've made it the horror made it the horror.
Speaker 1:The horror, ok, screaming, ok, I yeah.
Speaker 2:And I said to the husband, I said I really got to go for it. And he's like, yeah, why not? Because Dave's good to you, Ben good to you, you know, and just he needs somebody to run it. So let's see what we can do and then maybe possibly move back to Orlando or Florida OK, Well, again the year that shall not be named, we couldn't you know we were going to lose money out in the house Like yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So we said, well, we're stuck. So I worked with him for a year. You know we saw a different eye to eye eventually but we did very well, Like I'm very proud of the clients we brought in in a very bad time. And then you're like, OK, now what we were going to. Part ways I started looking for going back to work.
Speaker 1:No, I don't want to worry for anybody else. Yeah, I don't make any good. I don't want to do Because you had a taste of freedom, right, correct? Yeah?
Speaker 2:And and I'm not good at keeping my mouth closed when I'm not believing in something. Ok, so probably best that I'm my own boss.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, but I so the crossroads and I was trying to find digital sales to again. That year was hot and heavy selling online, and one of the clients that we brought in was based here. He was a car dealer and he said you can't leave because I, you bought, I, you were selling me, you on me. I want to work with you. You can do this on your own. I'll stay with you. If he's cool with that, I go to do what on my own? Because this, you can do this on your own Run in your own marketing strategy, consulting, whatever it was right. What is this I got you? Let's go, you can do this. You've been doing it. I went oh, ok, so he signed on with me.
Speaker 1:How many people have done that for you? Chris, wait a minute, let me think. Yeah, me too, ok.
Speaker 2:And I will say his name publicly because we are still, even though he hired me, then fired me like four or five months later. No, no kidding. Then how many years later hired me again and then fired me again, but he is still one of my favorite guys. Bill Riley he has a car dealership in signature in St Joseph Michigan.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:There you go, see how it comes around.
Speaker 1:It does come all the way around. How about that? And so you're working with them. But so you had to go figure out how to run your own business. That means I've been by a laptop, correct, I got to get an LLC. Yep, I got to figure out in corporate.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yes, Check, check, check, check.
Speaker 1:Check, check, check, more checks, Did all that and you said OK, so you came out with one client.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:I just now this side.
Speaker 2:During my choir story.
Speaker 1:OK, I've got a business. How many clients do you got? Are you diversified? You got a big client base. I have one, ok.
Speaker 2:So is that checking?
Speaker 1:This is when you have one client? Yes, it is my friends. It is Because having one client's sure she gets better than having zero.
Speaker 2:Because I can tell you for that one it at least helped pay the mortgage and some of it anyway.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, so you off. You started, you had one client, but he fired you four months later.
Speaker 2:And because we just met up again like two months ago, yeah. And I said you remember, fire, you know, fire me, of course, and he, you know he was the nicest guy, of course, to fire me, but but he gave me a job. Now this is coming back to me. He gave me a referral at the same time, like, ok, I'm firing you, but I like you and I care about you. So I know this other guy and he needs like a salesperson. Do you want to work for him?
Speaker 1:Did he really say the word I'm firing you? He didn't say I'm going to different direction.
Speaker 2:He said I have to, yeah, I have to go to different direction. I don't, you know, I don't know, it's not because I did a 30 day out, so there was no tight right.
Speaker 1:Oh nice, but he gave you referrals, so you pick up yeah.
Speaker 2:So I, so I the guy I said, ok, well, I need some money. I'm starting out here, so I'm good at new business sales. So I kind of just picked up freelance work for a little bit.
Speaker 1:So you went, you, you, you fell back on your cold call.
Speaker 2:I went back on my go-go yeah.
Speaker 1:And so were you a one man band. I mean a one woman band, sorry everybody.
Speaker 2:It's okay, no offense.
Speaker 1:I knew you wouldn't be offended by my podcast. I don't want to cancel the podcast.
Speaker 2:Don't be canceled on this, yeah.
Speaker 1:We've been canceled long time, chris, probably. Yeah, we have another one coming up. I'll tell you about that one. But uh hey you know if you're not making waves. I really appreciate you keeping me in the loop on this. If you're not making waves, people know you're there, man.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying, all right, that's right.
Speaker 1:So you went to one client. Was it just you helping all these clients, or did you start to pick up and start to build a business?
Speaker 2:Yes, it was a combination. So I was I. I did have to go out and go, hey, I could be a good new business person for you. So there was a couple of people that did that. I worked with to do that. But then I started getting oh, I got a referral from this person, I got a referral from this person. So that's how I, for you know whether it was marketing strategy or just media buying um, you know the traditional side of things. So I was able to have a nice medley of people and income coming in before I was.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about that experience you have so we can get the listeners to understand what you did for who and how you did it. So you did, you did marketing strategy, holistic marketing strategy, not just digital Correct and then you'd also help them with media buys. Who would benefit from that kind of a service? And and you know when you worked with these people, who who would look for these kind of folks and what would they be looking for?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Well, people like you, right?
Speaker 1:So small business people, I've tried to be really veiled. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, you're a big, big, big Enough about me, let's talk about me.
Speaker 1:That's what Chris is thinking the whole time. No, I was thinking I was going to, I was sharing with everybody because this is important. You don't know when to use people like this and you know why. Does it make sense? You're like I can figure it out myself.
Speaker 2:That's true. Yes, a little defensive, chris, he did, but he, you know, reeled it back in.
Speaker 1:So he's good. Thank you, he's good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Not too bad. I mean, he's how many beers in? Oh wait, I'm not supposed to say that.
Speaker 1:You can. Nobody's got a beer lined up like their planes coming into Hartfield hey hey. That's speaking of land in the traffic control. Boy, I'm almost done with one, oh OK.
Speaker 2:So, to continue that, Answer what it's. I think what the you know you're solving a problem, right, just like anything. So you're solving a problem for homeowners. They got a problem. Call you, Allen has you know, we're all solving problems for people, Nice.
Speaker 1:Alex follow me by problem. Sorry, yeah, all right.
Speaker 2:So but? But my biggest thing was if you you can't, you should not be doing it yourself. Marketing you can, but there's you shouldn't. A business owner needs to work on their business period. So operations, building their team, all that good stuff. But for marketing, just that side of it, hire somebody to do it, and I know you guys do it well.
Speaker 1:But it's so scary to hire somebody. Especially the first time, because everybody's talking a big game and you don't. I mean true, yeah, and there's a lot of bullshit going on out there?
Speaker 2:Yes, there is.
Speaker 1:You got a lot of. You got a lot of women coming up to you knocking on doors, cold calling you and saying hey, go on my radio. So should you hire the marketer with Alexis, or the one with the Toyota.
Speaker 2:Let's see what did I have then I have to think about that Toyota. Ok, I got a Toyota back then, yes, but then I had the worst. That's another side.
Speaker 1:What is the worst?
Speaker 2:Oh, I had. I had the worst Camry in the world. It was a lemon, it was a really bad lemon. It broke down in the Coles parking lot the day before my son was going to start a new school that on a Sunday. That's fun oh finding a tow truck driver and, yeah, rental car, all that fun stuff Anyway sidebar.
Speaker 1:All right, so yeah. So what are we looking for? What? When do you know? Somebody knows what the hell they're talking about, and what should we be asking? In other words, that was a really good question. Well, let's dive in a little deeper.
Speaker 2:Yes, Probably Well always referrals it was a good question.
Speaker 1:Yes, it was, oh he did, sorry.
Speaker 2:Do I need to say it out loud and have it marked up? Yes, alan, thank you for the question. That's a very good question. Well, that sucks, all right. All right, you can cut that in the edit room.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, he gets one, all right.
Speaker 2:He gets one OK.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we don't Well, one a month. No, we, we track who has the most at the end. Oh, ok, right now there's a prize and that, alexis. Right, okay.
Speaker 2:Sorry, is that that was probably off air? That nobody.
Speaker 1:You know the seven loner.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh seven loner.
Speaker 1:All right, can you answer the question?
Speaker 2:So, maybe one of the one thing is you just simply ask Well, referrals is always good, but but is what are the results that you have gotten Now? Granted, it could be apples to apples and oranges to apples, Right? So you just don't know.
Speaker 1:So ask for, ask for what are clients that are in a similar space, correct, yeah?
Speaker 2:And what the results are. And again it's, it can be apples to oranges, it can. But I also say you know, what do you do if you? You know, are there guarantees? Ok, well, no, because marketing is marketing, but it really is. Just your gut goes a long way. But if they feel you know, you come in and saying you can't, let me back it up. I remember those days doing proposals and they would just run and take them. That's really hard because you want to show what you can do, your strategy. Here's some past ideas. So now it's coming in like, ok, well, this is what I can do. I would always undersell it. I didn't like to be the hard sell, right? So I just said, ok, I saw this, I would. I, and I still do this to this day, I mean in what I do now. But it's it's really getting into what you're doing as a business owner. So your problems, I want to know exactly what keeps you up a night and let's go down it. Well, ok, keep it clean.
Speaker 1:Does that have anything to do with business? Keep it clean, keep it clean.
Speaker 2:I said actually I just got to the same.
Speaker 1:I woke up last night at two and at four and I had two things I read right down on my nightstand yeah, and it was not because I was old, that's, that is a gold nugget. I'm going to give you that, thank you.
Speaker 2:Write it down.
Speaker 1:You should write it down Because as soon as you write it down, you can forget it, right, yeah?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's exactly what I did. So gold nugget one. We're coming into the end of the year and I'm thinking about the strategic planning for next year and what I'm going to do. So it reminded me that I got to sign up for the home shows again. We're going to go back out and do those Are you saying you do your best strategic planning while you're unconscious or drunk.
Speaker 2:Oh, there you go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so true story Right, so that's why we do the podcast like this how?
Speaker 2:so I would ask that yeah, yeah, right what?
Speaker 1:How do you do your best thing? How do you do your best thing? Is it drunk?
Speaker 2:or asleep.
Speaker 1:So now there's a gold nugget.
Speaker 2:That's the question people should ask. It's part of the decision. Is that a classic decision tree?
Speaker 1:Yeah, Drunk or sleeping. Drunk or sleeping, I'd go and back. And why not yeah?
Speaker 2:It's an endless loop.
Speaker 1:by the way, drunk sleeping.
Speaker 2:Drunk sleeping. It is an endless loop right now. So I would ask that. So if you said to me and I want to know, because if there's things that I can help you with, if marketing could help you, then let's talk about it- so I don't I don't go into what I can do. I go, I go. Let's talk about that problem.
Speaker 1:And would you say a retainer situation or a percentage of buy is a better way?
Speaker 2:Well, I did retainers Media. Some clients were used to doing the retainer or the percentage. So that's old school. I'm not. I was not a full service agency, so which doesn't include production and things like that. So I go OK, based on your spend. If I'm, if I am, doing all of your marketing you're out of, like I would call myself a CMO or outside CMO. So if I'm your person, then we do all the strategy right. So but I need to know what your Major yes, you don't know.
Speaker 1:So well again, let's keep it clean business.
Speaker 2:It's a long.
Speaker 1:It's a long you don't have that kind of time. Speaking of retainer, I see the therapist tomorrow, exactly, just let me. Let me cancel a couple of appointments after, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this one's going to.
Speaker 1:You're a lot of work. It's what I've heard Quote. Really, you're a lot of work, not for my therapist, no, no she.
Speaker 2:She started charging you double. Is she not taking your calls now?
Speaker 1:Yeah, well that did happen, but it came from upstairs?
Speaker 2:No, it didn't.
Speaker 1:It came from one of my friends on the Lambo trip. You're a lot of work and we better get you out of here now before you die Two chains.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, all right, so I probably didn't answer your question. I feel like it didn't. No, I think you did. You know, ask for referrals. What are your results? But what are?
Speaker 1:your results? Yeah, the results. I think that's, but it's because you know we're all meeting vendors, right? So I think it's you.
Speaker 2:If they're invested in your business already, they should come in armed already, knowing a lot about you. Some didn't ever, never cared. I had one vendor that would come see you as the client. When I had a client, they were like I'm going to be in the office, I'm going to be a client. When I had a client, they would spell the name wrong.
Speaker 2:And I go. You got to fix that. You're already fired, I'm already firing you. I'm not even considering you if you didn't take the time. So those are the things you want and I feel I'm an agent. I am an agent so I protect you and I still feel I was good at that and ask those. You know and I always gave an out If I'm not giving you 90 days, if I'm not even seeing, if you're not feeling this or a lift or whatever it is, then then let's go.
Speaker 1:But you bet on yourself. So, even if you're contact, the most you ever did was a 90 day.
Speaker 2:I started with give me 90 if we did a six or 12 month agreement, but give me 90. And if you still don't even feel that day, what 61? And say, you know, because it takes a little bit, but if you don't see me working hard for you, jerry McGuire, like if you don't see me doing that and trying showing you the money and I'm working like I'm in it with you, then, no, that's what your marketing person should be doing.
Speaker 1:All right. So as you grew your business, you pretty much stayed solopreneur, but you'd bring people in to work with you a little bit. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I don't, I don't pretend I know it all. So a strategy, big picture, putting the medium mediums together and as obviously the years progressed, it was a lot more where we're going and own something. Don't be spreading too thin. And those were my little nuggets. Just try to own something if you're doing it for talking marketing.
Speaker 1:Right. So you had your business, you were doing the marketing thing. You did it for how many years You're still?
Speaker 2:kind of I still have a couple marketing clients that since I started, so one still is with me, so he's like I pay him, though Wait, is that how it works Well?
Speaker 1:funny. You should say that hey, Chris, maybe you should hire I know hey what Wait a minute? How come? Because I work with her. How come she's not paying me? I know, Because I feel like right now I'm running the largest nonprofit in Atlanta.
Speaker 2:You are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh boy.
Speaker 2:But yeah, so I think it's smart. Just to, I always felt I didn't want people tied down Right so, but I want them to feel I am working hard for them and I try to do that no matter what I was doing.
Speaker 1:So give us an example of one of your best client stories. But where you got the results, you're like man. It's even exceeded my expectation. I really nailed it.
Speaker 2:I think, hmm, it could be a couple. Well, I think early on though, that was cool, which the client? They spelled the name wrong. They sold the guests out their infinite energy.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:And they sold. Really, two guys started it. Their story is just cool. They designed the logo on the napkin in a bar. It was a cool partnership and they sold gas therms right.
Speaker 1:Therms.
Speaker 2:And my favorite little thing was spending literally finding an artist. I said you need a. You know how are you going to differentiate yourself in gas.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Gas out Like you're now in Georgia. Right here You're Дix. Wicked sounds Well uh so you're natural gas. Okay, they're all in the same compact, like they're selling the same thing. Right, come at it Like there's no difference, except there's a bear in one, then there's a little flame in the other, and then there, you know. So we? I said you got to have a gimmick. Sorry, gimmick, let's do a little cool person. I found a, an artist out of Brazil, 650 bucks, and he drew a little Thurman.
Speaker 2:So, 50 bucks Thurman and we built that up and they they Took off, we did it and out. We did outdoor only. We only bought outdoor and online. That's all we did.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you, you're talking lingo, so that's, we got to explain it to me there, I mean so, thurman, there, I mean there's. Yeah, you were buying billboards.
Speaker 2:We used him as the brand, you know, like a little animated little figure, and then they turn it in. We did 3d and the guys that so smart guys that are still there working For gas out now but because they sold to them. But just that one little idea, like to help bring a brand to life.
Speaker 1:And so as you. But now you took that brand and then you started to promote it, and that's what I wanted to talk about, because that's where you, that's where people can look for help. So you said if I go billboards.
Speaker 1:That's gonna be the best way to get your name out there, get the recognition, so people will call you to realize, because a lot of people that's the other thing in gas you don't realize in a lot of places in the, in the US area where we're, where we have natural gas, you don't realize you can go anywhere you want, correct? You think it's always got to be one.
Speaker 2:That was the thing I learned, because right when I moved here from Florida, you didn't do that Florida right.
Speaker 1:So the whole thing makes no sense to me. I mean what? Buying gas for therms, you got one pipe that comes to your house, correct, right?
Speaker 2:Well, that's what I mean, right? So how? And all these companies are selling the same. They're sitting in. It's like master controller of Vegas board of odds there's literally there you go.
Speaker 1:Exactly see how I did that. Look at him, so he's picked up now totally, he's not sleeping now oh. I was confused before where she said outdoor, but I didn't be able to talk about Buildings.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you. Yeah, but numbers parlay and then Chris is totally oh parlay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we're in the middle of football season not to do this, but whoa, big daddy's got some action going right now. Really Get a weekend coming up. No, we, so it's gonna be. It's gonna be in the NFL football, the playoffs. We've already booked that one for January, your biggest trip, that's right.
Speaker 2:Are we invited?
Speaker 1:Apparently not. Well, we'll see how the rest of this podcast goes and we'll decide. And everybody, stay tuned, we'll see the. I can even get around a golf on this country club. That right, he gets, he drives, he drives right to the entire culture club because right about us and goes am I ever gonna play it? I'm like, yeah, hopefully one day you get on with a, maybe a charity event or something.
Speaker 2:I'm good. Well don't bring me though okay cuz the guy, the the same. Bring it back to Bill Riley. I can say look him up, he. The second time he hired me before he fired me. We went out to Vegas for the NAD a Conference and he will tell this story proudly. It's call him up that I. I said at the Crap table a Guy, the guys at bachelor party were letting me throw the dice. They all lost after like.
Speaker 2:Oh, you were, I was table table that start and he kept giving me money to gamble my client. He goes here. Hey, here's another.
Speaker 1:You go keep trying. Hey, no, it's, no, it's.
Speaker 2:I was doing well.
Speaker 1:I was doing well, so they kept statistically lose that many rolls in a row.
Speaker 2:You can't well, you can't if you're, chris, you you know what.
Speaker 1:So the last Vegas trip I think I've said this before, just for the record I did not not get kicked out of the Mariah.
Speaker 2:Well, that's not a fun story.
Speaker 1:So what did you get?
Speaker 2:Yeah, where did you?
Speaker 1:get kicked out of one table, but he didn't escort me out of the entire. Mariah, that was for your language. It was all language.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:I wasn't even threatened anybody. I was just mad because I couldn't statistically lose that many hands in a row. And I literally won that lost that many hands in a row.
Speaker 2:It was that so you were blaming the house.
Speaker 1:I was blaming it. It was not my fault. I wasn't, I was, I was. I was actually playing the victim.
Speaker 2:Was I there.
Speaker 1:I'm thinking I was seeing a Latina when I was out there. So all right, from now on. No, you're not invited anymore. No, I started out well and I did warn them.
Speaker 2:I said, listen, my luck's gonna run out like it's, then you know it's not a much. Yeah, it's not on me and they. And then one guy it was the groom to be because I was joking Like why are you getting married again? Oh nice, that's where I started. That's another podcast. But, yeah, anyway, that was fun. Okay, so boy how do we get there? What just happened?
Speaker 1:I don't know. We're talking about firms and and she went to the casino dealer and that's that's how you sell firms. So, so infinite energy. Those guys sold out. So they did, though.
Speaker 2:I forget when they sold it, but they yeah, their owner sold and a lot of their team Really good guys there and their marketing people, very smart, way smarter than me, but those are the people that you you know. It's funny because you say if you don't have a marketing person, but you don't, if you have a VP of marketing, they have what 500 things to do. So if you're an infinite energy, they should have had somebody at least to do the media side, do the media strategy. You don't have time for that. So take somebody like me and go. I know how to negotiate and I know how to get a better rate, etc, etc. It's like wholesale. So that's where I liked, where I felt I was successful is helping you all save money. If you were, so that's great.
Speaker 1:I mean that. That's the thing I think a lot of times. When you don't know an industry this isn't something I'm familiar with, you know, it's not what my, my upbringing or my training was in when you hear a case study, you go, oh, now it doesn't sound like as much voodoo Like, especially right now with the SEO and the PPC and the digital marketing. I'm gonna come in and I'm gonna voodoo you, voodoo you, voodoo you until you don't know who you do, do, do. Do You're like whoa man?
Speaker 2:get that voodoo back out of here, yeah, chains going on, yeah, and all this time you just get a hired a Brazilian artist.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know I could. Maybe a little trusty toolbox, yeah 650 bucks.
Speaker 2:Man, he was cute to not the artist, the therms. Okay, I Don't, I never. He only think I remember you meeting the guys, buddy, that's all online Fabio. Fabio probably yeah, but his, his, he probably normally in America. They probably would have charged you $10,000 for that.
Speaker 1:Ha, that's pretty cool. That's a great story. All right, you need more ginger ale Ha.
Speaker 2:Yes, please.
Speaker 1:I've happened too much fun, but I've got a transition. I can't, I got I got you finally coming out. I it's finally, you know it's Christina now, Thank you. No, let's go back. Don't cancel me. Let's go back. I'm talking about let me cancel something, it's already been canceled. Does that mean I'm cancel, double canceled, re-cancel? That mean you're, you're back in, you're back in. I think so. Isn't it like dodgeball when you get hit?
Speaker 1:Yes, and somebody catches up, oh yeah there you go, see, I think that's what we should do is bring back dodgeball to settle all the scutes. I like that idea.
Speaker 2:Oh, nothing in a dodgeball league.
Speaker 1:We really. You remember that was old there.
Speaker 2:Is there really? You know, old heavy red balls, the red kick balls that we had they really big membrane, and when you got hit with one of those things, well, yeah, I'm talking membrane, I just like what I'm talking balls Self is coming out.
Speaker 1:I'm talking, I mean with a ball, and it hits you right across the door.
Speaker 2:Oh, Is that what happened to you?
Speaker 1:how many times no no, no, I'm telling, I definitely took a nice. Yeah, but that was dodgeball back in the day. Dodge I duck, yeah, dodge.
Speaker 2:That's very good, thank you.
Speaker 1:All right, we let's get into one second brought to you by blade, blade, blade bow. If she can't even get the bow out, so hang on everybody. He's a nice bourbon to put ginger ale in I just have to go.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, I said I would sip it. You poured the ginger beer.
Speaker 1:I did not. Yes, you did. No, I did not. Oh, you're an enabler. I put oh, yeah, the enabler. Oh, I was being a good host. I put it in front of her.
Speaker 2:All right, it's still there, it's still. I can still take it back to why we brought to you know that.
Speaker 1:So I've raised, learned a little bit about marketing. I think you've learned about an American what you're? Looking for in a marketing? Whoa, oh, dodgeballs, let me get the wrenching.
Speaker 2:Okay, it's okay, I'm having a blast.
Speaker 1:This one may be our, who wants to learn about leadership and next in the business. I did this girl when we could talk about dodgeballs and blade and bow. And let's talk about what Tina has done. So Tina had a marketing company, but then she sees an opportunity to start a recruiting company. And how did that come about? Was that just out of an ask? Was that an opportunity? Was that?
Speaker 1:somebody somebody came up to her and said hey, I need you to start a recruiting company. I'm gonna give you a lot of money to do it. We're close.
Speaker 2:You're a hair close Right, so I'm not an HR, I'll just. I'm not an HR, so our mutual friend Megan Richie Okay, my partner now of qualified applicants if you're an HR, so yourself. Yeah, so COVID hits and, as everybody knows, you know, half of marketing was dropped. I mean, marketing is first thing to go anyway, no matter what right.
Speaker 1:So which is dumb, correct?
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you, thank you because I always said that and but so I lost probably half of my clients and Dumb clients the other.
Speaker 1:Thank you for the herd.
Speaker 2:And the other half were in home services so and they were climbing. I know right, it's a. That's the gold. We're still Don't client, we're still. We'll still probably a lot of the Laughter. They were still dumb, yes, right, no To dumb, believe you don't see the gate and couldn't go to?
Speaker 1:it. It's a gate open, no, all right, so hope it hits.
Speaker 2:let's get back, because this is an interesting story and one of my I well partners now business partner but I was in a networking group and we were we that's where we met and you know we were just. I was talking to everybody. I don't know what everybody else did, but I was like I have to make money. I, you know I'm not I did not marry a millionaire and I'm bored. You know I cannot be not working. So there is no other alternative but to keep going and Like what's, what do I like to do? What do I like to do? So I was kind of going inward, going what do I enjoy the most? And is problem-solving. I love to help a business owner period. I've always liked that. I like to Just that is brings me joy and happiness. To help people no matter what, but in business, definitely a business owner. So I knew that at my core.
Speaker 1:There's a gold nugget there that I want to highlight because, as she was doing this, she said she did lead with I need more money.
Speaker 2:Which goes back to the lights on. She's staying on brand money. How well she said.
Speaker 1:I realized I love solving problems and that gives me joy and happiness and a lot of times join happiness. Actually the money starts to follow it. I just assumed that when she said every time she says I really want to help people, that means I really want a new Lexus.
Speaker 2:I think so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but but if it helps me, what get her get to new Lexus? We're beyond Lexus now. We just went Maserati level. Wow, I was thought that would come. Have your rates come up. I thought you know what my rates are going way up. Yes, you know what I'm locking in right now because, I'm not buying the Maserati. I'll pay the key chain.
Speaker 2:Floor pads.
Speaker 1:All right.
Speaker 2:They even have those in there, I don't know, in a Maserati. I don't think you're asking the wrong guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we just established that I can't even get a Chevy back from the dealer.
Speaker 2:No, I'll get a Jeep, I'll just get a paper formats in your loaner.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hmm, thank you, but it's not now, every two months. It's it yeah that's been for a month and they're saying probably another month. What's taking so long? The strike, oh, oh, you know you did a strike. I can't get the training part. Oh, transmission part, that would be that's what you say you did say that, but I didn't. They gave me that look and I'm like come on, dude, I mean, seriously, you can't say, you can't even say that. I mean that's not even what I meant. For the love of God, I would Broadcasts.
Speaker 2:Yeah, urgency and signal.
Speaker 1:Sigmund Freud would have something to say about this. But anyway, back to Tina. Back to Tina, ok.
Speaker 2:Yes, so helping people.
Speaker 1:Bushing.
Speaker 2:OK.
Speaker 1:I just want to make sure to All right. So, recruiting, let's do that.
Speaker 2:I want to help Do a passion, you know you figure you know people come in your path, that I feel you know you have crosswords. People come in. So Megan just said you know, what do you? What have you thought about ever doing recruiting? And I said I laughed so out loud and said I am not a HR person. Nope, don't even. It would not even want to enjoy that. I don't even know what that means Recruiting. I know no, no, no, no. She said hold on a minute, hold on one second. She. And she told me that with her we are very parallel lives and careers.
Speaker 2:So she had her own marketing company for a long time, and in home services too. So she organically started helping. If she was the marketing department for reliable or whoever she was, you need people. So in that the home services space you don't have an HR department, usually right, or at least in office. So she said well, I just started doing the resumes and started pre-screening and doing this for my bosses or what have you.
Speaker 2:But then she got on her own and then she started doing it also for her marketing clients and I said OK, she said just let me send you my stuff and see what you think, because she had clients still asking for help, because she had went to a corporate space. So I want to help. They need help and they keep coming to me. Nobody's here to fill that need. I said all right. So we gave it a shot. We randomly found a mutual person we were still trying to get in in front of for marketing as a marketing client and he was our first getting paid For the recruiting For recruiting yeah, and it took off three years ago now over three years ago, yeah.
Speaker 1:So in this situation, what's hard especially in home services, I mean recruiting is hard everywhere all the time to finding good people, no matter what. I mean that's the number one thing. In fact, everybody says it so much. Now I would tell you guys, it's noise, it's when people say oh, my number one problem is people. Yeah, no shit, man, it has been. And, by the way, if you want to read an article in 1968, same thing.
Speaker 2:Same. Thing.
Speaker 1:Can't find people.
Speaker 2:Nobody wants to get in the trade.
Speaker 1:Nobody wants to work in the home service. This is pretty soon. We're not going to have anybody who's working in any of the trades Article 1968. So it's still happening. It's still going, but as we try to find people, it was hard. So at the time. How I had Fountina is that I was poor money in the ZIP recruiter and indeed I was doing all the profiling and the screening myself. I tried another service to find people. I put them on retainer, I paid a ridiculous number and I got one guy. Now that one guy is still with me. He's my second best owner. He's great. So at the end of the day that was great. But one guy over three months, that's all they were able to bring to me. Because recruiting for these kind of people is really hard To find them and to get them to come out of the woodwork and woodwork or underneath the rocks. I mean they're employees, so they're all superstars. But as we try to find our superstars, you like that?
Speaker 1:I do, I do, I do. So it's hard to find them. So we tried all these kinds of things and the team said, hey, I think I can do this. And she came and she pitched me and another one of our friends who has his own business here in Atlanta a big size company and she says, hey, this is the idea, this is what I'm going to do.
Speaker 1:And she said and here's my price point. And the price point was a 10th of this other guy who got me one guy You're like, all right, I'll give you a shot. And that's, I think, really tickled. The idea for all of us Was that's the right price point. Let's see what happens, let's just see. And then, sure enough, it started to work. Now, in my case, we'll talk about it. It didn't work for me because finding my handyman right after COVID was really hard. Now, here I am in 23, three years later, I've got the best candidate group. I've got the best staff I've ever had. So, tina, what I'm hearing out of this is you have a lot of room to raise rates.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, that's what I heard too.
Speaker 1:But she's going to give everybody the small business safari podcast special AKA. I'm a friend of Chris.
Speaker 2:Because that's who everybody calls our company. That's your promo code, Christina.
Speaker 1:Christina. Yeah, christina, there it is. We got it Perfect, christina. Good, and you get a podcast code, you get a freebie Wow, oh Lord. So back to recruiting. Thank you, Ellen Does that have a 12-year-old kid voice.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yes.
Speaker 1:All right, back to recruiting.
Speaker 2:Yes, Ellen.
Speaker 1:So what makes your recruiting? How do you, how are you able to find people in this space that we can't? Don't give up your secret sauce, but what do you do?
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, it's not even a secret sauce, and some people and I'm going to just throw this out there. I was pitching, I have gotten referrals and you are one of the best that has referred me, so I do appreciate that. But one I remember one prospect referral that I walked through the process and he said oh well, you just do what I've been doing, so no, I just thought you were different. And I said we do the same thing you're doing, that's throwing an ad on Indeed, throwing it in Zip Recruiter or in LinkedIn or what have you. However, we take a few steps back. We take the marketing approach in mind and our background in sales and all that stuff that actually should come in to writing the job posting a little bit better. You're actually very good at ready because you're a good writer. You're passionate about your business.
Speaker 1:You are pointing to Chris.
Speaker 2:No, I'm pointing to Alan actually. Ok, thank you, yes, Alan.
Speaker 1:Alan, no wait, I'm a great writer.
Speaker 2:I was just doing the air quotes like this. You know I'm like, you know I'm making a guess.
Speaker 1:I didn't know, she was just using the word you as sort of like just a general vague, I was. Thank you, alan.
Speaker 2:I don't want to give him that much credit. Yeah, so can you edit that out? Who do we say? Hey, who's your editor?
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh no, it really is. Every time I've said hey, edit this out, I go listen to.
Speaker 2:I'm like, yeah, it goes over the air.
Speaker 1:Hey, edit this out.
Speaker 2:I love that Speaking.
Speaker 1:That's you, michael, all right.
Speaker 2:So so, but I wanted to jump in we. There's nothing magic sauce there like that. I think it's people skills, it's speaking to them, it's really digging into who you are as a business owner and what you're needing. So we take a deeper dive into that culture and what differentiates you from Mr Handyman and what you're needing Right. So you're doing the same thing, if you will. Sorry, I didn't say, I didn't say we're editing that one out. But what?
Speaker 1:is similar to my guess. I see who's listening to. Oh well, but that's a huge competitive advantage you have with your extensive marketing background.
Speaker 2:Well, I feel that's. I do try to leave with that, because we're doing the same. Our process is not different.
Speaker 1:So I try to get that out of the way.
Speaker 2:But you're fishing with better lures, but we're speaking the language, we're, we know how to communicate. You know, I feel we have good questions, whether it's 10, 15 minutes or 30, depending on the the position but we're trying to vet him. We're not, I'm not, we're not headhunters OK for sure I don't want to. Somebody use that word yesterday, oh your hand. I'm like no, no, no, I don't even like to use recruiting that much, because I feel that means I'm actively going for people. We're just using better bait, smarter questions, trying to slim it down for you, but really take that crap off your desk and bring you more qualified applicants, welcome to the name of the show.
Speaker 1:Well, the name of the show should be OK. About a half hour in we're going to finally get to what we're talking about. Yeah, hey, it wasn't my fault 16 drinks, but hey, yeah, but it's been pretty entertaining. Right, come on, all right. So here's the, here's the analogy. I would say patient will eventually get there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let me ask you this?
Speaker 1:Can you? Can you provide the service? Is it just local, or can you go national or international?
Speaker 2:What we have done all over Correct. Yeah, no, we just got a client in Japan. That was a little hard. That language barrier is a little hard.
Speaker 1:OK, yeah, that was a little.
Speaker 2:OK.
Speaker 1:I was there something. Yeah, you can't say that, thank you. All right, she could. The analogy I would say is being professional, can you look on YouTube and figure out how to change your own toilet? Yes, can you call a plumber and have them do it and they'll have it done in an hour and a half, and it would take you probably three to four hours. Yes, and will it leak after you're done? And it will not leak after they're done? Yes, or if it leaks after they're done, can you call them back and get it done. So what I found with Tina is she took that same approach. It's like all right, what is a candidate? Tell me what they're supposed to look like. What are they supposed to say? Because I'm looking for these guys. You know what area we're looking for. Do they have to have this set of skills? They have to have these tools. What kind of what am I looking for? What are they going to say when I'm talking to them?
Speaker 2:And what you not want them to say.
Speaker 1:And then, what do you?
Speaker 2:have specific questions. I want to know the best answer and the worst answer. So, the guy is interesting.
Speaker 1:What's the worst answer?
Speaker 2:Yeah, depends on the question.
Speaker 1:Right, so we're not going there. But what we found this last year is, like I said, the guys that we've gotten in the last year because for us the economy has come down, it's not as heated anymore, so these guys can't find their own work. They need a company that they can be with, where we can keep a busy. Kind of belittling the job that Tina's done for you.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:No, because she was voting, because we've been in and out doing this now for three years, yeah, three. Because she was like I just don't have any candidates. I don't have any candidates and I'm finally like, hey, if they fog a freaking mirror, bring them in, I'll train them. I mean.
Speaker 2:Well, and that's funny because there's some of our clients have been that way and if they're building a team like sales team, like I just want to Door knockers, I want to. I could train them, I can teach them to sell, and then they would halfway through OK, no, we got it. We want more quality? Ok, so it's. And those are things that we need. We need you to communicate with us too. So we had one that was, you know, perfection that we felt for a inside sales position, and Megan was interviewing them and she, the client, said we are going to decline on this person and with no response, no, you know explanation, like what is going on, right? So finally, he says well, we looked on the social media profile.
Speaker 2:And it was kind of not their cup of tea.
Speaker 1:Kind of too cheesy. Yeah, she Whoa easy. Well, so Sunday Highway, I don't.
Speaker 2:Yes, right, so I said she's be perfect for Chris no.
Speaker 1:Let's go, baby.
Speaker 2:But no, and we, you know, but we, and that's always a fine line, though, because we don't do that. That's not Because that could be a rabbit hole anyway. How many social media profiles are? You know we can't do all that investigation, and you know so, but it that's important for you, as a client, to communicate with us, because you have to tell us. It's similar, like in market. We always bring it back to marketing. You say, ok, we're redesigning a new website. Give me three examples, which ones you like? Ok, yeah, like this one, but why? What is it you like? So what is it you don't like is more important than what you liked? Yeah, so we need to hear those, and you're good about communicating. That too, pretty good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm definitely going to tell you what I don't like. I'm very good at that.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I brought that up A particular specialty of yours.
Speaker 1:Yes, I'm very good at cutting.
Speaker 2:And I feel I don't know. In short To my own horn, but I hope there's those that are in the fence when I find for Chris, depending on the position, well, I'll go. Oh, I feel that person's right there, but we're and worth you having at least a conversation. But do I send him to you or do I not? And that's very rare though.
Speaker 1:That's a question you need to ask your client. Do you want me to send the ones on Correct? So that's and it does vary.
Speaker 2:So and I'll go, but he's right there. But then he said this and and maybe he was talking too much, but maybe he was nervous and you don't. That's another thing. You don't know if they're just nervous on the phone with me or what have you, but then I try to always I'll ask one question, but three different ways maybe, and that's always like going back in the interview process, like I'll go back to that and they'll say the completely different thing. They'll answer it differently. I'm like, ok, that's a negative, bye, so we won't move them forward.
Speaker 1:This has been a very powerful partnership for us at the Trusted Toolbox. I highly recommend qualified applicants Tina and Megan. We'll do a good job Because what they bring is.
Speaker 2:Is that the name of their business? By the?
Speaker 1:way. Qualified applicants. Yeah, yes, oh, ok, I just was curious. Hey, wait, we're 45 minutes into the podcast.
Speaker 2:I felt like I was a bipolar manic person, didn't know what.
Speaker 1:By my way, I even said right before the podcast, as we were PPPing, was like all right, keep it short. How would we do? All right, come on, you stayed with us. This is awesome, you're going to keep listening. But here's why these two ladies have a background in sales.
Speaker 2:Do you see the people right now?
Speaker 1:I do right now because we're on our third plate in bow. What I thought. They were both here, are they not? Hey, megan, thanks again. She's been very quiet today, hi, all right, so full aside. I saw them last night. We were at a local networking event or a partner appreciation event.
Speaker 1:They were there, I said Megan, you're ditching us. She goes no, I just knew that, both of us there. I said, no, I already plan on you guys being here for three hours. So I said, all right, we'll have you on later. So, yeah, so, but they're great. And I'll tell you why they're good is that the background in sales that Tina has? Megan has a background in home services and also understand sales and marketing from a home services perspective.
Speaker 1:And then they bring the recruiting aspect. And what she was talking about is you've got to be able to draw these guys out, Because we are selling our business to these guys and anymore it's not. You prove your way to me. I have to prove my business to you if you want to come to me. And that's been a very eye opening for us, because once we get them in the office and we start talking to them, then we can figure out if they're a good fit for our culture and what we do. And that's where we really start to bear down, and I don't do it, I let my team do it now. So they decide who they want and who they don't want and that's been very powerful for us and then have the quality of candidates that we've had. Have they ever brought on somebody you didn't like? They have never brought on anybody I didn't like Now.
Speaker 1:I have trumped them and said bring this guy on and they didn't like him and they proved me wrong. They proved that I should have never done that. So that's why I'm really backing off now, because, again, as the greedy business owner, I want as many guys out there making things happen, but I don't want to also sully our brand and kill our quality brand. So they did a code red on you. They did, actually. You know. What they do is they ship them off the island and they don't even let me know. I just see that. I just see that they're off the production.
Speaker 2:You don't see the production.
Speaker 1:The production report. I'm like hey, where did X go?
Speaker 2:OK, yes, do you watch Yellowstone?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, he would train station. Yeah, I get to tell those guys that one, they're going to watch it. No, this has been good. So qualified applicants, they can find you at.
Speaker 2:Get qualified applicantscom.
Speaker 1:Don't forget to get yeah. It's get yeah, sorry, qualified.
Speaker 2:Yeah, tina, I think it's Tina at get qualified applicantscom, or Megan with anH.
Speaker 1:Megan with an H.
Speaker 2:Meg, han, meg Han as we call her.
Speaker 1:All right, and they're very. Those guys are also will put all their dates out there. About the LinkedIn you can find them out there and then, yeah, so they're very good there. They can work all over North America, and how else can I do?
Speaker 2:No, I was just gonna add one thing that I I feel as business owners. When you brought it to marketing, what can you or when should people call, right, you kind of answered it when should you call for help? If you spend hours or don't spend hours looking at resumes and you're needing people, we will take that off your plate, that that's time consuming. We want to weed them out for you. You shouldn't be doing that. You should be either talking to that next round, and so they're either the second or final round of a candidate, or working with your current team and let your team handle it. So we take that piece. That is. That can be daunting. We just posted another position that we had. What? 72 resumes and within hours.
Speaker 1:How about that?
Speaker 2:72?
Speaker 1:She's also helped us with our sales team, so my sales team today Are some of the best we've ever had. Now we turned them over. It's a it's a tough that we're in and they're very transient, but the quality of the guys we've had Over the last year have been really solid and we're coming up on the year anniversaries for three of them right now. So I'm sure some of our listeners are kind of curious how the pay works. Is it a retainer kind of a situation or is it for placement? And then they got a stick.
Speaker 2:Yes, thank you, alan. Another good question, was it.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna give that a half point, One point five right now sorry buddy, you're not the one scoring. Oh shit, all right, go ahead, ask the question.
Speaker 2:So we we do retainers. We have a couple clients on retainers that need want to well building their team. So it's either crew people it's usually a crew position, they rotate or they're climbing up the crew, you know to a foreman type position or sales, when they want to build their team and it's constant, or they're harder to find. So some especially in home services it can be, depending on what you're doing can be very, very hard to find Sales period right. So we've had those. That's a. But again our contracts or agreements aren't. You know we try to say okay again, 90 day, 120, six months, no guarantees. But we will give you a little bit of wiggle room because we've had people that have found somebody and Then what? Two weeks in of our agreement, which can be four weeks At a time on a one-off right. So we do the retainer and then what and then the one at a time. But then something happens. They may not show up on the third day or something happens. We we've all been there running a business, you know anything can happen.
Speaker 1:No, never happened. You ever, ever, never, ever. You mean just like to totally ghosted me, had my eye.
Speaker 2:Happens what? Oh, and then find your truck.
Speaker 1:I, I told you I got in a car accident. Yeah, that was three weeks ago, bro. It's time to get back the iPad, or Police report.
Speaker 2:Yeah, use that. Oh, the iPad showed up then all of a sudden.
Speaker 1:Oh wow didn't have to call in the police. Okay, then why don't you just bring me Okay? Okay so back there. Is it a retainer base.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so if the so, the one off, so alright. So if they didn't do a retainer with us, so they just said we need a technician, okay, and we have a four-week agreement, and if we don't find somebody, we extend a month to month if you want to. But we found a perfect person. Two weeks in, they're hired. What a day. Later today, whatever your process is, then of sudden, I get a knock on the door. Hello, they, they ghosted us or whatever it might be. Our agreement is still within the four weeks, or it? Maybe it's just that that four week mark we will. We will extend a little bit because yes.
Speaker 2:We don't. We want to take care of you for sure. We don't just go. Oh sorry, four weeks is up, just cuz he ghosted you the contract says yes, yeah, we try to be very Flexible with that. So as we should, I think. But there's no fees that you know the percentage normal recruiting staffing firm. We don't do that that big 25, 30% of a salary but you, but you also pass along the.
Speaker 1:Indeed, in the zipper cutter any. Yeah, we do.
Speaker 2:Thank you, yes, we do, as most of people have their own account. But we can get a discount too. But you don't need that account anymore, just let us handle it.
Speaker 1:I. That's why I shut mine down and just went to those guys solely. Yeah yeah was because I did. I started out doing it all myself and then I turned it over to a lady in my office and I got the results that you would expect. And then when I started using Tina, it was tough with a handyman side, really good on a sales side, and then we got really good on handyman are really good in sales because, boom it just, we had more, more fish in the pond.
Speaker 1:This is a massive amount of time you saved within your organization. Oh, a ton of organization time, a ton of, I tell you, a ton of my mental time. Because here's how it works. You look at the resume, you look at it, you look through it. You're like, okay, you know, I'm gonna call the guy. Of course I never answer and if they do, you know they'll, they'll, they'll go. Oh no, no, no, I can't talk now. So then you text them. Yeah, I'll call you back.
Speaker 1:All right, and then they don't, and in every once in a while you go. Do you even know who I am? I mean, oh, you just ghosted me because a big Brody you know big day chains, I'm gonna tell big daddy to change, but come out and take you out.
Speaker 2:You know what Christina's coming out.
Speaker 1:And you don't want that one. You want to change. You want the daddy, you don't want Christina. Oh.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:That's how mean man, I'm really bad, but it's so bad when they do that you're like, and so mentally you're like dude, I run a really good business. Why are you doing this? I've lost your flip in my just talk to me when they can't, and so it really is.
Speaker 2:It's a mental play for me and I could because you do have other things to do you think, yeah, right, one or two, a little bit, yeah, even though I take a lot of you handle all that crap and then just set it up to when Chris meets him in person.
Speaker 1:Is that right? That's correct, I like to say the word crap, because it can be, that's right. Yeah, this, chris is yes.
Speaker 2:Now he is yes.
Speaker 1:I work, I'm at crap. You're in Vegas, yeah. Correct or Lambo or Lambo Messing with.
Speaker 2:Packers fans. I mean, we've gone through a lot just this season.
Speaker 1:You know honestly, had the game happen now, I would say I feel bad for them. I would probably be consoling. Probably a lot of hugs would have happened To change, wouldn't hug? And all the Packers ladies.
Speaker 2:Yes, we're not all bad there, don't.
Speaker 1:Hey baby, all right, so I bet creepy yes. No, let's finish this up. We got four questions. Mmm, are you ready? What is a favorite book you would refer to all of our customers I mean, I'm sorry, all of our listeners On the podcast?
Speaker 2:I'm assuming a business or yeah.
Speaker 1:So our average listeners, somebody thinking about starting a business or maybe new in business.
Speaker 2:So I have. Well, a third one is coming. But my tools of the trade, our tools of Titans, sorry.
Speaker 1:Tim Ferriss Yep.
Speaker 2:That's the Bible. It literally is that thick.
Speaker 1:What is that about?
Speaker 2:tools of Titans. So it's stories of successful people and how they've overcome from Business people to actors, athletes, everything. I like it's really Tim Ferriss. I love him, I'm, and he has a couple other ones, I and he's one that you just go.
Speaker 2:you know, kind of skip through it, you know, get a little nugget you like nugget and similar to that was is Damon John Power shoes, a power, no, power shift was the other one shoot. Now I blinked down in his Similar to that shoot. Scratch that, edit that. Anything with Damon John, though Let me just put that one I know.
Speaker 1:I think, damon John, I should have that one. I'll. I'll put in the show notes oh my god.
Speaker 2:Sorry, damon, he's so he's just like I love that guy, he is he. It talk about a baller and two chains, but yeah, he is, but he is Just fantastic and his habits but that's the third one that I just started was atomic habits. I know it's been out for a while, but yeah. I'm liking that one.
Speaker 1:Yep, that one's been good. I am listening to. I know I'm supposed to not do this, but I have to. I have been doing audible on american prometheus.
Speaker 2:Try that. Oh, I love it. Do you like it?
Speaker 1:I do because it's the oppenheimer story, but it's the third version. Oh, wow. Whoa. I mean, if I had to read this thing I'd be stuck because they were using so many big words. I mean it was everything from nuclear physics.
Speaker 2:There's so many things we could say yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, I know I need more pictures in my books too, I mean especially in audible, and you're listening to how fast 1.5 Okay, I'm rocking it, but it's uh, but it's really interesting, because when it's going that fast, doesn't it just sort of take the I don't know the gravitas out?
Speaker 2:of it yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I'm. I mean I'm driving, usually in the truck and instead of doing a podcast, for now. I'm in my loaner truck. That's exactly. Thank you, oh boy, two on one. This is awesome and uh, but no, back to american for me turn it really loud because those paper floor mats are making too much noise. No, they're real floor mats.
Speaker 2:It's a z71, bro, it's tight baby, let's just come out the back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the guard lady told me when I came through she goes, I like that truck.
Speaker 2:I need mr Chris Really.
Speaker 1:That's right, miss me because of the word loaner on the side. No, it says in the back All right, but american for me, yes. Here's what's wild about it is, this guy is a genius, right, and he got caught up in the politics of the day. And what was very interesting to me it was back. When you think about all this was happening Is that these, these physicists and engineers were developing a bomb to kill people, but they had to compartmentalize this, that that they were doing something For the good of humanity, even though they had to wrestle with the moral thing. And the whole thing that was going on at the same time was they were just coming out of the depression into world war two, and a lot of these physicists on campuses guess what? They were liberal, not in 1938.
Speaker 2:Commies, and they were commies.
Speaker 1:So they were part of the communist party. That's what they said, yeah and so they go on the witch hunt, 1954. So I'm just getting. I'm in 1949 right now. It is amazing the persecution of these people, even though they're the ones to develop the bombs into the war they're. They're going after them, saying and they've tapped their wire, their phones, the whole thing, anyway, uh it was.
Speaker 2:Did you see the movie? I did? Yeah, it was good. I like the movie it made science sexy, didn't it? It did.
Speaker 1:I know cool.
Speaker 2:Is it just because my teenage boy loved it?
Speaker 1:No, well, that was for the emotion. I'm telling you.
Speaker 2:What did you say?
Speaker 1:that's because of the naked people.
Speaker 2:I know my my teenage boy saw it twice and now I know why.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I really like physics mom. Hey, you know what, if they would have done that when I was a kid, I would have done physics too. Uh, I did physics and I did, and we didn't have naked women and it was definitely not sexy, my friends. If you saw my professors, there was not one word that ended with s and ended with y, with these guys, because it was, I mean, literally. It was almost like Albert Einstein was teaching us. These guys were, I mean, their hair would be flying everywhere, chalk flying over the cross, because, remember, I grew up with chalkboards, yeah, I mean same.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so our chalkboards are sexy All right next question yeah, uh, so what is the favorite feature of your home?
Speaker 2:The backyard and the pool backyard the pool.
Speaker 1:Nice, okay, all right. Uh, don't elaborate on that. We keep on rolling.
Speaker 2:I mean.
Speaker 1:I mean, if she want to do elaborate, she said backyard and pool. Okay, all right. So you know what. You know why she likes her pool? Why in the backyard? Because she has a tiki hut. Uh, bar back there.
Speaker 2:I do. Well, why didn't you mention that? Built it. Yeah he's a handyman. He should be doing that. He should be doing more of that.
Speaker 1:We're hiring. You know I have a great recruiter that might be able to hook me up.
Speaker 2:I've been trying, man, so I've been able to close the deal bar yeah that's a pretty cool look I did, I went over, I uh that was his prototype. Yeah, I said you should be selling that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right. Next question what is the customer service pet peeve of yours when you're the customer?
Speaker 2:Whoa, what isn't?
Speaker 1:That might be the best answer.
Speaker 2:Just I mean when they are not, when you can tell they hate their job, especially if it's on the phone, right, which most are now. If you have a problem and you're trying to get solved and they just go yeah, yeah, what? Okay, sorry, we can't help you, like it's just mundane and the energy is not there.
Speaker 1:We need energy, energy and customer service. I was just talking with another home services company. The guy said the problem I'm having with customers right now is that they go like on this scale of I'm mad, from 1 to 10. They go from 3 to 10 like immediately. They don't even give you any breath. It's because they're so used to people just sucking so bad Right and I have to scream in order to get what I want.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:So, which is hard for companies like us that try to do the right thing. I mean, I've got a review out there I got to respond to. I'm trying to get it removed from Google.
Speaker 2:Oh good luck with that.
Speaker 1:Our power glitched and our phone system went out. Oh, he goes right to Google and says I was in the middle of telling them what I wanted and they hung up on me.
Speaker 2:Oh no, and you can't prove, can you? How do you prove that? Check this out, check this out.
Speaker 1:So the team now I wasn't even in the office An hour later figured out the phone number. Keep McCall back. Our estimator went out and gave him an estimate the day after and he still has left that review up. Just put that response in. Everybody know that guy's an asshole. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2:You responded, though Did you respond to it online?
Speaker 1:I haven't responded yet, because I wanted to make sure we had it nailed Okay, and we did so. This tires, chris. I'm tired of people like that.
Speaker 2:I'll take care of it. That's what we do on the side is added value.
Speaker 1:Hey, yes, that is a added value, sorry.
Speaker 2:Megan, I'm just throwing stuff out here.
Speaker 1:People are going to have to wait a long time in this podcast to get to the good stuff right, Slash and tires.
Speaker 2:Again, not against it. I know you weren't recording the whole half, so it's okay.
Speaker 1:Here we go. All right, last question we're at to it, right yeah, give us a DIY nightmare story.
Speaker 2:I'm boring on that. I saw that.
Speaker 1:All right, well, we can just flush it. You know, it was that guy that called you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, flush, like my husband doing one, or me or a contractor, yeah.
Speaker 1:I'll give you one, since we're in our basement.
Speaker 1:I got this beautiful opening over here and I did that opening myself. I put the LVL beams in out there and did the whole thing. And I had a friend who was supposed to come over and help me get it there, get them up in place, because they were too heavy to do by yourself, and he bailed on me and I went screw it, I'm going to do it myself. So I get the LVL beams up there. I did it all myself. I stepped back down and I have forgotten to take one of the two by sixes with the nails and I put my nail right through my foot. Love it Perfect, oh right.
Speaker 1:Oh right, oh yeah, yeah Right, between the main, right in the pad, right in the pad of the toe.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it was beautiful Talk about a nightmare. Yeah, thank you. I hung drywall, though I did.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:My husband is very handy. As I mentioned, the Tiki bar and we did. We didn't step on nails though, because he's smarter than that, right Thanks. But, I'm good at hanging ceiling, we did our basement. I helped him do the, so you had your hands, I did I did. That is hard, right.
Speaker 1:That's a big yes.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's why I give you like a minute props, it just gets tiring immediately. It does immediately. Yeah, yeah, 10 seconds. Shoulders start burning, oh yeah, yeah, obviously, because there's a ceiling one, so you have to have the biggest one.
Speaker 1:I get some tricks.
Speaker 2:You like the biggest one.
Speaker 1:I like that.
Speaker 2:Bring it around, bring it full comfort Every once in a while she goes to a second.
Speaker 1:All right, you did it. Oh, on that note, everybody, if you hung in this long, well you know what? Send me an email and I owe you. I owe you something, I will, I will. I will do something for you personally If you hung in this long. You give me an email, chris, at the trusted toolboxcom, and I will give you a special. You owe me one. You go, use, call and just go. Qualified applicants Hashtag.
Speaker 1:So, Christina, christina, all right, get qualified applicants, get better at what you're doing, get out there, make it happen, make it a great day. We're out of here.
Speaker 2:We're out of here.
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