Motivational Speaker Doug Smart
"Good hires make you rich. Bad hires cost you a fortune." Doug Smart
January 2014
Take the Gamble Out of Hiring & Promoting
"It pays to know the personal strengths of every person on your team."
(404) 963-1374
What Happens When You Hire Even 1 Wrong Person?
Cost Is One Thing. Lingering Damage Can be Worse.
This is what it feels like when all of your hires are good hires.

Have you ever played Russian Roulette? That's the stupid and potentially lethal game of chance that involves putting a gun to your head. Did you see that old movie "The Deer Hunter"? If yes, you remember how the game is played. It's not pretty. Actually, it's pretty disgusting and gives you nightmares. 
 
Russian Roulette = Stupid Risk
 
But did you know another stupid risk is hiring someone because you "feel good" about their experience or you have a hunch they will be great? 
 
Why? What's the Risk?
 
In business, if you make a bad hire, two things are guaranteed to happen.
 
1. A bad hire (or promotion) will hold you back. If the hire turns out to be an average or below average producer, the team output lags. Co-workers notice and slow down. Customers notice and go to competitors. Opportunities pass you by. Things that should be taken care of easily and quickly become chores that grind along and take forever. The situation can last for months or years. Managing becomes a chore. 
 
2. A bad hire will change the culture of your team the wrong way. For example let's say the culture of your business is "high flying": people are upbeat, goal oriented, and eager to help each other. And let's say you hire someone who interviews well but - surprising to you - the person turns out to be a loner, sloppy about deadlines, and distrustful of the motives of co-workers. In your wildest dreams do you think life after the bad hire could be as good or better than before? 
 
Let's look at this another way. Suppose your daughter marries someone you try to like but the truth is you find the person aggravating. Your holiday dinners will be different than if she marries someone you are crazy about. You'll watch what you say. You'll read things into what the spouse says. You'll find fault. You will be unhappy - even in your own house. The food and decor can be the same no matter who she marries but the atmosphere will be different.  In business, change the word "atmosphere" to "culture" and you are looking at the same dynamic. A single person can change a workplace culture -- for the worse. 
 
If You Get Rid of the Bad Hire, Will Things Go Back to the Way They Were? 
 
No. Get real -- have you EVER seen ANY situation go back to what it was before? This makes me think of the plastic water pitchers that hotels put in conference rooms. If you pour yourself a cold glass of water from any water pitcher that ever had coffee in it (even once!), you will taste a lingering coffee flavor. Reality is, once things get polluted or contaminated, they never go back to the way they were. 
 
Can You Eliminate the Risk of a Bad Hire or Bad Promotion? 
 
Yes. The smartest thing you can do before hiring or promoting is to take the gamble out. Do this by using smart new assessment tools that discover the candidate's personal strengths in 100+ areas. Instantly, you will see not only the person's natural skills and talents, but you will see how the person will fit with your culture. In the 21st Century you never have to play Russian Roulette with hires and promotions. You can build the culture of your workplace the way you want as you build the team of your dreams.  
 
More information is available at our new website  www.TakeTheGambleOutOfHiring.com.
Take the Gamble Out with AEPS
Build an excellent team
 
Never before has it been so easy to take the gamble out before you hire or promote anyone. In just minutes, you can quickly get a crystal clear, easy to read, in-depth picture of how people will perform in their jobs BEFORE you make any commitments. Our scientifically validated process is easy, accurate and affordable. It's called the AEPS System: Assess & Evaluate Personal Strengths System. 

Our Price: $395 per person tested
List Price: $995 per person tested
Cost of Making a Bad Hiring Decision: loss of money, customers and time. Long lasting effects: morale, confidence and reputation are weakened.
Price Includes: a live phone conversation about the candidate(s) so you can ask questions and drill deep to make certain you are getting the best person for the job.
The Process

We work with business owners and senior level people to take the gamble out of hiring and promoting. This is done by using online assessment tests. It takes only 15 minutes for a person to answer a few questions. Next, a 70 page report is emailed to the decision makers so they can see the personal strengths of the person they are thinking of hiring or promoting. They can see if the person is right for the job. If there are several job candidates, all can be tested and then compared "apples to apples" to see who is the best choice. We work with clients via computer, phone or Skype. Our clients are all over the world. The testing can be done in over 40 languages. The cost is normally $995 USD. but right now it is only $395 per person tested. 

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About Us
 
I am an award-winning speaker, executive career coach and senior management adviser. For 20+ years I have shown people around the world - business owners, senior level managers, and individuals - how to discover their personal strengths for success in business.

Services my team and I provide:
  • Assessment and consulting services that take the gamble out of hiring and promoting by identifying the strengths of others
  • Speaking at conventions, conferences, leadership retreats, sales meetings, trade association meetings, whole-organization events
  • On-site training brought to your team
  • Executive coaching
  • Public seminars and weekend retreats on "It Pays to Know Your Personal Strengths" and "How to Take the Gamble Out of Hiring & Promoting."
  • The newest scientifically validated assessment instruments, which can be purchased in bulk at volume pricing so every person in your organization can discover their personal strengths
Quick Links
Visit www.TakeTheGambleOutOfHiring.com for more info on job test assessments that are accurate, fast and easy. And economical. 

Looking for a speaker for a convention, conference, leadership meeting, team building event, sales meeting or on-site training? Get info on Doug Smart at www.StrengthsInternational.com. 
Upcoming Events
 
SANTA FE - March 21 & 22.  "It Pays to Know Your Personal Strengths." Two day retreat for personal self-discovery. Learn how to identify and maximize your personal strengths. Emphasis on how to use your personal strengths to build career paths, drop stress and thrive by being yourself. You can achieve the health, wealth and happiness you desire. Includes personal coaching. $1,295 per person, $1,595 for two.
 
SEATTLE - February 28
ATLANTA - March 3
"How to Take the Gamble Out of Hiring & Promoting"   One day workshop for business owners, CEOs and senior level management. $995 per person, $1,195 for two.
 
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My Fav Sales Hire Story

Larry, a business owner using my pre-employment job test to screen salespeople, interviewed and hired a salesperson with great natural instincts for sales. The assessments showed fantastic potential for this salesperson. Larry asked me to have a coaching call with the salesperson. The coaching was a way to further build the salesperson's confidence by teaching him about his personal strengths. The salesperson and I agreed to a phone call at 4:30 on Friday afternoon. When I called at 4:30 I heard loud traffic noise in the background. "Where are you?" I asked. He said he had pulled into a parking lot next to a highway so he could answer his phone. "Well," I said, "go on home and I'll call you again in 30 minutes." He explained, "That's not going to be convenient. I'm not going home yet. I'm on my way to cold call on a prospective client. In person. I want to make another sale before the end of my first week."