Shopping for Help

Flowers and Profits® 

When you need a new employee, go shopping. Don't know any stores that "sell" employees? The fact is any retail business harbors a potential candidate for your shop. While it's unlikely you'll find a trained florist in a department store, a specialty shop or the mall, it will be easy to spot a customer service expert.

Browse through stores where your customers might shop. Put yourself in customer mode and run the salesperson through a few questions to see how they handle the situation. If you're impressed, offer your card. Tell each person you enjoyed meeting him or her, and if they are ever looking for a job, you'd like to talk to them.

You could take this concept one step further by handing out cards every time you run across an exceptional salesperson, whether you're hiring or not. Keep records of the people who call you. And, when you have an open position, you will already have candidates to interview.