The Resilient Recruiter

When setting up a recruitment business from scratch it's easy to get sidetracked with a thousand different things - and it seems there are also a thousand different ways to approach the business. Alex Elliot and Jonathan Coxon have very clear opinions about what works because they spearheaded the launch of Liquid Personnel in 2006 and sold it exactly 10 years later for a huge profit.

By the time the business was sold it was bringing in 100 million pounds in revenue, had 140 employees, and was the recipient of multiple awards. All this came from very humble beginnings - two gents working from a storage closet and with a capital investment of just 3000 pounds. 

In this conversation, you’ll hear Jonathan and Alex explain how and why they started the business and how a very clear set of common long-term goals enabled them to forge a partnership that created a stable foundation from which to launch. You’ll also hear about the huge financial mistakes they made, how they went about finding, hiring, and retaining quality team members, and more.

Outline of This Episode

• [0:35] The rapid growth of a recruitment agency
• [3:15] The early days at Liquid Personnel - starting small and in cramped offices
• [5:38] Shared goals and shared values make for a good partnership
• [6:35] What the guys looked for in team members from the start
• [10:50] The first 12 months in recruitment is about survival
• [14:14] The unknown unknowns to be faced in starting from scratch
• [17:39] Knowing when it was time to start hiring
• [27:19] A hiring model that worked tremendously well
• [37:26] The best avenues for finding good talent
• [42:24] Taking on an entire rookie sales force
• [44:09] What goes into exceptional training?
• [51:36] When did Jonathan and Alex begin focusing on management?
• [54:09] What it was like to sell the business and the amazing experience it was

Humble beginnings are often the basis for huge success

Business founders who have to scratch and scrape to build their business have much to share with those of us who are willing to listen and learn from their example. Alex and Jonathan began Liquid Personnel - a staffing agency focused on the Social Services industry in the UK - in a loaned storage closet at a family member’s business. The two of them shared one desk and spent the majority of their time hustling up leads and tracking down candidates on the phone. Within a year they were able to add their first team members and began a journey to scale that is extremely uncommon among recruitment firms.

As you listen you’ll get a feeling for the grit and determination of these two remarkable men and understand how their commitment to building, fostering, and equipping a team of extraordinary individuals made a massive difference in their ability to scale the business. Be sure you stick around to the very end to hear the next big venture Alex and Jonathan are planning. 

Don’t let what’s on paper obscure reality

“We were very good at making paper profits. We were too focused on paper profits and not focused on cash flow.” 

That’s what Alex Elliot said about their perspective during the early days of Liquid Personnel. This was in response to me asking him what he’d do differently if he could go back and do it all over again with the knowledge he has now. There’s a huge lesson here, so pay close attention.

Alex is saying that after setting up your recruitment business and getting things rolling, the numbers you see on paper can lead you to believe that your business is doing much better than it is. As he looks back, he realizes that their 10-year journey could likely have been made in seven years if they had focused on cash flow more than on the profits shown on paper. That switch in focus would have enabled them to generate the financial resources needed to add team members sooner, improve their training faster, and scale the company.

When hiring, don’t go with what’s acceptable, go with exceptional

One of the keys to the success of Liquid Personnel was its own personnel. Alex and Jonathan focused intensely on finding and hiring the right people - those with proven sales track records and specific qualities of greatness they had diligently identified beforehand.

When asked about their hiring philosophy, they say that every single person you hire should be raising the average on the sales floor. You should never let yourself accept “average” candidates as being good enough. Greatness begets greatness. 

To help you understand how they refined their ideal candidate profile, they offer these tips:

1 - Ask yourself, “What does ‘great’ look like in our business and industry niche?”

2 - What are the attributes of someone who is great in those ways?

3 - What does that kind of person bring to the table for our business in particular?

4 - What does that look like practically and how can we assess it during the hiring process?

Listen to hear how they used psychometric profiles, a lengthy interview process, and data to avoid “gut feel” decisions and get the right people on board.

Excellence comes from training in the fundamentals

Alex and Jonathan believe that the recruiting industry's typical approach to training is short-sighted. In their words, “If you stick someone in the classroom for 6 weeks then stick them on the sales floor thinking they are trained, you’re wrong.” Their experience demonstrates that the value of initial training pales in comparison to the value of ongoing, in-the-field training focused on equipping team members to succeed professionally and personally.

The areas of focus they maintained while growing Liquid Personnel were:

1- Incremental learning and development

They didn’t believe in “one time” or “one-size-fits-all” training. Each person was equipped on an as-needed, personalized basis.

2 - Giving people as many tools to be successful as possible while making it simple and concise

Convoluted, complicated training prohibits the development of skills that team members need to become successful quickly.

3 - Real-time induction training along with practical role-playing coaching

Alex and Jonathan made it their goal to link together theory and practice so that their team could see results faster and truly understand their jobs and the services they provide.

4 - Training and development throughout a person’s career

The Liquid Personnel training method included ongoing training in a variety of formats. On-demand topical videos enabled team members to hone specific skills as needed. Every advancement opportunity came with the training required to perform with excellence in the new role. And testing was used regularly to ensure the right people were in the right roles at the right times.

This episode is full of valuable insights from the rapid growth journey of one of the brightest spots in recent recruitment history. Join me as I walk through how Alex and Jonathan went about setting up a recruitment business that scaled massively in a very short amount of time.

Connect with Jonathan and Alex

• Jonathan Coxon on LinkedIn
• Alex Elliot on LinkedIn

Resources & People Mentioned

• Liquid Personnel
• Independent Clinical Services
• The Recruitment Agency Podcast
• BOOK: Grit by Angela Duckworth
• BOOK: Good to Great
• BOOK: Built To Last
• BOOK: In Search of Excellence
• BOOK: How To Win Friends And Influence People
• BOOK: Influence by Robert Chialdini
• BOOK: The Score Takes Care Of Itself

Connect With Mark Whitby

• https://recruitmentcoach.com (only include on platforms other than website)
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @RecCoach_com
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
• Mark on YouTube

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Audio Production and Show notes byPODCAST FAST TRACK

When setting up a recruitment business from scratch it's easy to get sidetracked with a thousand different things - and it seems there are also a thousand different ways to approach the business. Alex Elliot and Jonathan Coxon have very clear opinions about what works because they spearheaded the launch of Liquid Personnel in 2006 and sold it exactly 10 years later for a huge profit.

By the time the business was sold it was bringing in 100 million pounds in revenue, had 140 employees, and was the recipient of multiple awards. All this came from very humble beginnings - two gents working from a storage closet and with a capital investment of just 3000 pounds. 

In this conversation, you’ll hear Jonathan and Alex explain how and why they started the business and how a very clear set of common long-term goals enabled them to forge a partnership that created a stable foundation from which to launch. You’ll also hear about the huge financial mistakes they made, how they went about finding, hiring, and retaining quality team members, and more.

Outline of This Episode

• [0:35] The rapid growth of a recruitment agency
• [3:15] The early days at Liquid Personnel - starting small and in cramped offices
• [5:38] Shared goals and shared values make for a good partnership
• [6:35] What the guys looked for in team members from the start
• [10:50] The first 12 months in recruitment is about survival
• [14:14] The unknown unknowns to be faced in starting from scratch
• [17:39] Knowing when it was time to start hiring
• [27:19] A hiring model that worked tremendously well
• [37:26] The best avenues for finding good talent
• [42:24] Taking on an entire rookie sales force
• [44:09] What goes into exceptional training?
• [51:36] When did Jonathan and Alex begin focusing on management?
• [54:09] What it was like to sell the business and the amazing experience it was

Humble beginnings are often the basis for huge success

Business founders who have to scratch and scrape to build their business have much to share with those of us who are willing to listen and learn from their example. Alex and Jonathan began Liquid Personnel - a staffing agency focused on the Social Services industry in the UK - in a loaned storage closet at a family member’s business. The two of them shared one desk and spent the majority of their time hustling up leads and tracking down candidates on the phone. Within a year they were able to add their first team members and began a journey to scale that is extremely uncommon among recruitment firms.

As you listen you’ll get a feeling for the grit and determination of these two remarkable men and understand how their commitment to building, fostering, and equipping a team of extraordinary individuals made a massive difference in their ability to scale the business. Be sure you stick around to the very end to hear the next big venture Alex and Jonathan are planning. 

Don’t let what’s on paper obscure reality

“We were very good at making paper profits. We were too focused on paper profits and not focused on cash flow.” 

That’s what Alex Elliot said about their perspective during the early days of Liquid Personnel. This was in response to me asking him what he’d do differently if he could go back and do it all over again with the knowledge he has now. There’s a huge lesson here, so pay close attention.

Alex is saying that after setting up your recruitment business and getting things rolling, the numbers you see on paper can lead you to believe that your business is doing much better than it is. As he looks back, he realizes that their 10-year journey could likely have been made in seven years if they had focused on cash flow more than on the profits shown on paper. That switch in focus would have enabled them to generate the financial resources needed to add team members sooner, improve their training faster, and scale the company.

When hiring, don’t go with what’s acceptable, go with exceptional

One of the keys to the success of Liquid Personnel was its own personnel. Alex and Jonathan focused intensely on finding and hiring the right people - those with proven sales track records and specific qualities of greatness they had diligently identified beforehand.

When asked about their hiring philosophy, they say that every single person you hire should be raising the average on the sales floor. You should never let yourself accept “average” candidates as being good enough. Greatness begets greatness. 

To help you understand how they refined their ideal candidate profile, they offer these tips:

1 - Ask yourself, “What does ‘great’ look like in our business and industry niche?”

2 - What are the attributes of someone who is great in those ways?

3 - What does that kind of person bring to the table for our business in particular?

4 - What does that look like practically and how can we assess it during the hiring process?

Listen to hear how they used psychometric profiles, a lengthy interview process, and data to avoid “gut feel” decisions and get the right people on board.

Excellence comes from training in the fundamentals

Alex and Jonathan believe that the recruiting industry's typical approach to training is short-sighted. In their words, “If you stick someone in the classroom for 6 weeks then stick them on the sales floor thinking they are trained, you’re wrong.” Their experience demonstrates that the value of initial training pales in comparison to the value of ongoing, in-the-field training focused on equipping team members to succeed professionally and personally.

The areas of focus they maintained while growing Liquid Personnel were:

1- Incremental learning and development

They didn’t believe in “one time” or “one-size-fits-all” training. Each person was equipped on an as-needed, personalized basis.

2 - Giving people as many tools to be successful as possible while making it simple and concise

Convoluted, complicated training prohibits the development of skills that team members need to become successful quickly.

3 - Real-time induction training along with practical role-playing coaching

Alex and Jonathan made it their goal to link together theory and practice so that their team could see results faster and truly understand their jobs and the services they provide.

4 - Training and development throughout a person’s career

The Liquid Personnel training method included ongoing training in a variety of formats. On-demand topical videos enabled team members to hone specific skills as needed. Every advancement opportunity came with the training required to perform with excellence in the new role. And testing was used regularly to ensure the right people were in the right roles at the right times.

This episode is full of valuable insights from the rapid growth journey of one of the brightest spots in recent recruitment history. Join me as I walk through how Alex and Jonathan went about setting up a recruitment business that scaled massively in a very short amount of time.

Connect with Jonathan and Alex

• Jonathan Coxon on LinkedIn
• Alex Elliot on LinkedIn

Resources & People Mentioned

• Liquid Personnel
• Independent Clinical Services
• The Recruitment Agency Podcast
• BOOK: Grit by Angela Duckworth
• BOOK: Good to Great
• BOOK: Built To Last
• BOOK: In Search of Excellence
• BOOK: How To Win Friends And Influence People
• BOOK: Influence by Robert Chialdini
• BOOK: The Score Takes Care Of Itself

Connect With Mark Whitby

• https://recruitmentcoach.com (only include on platforms other than website)
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @RecCoach_com
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
• Mark on YouTube

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK

The future of recruitment is a topic being bandied about quite a lot these days - and rightly so. There’s a lot of fear about what technological changes mean for the industry and for recruiting as a profession. But a powerful, optimistic voice in that conversation is Greg Savage. Greg is one of the most highly respected figures in the recruitment industry, speaking worldwide at recruitment events and forums. He is a LinkedIn “Top Voice’ and an early adopter of social media use for recruiting.

This conversation focuses on the future of recruitment and how the widespread changes we’re seeing are changing the way we work as recruiters. Greg shares his opinion about the things future-forward recruiters need to be doing to be of service to clients in days ahead as well as the tasks they should happily delegate to automation and AI. You’ll hear why we recruiters MUST evolve to truly serve clients in the future. 

Outline of This Episode

• [1:17] Why Greg took the time and effort to write a book
• [5:18] The things that are changing the job of the recruiter in modern times
• [13:21] What recruiters should not be doing these days - and what they should be doing instead
• [17:02] Skills needed by agency recruiters of the future
• [24:49] The most important places to start for social/digital selling
• [35:30] The IMPACT model of consistent action as a recruiter
• [38:38] What does it mean to engage in social selling?
• [44:21] One of the biggest social selling mistakes

The future of recruitment will look different than anything we’ve known so far

Greg is hesitant to position himself as a Nostradamus for the recruiting industry, but he can make some significant and likely predictions about the industry based on his years of experience and the changes he’s already seen take place. Consider where he's come from...

In his time in the industry, Greg has seen the advent of fax machines, the internet, job boards, mobile devices, and more. The recruitment industry he began working in looks entirely different than the one we all know now.

Looking ahead, Greg believes AI, machine learning, and automation will change the industry more than anything we’ve seen thus far. Automation will remove the drudgery of recruitment and free up recruiters to do the part of the job that human beings will always do better than machines - and by that, he specifically means the sales process 

Listen to hear how Greg expects selling to look in the future of recruiting and to learn how you can develop the skills that have value to your customers in the future.

How A.I. and automation change recruitment for the better

The typical way of doing business as a recruiter is to spend hours finding candidates, screening them, taking inquiry phone calls, evaluating applications, scraping LinkedIn and other websites, and more. It's a head-down grind we are very familiar with. In this model, recruiters fill their days with these activities and finish the day feeling like they’ve done good work. But they haven’t. They’ve busied themselves with activities that are soon to be replaced by A.I and machine learning.

Greg insists that engaging in these activities is nothing less than competing with technology - and in those areas, technology will always win. 

The smart recruiters of the future won’t kick against that reality, they will embrace it and make the technology serve them through automating those processes in their workflow. This will provide a type of time-freedom unheard of in the industry, which will, in turn, allow recruiters to do what they do best - build relationships and foster engagement with future clients. Greg’s insights into how to go about doing that are invaluable. Listen to this episode to learn more and be sure to download the action sheet for to plan your road to a better recruiting future.

Recruiters should become experts at the HUMAN aspects of their role

Even though we deal with a lot of minutia and detail in the administrative side of what we do, the better we can serve clients at their exact point of need, the more we will be seen as an in-demand expert in the field. That point of need boils down to the human aspects of what we do. The future of recruiting is going to belong to those who specialize in understanding their clients’ needs, developing relationships with candidates from outside the typical sources, and becoming an “agent” of those candidates by owning their search process from A to Z.

Why is this important? Because the people you deal with at companies and as candidates will always want and appreciate a human touch from you. Resist the urge to commoditize what you do and instead, become a relational expert. You'll make the entire process more enjoyable for everyone involved and be more effective at truly serving your clients. All of that leaves an impression about you and your recruiting approach that money can’t buy. Greg’s got great advice about how you can do the things that only you can do, so be sure you listen.

Recruiters of the future must be consistent digital brands

The recruiter of the future is not only going to be differentiated by the human elements of what he/she does they will also be noticed by the generosity with which they do it. Greg says that the day of being effective with cold calls and unsolicited emails is quickly fading. The era of relationship building and helpfulness is here. His recommendation to those wanting to remain relevant in the future days of recruiting is to develop and implement a strategy that leans heavily on the social part of social media.

His advice? Spend 25 minutes every day creating content that is truly helpful to those you hope to serve. This isn’t about adding more work to your already-full plate. It’s about leveraging the technological solutions available to take care of the minutia so that you can free up your time for what makes the most difference in your business. 

Approach social media from the perspective of finding ways you can serve, rather than finding ways you can profit. Spend your time on social building relationships. That means…

• reaching out to people in relevant, helpful ways
• posting or sharing resources that make a difference to your industry
• connecting people
• answering questions (even if the person asking is not a potential client)
• being kind and polite, and
• engaging in conversations.

These simple practices, done consistently WILL build your brand, attract fans, and generate inbound inquiries. 

The advice Greg shares about this aspect of what we should be doing as recruiters is much more than I can cover here. Please take the time to listen - and don’t miss out on the action sheet included with this episode.

Connect with Greg Savage

• Greg Savage’s blog and website
• Greg’s book: The Savage Truth (available late October 2019)
• Greg on Facebook
• Greg on LinkedIn
• Greg on Twitter: @Greg_Savage
• Greg on Youtube
• Greg on Instagram: @GregSavageTruth

Resources & People Mentioned

• Get in on the drawing for free signed copies of Greg’s book
• JobAdder
• Firebrand
• People to People
• Video My Job     

Connect With Mark Whitby

• https://recruitmentcoach.com (only include on platforms other than website)
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @RecCoach_com
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
• Mark on YouTube

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Audio Production and Show notes byPODCAST FAST TRACK

The future of recruitment is a topic being bandied about quite a lot these days - and rightly so. There’s a lot of fear about what technological changes mean for the industry and for recruiting as a profession. But a powerful, optimistic voice in that conversation is Greg Savage. Greg is one of the most highly respected figures in the recruitment industry, speaking worldwide at recruitment events and forums. He is a LinkedIn “Top Voice’ and an early adopter of social media use for recruiting.

This conversation focuses on the future of recruitment and how the widespread changes we’re seeing are changing the way we work as recruiters. Greg shares his opinion about the things future-forward recruiters need to be doing to be of service to clients in days ahead as well as the tasks they should happily delegate to automation and AI. You’ll hear why we recruiters MUST evolve to truly serve clients in the future. 

Outline of This Episode

• [1:17] Why Greg took the time and effort to write a book
• [5:18] The things that are changing the job of the recruiter in modern times
• [13:21] What recruiters should not be doing these days - and what they should be doing instead
• [17:02] Skills needed by agency recruiters of the future
• [24:49] The most important places to start for social/digital selling
• [35:30] The IMPACT model of consistent action as a recruiter
• [38:38] What does it mean to engage in social selling?
• [44:21] One of the biggest social selling mistakes

The future of recruitment will look different than anything we’ve known so far

Greg is hesitant to position himself as a Nostradamus for the recruiting industry, but he can make some significant and likely predictions about the industry based on his years of experience and the changes he’s already seen take place. Consider where he's come from...

In his time in the industry, Greg has seen the advent of fax machines, the internet, job boards, mobile devices, and more. The recruitment industry he began working in looks entirely different than the one we all know now.

Looking ahead, Greg believes AI, machine learning, and automation will change the industry more than anything we’ve seen thus far. Automation will remove the drudgery of recruitment and free up recruiters to do the part of the job that human beings will always do better than machines - and by that, he specifically means the sales process 

Listen to hear how Greg expects selling to look in the future of recruiting and to learn how you can develop the skills that have value to your customers in the future.

How A.I. and automation change recruitment for the better

The typical way of doing business as a recruiter is to spend hours finding candidates, screening them, taking inquiry phone calls, evaluating applications, scraping LinkedIn and other websites, and more. It's a head-down grind we are very familiar with. In this model, recruiters fill their days with these activities and finish the day feeling like they’ve done good work. But they haven’t. They’ve busied themselves with activities that are soon to be replaced by A.I and machine learning.

Greg insists that engaging in these activities is nothing less than competing with technology - and in those areas, technology will always win. 

The smart recruiters of the future won’t kick against that reality, they will embrace it and make the technology serve them through automating those processes in their workflow. This will provide a type of time-freedom unheard of in the industry, which will, in turn, allow recruiters to do what they do best - build relationships and foster engagement with future clients. Greg’s insights into how to go about doing that are invaluable. Listen to this episode to learn more and be sure to download the action sheet for to plan your road to a better recruiting future.

Recruiters should become experts at the HUMAN aspects of their role

Even though we deal with a lot of minutia and detail in the administrative side of what we do, the better we can serve clients at their exact point of need, the more we will be seen as an in-demand expert in the field. That point of need boils down to the human aspects of what we do. The future of recruiting is going to belong to those who specialize in understanding their clients’ needs, developing relationships with candidates from outside the typical sources, and becoming an “agent” of those candidates by owning their search process from A to Z.

Why is this important? Because the people you deal with at companies and as candidates will always want and appreciate a human touch from you. Resist the urge to commoditize what you do and instead, become a relational expert. You'll make the entire process more enjoyable for everyone involved and be more effective at truly serving your clients. All of that leaves an impression about you and your recruiting approach that money can’t buy. Greg’s got great advice about how you can do the things that only you can do, so be sure you listen.

Recruiters of the future must be consistent digital brands

The recruiter of the future is not only going to be differentiated by the human elements of what he/she does they will also be noticed by the generosity with which they do it. Greg says that the day of being effective with cold calls and unsolicited emails is quickly fading. The era of relationship building and helpfulness is here. His recommendation to those wanting to remain relevant in the future days of recruiting is to develop and implement a strategy that leans heavily on the social part of social media.

His advice? Spend 25 minutes every day creating content that is truly helpful to those you hope to serve. This isn’t about adding more work to your already-full plate. It’s about leveraging the technological solutions available to take care of the minutia so that you can free up your time for what makes the most difference in your business. 

Approach social media from the perspective of finding ways you can serve, rather than finding ways you can profit. Spend your time on social building relationships. That means…

• reaching out to people in relevant, helpful ways
• posting or sharing resources that make a difference to your industry
• connecting people
• answering questions (even if the person asking is not a potential client)
• being kind and polite, and
• engaging in conversations.

These simple practices, done consistently WILL build your brand, attract fans, and generate inbound inquiries. 

The advice Greg shares about this aspect of what we should be doing as recruiters is much more than I can cover here. Please take the time to listen - and don’t miss out on the action sheet included with this episode.

Connect with Greg Savage

• Greg Savage’s blog and website
• Greg’s book: The Savage Truth (available late October 2019)
• Greg on Facebook
• Greg on LinkedIn
• Greg on Twitter: @Greg_Savage
• Greg on Youtube
• Greg on Instagram: @GregSavageTruth

Resources & People Mentioned

• Get in on the drawing for free signed copies of Greg’s book
• JobAdder
• Firebrand
• People to People
• Video My Job     

Connect With Mark Whitby

• https://recruitmentcoach.com (only include on platforms other than website)
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @RecCoach_com
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
• Mark on YouTube

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK