Freerangerecruiting talks to a lot of people in the industry who have a decided strategy of “live for today” when it comes to the success of their program. When things are good, they’re at their most confident - sure of every move they make, solid in their ability to spot trends and understand the market. When things are bad or challenging, it’s as if they never thought about trends in recruiting or cycles of driver turnover.
If you’ve ever caught yourself bailing water out of a sinking raft, you know the feeling of living for today. Wouldn’t it help if you had packed an onboard patch kit, a spare life jacket, and tools before you left the house? Of course it would.
It’s our nature to ride high in good times. And it can seem negative to always be planning for slow times. But if you’ve been in this business long enough, you know that cycles exist. Planning for them will keep those troughs from turning into valleys. Here are a few questions I’ve asked people to find out how they think:
- If you had to add 200 drivers tomorrow, what three things would you do?
- If your hiring market shifted this afternoon, would you be able to immediately gain traction in those areas?
- When the CEO asks if you’re ready to expand your hiring into different locations, do you feel a burning sensation run down your back?
Most people don’t think about tomorrow. Which is why you can have a leg up on your competition if can do contingency planning. You don’t need a bullet-proof plan. Just thinking throught these types of things is a step in the right direction, and they typically lead to simple action up front that will save your bacon in the future.
Here are a few things we’ve done to plan for the future:
- Database anyone and everything that you can. You never know when you can use it.
- Learn how to segment databases. Having data is one thing. Being able to use it is another.
- Identify a top 3 “hit list” of how to approach new markets. It might include newspaper or search engines or picnics or buying the naming rights to the local stadium (you’d have big bucks if you can do that). Whatever it is, at least this will get your head around the task in advance.
Keep in mind that this forward planning is better done as a generalization. Don’t waste time making contingency plans for every market in America. Do take time to execute broad steps that will hedge your bets on success for the future.
You can celebrate your successes. Just be sure they’re not blinding you to potential changes in your market or your company’s needs. It’s not pessimistic. It’s smart.
