Getting the best people

"The interview with Pat is set for 11am Monday," the Ong Na wrote to me in her email.

The salespeople I look for: in addition to being aggressive, they tend to be thick-skinned, yet take losing a sale very personally. Most engage in what is described as locker room humour. If you're sensitive, they'll torture the bejesus out of you.

The way I see it, if we're going to spend 10 or 12 hours a day working with a group of people, it's a lot easier if we fit.

For one thing, I almost never advertise. The people I really want - the best people - already have jobs. I sought them out, because I have heard about the job they were doing somewhere else, or as happens most often, they were referred by a friend. I pay a lot of attention when a customer recommends a friend.