How to use I-Phone: One Step Ahead: Who's the Man Behind the Curtain?

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Issue 15 - November 30, 2010

Hey Genc,

Do you ever feel "burned out"...and wonder how long you can keep your business going? When there's more and more that needs to get done every day?

If you are in this situation, I urge you...

Do not take today's issue lightly.

Because ignoring this message could very well be
the beginning of the end for your online business.

Some of the biggest names in Internet marketing were caught up in the same fatal mistake you may be making this very moment.

But if you do what these smart marketers did, your chances of success are far greater than where you are headed right now.

Get the whole story below, in today's One Step Ahead essay.

Plus, in our Reader Q&A Session, you'll get a peek into a scenario I experienced a few weeks ago, when we realized we had made a pretty serious mistake in our business. That we've now corrected.

So today it's time to learn for other people's mistakes.

If you can handle a little "harsh reality" intended to help you follow the high road to success.

To higher profits,

Rich

The REAL Oz

By Rich Schefren

All along their journey, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion hear about the great and powerful Oz.

If only they can reach him... All their deepest wishes will be granted.

They brave the Wicked Witch of the West... and flying monkeys... and sleep-inducing poppies to see him. And when they finally reach the Emerald City, Oz is just as fearsome as they imagined, with a booming voice and a giant head shrouded in smoke.

I'm talking, of course, about the cinema classic The Wizard of Oz.

You've seen it. So you already know what happens next to poor Dorothy and crew.

While they're all quaking in their boots (or ruby slippers, as it were) Dorothy's little dog, Toto, tugs at a side curtain to reveal the REAL Oz - a stocky little fellow with a bushy moustache and a bit of a stutter.

I caught this scene again recently while my daughters were watching the movie on DVD. (My youngest loves it, though she's a little scared of The Wicked Witch. And it got me thinking...

All of the most successful people I know in the Internet marketing business have their own "man behind the curtain." That person takes care of everything behind the scenes, making sure the business is running smoothly on all cylinders and not missing a beat. And he's vital to its success.

I've got my own version right here at Strategic Profits. He's my COO and partner, Brian Johnson.

If you've ever been to one of my events and seen a pale, dark-headed guy running to and fro with a walkie-talkie and a look of complete exhaustion, that would be Brian. Brian's involved in every decision we make, and his tireless efforts and pit-bull tenacity have played a major role in the success of Strategic Profits.

While I'm doing my work as the "face" of the company, I trust Brian to take care of everything else. Basically, all the stuff involved in day-to-day operations falls on his plate first. And I must say, he does a phenomenal job. I honestly don't know where I'd be without him.

As I said, all the top people I know in this business have their own Man (or Gal) Friday.

People like Mike Filsaime, who's got Tom Beal... Jay Abraham, who has Spike Humer... and Jeff Walker, who has Jon Walker. But that's just to name a few. Many others work tirelessly behind the scenes to help generate multi-millions for their companies.

So what does this mean to you?

That's easy. You should already be thinking about adding someone like this to your own business.

I know, I know. You're saying, "I'm just a one-man show, Rich. How can I add somebody to the mix when I'm struggling to make ends meet as it is?"

A while back, I asked the Internet marketing household names who "appeared" on a conference call what their biggest constraint had been in growing their businesses, the overwhelming majority made this confession:

"I was trying to do it all myself. And burning out quickly."

It wasn't until they started hiring people - beginning with a "man behind the curtain" - that they experienced the tremendous growth and prosperity that put them over the top.

Now, most of them have a full staff to do all the annoying busywork that was holding them back. Which means they can concentrate on the most important matter at hand: making more money. And to say it's worked out very well for them would be an understatement.

But don't rush to hire the first person you come across. Here are a few suggestions for finding a winner...

* Make Sure You're Compatible With Each Other

This is very important. Remember - you'll be spending an extraordinary amount of time together, so you need to be able to communicate without cringing. And even if the person comes highly recommended with a long list of top-level experiences, none of that will matter one iota if you can't stand being in the same room with him.

* Get References - and Lots of Them

You don't know this person, but his friends and former employers do. So make sure you talk to them before pulling the trigger. Find out about his work habits and personal issues. Ask how he resolves conflict and why he left his former position. Because, believe it or not, people have been known to stretch the truth on a resume. So dig deep. You'll be surprised by what you find.

* Establish a Trial Period Before Hiring

In the marketing world, what do we do when we have a brand-new campaign? We TEST it. Hiring a right-hand person is no different. Make sure he knows he's working on a trial basis (90 days is usually enough) and that, at the end of that time, you'll decide whether to continue the relationship. And have everything in writing, so there's no confusion later.

Follow these guidelines when hiring your "man behind the curtain," and you'll be well on your way to seeing your company explode with monumental growth and record-breaking profits.

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Today's Question and Answer with Rich

Question: Can you give us an overview of the interview you mentioned that didn't go well, with an employee prospect in your office a few weeks ago?

Rich's Answer: I don't know if this would have solved the problem we encountered, although it might of. Because at this point when I finally interview someone, I am the final interview. So, we already know the personality is good, we like this person, etc. So now my biggest concern is not that they don't have the right personality or the right work ethic or stuff like that because that's all been vetted already.

My biggest concern now is that they don't have the knowledge. And they've been able to BS their way through the interviews.

The question I use now that has been rather useful and successful for me has been this...

What I like to do is say: "Okay, your role is the content network and pay-per-click advertising. So let's pretend that tomorrow you got hired. And now I'd like you to walk me through the next 30, 60 or 90 days of all the steps you would take to maximize the traffic that we would be getting from that source at the lowest possible price."

"I want you to walk me step-by-step through it. I kind of have an understanding of it, so you're not going to have to give me all the basics. But I want to get a sense of how you go about doing things. The easiest way for me to do that is for you to walk me through each and every step of the way. So try and be as comprehensive as possible and make sure that you tell me each important step. Then I'll let you know if you need to explain that step to me or not."

What I found is, this is the best way to surface whether or not they really know their stuff.

I've had people I've interviewed for SEO positions who really, at the end of the day, their knowledge of SEO was so shallow that we would made a huge mistake had we hired them. The only way I knew that was after they told me their 30-day plan. I knew enough to know that the 30-day plan would be completely ineffective. And they didn't say a lot of things that I already knew.

Whereas when we hired our PPC guy, he told me all the things that I already knew and then he said a bunch of things I'd never heard of before that I could understand and would make sense and therefore I realized that this was a guy that really knew his stuff for one, and also had a good head on his shoulders. Because some of the ideas he came up with were ideas that I had never even considered.

So that is really one of the best ways I have found, at least in areas where there does need to be a certain level of technical proficiency to get the job done, of having people actually walk you through all the steps.

Obviously, they're not going to know everything because they're not there yet, but you're not really that concerned about them developing the full plan right there on the fly. You're much more interested in how they think and what they know. And both of those questions can be answered based on that process.

It's two things. One is you're making sure that they have the knowledge that they really need to have. Because a lot of people lie. And we're sure the way they think is good because at the end of the day, especially in areas like marketing and things, you got to be a good thinker. If you're not, you're going to be in trouble.

The other point I would add is... because I'm not doing the first interview, quite possibly even the second interview, there's a different way to approach those. And the mistake most entrepreneurs make, because they so desire to fill the position, is they're looking for reasons why the person that they're speaking to is the right person. That's really the wrong mindset. If you have that mindset, you have a much higher likelihood of hiring the wrong person for the job.

The mindset should be to look for reasons to not hire the person. And as soon as you find a reason, be done with that person. Most people don't do it that way, but you end up with much better hires if you do it that way.

It may take you longer to find the right person, because your goal is not to snow yourself. It's actually to get the best person. You're focusing on different things. Because of that, because you're looking for reasons to reject, not reasons why this is the ideal person. The ideal person will ultimately be the ideal person because there is no reason to reject. That's the way it should be done.

Post Your Question For Rich Here...

It could be answered right here, in One Step Ahead!