When cash is tight it’s often the more expensive things in life that go by the wayside. Meals out, designer handbags, football season tickets – all those non essentials that nevertheless make life a bit more interesting.

And whilst many employers believe the same applies in the workplace, there are dangers ahead for those companies that think economies can be made by swapping their premium performers for bargain basics.

Tempting as it may be to go cheap and fill your technical sales, project management and other customer facing HVAC roles with interns, apprentices and average performers with minimal experience, there are five key reasons why failing to recognise the value of high performers is a high risk and potentially costly strategy.

1. Two for the price of one – Technical staff such as engineers tend to have either specialist knowledge or customer facing skills. High performers have both.
2. Doing a deal  – Not only are high performers more successful at securing contracts, their negotiation skills mean they also achieve better margins on sales.
3. Spreading the wealth – High performers raise the bar in an organisation, providing a benchmark for others to reach – and because they see themselves as working “with” an organisation rather than “for” it they’re only too happy to share how they work with the rest of the team.
4. Shopping around – During recession it can be hard to increase sales in traditional markets. High performers are strategists and they’ll find new ways to win business, seeking out opportunities elsewhere to explore new markets or take market share from competitors.
5. Lowering risk – High Performers reduce your risk. They are unlikely to demand a high basic salary because they have confidence in their own ability to generate commission or bonus from increased sales and profitability. Win win.

Thornhvac specialises in identifying high performers for organisations that believe good people are the secret to great business performance. See the high performers section on our website for more information.