Hiring first employee to get more work and leads.. Advice needed

3 years ago

Originally Posted by Stefanie Schepens

Dear members
I am planning to hire my first employee. This is not as easy as I thought it was gonna be as people can hide their cons very well. I can't completely follow my instinct as people often talk the talk.

In my case, it's even more difficult as I am looking for an experienced sales/marketing profile with industry experience in the creative design/video sector. The mission is to get someone who's well-connected, has some industry connections that can lead to jobs and knows how to develop well and blend in with my current company structure. I have a budget ready to pay this person for the first 6 months however I do not wish to wait 6 months before any jobs/money is coming in.

I'd like to know how I should prepare myself, how I should vet these people, what the best deal is (first two months part-time to be continued with a full-time schedule?)...

Also, finding an experienced profile and approaching them is the hardest part for me right now. I could easily find people that I believe could fit the bill but often times they are already working for another company. Should I only focus on profiles that are currently seeking or is it appropriate to approach hired profiles as well?

What are the most important things to watch out for? How do I welcome this person into my company/small office, etc.. it feels very weird because it is the first time I am doing this...
please share your advice and your experience

Stefanie,

Here's a thought for you.

Have you considered hiring an intern, instead of a paid employee?

There are pros and cons going this route, however, it is still something to consider if you think it will benefit you (and the Intern).

Therefore, I won't be giving you any advice on the pros and cons of using an Intern vs. hiring an Employee.

What I will give you is something that Warriors have talked about here for several years.

So, if you really, really want to know what has been discussed, you can read it for yourself to see if this is the better route for you to take or not.

Using Google, type:

Site:www.Warriorforum.com "interns"

Here's another helpful thread:

Site:www.Warriorforum.com "contract"

Reading some of these threads should help you to determine if this is the better route to follow or not.

Cheers,

JMB

P.S. There was a WSO put out on this subject, but it is no longer available. However, if you contact the WSO creater, he may still sell it to you. Heck, who knows, but it doesn't hurt asking.

P.S.S. Another route is to do a Joint Venture. However, that's another entirely different discussion!

Thanks

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savidge4

3 years ago

You say you need "More work and leads". Do you currently have a process in place to get those, OR are you wanting to rely on the person you hire to just magically make that happen for you?

Do you really need an employee.. or are you really looking to JV with someone that has all the contacts? If you "Hire" someone to get you leads you really need a process in place that can be replicated not only by the person you hire, but additional staff, or that persons replacement. If you simply bring in a person to get you leads however they choose.. you have lost all control, and leverage is with your employee, and not you.

Set this in motion as a JV, you need to counter balance the leverage a bit so both you and the person you "partner" with are bringing something to the table. IE they find the work.. you fulfill the work, you both get paid for your equally important aspects of work.

You need to maintain control over whatit is you do.. the moment you think that you can hire someone and rely on them to do something you either cant or are not currently doing.. you will find yourself in trouble.

Originally Posted by Stefanie Schepens

Dear members
I am planning to hire my first employee. This is not as easy as I thought it was gonna be as people can hide their cons very well. I can't completely follow my instinct as people often talk the talk.

In my case, it's even more difficult as I am looking for an experienced sales/marketing profile with industry experience in the creative design/video sector. The mission is to get someone who's well-connected, has some industry connections that can lead to jobs and knows how to develop well and blend in with my current company structure. I have a budget ready to pay this person for the first 6 months however I do not wish to wait 6 months before any jobs/money is coming in.

I'd like to know how I should prepare myself, how I should vet these people, what the best deal is (first two months part-time to be continued with a full-time schedule?)...

Also, finding an experienced profile and approaching them is the hardest part for me right now. I could easily find people that I believe could fit the bill but often times they are already working for another company. Should I only focus on profiles that are currently seeking or is it appropriate to approach hired profiles as well?

What are the most important things to watch out for? How do I welcome this person into my company/small office, etc.. it feels very weird because it is the first time I am doing this...
please share your advice and your experience

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

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John Jonas Phil VA

3 years ago

Originally Posted by savidge4

You say you need "More work and leads". Do you currently have a process in place to get those, OR are you wanting to rely on the person you hire to just magically make that happen for you?

Do you really need an employee.. or are you really looking to JV with someone that has all the contacts? If you "Hire" someone to get you leads you really need a process in place that can be replicated not only by the person you hire, but additional staff, or that persons replacement. If you simply bring in a person to get you leads however they choose.. you have lost all control, and leverage is with your employee, and not you.

Set this in motion as a JV, you need to counter balance the leverage a bit so both you and the person you "partner" with are bringing something to the table. IE they find the work.. you fulfill the work, you both get paid for your equally important aspects of work.

You need to maintain control over whatit is you do.. the moment you think that you can hire someone and rely on them to do something you either cant or are not currently doing.. you will find yourself in trouble.

Savidge4 makes a really good point. I would also like to point that if you're going to be completely dependent on your "employee" on getting leads and sales for your business, you might end up losing a lot more than just money. Set up a sales/marketing system that works first. When you do hire an employee, don't show them the entire system or only have them work on parts of the system. That way, your business is intact regardless of who you hire.

Thanks

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heaththompson

3 years ago

I know what you mean with getting a sense of trust with people. My first two online freelance jobs proved terrible, the first disappeared when payment was due and the second was a fraudster. Sure makes you nervous when all you want to do is a decent job for somebody.

Good luck with the search,

Heath

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asiboyz

3 years ago

For me, I would consider giving the person first month to prove his/her self. Before you hire the person, make sure you will have to include it in the interview that the there is a requirement or more like a training month. For the first month this would be the salary (probably just a little than the actual salary that you will give to that employee once he/she will meet up with your job demands). After 1 month or 2 i would consider giving that person an increase to the actual salary that is given on the contract. just my two cents.

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Srikanth Reddy P

3 years ago

it is good to choose offline.

the good start comes when you know whom to hire and then think about what to do.

Good to Great quote copied.

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Michael Nguyen

3 years ago

You're essentially looking for a business development manager. That person if he's not working for you is working for the competition. So if you want that person, you will need to try and pry him off your competition.

I sense from your post that you want grow as a company and you simply just don't want to "outsource" or JV etc. I've done the outsourcing online and although it kinda worked, I didn't feel like a real business.

What you want is going to cost time and money but things "should" start moving after about 90 days or sooner. The reason why is whoever is working for you will need to build his pipeline up. He may need 5-6 opportunities before a deal can be closed, so now you gotta know your numbers...

You can't solve this problem with just 6 month budget, AND look for someone with experience. Part time is probably not going to work as the person is a pro and already committed. Your gig will be a distraction that they took on. Budget 12 months if you're making a hire for a pro, but review after 3 months based on activity etc.

Ie how many calls in that time, appointments booked, presentations, closes.

If none can be demonstrated after 1-2 months, especially the number of calls, appointments booked, then time to fire. There is risk but you can control that risk from day 1 with expectations.

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David Jones42

3 years ago

congrates for starting your owner journey. i want to give you one tips dont give to much work load to your employee

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Hiring first employee to get more work and leads.. Advice needed

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