On December 13, Perry Marshall announced he was looking for help. More specifically, he announced he was looking for an Affiliate Manager and Content Czar.
I was late to the party, but nevertheless enjoyed observing Perry’s process.
Get this: To apply for either position, Perry required a $25 application fee.
As you can imagine, some people loved it… and others hated it.
Personally, I think it’s brilliant. Here’s why…
Back when I worked at Sonlight, I was put in charge of hiring a marketing guy to join me on the marketing team. I posted an ad on Monster.com and was immediately deluged with 120+ job applications.
And that was in a good job market!
I was totally overwhelmed. Not only did I have to keep up with my regular responsibilities, I had to wade through scores of applications, most of which were as boring as watching ice melt. Not to mention, many of them were completely off target.
Looking back, I would have preferred to get 10 or 20 really great (interesting) resumes instead of 120+ mediocre (boring) ones.
And I think Perry feels the same way. Hence the $25 application fee.
The small fee automatically eliminates all the job applicants who aren’t fully committed to being part of Perry’s team. So neither he nor his staff has to deal with tire kickers and time wasters.
That said, some people strongly objected to the application fee. And they posted their opinions publicly for everybody to read. (Although it appears some of them may have been deleted since last week.)
In response to the negative feedback, Perry created a quick video and posted it on his blog. It’s definitely worth taking 15 minutes to watch it. It’s packed with content, and there’s nothing for sale.
- Find out why Perry says, “The Internet doesn’t know there’s a recession.”
- Discover how Google can boost their revenue at will — and why you should “sleep with one eye open.” (I’ve read a lot about PPC, but had never heard this before.)
- Ever wondered why you shouldn’t listen to mainstream media? Perry tells you why.
Check out the video here…
==> “Those who bite the hand that feeds them, lick the boot that kicks them.”
Enjoy!
-Ryan M. Healy
P.S. To address the concern that an applicant might not be selected, both of Perry’s job postings said this:
I will also make recommendations about the top contenders with other customers and online marketers. Thus if you’ve got the ’stuff’ for a task like this, don’t hesitate to put the information together. It’s good use of your time. If you’re really good, the least you’ll get out of this is some great publicity.
I found this to be an extremely compelling reason to apply. Wouldn’t you pay $25 to get Perry’s attention? I would…
{ 5 comments }
Ryan,
So many good points made in this post, but I’ll just focus on one. If you’re in business, I believe you MUST “sleep with one eye open” to get (and stay) ahead in 2009 and beyond.
It’s a rapidly-changing world we live in, and you should stay current with (and preferably ahead of) trends and changes in your industry and the economy. You’ve done a great job sounding the alarm about the possible future of the US economy and currency.
Perry made a great point in his video about being vigilant in your business. I think smart, successful entrepreneurs have to be like a vigilant surfer – scanning the horizon for opportunities and possible danger… adjusting and adapting to ride the “waves” as they encounter them.
On the other end of the business spectrum, the Big 3 auto executives are a prime example of being “asleep at the wheel.” They didn’t react to foreign competition, stayed arrogant and stupid… and gave the UAW every perk and benefit they demanded, until they found themselves staring into the abyss of bankruptcy.
You shouldn’t be a total workaholic with no life outside your business. You need to stay connected with friends, family and God to have a healthy existence on this earth.
But the days of kicking back with Coronas, ignoring the world around you for days or weeks at a time is long gone – that is, if you want the best chance to succeed in business.
Ryan, Best Wishes to you and your family for a Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2009.
Brian
Sorry, Ryan, I would have to disagree. As I recall, Perry didn’t post salaries for the jobs, so it would be hard to make a good business decision about whether to apply.
Top employers like to hire people who will be enthusiastic and loyal once they’re on board, but who also don’t *need* the job. They have many opportunities and many irons in the fire.
Perry sweetened the pot when he talked about PR opportunities. But go-getters make their own opportunities. If they spend $25 they want to know what they’re getting.
Busy, productive people don’t give away their time in unproductive “get-acquainted” calls. And they’re not going to invest in an application fee or spend huge amounts of time on a proposal.
I would think it’s better to look at those who have bought from Perry (or better, those who sold his products and services as affiliates: they’ve already shown they can sell his stuff). Then poke around their websites and invite them to apply.
@Cathy: The job description for each position states that the pay is performance based and will be negotiated between Perry Marshall and the applicant, who will be an independent contractor rather than an employee.
I think the people who are most likely to apply are people who already work in the “internet marketing” business in some capacity. Particularly since the call went out to Perry’s list to find applicants.
If you know what you’re doing – and you obviously will have to if you hope to land the contract – I imagine the networking opportunities alone would have a lot of potential. For someone who wants to break into the “guru” market, working closely with Perry Marshall would probably afford them a lot of opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise get. I suspect a lot of the applicants’ business decision will be based as much on that as on the amount the position pays.
Perry Marshall seems to really be stirring the pot with some of his recent blog posts. Judging by the number of comments he’s been getting on them, controversy certainly seems to be a way to get people to join the conversation, no matter which side of the fence they’re on.
Perry Marshall has been kicking butt and taking names lately. He’s right on the money and he knows it. It’s a great video.
The $25 application fee seems to have made a good number of people angry.
That tells me he did the right thing. The whiners aren’t the right people for the jobs anyway.
I think some people are just looking for any reason to complain.
My guess is the people that get the contracts will be very happy about the $25 they spent to get on the list.
Oh by the way, in case you were wondering, I’m not Perry Marshall. The first time I met him I introduced myself as “another Perry”. He got a kick out of it.
I should have made that clear in my first response.
Comments on this entry are closed.