The Resilient Recruiter

Imagine if you were a dominant recruiter in your industry with a portfolio of clients who come to you for all their hiring needs. 

That doesn’t happen overnight and requires persistence. As you’ll hear in my interview with Brooke Ziolo, it’s certainly achievable with the right mindset and methodology.

Brooke is the President of Egret Consulting, and has been an Executive Recruiter for 14 years. She and her team have become the Go-To recruiters for the lighting industry covering positions in sales, marketing, engineering, and operations from mid-level to C-Suite.  

In this episode, she shares how they became the market leading recruiters within the lighting industry.  She describes in detail how they reach out to clients and candidates with a blend of manual and automated processes plus an attitude of polite and professional persistence. 

Brooke’s history of how and when she started her recruiting career is a resounding story of resilience, leading to her becoming a Partner of Egret in 2013, the Managing Director in 2016, and purchasing the firm in 2019. She was inducted into the Pinnacle Society, the premier consortium of industry-leading recruiters in North America, in 2016.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [01:56] Brooke’s challenging first year in recruiting.
• [06:05] Brooke’s mindset and method for building her desk during a recession. 
• [11:11] What has changed in Egret’s approach to marketing over the past 14 years? 
• [20:20] Would you consider reaching out via cold text? Discussion on combining videos and text when reaching out.
• [25:04] Brooke’s recipe for success - from being a recruiter, a partner, and the decision of becoming a recruitment firm owner. 
• [39:38] Brooke’s vision on taking the Egret company forward.
• [41:42] Retaining employee engagement while shifting to a fully remote setup.

Starting Her Recruitment Career During the 2008 Recession

Brooke started her recruitment career in 2008, during the Great Recession. As you can imagine, it was extremely challenging. She only made 2 placements that whole year! But Brooke’s mindset and strategy during that turbulent time lead to her being successful when people started hiring again. 

Reminiscing her early days, Brook explained, “The only thing I control is how many calls I make. So if I keep making more calls than everybody in the office… that is all I can do right now. I kept just pounding the phones until somebody told me no or I am sick of you.”

For Brooke, it is all about her polite persistence. She understood the balance of not harassing anyone but staying within professional boundaries to put her name out there even if she was not making many placements. The result? People remembered her! Making all those phone calls enabled her to build her network of industry connections so people thought of her when they started hiring again.

Blended Approach to Marketing and Business Development

Cold calling and polite persistence laid the foundation for Brooke to become a top-producing recruiter and billing manager. But how has her approach to business development and marketing evolved over the last 14 years?

Here are some of the strategies she shared in this episode:

• MPC Marketing
• Monthly Newsletter
• LinkedIn outreach
• Advertising in the trade publication for her industry
• Text messaging

We also shared tips and ways on cold text messaging. Many recruiters are afraid of sending unsolicited text messages and are concerned about receiving a negative reaction from the recipient. On the other hand, texting is a very effective way to communicate and typically gets a much faster response compared to other platforms such as email. Brooke shared how she does it and how much response she gets in doing so.

Brooke’s Success Mindset

In 2019, Brooke purchased the firm from her father who was the founder of Egrit Consulting. Acquiring the business wasn’t something she had initially set out to accomplish. But after falling in love with recruitment and becoming a top recruiter in the firm, she started being able to imagine the possibility of taking over the business.  

I asked Brooke’s recipe for success. In addition to her persistence and also being niche-focused, she shared three keys: :

• Positive self-talk and affirmation
• Taking her time and putting one foot in front of the other
• Learning from past experience

I have always aimed to understand recruitment owners’ formulas for success. And Brooke certainly delivered in this episode.

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including: funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, backoffice support, marketing and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc

Brooke Ziolo Bio and Contact Info 

Brooke Ziolo has been an Executive Recruiter with Egret Consulting for 14 years. Brooke works exclusively in the lighting industry with manufacturers, rep agencies, ESCOs, and design firms. She works in positions in sales, marketing, engineering, and operations from mid-level to C-Suite. She was inducted into the Pinnacle Society, the premier consortium of industry-leading recruiters in North America, in 2016. Brooke became a Partner of Egret in 2013, the Managing Director in 2016, and purchased the firm in 2019.

• Brooke on LinkedIn
• Egret Consulting website link 
• Pinnacle Society website link

People and Resources Mentioned

• Rob Bowerman on Linkedin
• Michael Pietrack on LinkedIn
• Ring Central
• Refract

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

• TRR#32 How to Build a 7-Figure Search Firm with a Small Virtual Team, with Rob Bowerman
• TRR#106 How to Bill £12,800,000 in 14 Years, with Michael Pietrack

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

I’m a firm believer that success leaves clues. 

If someone was able to scale their staffing business not just once or twice but multiple times, that can’t be based on luck. To produce those results over and over, they must have a winning formula. That being the case, you’d want to know their formula, wouldn’t you? 

Well the good news is that’s exactly what you’ll learn from my podcast interview with Joel Slenning.

This is Joel’s second appearance on the show. Last time, he shared the story of how he scaled his previous recruitment firm, ICON Medical, to $16M before selling it in 2019. I found that story fascinating - especially the part where he started his own business in the middle of a global recession and how he strategically scaled it during the most difficult first year.

This time, Joel is back to reveal the strategies he’s using to grow his new staffing firm, INNOVA People from a start-up to almost $2M in revenue in less than 3 years! Joel talks about his business model, leveraging offshore sourcers, and inbound marketing, and much more. 

Joel is the President of Innova People, a healthcare and IT staffing agency based in Oregon. Joel and I run a coaching program together called APEX which is a mastermind group for owners of 7-figure recruiting firms who want to scale to 8-figures and build a business that runs without them that they could potentially sell one day.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [02:00] Joel talks about his current company, INNOVA People, and what he is doing differently this time. 
• [05:15] Building a sustainable model where business development is side by side with the delivery team.
• [14:48] The blend of contract and permanent direct hire.
• [22:26] Leveraging offshore resources and automation.
• [32:31] The 9 Pillars of a Scalable Recruitment Business
• [34:33] Joel’s approach to marketing and generating inbound leads.
• [48:32] The ToMA (Top of Mind Awareness) Model and how to create it in today’s environment.
• [52:58] Joel’s mindset on the economic slowdown and how we should prepare.

Structuring a Very Sustainable Business Model 

After successfully scaling and selling ICON Medical Network, Joel is now the owner of a successful IT Staffing Agency, INNOVA People. What he has been doing differently with this new agency is the approach to a sustainable business model, where business development works side by side with the delivery team. He segregated business development from the delivery team by creating a talent acquisition leader for delivery and sales development reps on the business development side.

How does this work for Joel’s team? With this strategy alongside a number of automated processes, the team was able to scale rapidly. Contrary to a 360 model, this approach is really agile and avoids having recruiters having to switch-task which reduces productivity. Each person is dedicated 100% to what they are doing. The business development team is able to fully support the delivery team, which results in consistent hiring and scalability. In its third year, they are pushing close to $2M in revenue.

Joel further shared key factors in his current business model such as leveraging offshore resources and automation. If you are hesitating in employing an offshore team member, Joel’s insights on the matter can be very helpful. What to look for in an offshore colleague? Does location really matter? In his own experience, making the right offshore hire is critical to Joel’s success in scaling his business.

Top of Mind Awareness and Inbound Marketing

The last time we had Joel in the podcast, he alluded to the fact that the majority of his leads on both clients and candidates were generated using inbound marketing. We ran out of time to get into the details of how he does it, and so we are truly fortunate to hear the details from him this time around. Joel shares their strategy for applying the ToMA or Top of Mind Awareness approach in their marketing. Here are some of the practices that Joel discussed in this episode:

• When and who to hire as marketing staff.
• Platforms that they are utilizing the most in their marketing.
• Calendar and timeline on running social media content and posts.

You will enjoy the very practical and no-nonsense approach that Joel shared in this part of our conversation.

Outworking the Global Economic Slowdown 

Joel also shared his insight on having the right mindset to deal with economic downturns or recessions. This is a relevant topic to a lot of recruitment business owners who are concerned about a global slowdown in hiring activity. The media has amplified this message to the point that there’s a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt in the market.

But if there is one thing that I learned from the 2008 global recession and the COVID19 pandemic, is that taking a proactive approach and having the right mindset are the game changers. Joel shared his thoughts on how to outwork whatever potential economic downturns that may come. 

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including: funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, backoffice support, marketing and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc

Joel Slenning Bio and Contact Info 

Joel is a talent acquisition expert, talent strategist, tech investor, and tech startup guru based in Portland, Oregon. With a recruitment career spanning for more than 20 years, Joel has always been a consistent top performer and an award-winning billing manager. He is the president of INNOVA People, a Human Resources Solutions agency that utilizes AI platforms to solve complex HR problems mainly focused on healthcare and information technology.

• Joel on LinkedIn
• Email address: [email protected]
• Innova People website link
• Innova People on Facebook

People and Resources Mentioned

• Webinar: How to Build an 8 Figure Recruitment Business That Runs Without You 

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

• TRR#53 How to Scale Your Staffing & Recruiting Firm to $16,000,000, With Joel Slenning

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

From professional athlete to 7-figure recruitment business owner, Paul Warner’s journey is quite unique. In this interview, you’ll learn how Paul has gone from a part-time solo recruiter billing $90K per year to building a team that bills over $1M per annum in just three years.

Paul shared his incredible story and breaks down the key factors that he believes contribute to increasing billings by 10x in 3 years including:

• His business model and business development strategies
• How to create a psychologically safe workplace environment to empower your staff
• His passion for hiring the next generation of recruiters - the Gen Z’s.

Paul founded Tamarack Recruiting in 2018 as a lifestyle business that could support his other career as a professional cyclist. He leveraged AI and other technology to allow him to connect companies and candidates quickly in the few hours he had to work between races and traveling. In 2020, the pandemic brought the cycling circuit to a halt, and Paul shifted his focus to scaling his staffing agency.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [01:49] How Paul started recruiting while being involved in competitive sports.
• [09:12] What moved Paul to start his own business?
• [13:35] Transitioning from a lifestyle business to a high-growth recruitment business.
• [27:45] Tamarack recruiting’s secret sauce to repeat businesses - two key pointers.
• [32:31] From 90k to 1m+ annual billing in 3 years - Paul’s insight on what contributed to this success.
• [34:11] Paul shares their business model and development strategies.  
• [39:16] Why Paul is passionate about hiring Gen-Z recruiters and his standards for hiring people. 
• [53:33] What it means to empower your people to be successful.
• [1:01:10] After growing to seven people, what is next for Tamarack?

Tamarack’s Key Game Changers

Tamarack recruiting’s growth is so rapid, I really wanted to hear from Paul about the ‘secret sauce’ to their success. From billing 90k to 1m+ in just three years within the pandemic is surely an accomplishment and a feat that thousands of recruiting companies could have not easily achieved. What I observed is his successful sales engine and volumes of repeat businesses. 

For this to happen, they had to keep on consistently delivering. What are the game changes that enable them to do so? Paul mentioned two things:

• Creating an emotionally and mentally safe environment to work in means their staff treats clients enormously well.
• When they take a job order, they go into a deep-level discussion with the hiring manager to fully understand their hiring needs. 

Paul later on shared how they empower their employees, his passion for hiring Gen-Zs, and business development strategies contribute to their rapid growth.

What Tamarack’s Business Model and Business Development Look Like

Paul shared that they have a dedicated business development resource. The main focus of the BD resource is to set appointments. They are running email campaigns, LinkedIn campaigns, and cold calling campaigns simultaneously. 

Once an agreement is signed, they then execute it with a sourcer, the account recruiting manager, and a designated recruiter to work on the process. For Paul, having these three minds work together is a game-changer that enhances the process and brings a better recruitment experience for the hiring manager. 

The Passion for Managing Gen-Z Recruiters and Empowering People

“I have decided to go with the growth model of bringing kids fresh out of college to teach them our process and procedures.” Paul’s passion of hiring fresh graduates stemmed from his own experience coming out of college and he felt really vulnerable entering the workforce. He felt that his true potential was not realized especially when he was not treated well, e.g. being yelled at.

This inspired him to create a psychologically safe environment in his organization, even for young people. He is also focused on empowering his employees. The results? He feels that his team is motivated to work ten times harder. He wants to give them an experience that launches them into their professional career, especially for recruitment.

You will pick up golden nuggets in this part of our conversation - actual examples of young people joining their organization full time and doing really well. Paul has clarity on what motivates people - it is not just money but the feeling that you truly care. 

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including: funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, backoffice support, marketing and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc

Paul Warner Bio and Contact Info 

Paul’s role within Tamarack Recruiting is to oversee client development, as well as managing candidate pipelines in the Mountain States Regions. 

Tamarack Recruiting's slogan "We stand out" comes from the Tamarack Tree. Tamarack Recruiting provides staffing and recruiting in both the Technical and Financial verticals. They differentiate themselves by having our recruiters putting full focus on no more than three client needs at a time.  

Just like the tamarack tree that changes colors in the fall, "We Stand Out" is how they approach the saturated staffing and recruiting market. Now a team of seven, Tamarack Recruiting today uses the cutting-edge processes Paul developed to make impactful placements with a fast turn-around. We have become the go-to recruiting partner for many of our clients because of our track record of success in filling urgent openings with in-demand professionals.

• Paul on LinkedIn
• Tamarack Recruiting website link

People and Resources Mentioned

• Jordan Rayboy on LinkedIn
• Danny Cahill on LinkedIn
• Greg Savage on LinkedIn
• The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman
• Drive, by Daniel Pink

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

• TRR#64 The Recruiter Roadmap to Recovery: How to Thrive in a Post-Pandemic World, with Greg Savage
• TRR#133 How this Top Producing Recruiter is Putting Health, Fitness and Family First, with Jordan Rayboy

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

One of the core competencies of successful recruiters is influence.

When Cathy Stewart became a recruiter 15 years ago, recruiting seemed like a perfect fit based on her ability to build trust and influence others. In this episode, Cathy reveals her exact approach to influencing people which has enabled her to become a top biller. 

Recruiting is actually Cathy’s third career. Prior to becoming a recruiter, she started out as a music teacher before going on to achieve great success in direct home selling, building a multi-million dollar organization.  

Cathy Stewart is the Vice President of the Senior Living Division with Jeff Harris and Associates. Since she began her recruiting career in 2008, Cathy has been a consistent top biller and she became a Pinnacle Society Member in 2018.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [2:43] How Cathy went from music teacher to top-producing recruiter.
• [6:31] Exploring the Senior Living niche.
• [08:37] Cathy’s greatest accomplishment as a recruiter
• [11:38] The ‘doctor’ mindset in recruiting.
• [14:10] How to maintain a positive mindset.
• [24:06] How to master the art of becoming an influencer and trust builder.
• [38:17] Cathy’s comparison of contingent vs retained.
• [47:46] Client development and not putting all your eggs in one basket.
• [57:10] Work-life balance and creating your dream life.

The Keys to Success in Recruitment

Cathy is an achiever. Since she began her recruiting career in 2008 she has been the lead recruiter and top biller in the office her entire recruiting career and she became a Pinnacle Society Member in 2018. But what would she consider her proudest accomplishment as a recruiter? 

“I don’t see myself as a super special awesome person. I just think that I am really good at the basics,” is how Cathy describes it. Here are the key things that she believes have contributed to her success:

• Mindset
• Influencing Skills
• Building Trust
• Work-life Balance and Creating Your Own Dream Life

Creating and Maintaining a Positive Mindset

A positive mindset is not something you will get from someone else. You must create and maintain it within yourself. Cathy shares this from a recruiter’s perspective: it is about being passionate about your selected niche. It is about having a solid foundation of ‘Why’. Her love for seniors really motivates her to consistently do her best in her chosen niche which is senior living. She also added, “Being able to stay positive is really about gratitude. You can’t feel anxiety and negativity if you feel gratitude.”

Honing Your Influencing Skills and Building Trust

Cathy believes that influence is her “superpower.” How does she do it? As a DISC profiler, Cathy applies her knowledge and understanding of personalities when communicating with her stakeholders. An important key is having conscious self-awareness about both your own personality profile and the other party’s. This plays a huge role when influencing and building trust. 

Her sales background trained her to hone this approach when dealing with hiring managers, and interviewing candidates. She explains in detail how she incorporates these influencing skills in the recruitment process.

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including: funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, backoffice support, marketing and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc

Cathy Stewart Bio and Contact Info 

Cathy Stewart is a national leader in the senior living recruiting industry. From clinical to sales and marketing to operations leadership roles at both site and corporate levels, Cathy has spent nearly 15 years producing top talent for senior living organizations nationally. A native of Greensboro, NC, she began her recruiting career in 2008 with Jeff Harris and Associates and has been the lead recruiter and top biller in the office her entire recruiting career. At the heart of what she does lies her commitment to serving seniors and finding candidates who share that same mission. Despite starting a new career just as the economy was collapsing in 2008, because of their specialized niche in healthcare, JHA not only weathered the recession, but grew as more than 50% of firms across the nation closed their doors. Cathy began to build a team of researchers and recruiters in 2014, allowing her to deliver top talent with unmatched speed and accuracy to her clients in both retained and contingent search. Her commitment to her clients is evident in her determination to identify quality candidates quickly and efficiently.  Her team consistently averages between $800K and $1M in annual billings.  In November of 2018, Cathy was formally asked to join The Pinnacle Society, the premium consortium of industry-leading recruiters in North America.

• Cathy on LinkedIn
• Jeff Harris and Associates website link
• Jeff Harris and Associates on Facebook

People and Resources Mentioned

• Pinnacle Society website link
• Jordan Rayboy on LinkedIn
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

• TRR#133 How this Top Producing Recruiter is Putting Health, Fitness and Family First, with Jordan Rayboy

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Where do you find most of your candidates? 

If LinkedIn is your primary platform for sourcing and engaging with candidates, this episode is for you. We are not telling you to stop using LinkedIn. But we believe that it’s a mistake to be over-reliant on LinkedIn as your main source of candidates.

In this episode, you will hear the downsides of being dependent upon LinkedIn. You’ll also learn what specific steps you can take now to enhance your candidate engagement and increase response rates to your outreach. 

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [00:57] The six pillars of a successful seven-figure recruitment business.
• [2:22] Clients versus candidates - which do you need more of?
• [3:31] Why it is essential to track the source of the candidates you place.
• [5:14] The downsides of being over-reliant on LinkedIn as your primary source of candidates.
• [6:47] Why using InMails may not be the most effective method of outreach.
• [8:05] Going further - how to leverage multi-channel communication strategies.
• [10:04] Isn’t a 12-step candidate recruitment campaign going overboard?
• [12:36] Benefits of developing a multi-step, multi-channel approach.
• [13:38] Two more reasons why it’s risky to rely too much on LinkedIn.
• [15:14] Strategies to increase candidate response.
• [17:02] Simple steps you can take to put this into action.

The Downsides of Being Over-Reliant on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is actually the number one source of candidates for the majority of recruiters out there. But there are downsides to being over-reliant on LinkedIn as your primary source of candidates. Some of them are:

1. Your competitors and clients are searching on LinkedIn too. 
2. Candidates are inundated with messages on LinkedIn. 
3. Not every candidate is active on LinkedIn.

Also, you have to remember that you do not own the data on LinkedIn. The data belongs to LinkedIn and they could at any time just cut you off. They can restrict your account and remove the facility. All the time you have invested in curating that network can be taken away. So we always recommend that you extract data from LinkedIn and build your own database. Then your ATS will become your number one source of candidates in the future.

Going Further and Leveraging Multi-Channel Strategies

We are not saying to stop using LinkedIn. We just want you to go much further when it comes to your candidate outreach and activities. Your goal should be to have a sophisticated, multi-touch, multi-channel recruiting campaign in place - one that leverages automation technology. In this episode, we will be giving examples of strategies you can use to increase candidate response and engagement.

The Benefits of Implementing a Multi-Touch, Multi-Channel Recruitment Campaign

Do not leave money on the table. You owe it to yourself and your candidates to make them aware of the opportunity on offer.  As a recruiter, increasing your response rates translates to more placements and profits. Plus it enables you to have a positive impact on more lives. 

Here are some of the benefits of utilizing multi-channel strategies:

1. Increase in response to your candidate outreach.
2. Increase the number of quality candidates that you can present.
3. It will shorten the time to fill positions.
4. Save time in leveraging tools and automation.
5. Have a sense of control over your candidate pipeline.

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc

People and Resources Mentioned

• Download the Job Order Scorecard here

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

• TRR#70 How to Boost Candidate Engagement and Win the Next War for Talent, with Alan Cutter

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

What’s the secret to scaling a staffing company internationally? According to my special guest Andy Mackin, relationships are a key driver of business growth.

In this episode, you will hear how Andy transitioned from serving with the Irish Navy for 21 years to becoming an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. He shares his story of rapidly expanding his staffing company from six employees to 200 in less than 8 years. 

At Mackin Talent, their number one value is “Relationships Matter.” Listen to Andy explain exactly how they invest time and resources to build stronger client relationships. He reveals how they’ve embedded this core value into their systems and procedures from the way they sell to the way they deliver their service.

Andy is the CEO of Mackin Group, which encompasses Mackin EHS & Mackin Talent. They’re an award-winning business services company headquartered in Ireland and operating globally with 200 team members in 12 countries.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [3:47] Discussion on Andy’s process for posting original content on LinkedIn.
• [7:08] Andy’s reading challenge and book recommendations.
• [11:09] Why Andy started a health and safety consulting firm after leaving the navy and how that led to building a staffing agency.
• [23:04] Great life lessons that Andy shares from working as a server/waiter.
• [27:25] Breaking down the stages - growing from 6 people to 200.
• [33:38] The business value of building relationships and treating everyone the way you want to be treated.  
• [42:10] How to engage and build relationships with clients with a hybrid setup.
• [48:55] Andy’s strategies for building business roles and framework.
• [50:30] Biggest challenges when scaling a business rapidly.
• [53:56] Andy shares his biggest learning experience from 2014 up to now.

Life Lessons From Working as a Waiter

Andy’s story is interesting and colorful indeed - before setting up his own consultancy business, he served in the Irish Navy for 21 years. After retiring from the Navy, he set up his own health and safety business which led to him setting up a talent and staffing agency.

What struck me is when Andy shared his stint as a server or waiter before joining the navy. He described it as his best 10 and a half months experience in life. For him, the life lessons he learned and the experience of dealing with people are invaluable. It became a foundational step in his journey that he attributes to his success in the recruitment space. Andy shares: “It is all about people. People that you deal with, life is all about people. I think recruitment is a pretty solid industry where it is all about people. How you get on with people, how you react to people, how you react to candidates, how you react to clients… it has served me well.”

How Relationship Building Was the Key to Scaling the Business

One of the keys to the growth of Mackin Talent is they partner with multi-national corporations and support them in rolling out sizeable EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) projects. As a small business, how do they win these major accounts? According to Andy, it’s simple - relationships. Corporations are made up of people. He can form a relationship with one person in a company, land small opportunities, and expand from there. Eventually this leads to larger and larger opportunities. Of course, it is expected that they can deliver, which they do. 

To further strengthen their business relationship, they ensure that an onsite engagement specialist is present with their clients free of charge. This investment ensures that the project runs smoothly, resulting in less worries for their clients, and more repeat business for Mackin Talent. This practice enables them to embed themselves within their clients, and deliver excellent service.  Their guiding principle is to treat other people how you want to be treated.

The Importance of Meeting Clients Face-to-Face

How much relationship building are you doing remotely versus in person? This is the same question I asked Andy during this interview. Since the pandemic, a lot of business owners are conducting the majority of their meetings virtually. But how critical is face-to-face relationship building when you are looking to scale your business?

For Andy, they still allocate at least 65% in-person relationship building but are on the track of further increasing it to 75%. He spends thousands of dollars quarterly just to meet with employees and clients in person - the creativity and collaboration are just different when done in person. It is nice to speak with people regularly via Zoom, but meeting them in person levels up the relationship.

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including: funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, backoffice support, marketing and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc

Andy Mackin Bio and Contact Info 

Andy originally hails from Dundalk,Co Louth, in Ireland. The eldest of eight, Parents Roy and Roseleen.

Andy joined the Irish Naval Service at 18 in 1985 and has been in Cork since. He served for 21 years as a member of the Irish Naval Service and, during this time, qualified as an electrician. It was here that he gained his initial experience with risk management and developed his appreciation of Environmental Health and Safety. Andy retired from service in 2006 as Petty Officer.

Andy holds a Diploma in Health and Safety from University College Cork  a Certificate in Training and Education from NUI Galway, and has over twenty years experience in the field of Environmental Health and Safety. 

As CEO of Mackin Group he has responsibility for the day to day operations of both organisations, Mackin EHS & Mackin Talent and also works with varied clients across all sectors in Ireland, UK, Europe, Asia and the US.

A positive mindset and personal development are key factors in my life to help declutter the constant noise from around the world.

• Andy on LinkedIn
• Mackin Talent website link
• Mackin Talent on Facebook

People and Resources Mentioned

• Morgan Cummins on LinkedIn
• The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

To build a thriving executive search practice, you need to be good at winning new business. However, my special guest Somer Hackley realized early in her recruiting career that traditional approaches to business development didn’t work for her.

Instead, Somer developed her own way of landing retained searches. Her approach has proven to be highly effective, enabling her to become a top producer at two of the world’s biggest retained executive search firms. 

Her strategy involves, as Somer puts it, “doing BD by not doing BD.” I was intrigued by the apparent contradiction. Somer explains that while she doesn’t perform pure business development activities, “everything I do is BD.” In this interview, Somer reveals her top three ways of winning work.

Somer has been in recruiting for 20 years, the last 14 in executive search. In 2020 she launched her own firm called Distinguished Search. Having worked for some of the biggest executive search firms in the world, she wanted to work with fewer clients and offer more personalized service. Somer is the author of the new book, Search in Plain Sight - Demystifying Executive Search which was published in June.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [1:22] Becoming a published author and a mother in the same month! 
• [4:03] How Somer got started in recruiting 20 years ago - we discuss the constant pressure to achieve targets.
• [8:26] The challenge of launching her own firm in 2020 during a pandemic
• [14:00] Business development by not doing business development. 
• [19:19] Somer’s approach to recruiting / how she pitches roles.
• [24:34] Somer’s video series: Two Distinguished Minutes. 
• [33:30] How to establish trust with people quickly.
• [41:30] How Somer approaches the scenario of candidates getting multiple offers.
• [45:45] How to prep your clients prior to the interview.
• [51:10] Discussion on Somer’s new book, Search in Plain Sight: Demystifying Executive Search

BD by Not Doing BD

“I do BD, you can either say a hundred percent all the time or zero percent all the time, depending on how you are looking at it.” For Somer, business development traditionally was transactional - connecting to the higher-ups of potential clients and setting appointments. This formal approach did not work for Somer as she describes her communication style to be more casual. 

When Somer went on her own, her mindset was “I work with people” – she doesn’t think of them in terms of clients vs candidates. She never contacts executives with the sole intent of getting business.  “I just reach out to people and I think every time I am talking to a person, this could be a client in 3 months, it could be a client in 5 years. So, how do I position this conversation so that when that role opens, they think of me for that?”

Somer shared her approach to segmenting her clients into three buckets:

• “Candidates that I place, and now they're hiring.”
• “Candidates that I didn’t place, and now they're hiring.”
• “HR execs, internal recruiters that have moved companies and have brought me along in the relationship.”

For Somer, business development is really simple. She focuses on the human connection and ensuring her processes work for her candidates. She finds that when her candidates have a hiring need, she’s the first recruiter they turn to – even if she didn’t place them.

Video Content Idea: Two Distinguished Minutes

Creating video content and posting consistently to different platforms such as LinkedIn is the easiest type of content marketing you can do. It does not cost anything - all it takes is for you to start and eventually more ideas will come for your content. This is exactly what Somer has been doing consistently with her videos - Two Distinguished Minutes. 

The idea came up when she watched Simon Sinek’s TED Talk about starting with WHY. She approached leaders in her network with a compelling idea.  Will you record a video interview with me and answer the question, “Why do you do what you do?” It’s a topic that senior leaders were enthusiastic about, and because her videos are only two-minutes long, even the busiest executives could make time for it.

I’ve studied and practiced content marketing for 20 years - before it was even called content marketing.  So I enjoyed discussing how Somer comes up with her content ideas.  I hope it will inspire you to start creating your own original content and positioning yourself as an authority in your market niche. 

Search in Plain Sight: Demystifying Executive Search

Somer is the author of the new book, Search in Plain Sight - Demystifying Executive Search which was published in June. In this book, Somer shares a candid view of the world of executive search. I have read this book and it is fantastic! 

I am also honored to be interviewed by Somer and be in the few pages of the book (Chapters 6 and 14). I really recommend reading this book - it was really extensively researched with so many case studies and indeed a must-read for executive recruiters.

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including: funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, backoffice support, marketing and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.cm/vc

Somer Hackley Bio and Contact Info 

Somer Hackley received her degree in economics from Tufts University in 2002. She has been in recruiting for twenty years, including the last thirteen years in executive search. She spent six years at the seventh-largest global retained search firm, and later ran the North America Digital, Technology, and Commerce Practice at a leading boutique. In 2020 she started her own brand, Distinguished Search, inspired to launch a firm aligned with her core values: working with fewer clients and offering more personalized services. She has placed executives in companies from Fortune 100 to startups, with a focus on technology and digital positions. The need for transparency in executive search led to her debut book, Search in Plain Sight.

• Somer on LinkedIn
• Distinguished Search website link

People and Resources Mentioned

• Search in Plain Sight: Demystifying Executive Search on Amazon
• Two Distinguished Minutes on YouTube

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

If you’re like many recruiters we speak to, you’re extremely busy right now with more job orders than you can handle. However, are you working with the right clients?

Many recruiters delude themselves by thinking they’re “too busy” to do business development when in reality they’re working on low-probability searches. So they end up doing a lot of work you don’t get paid for. 

Another common scenario is recruiters who rely on repeat business from the same legacy clients. Sure you’ve got a good relationship, but have you gotten into a comfort zone with them?

When was the last time you reviewed your terms of business with your existing clients?  Or asked them for a retainer? Perhaps you’re reluctant to rock the boat because you get a lot of business from them.

If you can identify with either of these scenarios, pay close attention. In this episode, Leanne and I will share tips on how to increase your billings by working with your ideal clients - the ones who are willing to work with you exclusively at higher fees, and who treat you as a trusted advisor and true partners. 

This is the second of a series of episodes where Leanne and I will share insights that we have gained from working with hundreds of successful recruitment business owners.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [3:00] Increase your billings by auditing your existing clients.
• [4:12] Indicators that you are working with the right clients.
• [5:27] The benefits of grading your jobs using a Job Order Scorecard.
• [8:11] Common limiting beliefs that stop recruiters from reviewing their terms of business with existing clients. 
• [10:52] Actual examples and success stories of recruiters who raised their standards in terms of how they work with new and existing clients.
• [12:07] Won’t you lose clients if you increase your rates? 
• [13:07] Three simple actions you can take to re-evaluate your client relationship.

Audit Your Existing Client with the Job Order Scorecard

When was the last time you audited your clients and measured the quality of jobs you are working on to make sure you are investing your time wisely? One of the first exercises we do with our new clients is to get them to do an audit on their existing clients and actually grade their jobs. Failing to do so can mean that you end up working with the wrong clients in ways that are not effective or efficient. 

A useful exercise is to look at your job-to-placement ratio. In this call, you will hear a scientific approach to using a diagnostic tool we call the Job Order Scorecard. This tool was designed to audit your existing live job - looking at measurable factors and criteria to work from when starting new partnerships or when analyzing your current clients. 

Some of the factors being looked at are:

• How fillable is the job?
• How accessible is the hiring manager?
• Is the role actually within your niche?
• How good is the rate?
• How solid are the agreement and the terms?

If you want to steal our Job Order Scorecard you can download it here: http://www.recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard 

Challenge Your Self-Limiting Beliefs 

The idea of grading your jobs can lead to better outcomes for both you and your client. However, the fear of change and some limiting beliefs may stop us from taking the leap of faith to switching from contingent to the retained model, for example. Another thing we hear a lot is  “In my market, it is very price sensitive, there is no way our clients will pay a higher fee.” If you hear yourself saying this, it may be a sign that there are underlying limiting beliefs that we may need to challenge.

We want you to go out of your comfort zone and look at it from a different perspective. The success stories of our coaching group members should nudge you to overcome the fear of asking for higher fees and more commitment.  

Three Simple Actions You Can Take Now

If there are key takeaways from this episode, it is taking action now and doing the simple steps below:

1. Go to http://www.recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard and download the scorecard.
2. Do the exercise and audit - give a score to each of the roles you are working on so you can measure them up against one another.
3. Re-prioritize your time and energy based on that score.

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc

People and Resources Mentioned

• Download the Job Order Scorecard here

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

My next guest, Helen Plumridge, doubled her revenue last year and is on course to double again this year. But she didn’t achieve success overnight - it’s been more of a marathon than a sprint.

Over a 20 year career, Helen’s experienced her share of setbacks and disappointments including the failure of her first recruitment business startup. Other areas of huge learning include choosing the right business model, hiring the right people and growing into leadership. Plus, the usual challenges of balancing business, fitness goals and family life.

In this episode, you will hear Helen’s story of resilience and how she grew her recruitment business with the right combination of motivation, strategy, team, and partners. She discusses her partnership with Recruitment Entrepreneur and shares the key factors that contributed to doubling her revenue in the last year.

Helen is the founder of King Recruit and King Executive, a partnership-led recruitment and search industry working with high-growth, small and medium sized companies in the South-West of England.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [1:10] Why Helen’s first recruitment business didn’t succeed and what she learned from that experience. 
• [5:08] Looking back at her career, what would Helen have done differently?
• [7:18] Why Helen launched King Recruit after taking a break to have kids.
• [12:50] How Helen won a large account which helped grow their business drastically.
• [16:40] How to articulate your candidate’s ROI to potential clients.
• [30:00] Helen’s insights on scaling her team.
• [34:37] King Recruit’s business model, why and how they partnered with Recruitment Entrepreneur.
• [41:37] How King Recruit doubled their turnover last year.  
• [47:07] Managing and motivating your team / the “build a business within the business” approach.
• [51:05] Helen reveals some hiring learning from the past and what their hiring process looks like today.
• [59:04] The pros and cons of hiring experienced recruiters.
• [1:02:00] Helen shares her adventure when she ran the Great Wall of China marathon.

Articulating the ROI of Hiring Your Candidate

One of Helen’s incredible success stories is how they won a large account when they were just starting as a small business. On her 40th birthday, they signed up a fast-growing client with whom they ultimately placed over 200 people. You will hear from Helen how they won that account - including how they got their foot in the door. Helen revealed best practices for marketing your hot candidates and how to articulate the potential return-on-investment when presenting them to clients. The following takeaways were elaborated in our discussion:

• Wordsmithing.
• Use compelling subject lines when introducing your candidate.
• Identifying and communicating the quantifiable achievements of your candidate.
• Putting forth the value and result they can provide for the company.
• Bob Marshall’s FAB presentation (Featur, Accomplishment, Benefit)

How They Doubled Revenue Last Year

Another key highlight of this interview is how they doubled their turnover last year and are on the way to again double their turnover this year, after partnering with Recruitment Entrepreneur. What were the key factors that led to this momentum? “Setting that bar higher,” is how it was described by Helen. 

It involves understanding the P&L (Profit and Loss) in more detail, looking at performance per head, and being more strategic by using real-time data. Setting the bar higher and believing that it is achievable is what moves Helen’s team. By joining the Recruitment Entrepreneur platform, Helen also found that it is far more achievable to reach the next level. 

A Culture of Building a Business Within a Business

Helen also fosters a culture of hiring highly motivated people and giving them the freedom to run their desk in their way. This culture of ‘building a business within a business does not in any way compromise the King Recruiting’s way of doing things. As Helen explained, “It is not without systems and processes and vision.” 

Helen is not a fan of micro-managing. They empower their recruiters in business development, marketing, and client approach so long as it is aligned with King Recruiting’s way of working. This is also one of the reasons why they are more inclined to hire seasoned and mature recruiters - on which we discussed the pros and cons in this call.

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including: funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, backoffice support, marketing and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc

Helen Plumridge and Contact Info 

Helen Plumridge, Founder, and Owner of King Recruit and King Executive. We're a partnership-led recruitment and search agency working with high-growth SMEs in the South West. I've enjoyed a 20-year career in recruitment, I started my business 5 years ago and last year, partnered with Recruitment Entrepreneur - to grow, scale and exit my business - in the next 5 years. 

• Helen on LinkedIn 
• King Recruit website link

People and Resources Mentioned

• Lisa Dixon on Linkedin
• James Caan on LinkedIn
• Abid Hamid on LinkedIn
• Doug Bugie on LinkedIn

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

• TRR#124 How to Recession-Proof Your Recruitment Business While Accelerating Growth, with Abid Hamid
• TRR#68 How to Develop a Managed Service Programme (MSP) and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Service, with Lisa Dixon
• TRR#69 Recruitment Legends: Leadership and Life Lessons From 40 Years in the Global Recruiting Industry, with Doug Bugie
• TRR#81 James Caan on the 10 Characteristics of Highly Successful Recruitment Entrepreneurs

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

“I don’t need more clients, I need more candidates.”

“I don’t have time for business developments because I have several roles already and I don’t have the bandwidth or capacity for any more clients.” 

Does this sound familiar? Are you relying too much on repeat business and referrals to the point that you may neglect your marketing and business development?

In this episode, my co-host and colleague Leanne and I will tackle the trap of too much reliance on repeat business and referrals and forgetting we must never stop developing new business. We will share insights and strategies on how to avoid this trap and actual examples of our Inner Circle coaching group members who were able to adapt these strategies successfully.

This is a first of a series of episodes where Leanne and I will share insights that we have gained from working with hundreds of successful recruitment business owners. We are going to start with a series about the biggest mistakes we see that recruitment business owners are making.

Episode Outline and Highlights 

• [2:04] Red flags and alarm bells tell that you are relying too much on repeat business and referrals.
• [4:20] Why proactive is better than reactive. Lessons I learned from the 2008 Great Recession.
• [6:08] You can never have too many clients. Strategies to apply if you feel that you are too busy to get more clients.
• [8:26] How our member, Alexis, was able to successfully establish a business development machine.
• [10:08] Strategies on utilizing business development time via different channels.
• [12:34] Simple actions to kickstart your business development.
• [15:00] Final thoughts for this episode and what to look forward to on our next episode.

Never Neglect Your Business Development

This was an experience I had when I started my business in 2001. I was hustling, doing client visits, and working on my business development. That is when I got too busy and comfortable relying on a handful of clients. The Great Recession of 2008 came, and I lost 3 out of 4 key clients I had. I vowed that this is something I was never going to let happen again. If you realize you are also in this trap of complacence, keep in mind that being proactive is better than being reactive. Never forego your business development - if your recruitment business is a bicycle, the two wheels that should be continuously running at the same speed to gain traction are your candidate and client development.

You Can Never Have Too Many Clients

Do you feel that you already have too many clients and that you should only be focusing on getting candidates more than getting new clients? If that is the case, you have to reassess. One takeaway you should get from this episode is that you can never have too many clients. Employ practical strategies such as client re-assessment, employing offshore VAs, and other techniques to continue the business development side without compromising the quality of business provided to your existing clients.

Simple Actions to Kickstart Your Business Development

If you feel that your business development has taken a backseat, what are some things you can do to kickstart it? Here are some tips:

• Set a minimum of 1 hour per day non-negotiable time in your calendar
• Try something new (different channels, cadence, platforms) 
• Revisit and refine your sales process

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including: funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, backoffice support, marketing and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc

People and Resources Mentioned

• August 15 2022 Webinar: 6 Pillars of a 7-figure Recruitment Business Register for FREE here.
• Alexis Alvarez on LinkedIn
• Watch Alexis’ game-changer video via this link

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter