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Written text © 2010, Some Rights Reserved. You may forward this report to anyone you wish. No changes may be made, and attribution of authorship is required.
Brought to you by Pasquale Scopelliti & The Recruiting Manifesto
May 06, 2010
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Greetings!
Sadly, most recruiters can't hear a single thing their
numbers ever try to say to them. There are many reasons why, but perhaps
none greater than this: When we try to listen to the messages from our
numbers, in the plural, we're actually overwhelmed by too much
information.
What we need is just one number, not multiple numbers.
Actually, what we need to do is select a single area of performance. The first message to listen for will be the variation in this one
number as it changes from one period of time to the next, exactly as
the water in a river flowing past you changes. It is still just one river,
though.
Before I share the one stream of numbers I select most frequently,
there is an important qualifier. My number may not be your number.
So, if we were to speak, you and me, I'd ask you, "What ONE NUMBER, if
you could improve it over time, would have the most far-reaching, the
most powerful impact upon your performance in all areas?"
Many options are worth considering. Some people believe in connect
time on the phone. Others don't. Some people only care about the
dollars, and at that, only cash in. I can always persuade those people
that placements matter too, that's an easy sale. Other people care
about connected calls, or attempted calls, and the list goes on.
The one area I choose most often is Send Outs.
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The Data: A Stream of NumbersThe
following table is actual data, from a small but strongly performing client of
mine. Do not
try to "read" the numbers in the table at first. Just glance at it and
do so quite quickly. More instructions follow!  We'll look for our first message right now, with just these three simple numbers pulled out. High: 14 - 1/18
Low: 5 - 3/22 & 3/29
Average: 8Now it's time to try to feel the numbers and their meaning for the
first time. Our high was the third week in January. We hit our low
twice, about two months later, two weeks running. By pulling out the High, Low and Average, we begin to feel what
performance is, where it rests, where it trends, and what it "wants" to
be. Let's bring our river back into view now. Think rocks and rapids,
curves and high banks, fast and slow currents in the river's flow. Can
you picture the numbers in their moving and changing just like
the river? The
Image
Now, let's look and listen. As above, go fast. More instructions are
given below.
Bouncy! Hills and valleys!
Understand this is the raw data, unprocessed. The blue line is the
goal for the week; the red is that week's performance. Can
you see the emerging relationship visible between Goal and Actual? Actual is lower.
Even in just the raw data anyone can see we don't actually hit our
goal. Actually, pull these two moments: the weeks of 2/1 & 4/5. Hurray! These are the two weeks in which our goal was exceeded. There
are two additional excellent weeks; can you find them? Go look, right
now. What were they?
Yes! That's exactly right! Weeks 1/18 & 1/25 were our two highest
weeks and also the two weeks where we hit our goals
exactly. They're truly wonderful.
The
Unarguable Proof
In this shop, the goal was changed every week. When shops set a single
goal to be repeated, without change, the goal line is obviously flat. Here, we've averaged the goal line.
Clearly, the Goal Line is above and the Actual Line is below. The
relationship is absolute. What if we argue against this conclusion? Let's say this is a purely random relationship, not predetermined. Make the case. You can't, can you?
There truly is a relationship here. No scientist will be able to
dispute it. For this team, performance is and, unless fundamental
change was to occur, WILL ALWAYS BE below their goal. You have to
admit that's interesting, isn't it?
Oh,
and look at precisely how much beneath their goal the number remains, once just
enough data is entered in to smooth out the pattern. The stabilized trend of almost exactly two Send Outs less than goal is,
unarguably, a definitive pattern for this team. Granted, the longer you
add to any average, the less movement you'll find. But, the fact that
it only required a few weeks for this pattern to emerge makes it
compelling.
The
Conclusion
Here we see the totals graphed out straight. And, there's fantastic
news. This team is actually a fantastically
well performing team. At approximately 10 Send Outs per week they
were doing dramatically better than they are right now, at just 8. But even if they go the rest of the year at just 8, they'll still be a
top performing team. I'm quite serious.
The most powerful conclusion we can draw from this first session is
this. The published or stated goals are not the critical element
driving performance. There are other factors. And, mind you, we have
not looked at placements or dollars billed or collected. Sometimes
Send Outs generate more deals, as a ratio, and sometimes less. This
team often increases its ratio as its raw number of Send Outs falls. Quantity falls, but quality rises. Before we could truly know this
team well we would have to breach the one-number rule and build some
cause and effect ratios.
Let's check out this final graph with our
totals.
What counsel would we offer this team? Here are just 5 points for now:
- Consider setting a single, unchanging goal and watch how long it takes before you can actually hit or
exceed it each week.
- You're hitting an average of 8
now. So, I recommend just 9. Give it a try!
- I could argue, however, for 8
or even less, and here's how. If you set your goal as a minimum and
learn to never fall beneath your goal, all variation will be the upside of your
minimum. There is no penalty for exceeding your goal. (If you don't
follow this point, you should call me and we'll talk!)
- Now, cut forward to years end,
of this year. Picture a dream come true, even though it's just a numbers
dream, boring though numbers inherently are. You've accomplished 133 Send
Outs so far. What is the dream number for years end?
- And finally, if you miss your
goal this week, work harder next week. When you hit or exceed your goal
this week, determine precisely what you'll do to repeat or improve next week.
Would you like to analyze YOUR numbers with me?
Sign up for a free 1-hour, no-strings-attached telephone consultation with me and we'll get you set up with graphs just like the ones above and we'll incorporate an analysis of your data into our conversation.
Just click below, fill out the application, and my Business Manager (and son!), Nico, will get back to you right away to schedule your call.
http://theconsigliori.com/free1hourconsultation.php
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Yours in honor
and faith,
Pasquale
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