“Get me somebody – ANY-BODY – today!”

This is becoming the mantra of 2007 as a shrinking labor market has left businesses duking it out for top talent. According to a nationwide survey of employers by RightFish, a company that has developed an efficient, quality-driven hiring research and candidate sourcing tool, one in four hiring managers said it takes them two months or more to fill their open positions.

- One in three said it takes more than a week to bring in a potential candidate for an interview.
- Thirty-one percent said it takes more than a week to conduct background checks and send an offer.

The good news is that the market is ripe for recruiters. The war for top performers is placing a premium on talent services, and companies are relying more and more on recruiters to get the right people in the right seats. The bad news is that recruiters are facing the same talent shortage and need to leverage new strategies and resources to get the job done.

So, how do you harness avail-able talent before the competition does and capture more of the recruitment wallet?

Know thy enemy

Understanding who your competitors are and how they work can give you a great advantage in recruiting qualified workers. Use the Internet to build blueprints of your competitors. Through employer job postings and uploaded résumés of job seekers, online job boards furnish valuable information on your competitors’ targeted markets and strategies, designations and titles, approach to recruitment, relationships between internal groups, and more.

In addition to job boards, Internet search engines, social networking sites, blogs, and company websites offer a wealth of information when studying up on the competition as well as targeted candidates. Set up Google Alerts to keep track of competitor mergers, acquisitions, name changes, and expansions into new markets. Check out analyst reports and the newsrooms of competitor web-sites to determine current focus, next moves, and potential gaps in market coverage that could be serviced by you.

Know thy client

Knowing the enemy is helpful; knowing the client is critical. Understanding the client’s needs goes beyond the job opening. It’s an understanding of company culture and capturing candidates who not only can do the job, but also will thrive within that environment. So, do your home-work. For each client, list out the jobs they have open, the key attributes they’re looking for, the way they position their work experience, and the top three words they would use to describe their company culture.

Then take a look at your messaging. Assess: Are you truly highlighting the aspects of your client’s organization that would be appealing to today’s prospective employees? Does your recruitment message command excitement or an immediate nap? Are you pointing out the right perks? Are you painting a convincing picture of opportunity? Are you presenting an accurate and inviting portrayal of the work culture?

Test different versions of the same job posting, email, phone outreach and see which ones garner the most attention and why. Supplement this information with insights from uploaded résumés and cover letters from job seekers. Make sure to enter your data in an applicant tracking system, so you can apply that intelligence to other clients as well.

Know thy audience

In my experience, one of the most effective ways to build a solid working relationship with potential candidates when you directly contact them is to be knowledgeable. Be sure to use the information you gathered during your research phase to increase your credibility. The more educated you are about the person’s current situation, the more you will be able to indicate that you are concerned about helping to improve his/her career and that you aren’t merely interested in finding an employee for your company or the company for which you are recruiting.

Moreover, when you contact potential candidates, be direct and truthful by telling them who you are and why you’re calling. Tell the candidate that the phone call is private and be sure to keep that promise.

Headhunting tactics aren’t much different from effective management tactics – you need to provide a direction and present the possibilities; but you must also be ready to ask questions, listen, and address any changes that need to be made not only to survive, but also to thrive in today’s competitive environment.

Richard Stack is president of RightFish, a subsidiary of Gannett Co., Inc., Tribune Company, and The McClatchy Company. RightFish uses an integrated search and screening methodology to provide its clients with access to qualified candidates in various regions and industries for a flat fee. This includes the use of the RightFish candidate database, public and private domain searches, regional and industry-specific direct marketing programs, and direct candidate sourcing. RightFish focuses its searches primarily on sales, marketing, finance, and technology functions, with a specialty practice focused on university admissions. For more information on RightFish services, visit http://www.rightfish.com.

Q. I’m tired of hearing about the great job market. I’m finding it a very competitive and difficult market! Can you share some of the sales tactics you would suggest when competition is fierce? The sales and profits of my firm are declining – so I need your best advice! I’m trying to keep a positive attitude, but I just increased my line of credit with my bank and I don’t know how to turn this around.
“Negative Nick” Omaha, NB

A. It is important that we start with your own attitude adjustment. Failure can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. You know you can turn this around; you just need to STOP DOING what is NOT making you money and replace it with new sales tactics.

How can you differentiate yourself and your company from the competition? The FIRST KEY DIFFERENTIATOR IS YOU – the salesperson. It is important that you differentiate yourself from your competition.

The reality is that there is NO DIFFERENCE between you and the competition unless your clients and candidates PERCEIVE a difference. That perception is based 80% on the sales-person’s performance and attitude.

BEST SALES TACTICS:

1. Be more prepared.
2. Ask better questions.
3. Become the BEST LISTENER in their life.
4. Provide more PERCEIVED VALUE.
5. Be committed to providing RESULTS.
6. Develop a REFERRAL SYSTEM.

ADDITIONAL SALES TIPS:

1. Commit to sales training throughout your career.

2. Develop your elevator speech: “I help _________, who__________, so they can ________________.”

3. Realize that recruiting is sales.
a. Write down specific goals.
b. Know your ratios.
c. Commit to daily RESULTS.
d. Tie your goal into the “WIIFM.”

4. Learn and master the PLACEMENT PROCESS. All big billers have “mastered” a repeatable system.

5. Plan daily.

6. Set all appointments at ODD TIMES!

7. Every third contact is a conversation. You don’t want to communicate only by email.

Use any of these tactics and tips, and you will succeed and increase your production and profits in this very competitive market!

Barb Bruno, CPC, CTS, is one of the leading international speakers for the recruiting profession today. Sign up for Barb’s FREE NO BS Newsletter and receive notices on the two FREE teleconferences she conducts each month – one for owners, one for recruiters. Go to www.staffingandrecruiting.com/newsletter.

1. Work only on high-probability job orders:

- I once heard from a $1 million producer that for every 15 job orders he wrote, only two to three of them would be worthy of a full search.
- Top recruiters are at peace with the idea that they can’t place every candidate and they can’t fill every job order.
- Managers: Require rookies to get permission to work a search.
- Pre-close these items with clients: hiring process, urgency, what happens if it goes unfilled?
- Focus on marketing stars rather than simply filling orders.
- Get comfortable saying no to clients with unrealistic expectations.
- Know your target: If you’re a micro firm, go for higher-end searches where you can have an impact. If you’re a midsize firm, you can target mid-level searches with lots of openings on which you can tag-team.

2. Have a system for defining the best searches to work on:

- Label each job order as an A, B, or C.
- An A must have cooperation, urgency, and marketability. An A search warrants both a database search as well as original research.
- A B is missing one of the above components, and a C is missing two or more. A B warrants a database search only, and a C does not warrant any effort at all.
- Write these orders under a heading of A, B, or C on a white board and update it daily.
- Label your candidates as A, B, or C too, and screen them thoroughly.

3. Tell your clients why it is in their interest to give you timely feedback:

- Pre-close timely feedback: “The clients who get the full focus of my team are those who respond quickly and give us feedback.”
- Remember that your clients will treat you the way you teach them to treat you.
- Let them know why you will be calling: either to clarify specs, present someone, or ask for feedback. Also let them know that most calls will last 5 to 10 minutes.
- Ask them to notify you of any changes so that you can pace yourself.
- Pre-close the issue of timely feedback with candidates, too.

4. Talk to your clients directly about any lack of feedback:

- Remind them of the schedule to which they have committed if they flake out.
- If they are not responding, be clear on the fact that the search is on hold until you hear back.
- Let them know that their decision-making and timeliness are being observed by the candidate.
- Make two calls, then send one fax. If they still don’t respond, move on.

5. Ask your clients for concrete commitments:

- Get interview times in advance. This tests your client’s urgency and also motivates you to take immediate action.
- Add a “client responsibilities” section to your agreement letter.
- Get exclusives or retainers from your clients.
- If nothing else, get a $2,000 engagement fee.
- Schedule follow-up calls while your client is on the phone with you.

Gary Stauble is the principal consultant for The Recruiting Lab, a coaching company that assists firm owners and recruiters in generating more profit in less time. Gary offers three FREE SPECIAL REPORTS on his training website, including “The 3 Things That Lead to Placements.” Get your copies now at www.therecruitinglab.com.

That’s right. Sourcing your client for names of potentially qualified recruits or for the names of individuals who can lead you to potentially qualified recruits. This approach is not unethical or immoral; rather, it represents an appropriate utilization of the available resources.

To a lesser degree, most recruiters already do this when they ask questions similar to the following:

“In what companies would a qualified candidate currently be employed?”

“Is there a specific individual(s) you would like us to recruit that, for certain reasons, you prefer not to approach on your own?”

However, for the truly qualified search (See TFL – 10/01 – “Eight Is Enough”) the opportunity exists for sourcing your client to a much deeper extent. This sourcing opportunity is created by the client’s sense of urgency, which for many recruiters is the first and most important search qualifier.

Once a search has been properly qualified, the next step in the recruiting process is to identify the names of potentially qualified individuals or, in lieu of that, the names of people who can identify potentially qualified individuals. All of this name-gathering requires time, and if the client has a true sense of urgency about hiring now, time is a commodity they have in short supply. Therefore, anything they can do to save time without compromising outcomes should logically be in their best interest.

Name gathering, aka sourcing, does not require a high degree of skill, yet it serves as the foundation for any successful search. Generally speaking, the more names you can source at the beginning of the search, the greater the likelihood that two or more qualified and interested finalists will survive the process and be available for the final selection and offer. Therefore, it is in everyone’s best interest to be directly involved in the sourcing effort at the beginning of the search. This can be explained to your client in a manner similar to the following:

“All searches begin with name sourcing. Our usual resources and carefully cross-referenced network of contacts will provide us with the names of potentially qualified (appropriate position title). However, with most of our searches, additional names are generated through our client’s organization. With that in mind, who in your company, in addition to yourself, would know the names of potentially qualified individuals or would know the names of people who could lead us to potentially qualified individuals? These may be members of your current team who happen to know the names of people who work for the organizations in which we have an interest.”

Remember

In almost every client’s organization resides one or more individuals who know the names of people you need to contact. With the cooperation of your client, these employees can provide an additional and, most often, overlooked source of valuable names in support of your search efforts.

Do not be alarmed if new clients who have not worked with a professional recruiter in the past are startled by this question and respond in a manner similar to the following:

“Are you asking us to do your job for you?”

Or

“If we can come up with the names, we may as well do the search ourselves.”

In many instances, these responses can be prevented by properly explaining the sequence of steps in the recruiting process to your client when you take the search. Nevertheless, you need to be prepared in advance to handle any client concerns expressed in this manner.

If their response is similar to the “Are you asking us to do your job for you?” question, it is an indicator that you have not properly positioned yourself with the client. Consequently, a good response might be:

“What is your understanding of my job?

Allow them to fully answer this question, as it is a strong indicator of how they perceive your role in this process. Most clients who are unfamiliar with the recruiting process will give a fairly confused answer to this question, which provides an opportunity to properly reposition yourself and your process by emphasizing the following:

“Name gathering is just the beginning of the search process. Until someone takes action by contacting the names, the list is useless. Given no time constraints, almost anyone who is familiar with your industry can develop an appropriate list of names. However, a name by itself is worthless until or unless someone takes action, contacts the individual, and either recruits them directly or, through an indirect recruiting approach, utilizes them as a source of referral to others who may be qualified for the position.

“These contacts are what we refer to as ‘touch calls’ because they need to be handled with just the right professional ‘touch’ in order to ensure that a potential asset for your organization is not put off by an ineffective approach. Using the proper ‘touch’ is what we are trained to do, and we do it every day.

“Next we focus on evaluating the capabilities and motivation of each contact. Throughout this evaluation phase, our priority is to establish a group of finalists who are the best qualified and have the greatest interest in your opportunity.

“From this point on, we coordinate with you those steps of the selection process that ultimately result in the hiring decision, issuance of a proper offer, its acceptance by the finalist, and the implementation of an appropriate transition strategy.

“Throughout this entire process, our one and only objective is to ensure, as much as possible, that your hiring decision results in acquiring an employee who will impact in a positive fashion the performance capacity of your organization. The skills necessary to accomplish this have little to do with the initial name gathering. That is a time-consuming process that can best be accomplished through the use of our collective resources.

“So no, we are not asking you to do our job for us, because our real value to you generates from what we do after the names have been gathered.

“Does that answer your question?”

Once again, wait for a response and do not proceed until you and the client have reached an understanding on exactly what your role will be in bringing this new employee on board with their organization. To proceed other-wise will only compromise your position throughout the entire process.

If your client responds with something similar to “If we can come up with the names, we may as well do the search ourselves,” you can ask this question:

“Perhaps you should. Once you have gathered an appropriate number of names, what will you do next?”

Obviously, someone needs to call each name on the list. If the client identifies this as the next step, you can ask a couple of questions.

“On average, how many names do you believe would need to be developed in order to establish a solid foundation for your search efforts?”

Generally, they will grossly underestimate the number or say something unrealistic like “It only takes one if it is the right person.”

Next question should be:

“Who is properly trained and has the time available to make these calls?”

This is a good time to explain the “touch call” and why it is necessary to ensure they are executed in a proper manner. “Remember, this is all we do, and we do it very well.”

In most instances, the client will quickly understand the value you bring to the process as well as the risks they take in attempting a “do it ourselves” approach.

If the client refuses to cooperate with you in the sourcing of names, it is a clear indicator that the search is not a high priority or they are still not convinced of the value you bring to the process. If you cannot convince them otherwise, your best option may be to step away and not work the search.

Finally, you may have a client who believes if they provide you with names that you should provide them with a discount on the fee. A proper response to this situation should include the key concept of “value.” Ask,

“What do you believe justifies my fee?”

Once again, do not say anything until the client responds. This is an instance where remaining silent is your only option (See TFL – 12/03 – “Justifying Your Fee – A Value Proposition”). Generally, the client will make some comment about your effort in relationship to the size of your fee. This is where it’s imperative for you to establish with your client the ONLY true justification for your fee. A strong statement is necessary and may resemble the following:

“The cost of my service has little to do with the effort I expend on your behalf. Rather, the cost of my service can only be justified through the positive impact the professionals I place have on the performance capacity of your organization. Would you agree with this?”

The only logical answer is yes. If you do not get this response, do not proceed. You have work to do with this client before accepting their search.

Getting your clients involved in the sourcing process is the right thing to do. I learned this many years ago from one of my clients, who said, “We know who they are and where they are. We need you to go get them for us.” That client taught me a valuable lesson and one I continue to use to this day. Not every client will be a cornucopia of names, but almost any client can provide you with names that can serve as a starting point for your search.

As always, if you have questions or comments, just let me know. I welcome your calls and emails.

Recipient of the 2006 Harold B. Nelson Award, Terry Petra is one of our industry’s leading trainers and consultants. He has successfully conducted in-house programs for hundreds of search, placement, and temporary staffing firms and industry groups across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, England, and South Africa. To learn more about his training products and services, including “PETRA ON CALL,” visit his website at www.tpetra.com.

TAPING TELEPHONE CALLS: REPLAYING WITH FIRE

The greatest consultant training device ever developed is undoubtedly the cassette tape recorder. From receiver pickups to sophisticated electronic devices, both sides of telephone conversations can be preserved. Cold calls to clients, recruiting calls to candidates, collection calls, personal calls – anything that good must be illegal! And may be.

Speaking of training, here’s a mini bar exam for you. Telephone conversations can only be taped if:

1. They are used for training only.
2. You reasonably believe that your consultant is looking for another job.
3. One party consents.
4. It is necessary to protect your files.
5. None of the above.

If you answered “5. None of the above,” you passed. Most people answer “3. One party consents.” Monopoly, not bingo: Go directly to jail in some states. Lose your telephone in others. For example, California Penal Code, Section 632(a), enacted in 1977, provides:

Every person who, intentionally and without the consent of all parties to a confidential communication, by means of any electronic . . . recording device . . . records such confidential communication by means of a telephone . . . shall be punish-able by a fine not exceeding $2,500, or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison not exceeding three years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Similar statutes exist in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. Incoming and outgoing calls are included.

As early as 1961, the Court of Appeals of Ohio determined that invasion of privacy exists when a private and business telephone subscriber’s lines are tapped (LeCrone v. Ohio Bell Tel. Co., 114 Ohio App 299, 19 Ohio Ops 2d 236, 182 NE 2d 15). Punitive and exemplary damages for this conduct have been awarded by courts in many states, and under Title III of the Federal Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (18 USC 2510 et seq.), civil remedies are specifically authorized when telephone communication is intercepted in violation of a statute.

You can see the trend. But there’s more: Intrastate telephone company tariffs in many states provide for removal of equipment and suspension of service. By an order released in 1983 (FCC 83-479-33888), the Federal Communications Com-mission stated:

We clearly intend(ed) that the consent to record be obtained prior to recording a conversation. . . . If there is any possibility of enforcement, the consent, if verbal, must be recorded.

The telephone tariffs (regulations) across the country are continually being revised to comply. Whether this will accelerate criminal and civil laws remains to be seen.

So the key is to obtain the consent of the other party. While consent to the taping and consent to the use may be quite different, evidence of knowledge on the tape is a credible defense (and mandated by the order). The earlier the better. Here are a few examples of how you should begin:

SOLIClTlNG A JOB ORDER

“We’re training a few new associates in our office. This gives us the opportunity to perform an even more extensive search. To save you time, I’d like to record our conversation and play it back for them later. Alright?”

“I’d like to review the specifications carefully with my associates in our staff meeting this afternoon. Do you mind if I tape our conversation?”

“I’ve found that tape-recording job requirements saves the client time and enables me to obtain the important details necessary to identify the right candidate. Do you have any objections?”

RECRUITING A CANDIDATE

“We’ve been receiving a large volume of search assignments in your field and have expanded the number of account executives. I’d like to tape our conversation to review with them. Okay?”

“Since you don’t have a résumé, the most convenient way for me to take down your qualifications is to tape-record this discussion. Any problem?”

“Let me ask you a few questions about your background to see whether our client would be interested. We tape these for speed and accuracy. Is that all right with you?”

The phrasing can be adapted to the circumstances and should be accurate. Then, at the beginning of the conversation on the tape, the following should be said:

“As we just discussed, I’m taping this conversation for use in our office. You have no objection. Is that correct?”

As long as you receive an audible, affirmative reply, BINGO!

Jeffrey G. Allen, JD, CPC, turned a decade of recruiting and human resources management into the legal specialty of placement law. For over 32 years, Jeff has collected more placement fees, litigated more trade-secrets cases, and assisted more search and placement practitioners than anyone else. From individuals to multinational corporations in every phase of staffing, his name is synonymous with competent legal representation. Jeff holds four certifications in placement and is the author of many best-selling books in the career field. He can be reached at Law Offices of Jeffrey G. Allen, 10401 Venice Blvd., Suite 106, Los Angeles, CA 90034; (310) 559-6000; jeff@placementlaw.com. The Placement Strategy Handbook and other books on search and placement can be purchased at www.searchresearchinstitute.com.

One of the reasons I sold The Fordyce Letter to ERE Media, Inc., was the fact that, at my age, I didn’t want to climb any more mountains even though there are many more mountains out there to climb. My passion has always been writing and editing the content of TFL and communicating directly with our readers. The grind of dealing with the day-to-day minutiae of the never-ending back-office details took its toll on me. With that part of the business off my back, I can spend more time on the content, and as I’m sure you have noticed (and many have applauded), the content has increased in size and scope.

I have accepted the fact that cyberspace, the blogosphere, Web 2.0, and other technologies I don’t fully understand will be an important component in moving the recruiting information age forward. A bigger presence online and building a truly useful and unique Internet Recruiting Community will benefit all of our readers. The ability to access over 6,000 pages of relevant materials from the TFL archives at the click of a mouse is just over the horizon. The list goes on and on – but I’m not the guy to do it.

David Manaster, the CEO of our parent company, has been looking for that uniquely qualified person to take on these challenges, and I am pleased to announce that Jason Davis has been hired to create and execute the future visions and market the opportunities that will take TFL subscribers up new intellectual tributaries, leading them to innovative, expanded, and more profitable opportunities than I ever envisioned.

Jason Davis is not an unknown entity to me. He is one of the top players in the recruiting blogosphere, with the added benefit of actually having been there, done that. He’s worked a desk, run a firm, created a split network, run one of the more active blogs, and made a well-recognized name for himself throughout the profession as an innovator and pacesetter.

He started recruiting in the semiconductor industry in 1993 and started his own firm, called Davis Search Group, in 1997 and built it into a very successful and profitable recruiting firm. From day one he started subscribing to The Fordyce Letter and said, “It was one of the best things I did. It is amazing to think about how many placements were created/ done/saved utilizing some piece of information that I got from The Fordyce Letter.”

While actively building his recruiting firm, he started a network called Splits.org that focused on the semiconductor industry. Very quickly it grew to 65 members with the help of some very active and interested members and generated many millions of dollars in agency fees over a three-year period. Then, he read an article in TFL that talked about what makes a good domain name for a recruiting firm. The suggestion was that if you recruit in the software industry, softwarejobs.com would be a great name to have. The light bulb in his head went off, and soon he was the proud owner of hundreds of recruiting-related domain names. This was really the beginning of the next successful journey of his life as a trendsetter in the recruiting industry.

After the market took a hit in early 2000, his interest changed from being a recruiter on a day-to-day basis to writing about the recruiting industry. He acquired the domain name Recruiting.com and built a very well-known blog under that name.

I could not have written a better job description for someone to contribute to the next phases of TFL than Jason’s background. It is as close to perfection as I’ve ever seen. As Jason told me, “I promise to do everything I can and use all of the resources available to me in order to generate more readers and more visibility to our fantastic industry and, most importantly, provide more and more value to those who currently subscribe. It’s going to be a great journey.”

Jason has one request for readers: “It would be great if you could tell me what article you have read in The Fordyce Letter that you feel has had the biggest impact on you as a recruiter. For me, as I said before, it was the article that talked about domain names and recruiting. It was a real career-changing article.”

Jason can be reached at (416) 995-3693 or emailed at Jason@fordyceletter.com. Let’s all give him a hearty Welcome Aboard.

How many recruiters do you know who have been in the business for 10, 15, or 20+ years?

My guess is probably not many. Why does such longevity exist among lawyers and doctors but not recruiters? The journey from rookie to successful recruiter is a daunting gauntlet, and of the many that set out to make it, few do. That said – why do so many recruiters who do make it through then fade, burn out, and ultimately enter a different profession or stay in recruiting but leave the third-party side?

I think the same issue that causes slumps in the short run leads to burnout in the long run. ON THE SURFACE, it can look like a lack of motivation, a failure to stick with the fundamentals, or a reduction in work ethic. However, these are ONLY THE SYMPTOMS! If you treat only the symptoms and not the DISEASE, you might find that one day the “prescription” stops working and what you thought was a slump is so much more. This is a common time for people to quit. Some recruiters feel the symptoms and think the prescription is to “go out on their own.” Many of you may be contemplating that same prescription right now. Some-times that prescription is the answer; however, in many cases it is a temporary solution to a problem that will reappear. Consequently, that person will come to realize that they bit off too much and found themselves failing to build a business while simultaneously watching their personal practice fade. This is burnout for the opposite reason!

I submit to you that the underlying reason for the disease itself and the majority of departures from our industry is BOREDOM. That’s right. A lack of challenges causes boredom, which leads to the symptoms. As with a hamster on a wheel or a factory worker on a “placement making” conveyor belt, monotony sets in and boredom soon follows. The only way to correct this long term is to create challenge before it is too late.

The boredom is rooted in two issues. First, what attracts people to our industry is the excitement, which draws high-energy, low-patience nonconformists who get bored quicker. Second, issues stop being as challenging after making 50 to 500 placements. Most recruiters feel that they’ve “mastered” them all. While full mastery is not possible, there are only so many new ways to cover a counteroffer, make a recruiting call, or get past the “I’m happy where I am” objection. To better understand our issue, let’s compare recruiters to doctors and lawyers.

Like recruiters, doctors and lawyers have tasks that they do repeatedly. However, they don’t suffer the attrition rates that we do. How many 10-plus-year lawyers do you know who still do all their own research? When was the last time a doctor checked your blood pressure or drew blood for a test? If you’ve ever had surgery, did the surgeon spend more time with you during the surgery or in pre- and post-op care? Does a senior lawyer handle the same type of work that a two-year lawyer does? In all of these examples, don’t the successful practitioners out-source the less challenging work to junior staff who are not only capable of performing the work at a lower cost but also challenged by the work itself? Can you see where I’m going with this?

These professionals have institutionalized outsourcing as well. The nurse practitioner gives exams, the nurse checks blood pressure, and the scheduling department makes appointments. Each of those tasks is important but will neither provide doctors with the challenge they need nor the financial rewards necessary to justify their time. In the case of lawyers, they have paralegals, legal secretaries, and associate lawyers that they entrust.

The lesson we can learn from both professions is that out-sourcing certain tasks to other team members is not only more financially rewarding but also allows for greater challenges. The senior executive search world also does this, and so does the temporary/contract staffing industry. It’s no coincidence that we see HUGE revenues and LONG tenure in those worlds. Korn/Ferry produced $637 million in revenue last year, with half of that in the U.S. alone. Robert Half produced over $4 billion! MRI boasts about being the leader in the mid-level space, yet MRI produced less revenue with 1,100 offices than Korn/ Ferry produced with 70! And MRI is the biggest!

Outsourcing must start with basics like research and name gathering but can later include recruiting, prepping, and even marketing and deal running. To give you an example of what this might look like, consider a full-practice solo recruiter who hires a researcher/junior recruiter to research, name gather, and make some basic recruiting calls. This allows the recruiter to do more business development and handle more “deals,” thus creating more challenges. The researcher/junior recruiter performs so well that he or she is now allowed to begin handling all activities with one or two clients. This creates a need for junior recruiter #2, as junior recruiter #1 is starting to grow. Soon junior recruiter #1 begins to market and gets clients, as well as managing some of the existing clients, which results in less recruiting. There are now two junior recruiters plus the senior recruiter.

Flash forward five years, and the team has grown to eight people. Roles have been better defined, career paths have been built based on increasing responsibilities and financial rewards, and the practice has grown significantly. Now the senior recruiter/ team leader must play a role in the practice by working on the most challenging issues only, directing the team while managing and leading effectively, training new team members that are replaced or added, and handling more strategically related issues. How can that person be bored? Is that person a hamster on a wheel going around and around? NO! Will that person have to develop new skills and abilities to take on those additional responsibilities? YES! This is where the challenge comes from. If it grows too fast, the result is stress, which is bad. However, without growth comes boredom, and with boredom comes burnout.

The mid-level recruiting industry is not one that takes top producers and makes them branch managers, district managers, etc. It’s a rainmaker’s model that allows producers to grow by making rain. Eventually, even the most prolific rainmakers can get bored making rain. This is when they will need to acquire the ability to turn their entire practice over to the team and begin hiring and developing other rainmakers. This is when they transform from being a rainmaker to being a pure leader. Some will never make this transformation. Others will not want to. The mid-level recruiting market has been trying to develop these systems and structures for a long time. The problem, in my opinion, is that they have been far too concerned with how to “count revenue” for the purpose of comparing solos with others on the team, and not concerned enough with how to create the roles and models that will generate greater long-term tenure and challenges!

There are other reasons why a team structure is ideal. There is less reliance on one person. If you are a solo producer or an owner leading a few recruiters, watch for signs of a slump, but also look below the surface for a deeper issue. If you are looking for a “pick-me-up” or to learn some new techniques, then go to a motivational seminar, read a book, or watch some recruiting training DVDs. However, if this issue resonates with you or anyone in your office, I recommend developing an appropriate long-term system for practice and even organizational development. There are several models for structuring practices, even in the same office. Only when you develop a system (that can evolve over time) will a practice or series of practices begin to look like a business.

Clearly, we are not doctors, lawyers, or even senior executive recruiters for the most part. Nor will most in our world ever want to create the same-sized firms that exist in those professions. That does not mean, however, that we all don’t want to grow and be challenged. The SINGLE biggest difference between our worlds is NOT PEOPLE – I believe the hardest-working, most talented, and most knowledgeable recruiters are in our space!!!! I believe that the single biggest difference is having a specific and proven career path that allows for increasing levels of responsibility and challenges at the rate that people desire and can handle.

At Kaye/Bassman we have been on this journey for many years and have built an $18-million-dollar single-site search firm, yet even we are continuously enhancing and improving our systems and paths. We hope to share our successes and failures in this column and through our Next Level Recruiting Training. We even plan on having our own “Forum” focused on this issue and others at our headquarters in Dallas this fall, so be on the lookout if this interests you. While we can never stop teaching and executing the fundamentals of our recruiting business, if that is all we ever work on, then many current and future stars will find themselves like the bored hamsters on the wheel. Instead, all we needed to do was add some more tubes in the Habitrail!!!

This month’s tip from the trenches comes from a Kaye/ Bassman partner and fellow leader of Next Level Recruiting Training – Jeff Wittenberg. I’ve selected Jeff because he is the “poster child” for this article. Jeff joined Kaye/Bassman almost a decade ago. He began as a junior recruiter on a team and quickly rose to become a practice partner. He eventually took over the entire practice once his partner retired. Jeff began aggressively growing the team and teaching others to do what he had been doing. He gradually outsourced his way out of a job! The year he turned his practice over to his team, they had produced over $1.7 million! There were five others with varying levels of responsibility who only a few years before had done less than one third of that amount! He has since left his practice and is a full-time leader at Kaye/ Bassman and coach for Next Level Recruiting Training. His primary role is to help others build whatever-sized teams they want, and help those on their teams grow as well. He regularly goes on client visits with his “internal clients” and has created best practices for effective client visits. The following “tip” is what he created. Enjoy!

Preparing for Client Meetings

You’re having a conversation with an existing or potential client and they mention that they’d like you to meet with them. You’re thrilled and tell them you’d love to. You schedule the date and time, tell them you look forward to seeing them, and hang up. You pull together the information you think you’ll need for the meeting. You show up only to realize that you’re not adequately prepared. What went wrong?

Unfortunately, this scenario happens all too often due to either sloppiness (not having an effective pre-meeting information-gathering tool or process) or laziness (having the tool or process but not using either) or fear (thinking you might jeopardize the meeting if you ask too many questions).

To avoid having this happen to you, follow these three simple steps:

1. Create a pre-meeting questionnaire:

a. What is the purpose/intent of the meeting?
b. Who is going to be in attendance (name, title, area of responsibility, background)?
c. Where will the meeting be held?
d. How long should the meeting last?
e. What are the client’s expectations of the meeting?
f. What are your expectations of the meeting?
g. What materials does the client want to see (marketing brochure, agreement, reference list, résumé of completed searches, search plan, presentation, etc.) and in what format (printed or PowerPoint)?
h. When and with whom should you follow up?
i. What is the dress code?
j. Who is paying for expenses?

2. Use it consistently on every relevant call.

3. Be fearless – effective questioning speaks volumes about your level of professionalism and minimizes the chance of you wasting your and the client’s time.

Jeff Kaye is President and CEO of Kaye/Bassman International and Next Level Recruiting Training. This former Management Recruiter National Recruiter of the year has helped build the largest single-site search firm in the country, with annual search revenue in excess of $18 million. His firm has won national awards for philanthropy and work-place flexibility and also was named the best company to work for in the state of Texas in 2006 and 2007. Kaye/Bassman has retained over 30 search professionals whose annual production exceeds $400,000. The same training that helped build this successful firm is now available through Next Level Recruiting Training. They are making a series of DVDs for training. The first series was on the candidate side, and the four hours were dedicated to marketing. The new series, on the client side, is dedicated to marketing, effective search assignments, and fee clearing. It is over seven hours in length. To learn how to take your practice and business to the NEXT LEVEL, please visit www.nlrtraining.com to view their product and service offerings. You can also email Jeff a thought or question at jtk@nlrtraining.com.