A recent situation reminded me of the old saying “you get what you pay for“. You see, when it comes to large-scale irrigation projects our landscaping company typically works exclusively with Powers Irrigation & Landscapes. Even if this means we make less money on the project, we almost always bring them on to help because we know that they will always deliver on what they promise. However, due to incredibly busy schedules we were recently forced to hire a different contractor to help us out with an irrigation project. Needless to say, the much cheaper contractor didn’t provide nearly the level of skill as our normal go-to contractor. In fact, the contractor didn’t provide much skill at all, mostly because he didn’t even show up. And while we eventually solved this particular challenge and finished up on time, the situation in general reminded me of why it is so important to surround yourself with great people. In addition to the obvious reasons, here are a few more that top the list in my opinion.
It’s more cost-effective
Can you imagine how much it would have cost if we wouldn’t have been able to solve the situation? Because we were scheduled to install the landscaping over the next couple of days, in the worst case scenario, it could have easily snowballed out of control and cost us a substantial amount more. (no irrigation=no landscaping=no paycheck) In most cases, at least in my experience, it is typically much more cost-effective to go ahead and hire great help.
It will strengthen your brand
Think about this for a second, in most instances the lowest paid employees are the ones who interact with customers the most. With that being said, do you want Joe Schmoe talking to your customers or someone who is professional and intelligent? Any marketer will tell you that in order to build a great brand, you need to have more than a great logo; you need to make every interaction with your customers a great one. Hiring great people will do great things for your brand.
You’ll stay sane…longer
While I’m not citing any research here, I’m sure it’s out there somewhere; hiring great people will reduce your stress levels. Makes perfect sense, right? As a business leader you spend your time trying to make things work better. You can expand your reach by building and developing others; this starts by hiring the best people you can find.