Agency leaders know who the perfect Producer is. Someone with several years of experience, a proven track record of success, competitive but a team player, a great network, smart, hard-working, great leadership potential, and easy to get along with. They are willing to take a temporary pay reduction to invest in themselves and enjoy the bliss of recurring revenues until the day they die.
It also happens that this is the definition of the perfect employee for every company in every industry in the world.
Defining the perfect Producer is not the challenge. The challenge is finding enough perfect Producers for meaningful organic growth. With any half-decent company willing to hire the same "perfect" person, no wonder it feels like they are almost impossible to find and hire. To make matters worse, even when we think we may have found one it often turns out they were just really good at interviewing and taking assessments. They had bad habits, their network wasn't that strong, they just would not call...etc. etc. The list is long as to the reasons why the next "perfect" one was not so perfect.
What to do?
The beauty of living in this great country is that we get to change how we play the game if we want to. The only person who says whether or not we can win, at our own game, is our clients.
Enter college recruiting.
Recruiting professionals fresh out of school has its challenges. They don't know anything, they lack professional experience, they are entitled, they jump around, etc. etc.
All the challenges that come with recruiting straight out of college are indeed real. The difference with these challenges and the challenges of finding the "Perfect Producer" is that they can actually be solved. A strong college recruit can be trained and retained and become a highly productive member of the team. The "Perfect Producer" can become a productive member of the team only if they can be found and hired.
Don't stop keeping eyes open and arms outstretched for the perfect employee for whatever role they might play. BUT, do not hang the future growth plans of the agency in the hands of a master that can not be controlled. Plan the plan and execute the plan that works in the reality of the world we live in and lay the foundation for the growth and independence needed to perpetuate into the future.
