That’s not something that a one-time mailing can accomplish, says Souk, whose undergraduate and graduate degrees were in marketing.
That’s why he sends out thousands of pieces of direct mail a month. He calls it “the numbers game.”
If even 100 of those recipients end up doing business with Souk, which leads to three or four future jobs, it was a worthwhile investment, he says.
But don’t anticipate immediate results. When he did his first month of mailers, Souk says he got antsy. He wasn’t getting much from his marketing investment.
So when the company asked him whether he wanted to re-sign for another month, he gave them a resounding “no.”
Five or six months later, however, the calls started coming in.
“I had to call the mailer company back and basically get on my hands and knees to beg them to let me get back (on their list),” Souk says.
5. Hire people with “responsibilities in their life.”
Though some employers find job candidates more attractive when they have fewer outside responsibilities, Souk takes a different view. He believes those outside commitments give the employee more drive because they need the job all the more, whether it’s because of a newborn child, a sick mother, student loan payments or any number of concerns.
“They have to have something going on in their life,” Souk says. “(That gives them) a stake in the game.”
Because he can trust his employees, Souk is also flexible. One of his technicians is in school, so Souk agreed to let him start his day at 1 p.m., after his morning classes, and to work every Saturday.
“I want a guy who’s motivated,” Souk says. “This kid wants to get ahead and still wants to work and make money (as opposed to) some kid who comes in hung over from the night before.”
And, Souk added, his tactic has worked: He hasn’t had an employee leave in nearly a year.
©2014 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Distributed by MCT Information Services
