In the past year Next Level Recruiting Training did workshops in the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Belgium, Spain and the good ole USA. While the languages, customs and scenery were different; every organization, from the 30 to 3 person firm, was struggling with retaining successful recruiters. How do we become an employer of choice? How do we win our own war for talent? How do we create a “best place to work” environment? I believe that there are no secret sauces or silver bullets for retention success. I also believe that there are best practices, programs, policies and philosophies that strengthen an organization’s ability to create a strong enough value proposition keep successful recruiters versus them joining another firm or starting one themselves.

Instead of spending too much time on esoteric issues like vision and values, I would like to share ten practices that can be immediately implemented to address this area. Remember, what makes a painting a masterpiece is not any one brush stroke but rather many different and complementary ones. The retention “canvass” is never a complete work of art and needs continuous attention. Here are a few strokes that just might make a difference:

1. Corporate Surveys – Whether you have one associate or 100, a survey can provide you with great insight. Ask questions related to every dimension of your business/team and get feedback. Technology, training, tools, culture, leadership, operations, marketing/branding, hiring, compensation, etc. are all facets of a firm that can be improved. By giving people a chance to weigh in, you get an opportunity to see potential problems and solutions. Too many people won’t ask questions because they subscribe to the Ostrich Theory of “If I do not ask then I won’t have to consider fixing anything.” Remember, recruiters are trained to explore what people don’t like about their companies, leaders, etc. so to think that recruiters do not do this to themselves or each other is, in and of itself, the ostrich theory. Oh, and by the way, ostriches burying their heads in the sand is a myth!

2. “If I were a CEO” sessions – Dedicate a morning meeting, lunch, etc. with your team, company, division, etc. and ask what changes they would make if they were CEO. The answers to this question will give great insight into what they think needs to be changed, as well as what opportunities they think are being missed. It is important to listen to their feedback without judgment and share your opinion at a later date.

3. Retention interviews – Conduct a meeting, once per year, with each team member and ask why they like being there and what may cause them to leave. This is a tough question but it is imperative to uncovering someone’s unhappiness before it is too late.

4. Buddy program – Establish a program where every hire has someone else that is their accountability partner. Each partner shares with each other what they can count on from one another and what they need from the other person. If one of the people is off track or feeling disconnected, the buddy can step in to help course-correct or get those involved who can.

5. Retreats, celebrations, trips – While this may sound obvious, not enough can be said about the importance of togetherness and camaraderie. Contests not only motivate a change in behavior but can also simply be a way of saying “thank you” for the contributions and creating deeper bonds. It does not matter if it is pizza and bowling or a trip to Europe, the key is to create opportunities for togetherness with your team members and their families.

6. Career path – What career path is available at your firm? If a person bills $200k one year by getting job orders, finding candidates and making quality matches that results in placements, then what opportunities for advancement will they have the next year? If the answer is to work harder and get better to bill $300k then what’s next – bill $400k or $500k? Then what? The act of not creating a true career path is the equivalent of saying in order to advance you’ll have to join another firm or start your own. This may require significant changes but as Einstein said, “We cannot solve the significant problems we face at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”

7. Wellness program – Start a wellness program because healthy people are happier and more productive. CPR and first aid courses, blood drives, 5k runs, fitness assessments, dietician presentations, screenings, etc. all encourage health and wellness. They demonstrate caring about the whole of the person and not just their production. Plus they just may save or extend a person’s life in the process!

8. Corporate charity – Adopt a local charity. Have a casino night, golf tournament, bake sale or maybe even a “jean day” each week (if you don’t already have one every day!) that requires a small donation. By getting people involved in a common cause you can not only give back to the community but also create or enhance a sense of community within your office or team.

9. Common vision – Create a vision that is a compelling description of a future desired state (an imagined future). It should be tangible and realistic. It should be based on a sense of meaning. Meaning drives people’s thinking, decisions, behaviors and, ultimately, impacts bottom line results. Satisfaction comes from meeting values, not achieving goals. Only goals that reflect deeply held values are fulfilling. By the group co-creating a vision that reflects these deeply held values, you ensure a sense of purpose and meaning. When the team is aligned in their attitudes, priorities and shared values, they become self-policing. Plus, as alignment increases, turnover decreases.

10. Equity – This is the one that makes many owners nauseous or uncomfortable at the least. The argument usually goes something like, “I started this and took all the risk and now I am supposed to give this producer some of my business just because he/she bills a lot? I won’t be pressured!” This is usually followed by a resignation letter. The firm’s revenues drop by 20% as the person leaves which, of course, means a larger proportionate drop in profit as fixed expenses remain the same. This in turn means that the value of the firm drops by greater than 20%. The owner now owns 100% of an amount that is 70% of what is was. If the owner figured out a way for that producer to own, let’s say, 15%, the owner would have greater value in his/her 85% and would have provided a vehicle to prevent this in the future. Can you imagine telling a doctor, lawyer, management consultant or CPA, in any privately or even publicly held partnership, that no matter how successful they are they will never be a partner and own any of the firm? There are programs out there called phantom stock programs. Dictionary.com defines them as “an appearance or illusion without material substance, as a dream image, mirage, or optical illusion.” So why not the illusion stock plan? How about a phantom placement? These plans are simply a way of paying more commission when the firm performs. Great! So call it a profit or revenue sharing plan and offer those too!

Again, there are no magic potions or quick fixes. Some changes can be easily implemented and others will require great study and careful design and implementation. The key question for anyone reading this is, “what do you want to create?” If you are a leader, owner, producer or some combination thereof then the responsibility is YOURS! YOU are the sole and uncontested author of your life and YOU decide what happens next. You are writing a chapter as you read this and what you chose to do when you turn the page is up to you. Building a search practice is hard and building a search firm is even harder. If it wasn’t, recruiters would not get paid what we do. Study, select, implement, review, reflect and, of course, correct. Do this over and over again in every facet of your practice and your firm every day and don’t ever expect to get it all right! If you want to spend a couple of intense days of study on your business then check out our May event at http://www.nlrtraining.com/. We also look forward to seeing you at the Fordyce Forum in June!

This month’s tip from the trenches comes from Dave Schermer. Dave joined Kaye/Bassman 10 years ago this month and has helped build one of the most successful teams billing in excess of $1.6M in 2007! He was recently named a Managing Director in the firm. He has established great long-term client relationships that value the role he and his team play in the placement process. In my opinion, the most important call in the placement process is the client prep call yet it is usually the most frequently overlooked call. It is usually not because of forgetfulness but because of the inability to actually have the call with the client. The greatest way to end that problem is to ensure that you create true value in the call. The greatest way to do that is to read, study and apply what Dave shares below!

Client Interview Prep

Presentation of Candidate

- Send the candidate’s updated resume, project list and Candidate Profile.
- Review the candidate’s motivation for change – Professional, Personal and Financial
- Present candidate’s timetable and suggest interview dates/times.

Follow-up call w/ Hiring Manager

- Contact Hiring Manager within 24 hours of presenting candidate.

Information Exchange

- Give an overview of the candidate’s background, motivations, Hot Buttons and why you believe they should move forward with the candidate.
- Why is the candidate interested in this opportunity – Company, position, location, etc?
- Discuss candidate’s personal information such as family issues, relocation issues, etc.
- Give the Hiring Manager an overview of the candidate’s compensation.
- Discuss the candidate’s alternatives – other opportunities, counter-offers.
- Potential concerns.
- Candidate’s timetable.

Interview information – Client

- Who will the candidate interview with? Their background, title and styles to be aware of.
- Are there specific questions that will be asked? Describe the flow of the interview?
- Are there any tests or paperwork that the candidate needs to complete?
- How long do you anticipate the interview to be?
- What is the appropriate dress attire? Any specific directions?

Re-confirm Hiring Process

- Timeframe for decisions and who makes them. Stress the urgency for prompt feedback.
- What should be conveyed to the candidate in terms of when a decision and/or offer will be made?

Pre-Closing

- Candidate’s motivations, hot buttons, interests and experience.
- Compensation – state where the candidate is, their expectations and get feedback from Hiring Manager.
- Benefits/other – vacation, profit sharing, 401K, etc. Again, discuss where the candidate is, their expectations and get feedback for Hiring Manager.
- Availability – start date. Client and candidate desires/expectations.
- Set-up time for client feedback.

Suggestions

- You must balance the interview by creating a compelling overview of the Company, Position and Career opportunity, while interviewing/ qualifying the candidate, thus creating enough interest that the candidate will want to leave their current employer and/or choose your firm over the competitors.
- Don’t make promises to the candidate that you can or won’t follow-up with.

Interview Confirmation

- Send the Hiring Manager(s) confirmation of the candidate’s interview date, time and location. Include the candidate’s resume, projects and Profile.

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 $18M. His firm has won national awards for philanthropy and workplace flexibility as well as having been named the best company to work for in the state of Texas in 2006, 2007, and for a third time in 2008! Kaye/Bassman has retained over 30 search professionals whose annual production exceeds $400k. 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 recruiting. 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 http://www.nlrtraining.com/ to view their product and service offerings. You can also email Jeff a thought or question at jtk@nlrtraining.com.

About six months ago I received an email regarding a potential acquisition from someone who once ran a “competing” search firm in Dallas. He had spent five years building a team in Atlanta at Lucas Group and then five years basically building the Dallas office from scratch to almost a two-million dollar unit. During this time, he attempted to recruit people out of our firm to join him! We communicate from time to time about it, and I told him I wished him luck but also shared why we just might be a better choice for him and his team to join! After all, we are recruiters and who was I to judge anyone for trying to do to us what we do for our clients for our business? Well, he ended up leaving the organization and started his own firm that he built up over an 18-month period.

After doing so, he realized that although he could be successful on his own, he could accomplish so much more quickly and profitably by building “his business” within the framework of Kaye/Bassman. We laughed at how ironic it was that he ended up on a path to partnership with the firm that he first tried to target! The recruiter became the recruited, and as a result, he has made a significant impact in a very short time at Kaye/Bass-man. He is building up a very capable team that will soon dominate this space. The synergy has been tremendous and he brings a tremendous amount of search knowledge, proven search leadership, and solid training expertise.

So, for this month, I have asked him to write an article about his approach of “thinking 360.” His name is Ira Bershad, and he is now the Practice Leader for Kaye/Bassman International’s Consumer Products Specialty Practice. He has been in the Search business since 1996 and his teams have produced over $10 million career cash-in. He has been a producing manager and trainer and has appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box and has been quoted in numerous national business publications, including The Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal’s Career Journal Online, Sales & Marketing Management, and HR.com. If you have questions about this article you may email him at ira@kbic.com. I know you will get tremendous value from reading and applying this approach. Enjoy!

THINK 360°

New ways to gain a competitive edge in our business are always evolving. Technology, better databases, PDAs for instant access, and even the ability to email your voicemails are all parts of that. One factor, however, that has never changed, nor been more critical, is your ability to be aware of, and to manage, all of the parts of the process. This total awareness and mastery can be defined in an approach called THINK 360°.

THINK 360° builds off a recruiting philosophy called the Relationship Approach and implies that you should think about all elements of the business from every participant’s perspective. No matter what industry you recruit in, you are dealing with people. Regardless of how tenured you are in your recruiting career or how much time you spend on the phone in your market each day you are still dealing with human beings. Consider for a minute the value of treating each and every one of the people you touch each day as you would any other relationship, personal or professional. This approach requires you to approach recruiting from a different perspective and not as much from a “numbers game” perspective, but rather a “quality numbers game” perspective.

The search business is very simple to understand conceptually, yet much more difficult to implement. Seems simple, right? Find a client with needs, search for a matching candidate pool, connect the two, and make deals. If only it were that simple from the execution side.

THINK 360° is based on mastering a total awareness in eight key areas of the business. The areas are

1. Profiling
2. Presenting Candidate to the Client
3. Briefing for Interviews
4. Debriefing
5. Pre-Closing
6. Offer/Acceptance/Counter-offer
7. Time Between Acceptance and Start Date
8. the After Start Date period

Differentiate yourself from your competitors and apply the THINK 360° approach to each element of your business daily. Candidate profiling is one of the most basic elements of the business. All of us know how to interview to find out work history and compensation information. Find out why a candidate may be interested in exploring an opportunity at all. Is the timing right, even for the “dream opportunity”? Are there unexplained gaps in their resume? Ask about them; your client will. How do your candidate’s career goals match the opportunity? Is this going to equate to a short-term job change or a career-move? Find out how active your candidate is and assume nothing. Do not get surprised at the end of the process. Are they interviewing? Have they recently turned down another job offer? Why? Does your opportunity present similar problems or challenges? If the candidate has a spouse, significant other, and/or family, are their career factors or special circumstances like special needs or no relocation restrictions that you should be aware of? If you do a thorough job of profiling your candidates, you will be able to answer all of the questions and not get caught off guard.

Present your candidates to your clients with knowledge of more information than just a resume and compensation information. The THINK 360° recruiter is more thorough than that. Make your client smarter by providing them more information than just the basics. Tell your client why the candidate is interested in the company and the position. This will allow them to recruit more effectively once they meet and decide they like your candidate. If the reasons are cultural reasons vs. job spec reasons, this is even more important. Many times the first meeting between hiring manager and client sets the tone for the rest of the process. You may not be able to impact the chemistry, but you can provide your client the selling points he needs to close the deal. Is there negative information or rumors about your client circulating in the marketplace? If there are, and your candidate has addressed this with you, let your client know. This will not be viewed negatively by your client, but rather as useful intelligence that they can have to address these rumors. If your candidate is interviewing with other companies or even internally, you should let the client know. We have all had the “shot clock” expire without our client even taking a shot. Translation, it may not be your client’s fault solely for not keeping the process moving or even making an offer if you did not inform your client that they had competition for your candidate’s services. Finally, as part of your thoroughness, be sure to communicate if your candidate has financial strings attached to them in the form of education or relocation expense paybacks. These can be addressed many times in the form of a sign-on bonus, but clients will not appreciate you bringing them up as last minute information.

The THINK 360° recruiter looks at briefing & interview prep as THE most significant part of the placement process that can have the most direct impact on your business. All of the parts of the process are important, but placements do not happen without interviews. If you have left your interviews to chance in the past, stop today! I would rather have 3 great interviews than 10 average ones. I would ideally like to have all 10 interviews go great, and they can! The THINK 360° recruiter schedules a time to brief candidates and never leaves it to chance. We never say, “give me a call Tuesday” but rather we set up an appointment to brief and prep our candidate. Proper briefing goes way beyond giving out agenda and logistics information about the interview. The best briefing is designed to prepare your candidate on HOW TO INTERVIEW. You should imagine your candidate has the necessary credentials and qualifications to be in front of your client, but you should never assume that they are good at interviewing and conveying their strengths and assets to your hiring manager. Get really good at briefing candidates. Be sure they are prepared to answer questions directly and with specific and measurable results. Be sure they are able to convey that they can be an individual contributor, a strong team player and an effective leader. Make sure your candidate is aware of the importance of being consistent throughout a multiple-interview day. In other words, if they are asked the same question by more than one interviewer, they key is to give the same answer. The interview team is looking for consistency and this is exactly why several people may ask the same question during the day. If your candidate is not prepared for this, they may outsmart themselves by trying to be overly creative in this instance. Finally, the number one reason for failed interviews typically occurs in the last 30-60 seconds of the interview when the candidate does not CLOSE. Many professionals, particularly those not in sales, have no training in closing. They may believe it is overly aggressive or improper to tell an interviewer they want the job. However, one of the main reasons hiring managers do not pursue candidates is exactly when the candidate does not convey this interest in the interview. Let your candidate know it is not only ok to close, it is imperative to close if they are indeed interested in the position.

If your post-interview debrief consists solely of the question “‘how did it go?” then you are not getting enough key information. How did it go is a good starting question because it will set the tone for the rest of the debrief. Take the time to go person-by-person and find out how the chemistry was and how the interview went. Most of us are good at finding out what the candidate liked, but many recruiters are less likely to ask what the candidate’s concerns or unanswered questions are for fear of it being a deal-breaker. Many times the information that surfaces here can be addressed if uncovered in a timely manner. However, if you do not ask, you will never know and that may turn out to be a silent killer. Do you debrief with your clients? Ask them about your candidate. What did you like? How do they compare to other candidates in the mix? Once again, ask about questions or concerns as these may be able to be addressed if they are brought up in time.

If you are approaching the business from a THINK 360° mindset, you will Pre-Close your candidate before the offer is formally developed and presented. You should always do this and never assume that you have a done-deal. If you do not have a detailed compensation worksheet for your candidate to complete, I can provide one (ira@kbic.com). Compensation is much more complex than base salary and bonus information. Know all of your candidate’s compensation information and be prepared to present it to your client and to be able to knowledgeably discuss it, too. Get a clear understanding of what the candidate is looking for and know how that compares to the client’s ability and willingness to offer it. Do not assume that just because a salary range goes to a certain figure that the client will offer a salary that goes to the top of the range. Talk to your candidate about the ethics and commitment of accepting an offer and do all the counter-offer counseling you have in your arsenal. The subject of counter offers is an entire article by itself, as we know.

We could write a book on all the elements of the Offer/Acceptance and Counter-offer Counseling. If you now are thinking that the THINK 360° philosophy is one you can operate on, then you know that we have to read between the lines in our total awareness approach. Listen for what you are NOT hearing when you are closing the deal. Is the candidate’s spouse on board? Are you sure? How do you know? Is your candidate telling you they will accept the offer at an agreed upon point, or are they saying they “think” they will or they “probably” will. These are very important things to listen for. Once the offer is presented, make sure you have them sign the acceptance and send it back to the client. This is an important psychological step and it really makes the mental separation from the current company seem more real. If you client does not require this for some reason, have your candidate sign the offer and send it back to you. Would you consider a house contract fully executed and binding if it were sitting on a table in front of you, unsigned? Watch for signals of uncertainty and change during the time between the acceptance and the start date. Today, most companies require a drug test and background check. Have your candidate schedule these and keep in contact with them to make sure they are getting these done. If you start to feel the candidate is avoiding you all of a sudden, stay persistent in your contact. The shorter the time between the acceptance and start date, the better. If your candidate wants to give their current employer more than two weeks notice, remind them about their loyalty shifting to the new employer, your client, and not remaining with the company they are leaving. Aside from the joy of making a deal and getting paid, be sure to capitalize on the loyalty of your recently placed candidate by getting rosters, lists and org charts from them. There will never be a better time!

Relationship is defined as a “state of connectedness between two people.” Stay connected! It has amazed me for 12 years how I work with so many hiring managers who were placed by other recruiters. Perhaps the recruiter was successful not because of what they did, but despite what they did. You can make placements not following this approach, but will you be able to maintain the long-term relationships that are necessary for long-term success? Become a value-added resource. Offer to help. Become an industry expert and go-to person. You may not make money on every single thing you do, but they will build your image and your credibility within your industry. Finally, be sure to stay in touch with your candidates. Check in with them before they start and after they start. Filter some of your findings to the appropriate person at your client company. Good hiring managers want to know how they are doing and what they can do to get better. Ask your candidate if the company, the job, and the people are what they expected. You are the professional recruiter and search consultant. This is your expertise. Do not assume your client is better at recruiting or onboarding simply because they have done it longer.

THINK 360° is a state of mind and a broad-scale approach to total awareness in recruiting. Master it and you will find that surprises will be few and far between. Your candidates and your clients will notice that and appreciate it, and your results will be impacted accordingly.

Ira Bershad is Practice Leader for Kaye/ Bassman International’s Consumer Products Specialty Practice. He has been in the Search business since 1996 and his teams have produced over $10 million career cash-in. He has been a producing manager and trainer and has appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box and has been quoted in numerous national business publications, including The Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal’s Career Journal Online, Sales & Marketing Management, and HR.com. ira@kbic.com

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 $18M. His firm has won national awards for philanthropy and workplace flexibility as well as having been named the best company to work for in the state of Texas in 2006 & 2007. Kaye/Bassman has retained over 30 search professionals whose annual production exceeds $400k. 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.

If you are reading this, then I will assume that you have been in the business for many years and know all the fundamentals of search. You know to create a plan every day. You know to always prepare a new presentation for every search and, ideally, memorize it. You know to role-play client and candidate objections to the point where you’ve memorized responses to the common ones. You know to clear your fee in the exact same manner every time. You know to cover mutual accountabilities and expectations to ensure that you have the proper client and candidate cooperation. You know to have high market connect time because working smart and hard are not mutually exclusive. If you think you know all of this already, then I have one question for you: Are you actually doing everything listed and executing the fundamentals regularly?

In my experience, most veterans became successful because they consistently executed the fundamentals during their rookie and sophomore years. Afterwards, the wheels, in terms of fundamentals, start to fall off. Ironically, production tends to increase. So what’s the problem then? The problem is simply the incredible opportunity cost (what could have been generated) created by the veteran who uses his/her market knowledge and years of experience to justify why the fundamentals are no longer important versus the one who has that same market knowledge but continues to consistently execute the fundamentals.

The latter is a leader in the making and a prolific producer. The former is someone who will use “work/life balance” and being a “family person” as a rationale for not being as focused (and ultimately not living up to his/her own potential). To those of you not wanting to admit that “that” person is you, I would say, if you have been in the search business for two-plus years and have not exceeded $300K in production as a solo producer or $450K with a researcher, then you are probably “that” person. Additionally, if you have been in the search business for five-plus years and have not exceeded $400K and $600K, respectively, then the same is true.

Ironically, a person’s achievement of their fullest potential in one area of their life also helps them achieve in other areas as well. The naysayer might suggest that Olympians are lousy husbands/wives/parents because they are too focused on winning the gold. Or that Warren Buffett’s material success has made him a lonely man. Or that Romney’s or Obama’s travel schedule makes him an overworked egomaniac who sacrifices friends and family for political aspirations.

In my opinion, these are examples of people who execute the fundamentals with excellence. A stump speech, a discus toss, and a company’s purchase all require people engaging in the basics every day. I challenge you to write a list of 10 fundamentals of our business that you would teach to a rookie – then review the list and compare your actions against those words. While veterans can get away with shortcuts and can “wing it,” their results over time will simply not be what they otherwise could have been. So, what is the magic formula for an immensely successful 2008?

1. Eat healthy foods and exercise regularly.
2. Spend quality time with the people you care about.
3. Save more than you spend.
4. Plan your work and work your plan with consistency and executional excellence.

There ya go! Oh, so you already knew all that. Well then, what will you be eating for dinner tonight? Which days this week will you be working out at the gym? What plans have you made with your family and friends? How much more wealth have you accumulated this past month? Where are your plan, scripts, and forms that you should be using? If you feel great about your answers, then congratulations. This month’s article should have simply served as well-deserved validation for a life well lived.

If it did not, then realize that if you are not consistently executing the fundamentals, then you do not know them. Knowing something intellectually is worthless if you do not demonstrate that knowledge experientially. Start looking at training DVDs, tapes, books, etc., through different lenses and ask yourself if you are doing what you think you already know. The difference between your knowledge and your execution is your “potential gap.” Make 2008 the year that you close that gap!

In keeping with this month’s theme, I have selected a tip from Ken Phipps, a veteran recruiter, on an important fundamental – leaving effective voice mails. Ken joined Kaye/Bassman in 2000 and generated just over $300K in solo production last year.

Effective Voice Mails

Leaving a voice mail at times will be a shot in the dark to get a return call. We have all experienced those voice mails personally also. The person leaving the voice mail simply did not leave a compelling enough message to persuade us to call them back. Yet here we are, leaving multiple voice mails a day and wondering why our call-return rate is so poor. Just as we personally have not returned voice mails because of too little time, don’t want to waste time, don’t know the person or the company calling, the list goes on. The key one is time. Time is too precious for the potential candidate or client to waste it returning unsolicited phone calls.

Our world is flooded with voice mail, email (SPAM), and office or cubicle drive-bys that can potentially steal our time. So know that less than 10% of our voice mails are returned.

Here are some tips to increase your call-back ratio:

Persistence or Tenacity

A recruiter might ask: “How many times should you call back a potential candidate or future client?” I have seen reports that show as many as seven times, and my personal high was 41 to an owner of a $30MM organization before he returned the call. But those same studies I have read do show significant increases in call-backs after four or five voice mails. Maybe that person finally realizes that you are serious about the call.

Unique Connect

I first heard of this from Butch Hawking, who is a managing director at our firm. A unique connect is any piece of information that establishes an immediate and positive rapport between you and the person you are calling, e.g.:

- A referral from someone that the person you are calling knows either personally or professionally
- Any revealing news or insight into the company or the person that you have discovered from being in your marketplace or researching online
- The name of a mutual friend
- News about a competitor of this person or his/her company

Long or Short

How long should the voice mail be? I have heard them from as short as maybe 10 seconds to some that sounded like a dissertation on War and Peace. We should look at keeping our voice mails in that 30- to 45-second range. Too short or too long and your message is being deleted. Have a quick introduction – your name, company, expertise/practice; then your unique connect (compelling reason why they should keep listening to get your phone number and call you back); and finally, your name and phone number stated clearly.

When leaving your phone number in your voice mail, leave the number at the same pace it takes you to write it out. Leave it too fast and that will cause the recipient of your voice mail to have to listen to the entire voice mail again to get it. I leave my number twice. Both times, I clearly state my name and number. I have practiced writing the number as I leave it many times, so now I have trained myself with the correct tempo. Make sure you also clearly state your name. I cannot count the number of times our receptionist has received phone calls from someone who cannot clearly recite the name of who called them. Another wasted voice mail.

- SCRIPT YOUR VOICE MAIL!!

- TRACK YOUR CALL-BACKS FOR EACH SCRIPT!!

- SEEK ADVICE FROM YOUR PEERS!!

- ASK THE CANDIDATE OR POTENTIAL NEW CLIENT WHO RETURNED YOUR VOICE MAIL FOR FEEDBACK ON WHAT THEY THOUGHT OF YOUR VOICE MAIL OR WHAT THEY THINK IS THE BEST APPROACH TO GET A RETURN PHONE CALL!!

PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

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 workplace 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.

In the past six months I have traveled extensively domestically and internationally to Hong Kong, Spain, Belgium, and most recently the Czech Republic to conduct training workshops for recruiters and search firm owners. Participants have come from over two dozen countries.

While the cultures and some marketplace dynamics can be different, there is one universal truth. That is that marketing is not just an act of picking up the phone and trying to get some job orders, but rather it is an integral approach to creating separation between one organization and its competitors.

About a year ago we began a solid commitment to perpetuating the positive integrity of our brand Kaye/Bassman International and to begin our new Next Level Recruiting Training division. We turned to our partner that we had been using for the past half dozen years and really addressed the benefits of a fully integrated marketing communications strategy to attract clients, candidates, and associates. We also wanted to see what a new launch might look like for our new training organization.

After many hours and days of discussions, the answer was obvious. We needed to hire our partner and dedicate his expertise as both an in-house resource for us and an external consultant to the search industry, and thus Kaye/Bassman Communications was born.

Many recruiters think of marketing as a website, a brochure, a business card, and a telephone. While Darren did do all of these for us this past year as well as produce all our DVDs and video emailing campaigns, we have learned that effective marketing communications can and needs to be much, much more and it doesn’t have to cost that much!

Effective marketing communications can have a profoundly positive impact on even the smallest firm trying to separate its message and define itself with consistency. Since we are ending 2007 and kicking off 2008, I thought this topic might be timely in that this can be the time of year when we can look for new and creative approaches to ensure a successful new year.

The topic is “Marketing Communications in the Search Industry.” I could think of no one better to write this than the head of Kaye/Bassman Marketing Communications, Darren McDougal. Darren has over two decades of marketing, branding, and technology experience, with the past decade heavily involved in creating new technological approaches to marketing communications. He not only brings tremendous expertise in technology and marketing but also understands the need for pragmatic, cost-effective applications in the search industry. I hope you have received value out of the articles that Next Level Recruiting Training has written over the past year and that you have a very prosperous 2008 filled with health, happiness, and many, many successful searches! You just might find some sparks in this article that will ignite your 2008!!!

“The Search Firm Voice”

Got Milk?
Just Do It.
The Ultimate Driving Machine.

Can you name these brands? Care to guess the value of these taglines?

These “hall of fame” taglines are just one element within an overall successful brand. A company brand speaks volumes about the business and communicates a promise to customers. A successful brand is consistent at every touch point with its audience, including clients, candidates, press, community, and peers. Most perceive a brand as just a logo, but to the contrary, by reviewing the taglines above, one can see that a holistic brand is much more than just a logo. In the case of Starbucks, their brand is an experience: smells of coffee, sounds of the music playing, tastes of food and drink, and the overall feeling of a cozy coffee shop. Branding isn’t just “fluff” from the marketing department or an ad agency, but an integral part of the DNA of the business. The value lies in its perception, and if successful, the conversion to results – particularly sales results.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest brands. Coca-Cola, Nike, Apple, Google, and Disney have figured it out. Of course, they have huge budgets, but the search industry can learn a thing or two from their success.

First, they establish a brand and enforce consistency in its application. Let’s use Coca-Cola as an example. They are pioneers of brand consistency and prove it every day. Whether one is a consumer of soft drinks or not, most people will recognize the Coca-Cola color and shape and can describe to others what their “look” is. What’s more, people who do quench their thirst with Coca-Cola products will notice a taste consistency from one serving to the next. To reinforce even further, all their packaging, signage, bottles, cans, delivery trucks, and advertising communicate a clear and consistent message.

Now let’s transfer this concept to the search and recruiting world. Go ahead and count the multiple touch points with clients, candidates, and a search firm. Is the telephone the primary communication method? What about other vehicles such as email, printed brochures, pocket folders, testimonials, customer case studies, specialty practice and industry presentations, and video email? Shouldn’t these be consistent too? From the front office answering the phone, to the voicemails left for clients and candidates, to the email signature emanating from everyone in the company, the brand should be consistent.

So how do we get there?

In our experience at Kaye/Bassman Communications, a client brand is usually in one of three phases in its lifecycle: creation, revitalization, or extension.

At Kaye/Bassman, we’ve spent most of the 2007 year focusing the revitalization of our own brand promise, including a shift in our corporate color palette to complete reworking of our specialty practice teams marketing materials. During the revitalization process, we created a “brand guide,” including defined and specifically sized file formats of our logo, plus well-defined colors and rules for font usage. All this is included in a document for quick and easy reference. This document is valuable, and available whenever an outside vendor, supplier, or media needs to apply our brand outside our office. Typically, a branding guide has been available only to midsize and larger companies, but now smaller firms are realizing the value of time savings, ensuring brand consistency, and overall awareness leading to competitive advantage.

Now, with the brand foundation in place, the real work begins. The next step is paying special attention to our electronic elements, namely ensuring consistency of our email signatures, PowerPoint presentations, and electronic versions of our marketing materials. This initiative was a challenge, and it’s paying off for each one of our specialty practices. How did we do it?

First, we stepped back to review each practice and how they communicate. What does each team member use the most, and which is used less frequently? How should we allocate our marketing communication budgets? What percentage should be print, electronic, interactive, email, and video? What is the best method for delivery? Once we found that electronic is the preferred format, we created electronically and then print upon necessity. Funny, no matter how much email or interactive a firm uses, there will always be a need for printed pocket folders and brochures. A hold-in-your-hand, leave-behind collateral material piece is still an important part of the marketing mix. Some things never change.

Second, big brands are constantly extending their brand as part of their business growth strategy. How do they reach new customers? For example, McDonald’s tried to extend their brand by offering more health-conscious meals to reach a new customer. FedEx merged with Kinkos to reach the turnkey print and ship customer.

Search firms can extend their brand reach, too. Not necessarily by offering ancillary services to search, but by extending their messages to new audiences with new and different marketing vehicles. For instance, let’s look at the press release. Traditional press releases were created and sent to the media for print publication. What about combining the press release to include a written release to the media, electronic publication on the corporate website, inclusion in blogs (Web logs), delivery via email newsletter, and placement on industry websites? This aggregation of delivery outlets for a single message has been deemed PR 2.0. This concept and process is currently being implemented by the top search firms and will continue to propagate within the industry.

Now, to extend the idea of brand extension even further, some forward-thinking search firms are utilizing the power of their brand while including personable and engaging video and interactive elements to deliver marketing messages in new and exciting ways. They connect to audiences and enable them to heed the desired call to action. Imagine firms creating video marketing messages that are completely in-brand and published on industry sites, their own websites, and their job postings. The major job sites are migrating toward video presentations and personal media. Are they onto something new?

Look at the success of YouTube, the news, television, and film industries delivering media content online. They understand that the immediate connection that video offers is unique and powerful. At Kaye/Bassman, we have integrated video elements in our marketing mix since 2000 and can directly attribute the growth of our firm to this method of communication. To see a Kaye/Bassman recruiting video example, go to http://www.kbic.com/em/garrett/recruiting_intro.html with your Web browser.

At its core, the search and recruiting industry is centered on connections with people. That connection is precious, has a voice, and tells a unique story about the business.

So, what is your brand voice?

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 workplace 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.

As promised, I will occasionally ask individuals from both inside and outside Kaye/Bassman to guest write this column. This month’s Next Level column is written by Jeff Wittenberg. 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-size teams they want and help those on their teams to grow as well. This topic has been one of our most frequently asked about. Enjoy.

About three years ago, Jeff Kaye asked me if I was ready to consider transitioning off of my practice and into a full-time corporate leadership role working with the other teams in the firm to help them achieve their goals. While flattered, I told him I wasn’t quite ready to exchange my uniform as a player for that of a coach. Well, like any good recruiter, he didn’t take no for an answer. Before I knew it, I found myself in a player/coach role, balancing time between developing my practice ($1.7 million in revenue in 2006) and helping others develop theirs while simultaneously working toward weaning myself completely off of my practice. Oh, and did I mention doing it over a three-year time frame without a drop in personal practice revenue.

So how did I do it? Well, first let me save you the time in looking for a “book for dummies” on how to do it because it doesn’t exist (trust me, I checked). My hope is that the following will serve as a mini version on how it could be done. With that said, let’s dive in.

Step 1: Create standard operating procedures (SOPs) for everything you do on your practice

- This will ensure that the consistency and quality you established continues once you transition off of the practice.

- Standardize all of your forms (candidate data sheet/profiles, job order, closing, etc.).

- Standardize how everyone uses your contact management software/database (coding records, entering data, saving records, etc.).

- Develop standard reports for tracking production and performance.

- Establish a team meeting schedule and format.

Step 2: Identify and groom someone(s) to backfill your “production” role

Make sure the individual(s) has not only the desire but also the skills (or has the potential to develop the skills) to successfully handle the entire placement process.

Step 3: Outsource portions of the placement process gradually until that person(s) is handling the process

You might start with having them:

- Recruit on your positions, then
- Schedule interviews, then
- Prep candidates for interviews, then
- Present candidates to clients, then
- Prep clients for interviews, then
- Conduct reference checks, then
- Close clients/candidates on offer/acceptance and set start date, then
- Prep candidate for resignation, then
- Account manage that client, then
- Market to develop new client relationships.

It’s important to note that throughout this process of outsourcing, you are closely “shadowing” them until such time as you’re confident that they’re being effective.

Step 4: Identify and groom someone(s) to backfill your “leadership” role

This isn’t easy because this person(s) must have not only the credibility as a producer (as evidenced by successfully and repeatedly completing the placement process) but also the team’s trust to lead them, provide them with a vision/ mission, inspire them to achieve the vision/mission, coach them to improve their personal production, and develop them into becoming leaders them-selves someday. This doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and willingness on your part to push change at a rate that can be absorbed by everyone on the practice.

Step 5: Step aside and watch them soar

This definitely isn’t as easy as it sounds because we have two psychologies working against us. The first is that of a control-freak producer who thinks no one can manage the placement process as well as he can. The second is the emotional attachment you have to your practice, much like the one you have to your child. Regarding the first, you just might be right that no one can do it as well as you can. They just might be able to do it better. As for the second, just remember that no matter how independent and old your child or practice becomes, it’ll always be your baby to watch grow beyond its wildest dreams.

As with every Next Level coaching tip, what I described above is “a” way, not “the” way, and the “right” steps are the ones that enable you to achieve what it is that you want. Use the five steps above as a guide to help you determine what the right steps, in the right order, and at the right pace, are for you. Said differently by the teachings of Buddha, “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and common sense.” Lastly, always remember that it’s about the journey of discovery, not the destination. I wish you safe travels!

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 workplace 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 about the candidate side, and the four hours were dedicated to marketing. The new series, about 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.

My insights this month will be very brief due to the long “top producer tip from the trenches,” which centers on the application of sales principles to recruiting. I chose this topic because I have noticed a troubling trend while attending several conferences and meetings recently. The trend is that many practitioners are starting to believe that the bigger the vocabulary, the more that recruiters are management consultants and not search/sales consultants. Strategic alignment, globalization, employee engagement, and workforce demographics are impacting the conventional paradigms inculcated in the human capital market. These words are some of the industry’s “consultant speak” to add to the themes of outsourcing, core competencies, and top grading!

At the end of the day, though, companies hire us to IDENTIFY, ATTRACT, EVALUATE, AND SECURE THE VERY BEST TALENT FOR THEIR MOST URGENT AND CRITICAL NEEDS. Bain, McKinsey, and Mercer, to name but a few, are all well-respected management consulting firms that do not do recruiting, so why do we feel the need at times to sound like them? OUR JOB IS TO SELL, AND WE SHOULD NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR THAT!

If we believe that a position represents a significant career enhancement for someone, then WHY NOT SELL THEM ON CONSIDERING IT? If we believe that a candidate presents a solution to a client’s current staffing challenge, then WHY NOT SELL THEM ON HIRING THAT PERSON?

Consultative SALES is persuading someone to do something that is GOOD FOR THEM. Just as doctors are occasionally guilty of medical malpractice, recruiters are occasionally guilty of sales malpractice. So, the next time you decide to refer to yourself as a “human capital talent acquisition strategist,” just don’t forget to SELL!!!

This month’s top producer tip from the trenches was co-created by Mark Whalls and Stephen Norred, who are co-directors of Kaye/Bassman’s Military Specialty Practice. The Military Specialty Practice complements and supplements all industry sectors by providing the best and the brightest candidates from our nation’s armed forces. Mark and Stephen achieved a first-year (2005) company record in both placements and revenue. They have over 16 years of combined experience in military search and four decades of active duty for the United States Navy. In 2007, they are attempting to break the $2 million mark in search-fee revenue, which is a feat accomplished only once before in Kaye/Bassman history.

Sales Mechanics 101

To be a top biller requires more than hard work and luck. Many people in our industry love saying that what we do is not rocket science, but believe me when I tell you there is a science and a method to all we do in sales. This starts with a fundamental understanding of both the science and the art of persuasive communication. Understanding the flow and purpose of the conversation is the only way to get to the fifth step, the only one that matters – the close. Just as an athlete needs to warm up and stretch before performing, the first four steps serve as a warm-up to the close. Always remember that the trial close can be used at any step of the sale when your client is sending buying signals.

Conversation

Before anyone wants to listen to what’s important to you (your agenda), they want to see what’s in it for them or how you’re going to help them (their needs). Before someone is going to talk to you about what is important to them, you want to have permission to collect their information. This is best accomplished in the opening, by proposing or stating an agenda that lets your client give you the information you need while not making them feel too committed too early. For example, “What I’d like to do today, with your permission, is to find out the three most important things to you when deciding to partner with a search firm.”

You should always ask open-ended questions. For example, “What profiles do you have the most difficulty filling and what do you attribute that to?” as opposed to “Do you have any needs?” At this point, it’s time to close your mouth and open your ears to listen for the language of needs. Before you move out of the conversation, you should feel that you have established rapport with your client/candidate. You should feel comfortable and that you’re talking on the same level and that there is a mutual buy-in. Your client or candidate should be saying, “Tell me more.”

Curiosity

Curiosity is the bridge to “tell me more.” After listening to your client’s/candidate’s needs, you should preface a basic understanding of what you heard in the first step of the sale. For example, “You said earlier that the three things most important to you in choosing a partner in search were depth of experience, the ability to deliver both quality and quantity in a timely manner, and being flexible enough to work with them as timelines, needs, and fits may change within the course of the relationship.” To demonstrate this understanding is the purpose of the curiosity step of the sale. For example, “I clearly understand your need to have (quote exactly their need) depth of experience, the ability to deliver both quality and quantity in a timely manner, and being flexible enough to work with them as timelines, needs, and fits may change within the course of the relationship. We here at (your firm) are industry experts at delivering quantity while not sacrificing quality and meeting your onboard commitments and timelines and maintaining a high degree of flexibility based on your understanding of your market space.” This is just a verbal confirmation to your client that you hear and understand their needs and will help them solve their problem.

Conviction

Conviction should always be delivered in a consultative and relevant need-support module, meaning that no one is looking to partner with a used car salesman on a $400,000 deal. If you ever listen to a salesman who sells Ferraris, you will not hear the same presentation you will get from a salesman selling Fords. Conviction is about clearly and professionally explaining to your client how your services are going to support their exact needs. For example, “You said you wanted quantity without sacrificing quality. Our firm specializes in (insert your practice here) and has complete market mastery within your space. All we do here five days a week, 52 weeks a year, is screen, source, and place the exact candidates you are looking to find. Our database is composed of candidates with the skills and background needed to impact your bottom line (the benefit to the client), giving us the ability to respond quickly to any search while remaining flexible due to our understanding of your market space.”

Desire

Desire is a powerful tool that paints a picture of your prospect enjoying the benefits of your services and can only really be used if while in the “Mr. Big Ears” mode, we were able to uncover the “why?” behind the “want.” For example, “You said earlier, if you could fill these three vacant positions that have been open for the last four months, you believe your boss has given you this final test before offering you the new VP position in HR-Global Staffing. This may sound something like this. For example, “Mr. Client, it has now been three months since we partnered in this search and you have filled all three positions and the feedback from the top is ‘you nailed it.’ Your department head has informed you that the CEO is sending the corporate jet down from Chicago to talk about your new position as the VP-Global Staffing. You sit back in the leather seat, you look out the extra-large Gulfstream porthole window, you hear the engines roar up, you see the runway begin to race by you, you feel yourself shifting back in your seat as you begin to climb to 34,000 feet, you level off, and the flight attendant (the only one) brings you a champagne flute and says, ‘Congratulations, Mr. Client, you must be very excited.’ ”

This is a tool designed to put your client in the future enjoying the benefits of your services, by painting a picture that appeals to the senses. This one of course may be outlandish, but a little levity and humor never hurt either!

Trial Close/Close

The secret to closing is knowing WHEN to close, not how. When can you close? Anytime! Remember, a trial close can be used anytime you are hearing the language of needs. Overselling can be hazardous once you hear what your client needs. For example, “All I want is a mechanical engineer, 2007 graduate from a good school with a 3.0 GPA who can start in January. I’m willing to pay 35%.” Trial close, “I will get you a fee agreement today for the one position for a mechanical engineer at 35% (trial close). Can you get that signed and faxed back to me today so that I can initiate the search?” This is an example of an action close that requires your client to perform an action (send me an email, fax, etc.).

While there are a multitude of closes, below are three examples that are frequently used in staffing.

1. Alternate proposal. Ask your prospect to choose between two options or a set of circumstances that you provide. Their selection of one of the two is the close, so as soon as they make a choice, stop selling and get to work. For example, “Would you like that fee agreement emailed or faxed?” or “Would tomorrow morning be a good time to take the search assignment or would this afternoon be better?”

2. Weighing close. Some people refer to this as the “Ben Franklin Close.” It asks your client to mentally weigh the choice between using your services or not. This is best used when a client just needs a little nudge to close. Per the previous example, your client was looking for quantity and quality, speed and flexibility. At this point, the scale is tipped in their direction. You must now tip it in your direction. For example, “Our specialized teams can give you quantity and quality. Being the largest single-site search firm gives us the ability to respond quickly. Our 25-year experience gives us the maturity to be flexible.” At this point, the weighing close is equal. You’ve addressed each of their needs. Mentally, they are weighing their options and simply need a little push. “Did I also mention that we are a certified national testing center and we can test your engineers? Did I mention that we can do the background checks on your candidates in-house, which will speed up the process even further? Did I also mention that we have a national relocation service to assist your candidates with their relocation?” The reasons for working with you will far outweigh their reasons for not. Lastly, “Now, in your opinion, do you feel that you are better served working with us rather than not?”

3. Impending doom. All other closes have failed. They are seized by decision paralysis. This particular close is used frequently in the retail world and looks like “TONIGHT FROM 10-12 ONLY, THIS ONE-TIME SPECIAL EVENT FOR YOU AND ONLY YOU!!!” With regard to the client, there is an issue that needs to be met, they need to make a decision on a proposal, they need to pay a 30-day delinquent invoice, or we just need them to take action. For example, “I sent you the fee agreement two weeks ago today. You promised to have it to me five days ago. If I do not have it today by 5 p.m., we will be withdrawing ourselves from this search.” or “If you want us to start this search next month, then we must have your fee agreement and engagement fee before we commence the search.” This particular close is designed to say, “If you don’t do what I need you to do by a specific requirement, all bets are off.” You should never move forward with this client or attempt contact until whatever condition you set forth is met.

Sales is both an art and a science, and while there is a common thread of identifying the supporting needs as well as a time and a method to close, the nuances of these processes vary only slightly from methodology to methodology. Read as many sales books as you can. The one who is fully aware of the current dynamics of the conversation and has the skills and understanding to facilitate or direct that conversation is the person who will have the greatest influence over the outcome of the conversation.

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 workplace 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.