Is your sales team underperforming — or is the real problem sitting in the manager's seat?
Chris Beckage , Vice President, Business Development at ProCom, doesn't pull punches. In this episode of Talent Titans, Chris and Suky break down the uncomfortable truth about why most staffing sales teams stall: it's not the market, it's not the reps, and it's almost never what you think.
From killing "Always Be Closing" to uncovering Canada's secret weapon in the US market — this is a masterclass in modern staffing sales built for founders and leaders who are done with excuses.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
→ The one question that instantly separates a pipeline builder from a busy salesperson
→ Why "Always Be Closing" is dead — and the two principles that replace it
→ How Canadian politeness became ProCom's competitive edge in the US market
→ The mid-market opportunity most agencies are missing (and why ego is the reason)
→ How ProCom uses AI coaching to level up junior reps faster than ever
→ Why the market is almost never the real problem — and what actually is
ABOUT CHRIS:
My purpose is simple: to provide the guidance, support, and tools that empower people to build the lives and careers they choose — and to help them find success and happiness along the way. At Procom, I lead client acquisition, account expansion, and recruiting operations, working alongside a team of account managers and recruiters who share that same commitment to the people we place and the clients we serve. The value I bring is in the listening. I take the time to truly understand a business and its challenges before I try to solve anything. From there, I ask the right questions — even the uncomfortable ones — because that's what surfaces the real problem, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for everyone involved. Growth — in revenue, in client relationships, in people — isn't something you force. It's something you build by paying attention first.
Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbeckage/
KEY MOMENTS:
00:00 Introduction & Chris Beckage's Personal Purpose
02:00 Golf, Trust & Reading Clients in Their Natural State
03:45 Canada's Secret Weapon in the US Staffing Market
06:25 Why Collaborative Decision-Making Wins Long-Term
08:00 Busy vs. Building: How to Spot True Pipeline Builders
12:20 Why "Always Be Closing" Is Dead
15:00 Always Be Aligning & Always Be Useful
17:00 AI Coaching Tools & Sales Development at ProCom
22:00 Culture Shock: US vs. Canadian Decision-Making Pace
26:00 Open Territories & North American Expansion
27:30 People Over Playbook: How to Scale in New Markets
30:30 The Mid-Market Sweet Spot (Stop Chasing Fortune 500)
34:00 When the Market Is the Excuse and Management Is the Cause
Check out more episodes of the Talent Titans Podcast:
Why Contingency Recruiting is Dying: https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74
Master Niche Recruiting: https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0
Connect with Suky:
Award-Winning Advisor & Industry Voice | Founder: Canadian Staffing Summit, Talent Titans, Recruitment Professionals Forum | Backing Bold Moves in Staffing, Tech & Investment — No Clickbait, Just Real Talk
Suky doesn't just observe the staffing industry — she helps shape it.
She's built platforms where the industry's most honest conversations happen:
🔹 Canadian Staffing Summit
🔹 Talent Titans Podcast
🔹 Recruitment Professionals Forum
For over two decades, Suky's helped recruitment businesses scale with integrity — from internal team builds to boardroom strategy. She works with agency leaders, tech innovators, and the investors backing the future of staffing.
But here's what Suky doesn't do: copy-paste playbooks, fluff-filled advice, or empty hype.
She believes in smart growth, real talk, and community over competition.
Her work sits at the intersection of:
People + Performance
Tech + Disruption
Strategy + Soul
Whether she's coaching founders, advising SaaS firms, or connecting those quietly rewriting the rules — one thing holds true:
Suky backs those who build.
LinkedIn
www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com
Grab of a copy of "How to Launch a Staffing Agency: Plan to Profits in 90 Days or Less"
Talent Titans is sponsored by Ascen. Ascen is an employer of record that helps staffing and recruitment agencies hire employees compliantly throughout the US and Canada. Ascen's all-in-one, white-label platform handles onboarding, timesheets, payroll, benefits, insurance, invoicing, and funding so you can grow quickly in the US and Canada without worrying about back office and paperwork. Visit ascen.com to learn more.
