Total Transparency: Employees & Customers
#1- Arnie Malham, President of cj Advertising, spoke at last year’s Secret Service Summit, and was the highest rated speaker we have EVER had. That is really saying something, considering we have had over 50 amazing presenters in four years.
Total Transparency – One of the best takeaways from hearing Arnie speak (and consulting with his company) is how he allows all his employees and Customers to publically post their satisfaction scores and share feedback. All his employees can see what their co-workers are posting and how the company is doing with regard to overall satisfaction. He does the exact same thing for his clients. Each quarter they are asked to fill out a survey stating their level of satisfaction (1-5) and share any and all comments they have. All of his Customers can see this. They can see what his other Customers are saying, and how cj Advertising is being rated. I have never heard of such transparency! I asked Arnie about this and he said, “Most people say I need to have my head examined for doing this. However, we like the pressure of knowing that if we don’t take care of our Customers, or don’t react when something goes wrong, it will be made public.” I have seen and read the comments and have interviewed several of cj’s clients, and they say this is one of the reasons why they love to do business with cj Advertising. CJ is a forward moving, robust company largely as a result of Arnie’s appetite for critical feedback. While most companies adopt the “head in the sand” approach with regard to criticism, Arnie actually goes looking for it. By asking his clients what theycan do better, he puts CJ in a better position to actually get better!
If you were not there and did not see Arnie or any of the other presenters at this year’s Summit, you can hear and share their message with your entire organization: 2012 Secret Service Summit Audio Series.
I saw a stat in an article in INC. Magazine over the weekend that I thought was interesting:
Quantity vs. Quality – INC. Magazine had an excellent article on hiring good employees that had surprising data. Even in this digital age of job boards and on-line applications, referrals continue to make up the smallest, but highest- quality new employees. While only 7% of applicants come from referrals, they account for 40% of hires.
Employee Network – Hires referred by employees are more likely to stick around. Employee retention rates after three years are 47% for referrals and 14% for job board applicants. This particular article recommends paying cash bonuses to employees as an incentive for them to tap their social media networks for candidates.
Consider the Source – If a friend of one of your marginal employees wants a job, think again. “A” players typically hang out with other highly motivated, hard working people. On the flip side, “C” players hang around other “C” players.
Johnism
