The transcript, case study guide and video for the second key idea from the episode, People Power, Building Teams, a special episode of the show, as seen on Small Business School, the series on PBS-member stations in the USA and the Voice of America around the world. This is the most important television topic there is.

The Transcript / Case Study Guide / Video

last update: April 2007

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Hire People Who Can Read People


Bill Sugars looks for a personality

Transcript for this Segment

HATTIE: Bill Sugars says he hires people who can read the customer.

BILL SUGARS: I think when we hire people we're very specific on who we hire. They have to have a certain personality, 'cause you can't teach people to be--they don't have to be funny, per se, but they have to be pleasant. They have to smile, they have to be willing to interact. Body language is extremely important.

HATTIE: So when you interview, do you look for those things?

BILL SUGARS: Absolutely.

HATTIE: You're looking for people to--like eye contact?

BILL SUGARS: Absolutely. And people that will read my body signals and give me feedback on that, because if they can't read my body signals, they're not gonna be able to read a customer's body signals.

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Key Idea #2 of this episode

1.		Hire Attitude Not Skill
2.		Hire People Who Can Read People
3.		Hire People Others May Overlook
4.		Hire Nice People With Energy
5.		Offer A Career Track With Good Pay and Benefits
6.		Create An Intern Program
7.		Promote From Within
8.		Put What You Want In Writing
9.		Interview and Audition
10.		Teach, Preach, Coach and Counsel
11.		Provide real Training
12.		Train Everyone, Not Just Sales
13.		Listen To All Ideas
14.		Offer A Job For Life

The Case Study Guide

Key Idea #2: Hire People Who Can Read People

Topic for discussion: How does Bill identify people reading skills in the process of hiring a new server?

Answer: First, he looks for strong communication skills and pleasing, appropriate body language. You can learn a lot about a person by focusing on facial expression, posture and gestures. Second, he looks for eye contact because if a person can't look him in the eye, that same person won't be able to look a customer in the eye. And, he watches to see if the person reads his body language and is able to mirror him. This tells Bill if the candidate will be able to "read" the customer, which is the key to success in a service position.

Can you remember a time when you were in a hurry and the server at the restaurant where you were eating was in slow motion? This mismatch of energy makes the customers uncomfortable. Bill wants his servers to naturally match the pace of their customers and at the same time be friendly, creative and flexible

You think about it: Can your service providers read people?

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