You want talent? Of course you do. No matter how great a business model you have, or how incredible your equipment may be, at the end of the day it’s the talent that makes or breaks your business.

So where do you find top talent? It’s definitely at a premium these days, with highly skilled workers seemingly on the endangered species list – especially in the label and narrow web world.

Here are four tips on how to find top talent, including what to do once you’ve hired them:

1. Hire a professional recruiter. Why do I say this? Why shouldn’t you just roll out the recruiting profile to your HR department and let them have at it? 

Because finding talent is a lot like business development. The time to do it isn’t when you need to hire someone. Those are desperate times, and desperate times drive bad decisions.

Professional recruiters will network and look for talent year-round. They make it a point to get to know even the people who are happy with their job, making contacts and building trust so when a killer job opens up, they’re not cold-calling.

Unless you want to make recruiting a full-time position for your company, go with a pro.

2. Be specific about who you’re trying to recruit. Do you know specifically what type of person you’re trying to hire?

Take a sales position, for example. Some salespeople are good at developing new business. Other salespeople are better at cultivating existing relationships and managing the account.

Those are two different people, so you can’t recruit for just a “sales person.” That same principle applies to virtually every job out there – so be specific.

3. Make it a win-win situation. You want the best talent at the lowest cost. Who doesn’t? You also need to structure your offer in such a way that not only will you get top talent in the door, but you’ll also keep it that way.

Make the deal full of winning scenarios for both sides. I’m a big proponent of incentives. The greater their ability to earn, the higher caliber of person you’re going to attract. In the end, there have to be rewards for both you and the employee.

4. Understand your market. If you’re trying to recruit for a highly specialized individual, your process might take some time. Don’t rush it. Understand that you may have to choose from a limited talent pool.

This ties back to #1. If you’re in an emergency hire situation, you’ll wind up overspending on a lower quality individual.

Recruiting top talent requires more than just putting up a job posting when a position becomes vacant. It’s a long-term commitment to finding, hiring and retaining skilled people. As a good friend of mine once said, “Running a business is easy if you have the right people.” Make it your top priority.

Rock LaManna helps printing owners and CEOs use their company financials to prioritize and choose the proper strategic path. He is President and CEO of the LaManna Alliance, and provides guidance on how to grow a printing business, merge with a synergistic partner, make a strategic acquisition, or create a succession plan. Rock can be reached by email at [email protected].