April 3, 2009, Newsletter Issue #204: Wanted: Experienced Help

Tip of the Week

Naturally, as a small business owner, you try to cut costs at all costs. But at what point are you actually costing yourself money by trying to save?

If you run a store or restaurant, look at your staff. Are they highly qualified and experienced to do their jobs? Or are they the first people that walked in willing to take the minimum wage you offer?

While you may save money by paying the lowest possible wage for workers, you get what you pay for. If your fast food restaurant is run by teenagers, they may not put the care you would into food preparation, presentation and customer service. And who can blame them? After all, this is just a job to them, and one that doesn’t even pay that well.

Raise Your Stakes: By offering higher wages, you can command more out of your workers. Decide what qualities you want. Should your fashion clerks have some knowledge about the types of products they sell? Should they have a warm and friendly personality? What makes your customers feel comfortable and what turns them off?

Spend time really interviewing your applicants, rather than hiring the first people to grab the “Help Wanted” sign. Interview enough candidates that you have a pool to choose the best from.

By being selective about who works for you, you will improve the level of service in your store, and your customers will be repeat shoppers.

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