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Sitting on a plane I overheard a comment that I thought was fascinating.
“For $100,000 you’re not getting a trainee. They should know what to do.”
Now while I agree that someone at that level of salary is not the same as someone just entering the job market, the mistake I see is that many times these employees are not giving the proper training on the processes of the new company.
What I see is an assumption of talent. An assumption of delivering the solutions or results needed.
But does success at one institution guarantee success at another?
I have had situations where a top producing salesperson was recommended to me we interviewed, explained the job and they explained their successes. The problem was their previous success was based on a different structure than we had in our company
They were successful when the prospect was delivered almost closed. They closed the deal or won over those on the fence. As much as a talent that is, our business structure was more than just this.
Too often when experienced employees are brought in, it is assumed they will know how to provide service or sales in the manner your company expects.
In the automotive industry, where I do a lot of work, salespeople move from one place to another and I cannot tell you how often I have heard, “Well they have sold cars for 10 years. They should know this.”
Well they know how they do it but not how you do it. That is the mistake.
Think of a sports team. Yes, players understand the basics of the game but each team has their own playbook, terminology, signs, situational execution etc. So if these high level performers are brought through all of these initial steps why would your company skip yours with a new employee regardless of their skill level.
Take the time to train every employee on your processes no matter their experience. If they are experienced they will move through your processes quickly. What you will accomplish is having everyone executing in the same manner. If you take a new employee’s experience as a short cut you may find yourself spending future time frustrated with results or arguing or things you could have avoided with initial training.
Don’t make the $100K mistake.
If you liked this article please share it. If I can ever be of service, or you would like me to review anything for you, please reach out to me on Twitter @glennpasch or on LinkedIn.
Glenn Pasch is the current CEO of PCG Companies as well as a father, husband, writer and part of the National Speaker Association.