Since there are many other restaurants to choose from we probably won’t go back there. On the other hand there is a restaurant I frequent and take different friends to all the time. Why? The food is pretty good, but the service is exceptional. If the owner is working he makes a point to come out to all the tables, he remembers his regulars by name, and he sometimes buys us a round of drinks or gets us a dessert in appreciation. Do we get free drinks every trip? No — that’s not the point. His manner and appreciation combined with the service orientation of his wait staff enhance the dining “experience.” You feel special. You come back — again and again!

Do your clients feel special? How about your employees? Clients can choose from hundreds of recruiters to fill their needs; why should they choose you? What do you do for them that they do NOT expect? What do you do that makes them feel good about themselves? Where are you excellent? 

This can be applied to your office culture as well. We all know it’s difficult to attract recruiters at our entry level pay scales. You can easily ask the same questions as above about why prospective recruiters should choose you and stay with you.

From my experience, many recruiting firm owners simply “chase deals.” The only things they are aware of are “deals in progress,” not what it takes to keep their clients happy, their pipeline smoothed out, and their revenues consistent. Furthermore, they get so wrapped up in closing these placements that often customer service suffers. You see, excellent customer service isn’t required in the closing process, it is required in the RETENTION process.

We are all busy. No one has time for anything anymore. Excellence and mastery of one’s craft are not required to close this month’s placement. We are so caught up in the short term we sacrifice excellence for the expedience of this month’s revenue.

There’s a phrase I like to use: client CARE. It’s a good phrase that says we shouldn’t just sell to our clients; we should care about them, and care FOR them. There is no substitute for that—not even extraordinary expertise.

The free drinks I cited above; handwritten thank you notes (not emailed); the oral surgeon’s concerned call I received the day after my wisdom teeth were pulled; the call from the car dealer a few days after they fixed a problem with my car; these are all examples of good client care and they cost almost nothing. Client care is a by-product of both attitude and aptitude.

You see, I didn’t pay for any of the above, but I remember them all. The restaurateur, the oral surgeon, and the car dealer all probably had more urgent things they could be doing when they attended to me, and yet, they chose excellence of service over expedience. I challenge you to identify where you sacrifice excellence for expediency – where you work on the “urgent” and sacrifice the “important” work that needs to be done in your firm.

Investment in mastery of our craft and its details, combined with the determination to see that represented in what we deliver to our clients, is unfortunately not often witnessed in our profession (or most professions for that matter). Ambition is fine. However, ambition for money de-linked from the ambition of actually earning it is disreputable.

I know of owners struggling right now after being in business more than 15-20 years. These owners have very little if any repeat business and/or clients after such a prolonged tenure in this profession. When I dig into how they conduct their business I find they are all ethical and honest people. However, their attitude boils down to, “I earned the fee when I made the placement.” OK, that’s technically true; however, like the restaurant I went to from the beginning of the article, they/we didn’t come back. These owners, while not conscious of it, were only interested in getting, not how they were being. They were expedient, but they were not excellent in their delivery.

Patricia Heaton from Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle was interviewed on PBS last year, and one of the things she referred to many times was the importance of craft, of technique, of mastery – of getting good and achieving excellence as an actor. At the end of the interview, some drama and theatre students were allowed to ask questions. None asked about this. All asked about expediency, about shortcuts — how to audition more cleverly, how to promote themselves immediately, how to get parts – or about the means of handling the emotional angst of rejection. To me, it was telling. I heard her speak thoughtfully and passionately about one thing, then heard questions that ignored this thing altogether. Heaton spoke of excellence. The questioners asked only about expedience. Most endangered recruiters and recruiting firms suffer the same problem from my experience talking with them — diminished interest on the leaders’ part in excellence, interest only in expedience.

I challenge every reader of this to pause and reflect on how they can be better, how they can achieve excellence in this area. Write the ideas down and implement just one or two a month. Execute on these ideas and the “expedience” will come naturally.

Yes, it is important (arguably more important) to work more on those client relationships, because the clients are the ones who pay the bills. But since candidates are your “product,” and the only “product” in existence that has opinions and typically isn’t afraid to share them, making sure you are seen in a good light by your candidates is also quite important.

Katy Keogh, Principal of Winter Wyman’s New York Accounting & Finance Contract Jobs division, recently published a brief post on Career Rocketeer geared toward candidates called 7 Questions to Consider When Evaluating Your Recruiter. She said, “Candidates should have confidence in their job search. Feeling comfortable with your recruiter shouldn’t be a 50-50 thing. You need 100% commitment and your recruiter needs that as well.”

While many may (rightfully) say that you cannot spend a lot of time with candidates you can’t help, there is also the issue of perception. Take a look at the questions that Keogh presents to candidates and consider how you would measure up:

1. Did the recruiter really get to know my background? Did they ask specific questions regarding my job experience, salary history, and reason for movement in my career?
2. Did the recruiter set expectations for working together?
3. How long is it between our first conversation and our next?
4. How often is the recruiter checking in with me?
5. Does the recruiter send my resume to clients without speaking to me first?
6. Does the recruiter call me for positions that are in line with my career goals? If not, did the recruiter ask me my career goals?
7. Does the recruiter regularly fill jobs in my industry?

How did you do? Be honest.

1. Teach the dog new tricks anyway. This is a tough one for many business owners, because the way you’ve learned things is a sort of comfort zone. In recruiting, a tried-and-true method is easy to settle into and justify a lack of need to change, adapt, or consider new methods or technologies. If you’ve found success by using a business model or a technique that you learned years ago, why change? “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But, as Ginsberg says, “…if the new trick matters to your customers, you still have to learn it.” I personally wrote an article back in 2007 with some examples of situations where things could be changed to go from good to great. A post by Carmine Coyote is referenced (which unfortunately is no longer available), and Coyote stated, “Change is more about letting go of old ideas than finding new ones. Most of the time, people are sufficiently happy with the way things are, so they see no need to change. Life may not be perfect, but it’s good enough…” In the end, what will matter most is what your customers are ready for. If they’re embracing new technology, the very least you should be doing is educating yourself so you can stay relevant in their eyes.
2. Your customers will tell you how to stay relevant. Competitive intelligence gathering while speaking with your customers can be adjusted to “relevance intelligence”. Let your customers share with you the ways in which you can remain top of mind to them. Steve Jobs says, “Turn feedback into inspiration.” When clients share the way they do business with you, don’t view all of it as roadblocks to working with them, view it as an opportunity to find a middle ground and a way for you to adjust small parts of your business to make it even better. “The customer is always right” isn’t necessarily correct (in fact, it’s often dead wrong!) – but “The customer wants to be heard” is important to keep in mind.
3. Enable a regular attention stream. Again – for those of you who are heads down working your desk, this can be an incredibly difficult thing to do. But another cliche comes to mind here – “Out of sight, out of mind.” With the speed at which our world operates today, it is very easy to slip out of the view of your clients and potential customers. They will say, “What have you done for me lately?” No matter how amazing a recruiter you are, you need to fight for their attention. Ginsberg says, “If you want to retain relevancy, you have to remember that you’re competing against everything else in people’s world.” There are ways of automating this information stream – newsletters, RSS feeds, or using Twitter for business (I can feel many eyes rolling!) are some easy ways of doing so. Find something that works for you, and, based on point #2, is a relevant method of delivery for your audience.
4. Grow bigger ears. This follows right in step with 2 and 3. Having your ear tuned in to the pulse of your industry is vital to a recruiter looking to build their reputation as a subject matter expert. All excellent recruiters pay attention to the news within their niche and know who the players are in their space. But it goes beyond this: Ginsberg says, “…listen for the right reasons. Not just enough to flip the answers for your own uses. Not just to boost your ego. And not just to confirm what you already think. Staying relevant means getting out of the way of what you need to hear, listening to where you suck, then responding by becoming better.” (Yes, he said suck.)
5. Maintain a steady stream of minor enhancements. Any excellent recruiter knows that consistently delivering quality candidates will help with all of the above items. and Ginsberg says, “…consistency is far better than rare moments of greatness.” We all know at least one ‘flash in the pan’ recruiter who made a huge placement and then was never heard from again. It’s the recruiters who are consistent in their efforts who stick around and remain relevant. This last recession was a tough reminder of this. Your ‘enhancements’ could include things like a quicker delivery, more efficient process flow with your clients, quicker or easier methods of invoicing, or any number of things to make both your and your client’s role in the recruitment process more streamlined or time efficient.

So as any successful recruiter, manager, or business owner knows, staying relevant is not easy. Nor is it always convenient. What we want and what our clients want aren’t always the same thing. Very often you have to do things you may not want to do, things that you’ve been resisting, or hear things that you really don’t want to hear. But this is what growth is all about. It has often been said that the thing you want to do the least is the thing you need to do the most in order to break through and reach your goals. And at the end of the day, if hearing these things or doing these activities puts more money into your pocket, isn’t it worth it?

Recently, he fell out of love with his work and decided to move on.

At this point, you may be wondering “What does this have to do with me? This guy’s a marketer; I’m a recruiting professional!” I promise – there is a good point to all of this.

Falling out of love with one’s work is common. We’ve all had days where we’ve sworn that if we get on the phone with one more rude person or if one more client tries to cheap out on paying a fee, we’re through. Of course, few are the time when we actually follow through on those threats. But that thought is still lingering in the back of our minds – “Is this all really worth it?”

William Tincup’s story struck me because he detailed the reasons he decided to throw in the towel. He stopped believing in the outsourced marketing services business model. He was frustrated with the double standards applied to his efforts vs. in-house marketers’ efforts. He became annoyed that, as an external service provider, his status was constantly being threatened by these ridiculous standards. And the final straw for him, as he states:

“…the realization that over the course of 10 years in the game I might of [sic] been told “thank you” seven or eight times.  I (read: my firm) changed lives, changed destinies, built lasting brands, created market share, created real value, got people promoted, etc, etc. Yeah, I know – payment for services rendered was my thanks.  Yeah, well, that wasn’t enough.”

I would be very surprised if just about every person reading this article hasn’t struggled with at least one of these issues at some point during your professional recruiting career. Who hasn’t felt like the red-headed stepchild at least once when working with a difficult client? Who hasn’t been held to some crazy standards as an external recruiter that an internal employee would never be held to? And who hasn’t wished that once, just once, someone would thank them for all of the amazing talent they’ve helped shepherd in to an organization?

When you really fall out of love with your work, how do you know when it’s time to say “Enough!” and leave before you become bitter? Is it just a bad case of the Mondays, or is this a recurring gut feeling that just will not go away? How do you get past the rut and fall back in love with what you do? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments below. Sharing your experience might just save someone from calling it quits!

Desks are specialized by industry, function, geography, or combinations of these, but it’s generally accepted that geographically specialized desks run the highest risk of eventually failing, simply because geography, by its very nature, is something fixed, inflexible, and subject to nature, man made disasters, or being too closely tied to one industry (please search: “hurricanes” “oil spill” “Detroit automotive”). However, there’s something to be said for firms which dominate their local markets. I know several owners who will not work outside their office’s immediate geographic location, and over the years they have become the “go to” guys in the industry for their locations. Most of these firms have desks specialized by function, but they generate all their business from the local marketplace. I admire these firms for how they have become dominant locally.

It’s also always better to look into the eyes of someone who cuts you a five figure fee; something local desk specialists can and should do. But I’ve found that I would rather have a few people in a lot of places cutting those checks than a lot of people in one place paying me, despite all the benefits of deep relationships with “clients” (note: quotation marks because I believe there is no such thing as a “client” in this industry). To my way of thinking, there will always be the need to spread out the risks so that one dumb oil company, or hurricane, or some other geo specific thing knocks me out of business. That said, my firm places by geography, but we do it in a different way: we take great candidates, find out where they want to go, then place them within 30 miles of exactly where they want to live, and usually within just 30 days [“30/30 Placement Program™”].

I’ve often wondered why anyone would perform “searches” anymore, which I did for my first eight years in the business. Why not simply “place”? Searches and job orders are means to an end…placement. The quickest way to make placements, good economy or bad, is to find a great candidate and place him/her exactly where they want to live and work. After 26 years in the business, I know that most people will accept a less than ideal position in their most ideal location before they will accept an ideal position in their less than ideal location. Also, solid placements result when you put someone into the city or town where they most desire to live and work. We recently placed a Navy lieutenant for 50k in his top location when he had an offer of 63k in his second favorite location. The other recruiter could not believe it. That is the norm, not the exception.

Topic #1: Should you start a search without a signed agreement?
We were all likely taught that you should never start a search without a signed agreement. This makes good sense for many obvious reasons.

However, what do you do if a hiring manager authorizes you to send people for a search but does not return your agreement promptly?

Hiring authorities (like all of us) only do things when it is obvious that it will benefit them in a tangible way. Reading a contract in detail before they receive a candidate is not always at the top of their priority list. Often it is your presentation of a star candidate that provides the motivation for the manager to sign your agreement.

Verbal agreements are theoretically binding but hard to prove. However, from my point of view, it’s ok to start a search with a verbal agreement on rare occasions as long as you follow a few rules. You definitely would want this practice to be the exception rather than the rule.

If you are going to start the search, make sure you have a verbal agreement on the terms. You can start the search with a verbal agreement but make sure you get the signed agreement before you schedule the first sendout. Also, be sure to present your candidate without revealing his name or current employer. Lastly, only send one candidate as a test to see how quickly your prospect responds before putting much effort into the search.

Topic #2: Don’t call it a slump
Have you ever thought about the importance of language and your chronic thoughts in terms of influencing your paycheck? Most people agree that we tend to become what we think about, what we focus on, and what we talk about. With that in mind, picture two veteran recruiters who haven’t made a placement in six weeks:

One’s inner dialogue goes something like this, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, nothing seems to be working, I’m in a slump. I may never make another placement. I suck.”

The other recruiter sounds more like this, “I know I’m on my way to better production. I’ve had slow times before and I’ve always figured a way through. I know that if I stick to my process, the placements will come. What’s the fastest way to my next sendout?”

Pretty different tone, eh?

One is weak and impotent, the other strong and hopeful. Who do you think will get to their next placement first? As recruiters we need to be watchful of our focus and inner dialogue and make sure that it’s leading us toward the success we really want.

Topic #3: What if my client insists on presenting the offer?
As with everything, you need to show your client why it is in his interest to have you present the offer. Here are some ideas:

Other interviews:
“Candidates will tell me things about other offers and opportunities that they won’t tell you.”

Counter offers:
“They’ll talk to me about their susceptibility to counter-offers whereas they’ll likely tell you only what they think you want to hear.”

Uncover hidden objections:
“I can act as a confidant for the candidate to uncover other hidden objections such as his spouse’s resistance, changes in his reasons for leaving and the fear of change.”

Save Dollars:
“We test all offers before we extend them. We can help save you in payroll cost and in avoiding rejected offers.”

We act as a mediator:
“It’s more professional to have the offer come from a recruiter. We act as mediator. Then the candidate calls you (Mr. Client) after acceptance to formally accept with you.”

Last resort:
“Mr. Client, if you won’t change your mind about presenting the offer, at least let me test the offer amount first and coordinate the timing with you so we’re sure the candidate is ready to accept.”

Often, they are confused about these options and not aware they can provide more than one option without being in conflict with their overall business objectives.

To help bring clarity, consider the following:

Recruiters basically have four options, or variations thereof, from which to choose when considering how to meet the needs of their clients.

Each of the options has certain advantages as well as disadvantages.

The key is to fully understand each option and then to discuss the appropriate options with your client. The objective is to jointly agree on the option that will produce the best results within an acceptable timeframe.

Remember

As the provider of services, you can choose one or more of the following options on which to focus. That is a business decision. However, it is possible, under the right business model, to provide any or all of these services to meet the needs of your individual clients. They do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Therefore, let’s define the nature and scope of the four basic options:

1. NON-EXCLUSIVE CONTINGENCY
In this relationship, the client only receives a measured response from each recruiter. Because there is no mutual commitment, each Recruiter has to work the job order on a “time/resource available” basis. Each order must be balanced against all the other orders currently available to the recruiter. This type of relationship generally does not lend itself to a strong drill down approach to penetrating the talent pool. Also, because the relationship is non-exclusive, the candidates surfaced can be and will be presented to more than one client. In this relationship both the client and the recruiter must take a quantitative approach, insuring that the numbers work in their favor.

From the client’s perspective, this may be an acceptable approach if the open position(s) is of low priority to the organization and the timing for hiring is not important. The client is basically taking a “commodity approach” to meeting their needs and will no doubt exert downward pressure on fees.

2. EXCLUSIVE CONTINGENCY
This relationship is based on a signed exclusive agreement between the Recruiter and the client. This agreement defines the exclusive nature of the relationship and ties both parties to a specific time frame. The recruiter must deliver results within a defined period of time. Penetration of the talent pool by the recruiter is much greater.

However, the client does not own the product of the search, i.e. the candidates. The recruiter is free to present these candidates to other clients.

As far as internal candidates, walk-ins, referrals, or any other candidates are concerned, they undergo the same process with the recruiter as sourced candidates.

In this manner, the client is properly positioned to compare “apples to apples.” Since all candidates are processed in the same manner, an unbiased decision can be reached without compromising the results through an alteration of the process. From the client’s perspective, this relationship is effective if they place a higher priority on the position, and if timing is important for filling the position.

Regarding the time frame reflected in this type of agreement, it generally ranges from 30 to 90 days. Perhaps the best comparison for this type of agreement is the standard real estate contract, which gives the listing agent an exclusive period of time in which to sell the property. During that period of exclusivity, they are legally entitled to their commission regardless of who sells the property and regardless of the source of the buyer.

3. ENGAGEMENT FEE
This relationship combines retainer with contingency. The client signs an exclusive agreement with the recruiter and pays a predetermined portion of the estimated or agreed upon fee up front, and once paid, it is nonrefundable. Generally the initial engagement fee ranges from 25% to 33% of the anticipated fee.

The remainder of the fee is paid by the client upon the successful completion of the search and the hiring of a suitable candidate. Although the relationship is exclusive, the payment of the majority of the fee is still contingent on the recruiter’s performance.

The engagement fee relationship is designed to capture the recruiter’s attention and thereby secure for the client a greater level of commitment and resource allocation. This is most appropriate when the client places a great priority on the position and where timing in filling the position is critical.

4. STANDARD RETAINER
In this relationship, the client pays the recruiter’s fee in three installments or retainers.
The search begins when the client signs the exclusive retainer agreement and pays the initial retainer. The payment of the two remaining retainers is generally tied to specific time lines or performance outcomes. The client must be convinced that the recruiter can source and recruit qualified candidates and properly orchestrate an effective process for delivering the candidates while helping to insure that the hiring decision is not compromised by extraneous variables.

This relationship is characterized by a strong, mutual commitment between the client and the recruiter. The client has greater control of the process and owns the product of the recruiter’s efforts (i.e., the candidates). The recruiter is not at liberty to present the candidates to other companies until their client either fills the position or releases the candidates by stating “no interest.”

In order to justify this level of relationship, the client must place the highest priority on the position, while requiring no margin for error in their timing or evaluation processes.

It is not necessarily that one of these options is better than another. Rather, it is a question of which approach will best serve the client’s interest. This should be determined between the client and the recruiter. That is why it is critical to fully understand and consider all options.

The real art of positioning yourself as an effective recruiter is to clearly identify with your client the appropriate priority that must be placed on each opening. Ultimately, it comes down to a question of priority, which, once established, should determine the option that is required in order for you to achieve the best results for your client.

John Koh, a managing director at WMRC Pte. in Singapore, a finance industry recruitment firm, said it is “always better to settle than pursue the legal route with big clients” because “relationships matter a lot in this industry and it’s wiser to try and preserve them.”

But does this always matter, especially if a recruiting firm has (allegedly) missed out on its fee? While it seems doubtful that Barclays is likely to use Pagoda again, or perhaps vice-versa, what do you think will happen?

Would you have settled in a similar scenario in order to avoid burned bridges in our relationship-intense industry?

Topic #1: The Power of the Egg Timer

Some of the best ideas are also the most simple, low-tech, and easy-to-implement. With all the advice out there on personal productivity and time-management, it’s easy to overlook this simple tool: the egg timer.

One of the best ways I know to boost my productivity on workdays is to use a countdown timer during golden hours.

I define “golden hours” as my most important personal productivity time when I want to work without interruptions. It is that sacred time that gives me the freedom to focus on the critical activities that generate revenue and demand my intense focus.

A prime-time segment for me is 50 minutes in duration. I turn off my phone, shut down my email, and lock my office door to prevent all disruptions. I set my countdown timer to 50 minutes and then I get busy.

It’s important that the timer counts down (not up) so that there is a set deadline. This creates an intensity to the activity that you cannot get without the artificial deadline. Also, it is a “self-management” technique that high performers who want leverage on their own habits can use.

Here are some activities to focus on if you decide to set aside prime-time hours:

• Marketing calls
• Article writing
• Recruiting calls
• Planning
• Critical thinking
• Sourcing and name gathering
• Mind mapping and strategizing

Topic #2: How to get a “Yes” within 24 hours of the offer

It is critical that you pre-close how much time a candidate has to decide on an offer long before it is extended.

The time to do this is during your initial interview with the candidate. It is your job to orchestrate the offer and acceptance for both parties and to set expectations well in advance.

You might say something like this to your candidates:

“At the time that the offer is generated by the company, which is usually after several weeks of conversations, I’m going to ask you to make a decision on that offer within 24 hours. What I’m asking you to do here is to start your decision making at the very beginning of the process, rather than at the very end. It’s my job to make sure you have all of the information you need and all of your questions answered prior to receiving the offer. However, once you get it, I’m going to ask you to be decisive. Is this workable for you?”

Topic #3: Three Ideas for Starting a Client Meeting

1. Rehearse your presentation.

Rehearse a verbal and mental presentation of your meeting. Get to the point where you have memorized the key points that you want to cover. Nothing will add to your self-confidence like preparation and rehearsal.

2. Set the framework for the meeting.

Say something like this to your client:

“I’d like to ask you some specific questions to see if we can be of service, then I can answer any questions you have about us. We’re probably looking at about 30 minutes, does this work for you?”

3. Use intense listening.

The great thing about client meetings is that what the client really wants is simply to be heard and understood. You must be an intense listener, so follow this simple guideline: they talk 80% of the time.

I love what I do and am very passionate about the hiring process and assisting my clients in finding the best talent available for their organizations. I feel that a company’s most important asset is their people and that you cannot overstate the value of an excellent match between employee and employer.

How we go about doing that, however, can vary greatly from recruiting firm to recruiting firm. What might work for one person does not necessarily work for another.

Over the years what has consistently worked for me is to be transparent with both my clients and my candidates.

As I mentioned, the importance of this process is too fragile to jeopardize by not being transparent. A poor match can impact a company’s ability to meet its goals.

It’s a challenging process and one that people need to trust. I am quickly able to build that important trust into a situation with a new client by being transparent. I am upfront with my clients and set very clear expectations around what I need from them to be effective and to perform the most effective search. I am clear on time-lines and expected delivery dates to ensure I can bring them what they need in the time they need it. I also take the time to understand their business, which always helps me find the correct match from a cultural perspective.

To me, being transparent with clients and candidates is sharing and being real with them; there are no hidden agendas.

I share what is happening in my life and within the market. I let them know what is going on around me so there are no assumptions. This builds trust and gives me the opportunity to learn who they are, and what their “hot buttons” are. This helps me better position the opportunity to the candidate and the candidate to the client.

So if I am at one of my kid’s soccer games and just happen to be on the phone with a client, or closing a candidate, I let them know it.

I am transparent.

I share with them that I am real and I face the same challenges and hurdles that they do in life.

In turn, as I share I also take an active interest in what is going on with them as well. Not just around this opportunity, because that would not be genuine. I want to be real and to be perceived as real by the people I am working with. This active interest helps me to build trust and rapport and makes the process smoother.

This transparency assists me in gaining insight on both the client and the candidate. It is a skill that takes time to develop.

You need to become comfortable with your approach and practice your craft. Never lose sight of the fact that as a recruiter, you are helping two parties make a very important and often, very personal decision. To help them you need to understand who they are and how they think.

Taking the first step by being transparent with your own life is the first step to getting the process started.