20 years. How can it be? Of course, when I reminisce about 1996 like it was yesterday, I just sound old! The reality is that 20 years is a LONG time, and looking back, I am amazed by how much has changed. Back then, no staffing firm had a website. No one had even dreamed of social media. Even email was relatively new. In the past two decades, the staffing industry has greatly matured. And marketing barely looks like it did back then. As I reflect on 20 years, I realize how much I have personally changed (and not just my hairline!). I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by smart, hard-working people, great clients, and lots of friends and colleagues in the staffing industry.

1. 20 Lessons From 20 Years
in the Staffing Industry

2. 20 years is a LONG time.
Back then, no staffing firm had a website.

3. No one had even dreamed of social media.
Even email was relatively new.

4. In the past two decades,
the staffing industry has
greatly matured.
Marketing barely looks
like it did back then.
And we’ve learned a
thing or two.

5. Here are a few of the lessons
we’ve found to be most valuable
over the past 20 years…

6. 1. Ignorance is okay…
as long as you’re willing
to take risks—and learn
from them.

7. 2. Nothing breeds success like the willingness
to tackle big challenges.
We often responded “Sure, we can do that!”
when we had no idea how.

8. 3. Even smart, hardworking,
eager people can’t
succeed if they are not the
right people for the job.

9. 4. Don’t be afraid to change your business
model. Survival can depend on a willingness
to pivot as needed.

10. 5. Creativity is the key to
survival. Focusing on better ways
to partner with our clients got us
through the hard times together.

11. 6. Good competitors make you
better. They force you to improve
your products, enhance service
and improve efficiency.

12. 7. Giving away your best
ideas is a winning strategy.
Sharing our expertise is the
reason we haven’t made a
single outbound sales call
in 20 years.

13. 8. Be obsessive about
your vision and goals.
We love brainstorming
ideas, discussing ways
to strengthen our
services and helping our
team to grow.

14. 9. Paranoia is okay. It
keeps you from becoming
complacent. It forces you
to constantly reexamine
your business, find the
flaws in your services,
seek new opportunities
and improve your culture.

15. 10. Some of the best success comes from mistakes.
Find a way to turn lemons into lemonade by owning
up to each mistake and applying a little creativity.

16. 11. Hire smart people
who love what they do.
A passionate employee
with brains and talent is
priceless!

17. 12. Pick a niche. It’s WAY easier
to differentiate your services
when you serve a focused client
(or candidate) base.

18. 13. Stand up for your employees. Don’t tolerate
clients who won’t treat your people fairly or with
the courtesy they deserve.

19. 14. You can sell over the
phone. It helps keep services
affordable, and with Skype,
FreeConferenceCall.com and
GoToMeeting, it couldn’t be
easier to be remote!

20. 15. Let go. Most
entrepreneurs struggle
with delegation. But if
you’ve hired the right
people, they might just
get it done better! And
you can’t grow if you
don’t let go.

21. 16. Have a great partner. Much of Haley Marketing’s
success is due to the shared vision and complementary
talents of owners David and Victoria.

22. 17. Great sales people may not be sales people
at all. Train your people to be consultants, and
you’ll have to do far less selling!

23. 18. Take risks with your
marketing. So many staffing
companies are afraid to offend
anyone. But safe is BORING!

24. 19. When launching a new product or service,
be a minimalist. In the tech world, they call
this an MVP (minimum viable product). Start
small, learn; then build on your successes.

25. 20. Success is a mindset. You can become anything
you want—if you believe in your vision and have the
courage and persistence to never give up.

26. And a bonus lesson – Be thankful.
Haley Marketing would not have
survived for 20 years without the
contributions and support of a
long list of amazing people
willing to take risks along with us.

27. We’d love to hear from you.

28. Contact us to talk about how
we can help you stand out, stay
top-of-mind and sell more.