Transcript

Interviewer: Those are really key points. You have made a lot of important points today. Let me ask you this as well. I know that one issue would be helping new employment specialists develop the skills that you are talking about. How does your agency go about doing that John?

John Luna: First of all, it is all part of the hiring process. We provide the interviewing; we are looking for someone who can market, and someone who can sell. Sometimes, during our interview process, we try to stretch the potential employment specialist to see whether they can really sell, and whether they can close. In fact, one of the questions that we ask them to do is that we have some props. That we will just ask them to sell us something. Whether it would be a clock or a pen, they would have to sell. We, in turn, tend to stretch to see how much, you know, how much could they sell us, could we get a discount? During the interview process, they have to think quickly on their feet about how to sell and market to us, at the same time trying to look good during the interview.

Interviewer: That is a great plan. It is not really selling a person with a disability, per se, but just a product, any product.

John Luna: Exactly.

Interviewer: That is a great idea.

John Luna: Then when they come through, we train them and they will shadow someone who has been in for a few years as an employment specialist. They will go with them for a week to see how to sell, the sale and marketing, and how we do that. Many times we, myself and the managers, will ask them to come into the office and then continually pressing and educating and making them aware of salesmanship tips.

Sometimes I will get from the Chamber, information or we will have someone from the Chamber who is a salesperson, maybe in the department of pharmaceuticals or whatever, to work with our individuals on some tips on how to continue and how to get better in selling and marketing. So again, it is from the business standpoint. Every community has folks who would love to assist people to get better. You have to utilize your respective community leaders. Because they want to help others, and everyone wants to share their skills, someone who is really good in the business community, who is a marketing and selling expert. We have some folks who we know that are insurance salesmen who know the salesman skills that can help market us. They can do a great job of doing that. Many times we get free expert training, because sometimes the salesmen have gone to really high dollar specialized classes on how to sell, and they share their information to us free.

Interviewer: Is that done more on an informal basis or have you had people come and actually speak to your employment specialists?

John Luna: Well both, it is informal, because we built the relationships and built the trust. They in turn will come in and take thirty, forty-five minutes to talk to our employment consultants.

Interviewer: Again, back to that key word "networking" isn't it?

John Luna: Yes. And that is the key. Whether it would be Chamber, church, social, family; the networking is the key. It takes work. It is not easy. It is over and beyond what we are supposed to do, but you have to do it in order to provide a good community rehab program.