Company: Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention, Arlington, Virginia
Entry Submitted By: The Brooks Group
Company Description: Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention employs 544 personnel to recruit and retain people to fill 107,000 part-time military jobs in 667 units in 54 states and territories. The Federal mission is to train and equip people and units for wartime mobilization. State missions include disaster emergency relief, counterdrug operations, civil defense, and maintenance of vital public services.
Nomination Category: Sales Achievement Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Hiring and Recruiting Program of the Year

Nomination Title: Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention Program

1. Tell the story about your sales organization's hiring and recruiting program since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Following four years of failing to hit recruiting and end-strength targets,
the Air National Guard (ANG) Recruiting and Retention Division re-engineered
its approach to selling its applicants and unit members on the benefits of a
part-time military career. Despite the growing intensity of competition
between all military branches for a smaller group of prospects and the
challenge of recruiting in a wartime environment, the ANG accessed 11,935
recruits against a goal of 11,243, equaling 106.2% productivity. Moreover, by
increasing their retention rate to 90%, the ANG surpassed Congressionally-
mandated end-strength levels, finishing the fiscal year with 107,679 personnel
against a minimum ceiling of 106,700. Achieving end-strength means higher
operational readiness levels for ANG flying and mission support units. How
did they do it? The transformation began when all 667 recruiting and
retention personnel scrapped their old sales model in favor the systematic,
non-manipulative IMPACT Selling® System. Leadership at all levels of the ANG,
from local unit supervisors through top directors, simultaneously and
enthusiastically embraced the change. By following the IMPACT Selling System,
ANG recruiting and retention personnel accepted a major cultural change.
Focus shifted from themselves and the needs of the ANG to a focus on the
applicant's needs and wants. Trust levels between ANG personnel and their
applicants rose, making it possible to present targeted solutions that
applicants wanted to hear. In addition to sales training, all supervisors
received customized training on how to manage a recruiting and retention sales
force. The ANG also implemented TriMetrix System Assessments to help screen,
hire and coach higher qualified recruiting and retention personnel.
Furthermore, all training materials were customized to reflect ANG processes,
vocabulary and nomenclature. Greater emphasis was also placed on creative
prospecting strategies. For example, the ANG introduced the Guard Recruiter
Assistance Program (G-RAP) as an incentive to increase referrals from
Guardsmen not assigned to recruiting duty. When unit members refer a prospect
to a recruiter and that prospect joins the ANG and completes their initial
training requirements, the referring unit member receives a $2000 bonus. G-RAP
produced 3,676 enlistments - nearly 31% of the total accessions. With ANG
units located in 54 different states and territories, many with unique
missions, it has been a challenge to maintain a national identity for the ANG,
which is charged with both Federal and State missions. However, the ANG
aligned its recruiting and marketing strategies with a national branding
campaign that focuses its messages toward local recruiting needs but maintains
the same overall look and feel across the country. This has been done through
TV, radio, newspaper, magazines, direct mail and national events. The ANG
also markets its message through its Hometown Heroes music video program
featuring singer Laura Bryna. All advertising promotes the same phone number
1-800-TO-GO-ANG and website (www.goang.com) that together generate thousands
of leads. Besides information prospects want, the website also speaks to
parents about their children joining the ANG. Once prospects call or visit
the website, the ANG recruiters take over and close the sale.

2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

http://www.ngb.army.mil/news/archives/2008/10/101008-Air_Guard.aspx

http://www.ang.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123081537

http://www.ang.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123118614

http://www.brooksgroup.com/salestraining/impactsellingsystem.htm

http://www.brooksgroup.com/training/default.htm

http://www.brooksgroup.com/assessments/default.htm

http://www.ang.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123117742

http://www.goang.com/

http://www.goang.com/newtomilitary/

http://www.goang.com/parents/

http://www.goang.com/benefits/

http://www.goang.com/careers/hot/

3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated sales organization:

Lieutenant Colonel Randy D. Johnson is Director, Air National Guard Recruiting
and Retention. He is the top advisor to the Air National Guard Director,
senior staff and Air National Guard wing commanders on all Recruiting and
Retention matters. He oversees more than 665 military and civilian personnel
in 54 states and territories as well as several worldwide satellite offices.
Additionally, he oversees and executes a $30 million operations and
advertising budget. Colonel Johnson is a graduate of Southern Illinois
University. His awards and decorations include four Meritorious Service
Medals, four Air Force Commendation Medals and four Air Force Achievement
Medals.