INDUCTION - STARTING NEW PEOPLE IN YOUR BUSINESS

INDUCTION

By Ian Keightley AREINZ
Salescoach Ltd

Today’s market has impacted on many business owners, not only in terms of revenue and profitability, but in the numbers of salespeople they are able to retain.

This decline in revenue generators has placed a real focus on recruitment as business owners seek to keep their team numbers up. The good markets of the mid-nineties saw offices with high fixed costs and large team numbers become the norm. Team numbers are reducing and the business owners try to trim costs, increase individual productivity and recruit.

This situation places a real focus on the need to maximize the potential of any new recruits you are able to bring into your business. We are not here to discus recruitment (maybe a later article) but to explore the need for good induction programmes and the high cost of failing to do this properly.

THE PURPOSE OF INDUCTION is to get new staff productive as soon as possible and to reduce staff turnover

• You need to pass on essential information.
• You need to develop realistic expectations and reduce uncertainty
• You want to reduce staff turnover
• This will save you time, money and anxiety.


THE COST OF POOR INDUCTION

• High staff turnover
• People leave because they don’t succeed
• Top people leave because the manager spends too much time with the low producers
• Low office morale as failure culture develops
• More stress
• Increased recruitment costs
• Lower standards
• Lack of quality control
• Business can’t compete in the new era of high service, knowledge and skill.
• Higher exposure to liability and Indemnity claims
Once you have succeeded in recruiting a new team member, you need to set in place a programme of 4 Elements:

1 A 30-DAY PRE-START PROGRAMME

Set aside at least 2 hours per week to meet, coach and counsel your new recruit. This is the time to set in place the success habits:

Preparation, Prospecting, Training, Accountability, Activity.


A typical Pre-Start Programme might look like this:

WEEK 1

1. Fill out Personal Profile
2. Meet with Manager and discuss goals
3. Take home Business Plan & discuss with partner
4. Take home Listing video and watch
5. Read Company Policy
6. Start Client Database Builder – 50 names & addresses

WEEK 2

1. Meet with Manager and discuss Business Plan
2. Discuss Video
3. Review 50 names
4. Receive Sales Persons Manual and read Prospecting Section
5. Watch Manager do listing Presentation
6. Take home Listing Presentation Video
7. Add 25 more names to Client Base
8. Fill out listing agreement on your own house
Check that all arrangements for start date are in place.

WEEK 3

1. Meet with Manager and review homework.
2. Review Manual – Section – Listing Presentation
3. Review Database
4. Discuss Company Policy re standards, attendance, meetings
5. Check your Listing Agreement
6. Take home video on Open Homes
7. Prepare contract of sale on your house
8. Add 25 names and addresses to database
9. Draft Letter 1 to go to Database – see Quickstart
10. Discuss Open Homes & Qualifying Buyers

WEEK 4

1. Review Contract of Sale
2. Review Video
3. Watch Manager do another Listing Presentation
4. Discuss Showing a House
5. Take Home Video on Closing the Sale
6. Take home Video on Telephone Techniques
7. Set Plan for Week 1
8. Review Letter1
9. Continue to study Sales Manual
10. Add 25 more names to Database

Go to week 1 of 30 day Quickstart

2. MANAGERS/ADMINISTRATION CHECKLIST

This is best set out in a Personnel Folder, which you should establish for each team member. In this folder keep the following checklist to ensure all the vital items are covered. Keep a record too of all the 1:1 discussions and training sessions so you have a point of reference to develop accountability in the new recruit.

A typical checklist might look like this:

PRE-START CHECKLIST

LEGALS
• Letter of Appointment
• Contract of Engagement
• Contract of Employment
• REINZ Course
• Forms 11 &11a
• Certificate received
• Start Up Fee Received

ADMINISTRATION
• Personal File established
• Photos taken
• Cards Ordered
• Diary
• Name Badge
• Office key – office security
• Mobile Number
• After hours Number
• Answering Service Notified
• Pager
• Reception Advised
• IRD No. obtained
• Details in Company Directory
• Corporate Jacket
• Car Insurance
• Desk & Chair organized
• Telephone Extension
• Car Parking
• Lock Box/Key System
• In – Out Board
• Hammer / Stapler
• Computer System
• Telephone System
• e-mail address
• web page established
• photocopier PIN number
• Fax
• Fuel Card
• Fuel Card Deposit
• Conference Club

MARKETING

• Allocate BDA (farm)
• Flag and Flag Pole
• Sign Overlays
• Listing Kit
• Pre-Listing Kit/Portfolio
• Directional Arrows
• Marketing Deposit

POLICY AND PROCEDURES

• Company Policy
• Our Do’s & Don’ts
• Meeting times
• One-on-one Schedule
• Hours of attendance
• Duty Roster
• Open Hours
• Messages
• Disputes
• Pay Days
• Holidays
• Auctions
• Vendor Marketing Contribution
• New Sales Persons Course ( Corporate)
• Induction Programme completed
• Social Club

3. 30-DAY QUICKSTART

On day 1 your first appointment is with your new team member. By following the Pre-Start list you will have created some Activity expectations so they will be ready for the tasks you have set for week 1. A typical programme could look like this:

• Attended New Salespersons Course

WEEK 1

• Meet with Manager and check PLAN FOR WEEK
• Meet with Manager Daily
• Computer System Training
• Office Resources and Stationery
• Send letter 1
• View Listings
• 2 X training sessions from Manual with Manager
• Present Listing Presentation to Manager
• Draft letter 2
• List 25 more names and addresses for Database
• Plan week 2
• Continue reading Manuals and watching Videos

WEEK 2

• Continue to meet with Manager daily
• Phone 10 Client base contacts per day
• Give out 5 Business Cards per day
• Meet 2 client base face to face per day
• Under manager’s guidance start phoning Expired and Withdrawn Listings. Learn Scripts first.
• Continue to view stock
• Seek first Appraisal – take Manager
• Tour farm and identify all current listings
• List 25 more names and add to Database
• 2 x training sessions with Manager
• Plan week 3

WEEK 3

• Continue to met with Manager daily
• Check and mail letter 2
• Continue phoning Database @ 10 a day
• Give out 5 business cards a day
• Meet 2 client base people per day face to face
• Continue visiting stock
• Continue phoning expireds and withdrawns
• With Manager visit 10 Listings in your farm area and diary for follow-up
• Seek Open Home Opportunity
• Box drop farm
• Plan week 4

WEEK 4

• Continue to meet daily with Manager
• Continue to
• give out 5 business cards a day
• make 10 phone calls a day
• meet 2 face to face per day
• You’ve now seen all existing stock
• Seek Appraisals / Listing appointments – take Manager
• Follow-up any buyers you have
• Write letter 3 for mailing week 5
• Draft next Farm drop for week 5
• Review & List what you are not comfortable with
• Vendor Funding
• Auction
• CMA’s
• Computer
• Diary time with Manager to cover the above
• Plan week 5 and set up weekly accountability programme

4, ON-GOING ACCOUNTABILITY

Personally, I would continue this level of management for 90 days. Perhaps I might start meeting formally every 2 days, then go out to every 3 days once I could see the recruit was engaging in the dollar productive tasks we had set. Unless you have a well-disciplined, self-focused and productive recruit, do not let the accountability meetings go further than three days apart.

To track the recruits activity and progress I recommend you use an Accountability Tracker such as this.

(Insert attached Excel sheet)

Get the new recruit into the habit of tracking inputs and establish good prospecting and self-management habits a this early stage. The long-term benefits of investing in this programme will show on your bottom line. Only by taking the time to establish the habits now will you know that you have given your new recruit every chance to succeed and become a valuable productive unit with your team.

IAN KEIGHTLEY