31 The answer is simple: Bring them on for a Tour of Duty The term, “Tour of Duty” is normally used in the context of the military, so you may be wondering, what is a Tour of Duty in the business world? A Tour of Duty in the business world is an ethical commitment between the company and the employee, outlining a specific mission with a realistic timeline that benefits both. During this mission, the employee promises to fully invest in the company’s success and, at the same time, the company promises to fully invest in the employee’s market value. At the end of the Tour of Duty, both the salesperson and the sales organization will have benefited, and they will each be able to decide whether they want to enlist in another tour. Here’s what a 12-month Tour of Duty could look like: Employee mission: Meet annual budget of $400,000 in next 12 months Company mission: Provide employee with three months of sales training and work with them to develop strong nego- tiation skills over next 12 months The employee benefits from the meaningful mission and personal growth, while the company ben- efits from the low-risk invest- ment in a candidate with great potential. This is proven to work. Reid Hoff- man, founder of LinkedIn, architect of the Tour of Duty concept in busi- ness, and author of the book, The Al- liance, would tell you that the Tour of Duty framework helped him to “recruit and retain all-star talent at LinkedIn.” Recruiting and retaining all-star tal- ent is key for a company to grow, and if that company uses a strong talent assessment to identify po- tential in those without experience, it gives them an edge in the mar- ketplace. The Tour of Duty provides the framework for success.