Recruiters: Don't Forget To Breathe! (part 2)

Following on from last week's post, here are a few other times recruiters should take a deep breath before reacting...



Your Manager informs you they're giving half your client base to someone else.
Before you panic, remember: Managers don't want anyone to bill less money. Every decision is made because they think it will improve results. (This doesn't mean that every decision will, but the intent is there.) Their logic may be that splitting your area will allow you to focus your efforts on a more clearly defined market, or give you more time and resources to mine particular accounts. Your current client base may be spreading your efforts too thinly.


Consider how much revenue (not just activity!) the clients you'll be 'losing' generate for you. Do the results justify the input? Think about how much better your results may be if you spent that time on other clients. Sometimes losing a client that you perceive to be 'yours'' actually frees you to work on more profitable roles.


Beware of the 'my' client mentality. It may be a valid response if you fought months of cold-calls and objection handling to win an account, but less so if you also inherited clients or contacts at some point.


If you decide, objectively, that you do not want to lose a client, the best approach is to 'sell' the idea to your manager. Don't just state the problem (I don't want to lose this client); explain why, and present alternatives. Show your manager how these alternatives will help them to achieve their goal- i.e. increase overall billings - and they are more likely to be persuaded than if you throw a tantrum. Tantrums might work on some managers in the short-term but people don’t forget them, and they’ll affect how your employer and colleagues view you going forward.


I have heard of situations where managers take clients from consultants, to work on themselves, because of an aversion to BD. In these very rare cases, if you've raised your concerns and your manager will give you no valid reasons for their actions which are costing you money, it may be time to find a new manager....



Your client wants to interview the 'walking-placement' candidate you submitted... through your competition.

First of all, be honest with yourself. Is this 'your' client? Floating a resume to a cold prospect does not automatically mean the person is obliged to interview that person through you... (Lawyer Alex Moriarty's recent comments on Recruiter Daily give a legal view on this http://bit.ly/i38bOr ) If you do float to cold prospects, remove information that makes it easy to track the candidate directly (or through an existing supplier), pick up the phone to build relations with the prospect, and ensure you have a mutually beneficial relationship with the candidate who is bought into the floating process.


If you have a relationship with the client, ask them their reasons for wanting to use another supplier. They may be legitimate. If not, and you've done your job properly (sold the role to the candidate, used proper channels for submission and so on.), avoid taking a threatening stance. Even if you get a result this time, they - and the candidate - will be unlikely to use you again and will discourage others from doing so. (If the client is truly dodgy you decide you don't want to work with them again making future business less of a concern.) Instead, clearly state the benefits of working with you: the candidate sees the client as well organised and professional; the client knows they are working with an ethical supplier and shows others that working outside of process isn't tolerated. If your client is being bullied by another supplier, remind them that they are the client, and question how valid the other supplier's threats are. Keep your candidate onside during the process and remember; their objective is to find a job. The more attractive options you have for them, the more likely they are to work with you.


In current candidate-short markets, this is an increasingly-common scenario and it highlights the importance of building mutually beneficial relationships with clients and candidates, selling the benefits of floating to both parties and ensuring you have candidate buy-in on submissions. It also shows why actively pursuing exclusive candidates is essential, and why you should always aim to have multiple attractive options for your candidates.


Next time: How to sell exclusivity to candidates.

Recruiters: Don't Forget to Breathe! (part 1)

Reducing stress and increasing revenue seem to be on many recruiters’ to-do lists this year, and I recently met two individuals who have an interesting perspective on how high achievers can do this. Dr Samantha Graham and Susan Taylor created http://www.stillnessreminders.com/; a social enterprise that encourages busy people to take deep breaths during times of stress. Deep breaths circulate more oxygen to the brain, which leads to rational and objective thinking. This lead me to identifying those common situations where recruiters would benefit from taking a very deep breath before (re!)acting…


A candidate backs out of your job hours (or minutes!) before they’re due to start.

How do recruiters work four days a week and still bill more than their colleagues?

At the end of this long weekend (apologies to those who had to work yesterday!), I’m reminded of some of the most productive recruiters I’ve known. These people only work four days a week, yet still bill more than many of their full-time colleagues because of how they spend their time. Following their example is a great way to improve results:

Focus on result generating activity
No unqualified jobs, or time-wasting candidates, these recruiters are ruthless about what they spend their time on. They don’t kid themselves, and they don’t kid their clients or

So your contractor wants to know their charge rate?

Two questions consultants prefer not to hear from their contractors:

1) ‘How much are you charging the client?’
Usually asked after you’ve hammered the phones to find a suitable role; persuaded your client to conduct an interview; and overcome objections to solicit an offer. (You weren’t expecting a ‘thanks’ now, were you?!)

Before you spontaneously combust with indignation, remember that the majority of people asking this question are doing so for one of the following reasons:

Naivety – perhaps this is the first time the person has contracted, or a well-meaning friend has told them that recruitment companies take ‘their’ money. They think that if there was no

Good Manners - a Magnet for Good Business

Having recently been on the receiving end of some truly terrible customer service, the subject of professional courtesy is on my mind. It seems that some organisations see extending common courtesy as a waste of precious time, unnecessary after the customer has been snared; others mistake it with subservience and weakness.


In my experience extending common courtesy not only helps to oil the wheels of everyone’s working day, it makes us money. It encourages engagement, loyalty and generates the kind of PR that money can’t buy.


Want an example? One of the highest invoices of my 15 years recruiting came from placing a

Top Tips for New Recruiters

Whether you’re a graduate fresh out of Uni, or an experienced person making a career change, your first few months in recruitment are likely to be fairly challenging. The following tips will help you through.

 1. Stick with it!
Many new recruiters harbour serious doubts about their choice of career during their first year but this doesn’t necessarily mean recruitment isn’t for you. In fact, some psychologists would argue that it’s perfectly natural to harbour these doubts.
To paraphrase, their theories suggest there are four stages to learning:

Self-publishing - the first things I learnt.

Two weeks ago I published my first book – Offered and Accepted: A Recruiter’s Guide to Sales. I’m still feeling nervously excited. After all, when you write a book that’s aimed at your profession, you’re putting yourself out there to be judged. Fortunately, I’ve done my homework and am confident that the book is a good one. I wouldn’t be admitting I wrote it otherwise!

I wrote the book for two reasons. Firstly, I believe there’s a genuine gap in the market for a sales book aimed at recruiters and secondly, I’d always wanted to. For those of you that have great ideas for books of your own, here are a few things I’ve learnt along the way.