One of the best things you can do to boost revenues and make your business more valuable is launch a Contracts desk.

The benefits are enormous: recurring revenue, contractor reuse, bigger profits and a more rounded offering for your clients.

We love Perm but you have to reinvent your business every month whereas with a Contract desk you already have some revenue coming in.

Right then, in this edition of the #MARShow we’re going to explain how to start, grow and run a Contracts desk from scratch.

It will also make your business more valuable should you ever come to sell it.

We are joined by Tom Giles who already runs a very successful Contracts book and Rich Berrisford to cover how you would handle a much increased cashflow.

Together, we’ll look at: -

✅ The first things you need to do to get started

✅ How Contract differs from Perm

✅ The risks and pitfalls you will be exposed to (and how to overcome them)

✅ And how you finance the whole thing.

Somebody once told me they were bemused why people struggle past the money-pig that is contract to reach Perm.

Well, now’s your chance to get your snout in the Contract trough.

Technology is a tool and like all tools is only effective when used properly.

This is especially true for rec firms.

Added to that, I saw one piece of research by Pendo Analytics that said 80% of the features in any piece of software are rarely or never used.

When I was at university in the Sevs, one of our lecturers said something similar and when I think of how much of XL I use, I reckon it’s true.

So, we are spending loads of money and not getting a very attractive ROI.

Added to that, what rec tech should owners be buying.

There are simply oodles of tech apps out there for the recruitment industry and with AI hitting us at 100 MPH even more options to consider.

Well, in this Mike Ames Recruitment Show our guest will be rec tech expert Richard Caldicott.

He will be exploring the following: -

💥 What tech do rec firms need to be uber-effective (and so max-out profits)

💥 How can rec firm owners get more from their existing tech

💥 A peep into the AI crystal ball to see what exciting AI products are coming our way.

Tune in if you feel you aren’t getting enough ROI from your tech stack or are simply confused as to what tech you need.

Do you feel you get enough ROI from your tech stack?

⭐ The MARShow is proud to be sponsored by Giant Finance ⭐

To learn more about Giant Finance options for contract, temp and perm placements contact Rich Berrisford at [email protected]

Designing a simple, enticing, and profitable commission scheme can be a real challenge.

Especially if you worked in only a few firms before setting up your own.

Commission schemes, when done right, incentivize teams to go above and beyond.

But when done wrong, they can demotivate your team or worse incentivize short-term gains at the expense of doing the right thing.

Leading to long-term problems.

I have seen this many times in the past, perhaps you have too.

So, the first episode of the new MARShow season is focused on all things Commission.

Our guest will be Carl Jones of Konquest (  / carl-jones-66093722  ) who will be exploring questions such as: -

💥Is there an ideal balance between base salary and commission?

💥What are the consequences of the different schemes?

💥Should you pay on GP, profit before tax or contribution?

💥What schemes work well in a Layered (non-360) model?

💥What’s the easiest way to run your scheme?

Perfect for you if you don’t have a scheme or feel yours isn’t working. 

⭐ The MARShow is proud to be sponsored by Giant Finance ⭐

To learn more about Giant Finance options for contract, temp and perm placements contact Rich Berrisford at [email protected]

I’m going to let you into a little secret on how you can pick up real vacancies from networking events – most likely exclusive or retained.

Well, truth be told it won’t be me, it’s actually our next guest on the #MARShow – Kerry Swift. 

Kerry is one of those recruiters who attends networking events and comes away with vacancies, often exclusive or retained.

There's a knack to it, you know.

On the show, she shared the following: -

1. Which events to choose
2. How to build relationships with the right people 
3. How to get yourself noticed (and yes, that could mean doing a talk)
4. How to pick up vacancies
5. What else you can get from networking groups
6. Are virtual networking groups any good
7. How to overcome nerves and start mixing

This show is for those people who want another source of leads and feel networking events are largely a waste of time.

It is packed with practical tips and ideas ready for you to take and use.

Personally, I have never been a fan of so-called networking events. They always seemed a waste of time to me and I never got much from them.

Then Kerry shared her experiences in a recent online forum we were both in and she blew me away with her approach to them. 

Whether you want to change to scale up, become more profitable, win more new clients or attract better employees there are four obstacles you ALWAYS have to overcome.

We see it all the time. The owner of a recruitment company is keen to develop their firm but it just doesn’t happen.

Or it does for a bit, then it peters out and they go back to solely working “in” their business.

If you only overcome 3 out of these four obstacles your chances of success are still very remote.

 Beat them all and it’s harder to fail than succeed.

So here they are: -

1. Focus: no clear idea of what you want the business to look like and no plan to achieve it
2. Knowledge: lacking the detailed know-how of what to change and how to change it
3. Time: lack the time to work “on” your business to make the necessary changes
4. Discipline: little or no accountability so discipline wains over time.

In today's #MARShow we explore these in detail and how you can beat them all.

Having a change framework means you’ll build a “habit of change” so the results you want will eventually come.

Remember, the more you work “on” your business today, the less you need to work “in” your business tomorrow. 

They say that what happens in the USA is bound to happen here shortly afterwards.

So what is happening in the US recruitment world?

If you’d like to know, please tune into our final episode of the Mike Ames Recruitment Show before the summer break.

I have leading American recruitment industry podcaster Benjamin Mena on the show to spill the beans. 

Benjamin interviews leading lights in US recruitment on his podcast the Elite Recruiter, so is well placed to share what’s happening across the pond.

Amongst other things we look at: -

💥 What it’s like to offer recruitment services in the US

💥 New innovations in rec software

💥 How AI is starting to have an effect 

💥 The hot and cool spots in the US market

 💥 What are the cool US rec firms doing these days.

He also answers any questions fired at him about what it’s like to work in the US markets.

His is one of the few rec podcasts I listen to because the content is so good.

So, please join us for a decidedly Stateside edition of the #MARShow. 

Podcasting is everywhere, but have you ever wondered why people bother, and how they make theirs popular in their community.

Well, wonder no more because we have Rob Tyson as our guest on the #MARShow this week.

Rob is a respected search consultant but also happens to host the number one podcast in the mining sector.

He shares with us the following: -

❶ how he became the number one

❷ how often he posts an edition of his show

❸ How he chooses his topics and gets his guests

❹ What it takes to produce and then promote each episode of the show.

Many people think we don’t like podcasts. Au contraire, we just say they work better alongside a Livestream or other event that people can subscribe to.

As you will learn, having a well-known podcast in your sector is a massive benefit especially when targeting new clients. And it isn’t as complex and time-consuming as you might think. 

So many people have already, or would very much like to, switch across to a retained recruitment model.

But it isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Sure, the reward is obvious: a massive boost in profits because you convert more vacancies into revenue, usually on higher fees.

But there are two problems: how do you persuade people to go retained and delivering a retained service is very different to delivering on a contingent basis.

I know of at least half a dozen recruiters who have won retained work but then tackled it like a contingent search with disastrous results.

The results I refer to are an empty shortlist, a totally rejected shortlist and more blow-outs than is acceptable.

So, we have invited two seasoned search consultancy owners onto the show: Lee DeSouza and Ward Hampton.

Both are very successful search consultants in their own right as well as being company owners.

We’ll be drawing on their experience to answer two simple questions: -

✅ How do you persuade people to buy a retained solution from you

✅ How is a retained service different from a contingent one.

I cannot stress how important knowing these two things are.

You need to win more retained work, but you also need to be successful in delivering it. 

Part of running a successful business is to have a pipeline of potential business stretching into the future, which is easier said than done!

But that’s what we’ll be discussing in this #MARShow.

These are the things we’ll be covering: -

❶ The difference between Relationship and Revenue pipelines.

❷ How to keep your pipelines topped up.

❸ How to manage your pipelines to fruition.

If you feel you don’t have enough future visibility over your upcoming work, this episode is for you.

I often talk about the three most important priorities in a business: profit, value and safety. Well, strong pipelines tick each of those boxes.

Who wouldn’t want to go to sleep at night with all the comfort a soft duvet and a strong pipeline can give you? 

I love talking to successful people especially if they’ve achieved things I have not.

As they say, “If you’re the most successful person in the room… … you’re in the wrong room” because you’ll be the teacher, not the pupil.

On thi #MARShow we are privileged to have Justin McGuire founder and CEO of MCG Talent.

It's worth just tuning in to hear Justin’s journey from a marketing agency specialist to an agency owner with licences in the UAE, KSA, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

He shares his story with us but that’s not why we’re asking him onto the show

Justin has done two things I believe many people aspire to do: -

✅ Build a business in four foreign countries.

✅ Convert from a 360 to a Layered Recruitment model (with astounding effects)

We ask him how he achieved these feats, the pitfalls he made along the way, and the things he would do differently a second time. 

So, much to learn and so much to take away and use immediately.

Some of you may have seen Justin on LinkedIn, he is an open, engaging, and very knowledgeable speaker and we’re looking forward to interviewing him.

What question would you like to ask Justin?