Why don’t more recruitment companies use a split model? Over the years, I’ve met so many recruiters who fall into one of two clear camps: The BD Specialists – They love networking, building relationships, and pulling in new business. The Delivery Experts – They thrive on sourcing, managing candidates, and focusing on the detail that makes placements happen. Both are essential, yet very few agencies in Australia split their model to fully leverage these strengths. A split model could be a real differentiator, helping to attract and retain exceptional talent by letting people focus on what they do best. It’s not just about playing to people’s natural abilities—it could also set your business apart. This approach could be a powerful differentiator with significant potential for impactful branding & content. So, why don’t more companies do this? Is it tradition? A reluctance to change? Something else entirely? Genuinely curious—would love to hear your thoughts.
Craig Bagshaw
3 个月
I've spoken to several MD's recently Matt Penfold. The standard agency operating model often stops firms from evolving. Progressive companies in the US & UK revised their operating models 2–3 years ago, and the results speak for themselves - significant dividends within a year (that's a long time in many people's minds, and I get it). The US leads, the UK follows closely, and a few trailblazers in Australia are catching up. The truth? It’s HARD and takes time. Change often means tough decisions. Some team members won't fit into the future model - a reality I empathise with. So, many business owners delay change, balancing loyalty to employees with the need to evolve. Add to this the challenge of survival mode: filling roles & navigating economic pressures while staying afloat during tough years. The kicker: if their coach or advisor is pitching an outdated *specialist model from a decade ago, it’s time for fresh thinking. *I'm not suggesting firms don't specialise, quite the contrary. Find a coach/advisor (or collaborate with other biz owners) who has a macro view of the industry and understands where it’s going - not just where it’s been. Success demands forward-thinking strategies, not recycled solutions.
Chris Macleod
3 个月
My experience with this, is, most recruitment owners see all people on the sales floor as "revenue generating", but do not see a sourcer / resourcer / delivery expert as revenue generating, they see it as an operational cost. Therefore, they are relucatant to have people just focussed on delivery. Because of this, some maybe miss the value delivery people can add with structruing businesses / sectors, tagging candidates / hiring managers on the CRM, creating folders / DB lists for the BD focussed consultants, which consultants / BD focussed people are sometimes not as strong as doing. Delivery people are usually a lesser cost because they have less experience and grow into the role, but add just as much value to the business.
Eric Macias
3 个月
Have worked in both (split models in USA, non split in Australia). Every play a game of telephone in primary school - too many layers, info gets lost, and you are only as good as the brief you're given and in interview you do. Have two different people doing each task and you make the fit process that much harder and suddenly miss out little by little - death by a thousand cuts. Maybe 1-2 placements a quarter, a month, a week, depending on size of firm. Maybe you get more volume and it balances out. Bigger companies would be Ok to split, smaller, probably not.
Jamie Sevenoaks
3 个月
I’ve seen the split model backfire in practice. While it looks great on paper - allowing people to focus on what they’re best at - it can foster an “us vs. them” mentality. BD teams may be viewed as the ones “steering the ship,” while delivery teams feel like the “workhorses” expected to keep pace. It’s also tough to scale the business quickly if you don’t have team members who can flex between both skill sets. And practically, Delivery’s success hinges heavily on BD’s performance, since the talent pipeline often depends on the business brought in. In my experience, a balanced approach that encourages everyone to develop at least some competency in both areas often leads to healthier dynamics and more sustainable results, though I am interested in seeing how a BD + Delivery model could work from someone who has made it work and seen year on year growth!
Joel Robinstein
3 个月
We'll you know where we stand Matt Penfold ??. No splits for us, what goes around comes around for that good karma.
Joel Robinstein
3 个月
It has to be 100% dependent on the market, agency size and client base. There is no one size fits all, Recruitment businesses get lumped together as an industry but in reality what we do in a boutique niche IT recruitment company vs a high volume temp hire business are worlds apart. Therefore different model for different businesses.
Mark Johnson
3 个月
The split model doesn't work for the "job fillers" that don't build relationships or sit on large accounts...often these people have stayed around long enough to slip into those positions and have influence.
Steve Roberts
3 个月
From my experience too many layers and no ownership of the candidates or clients. Too many opportunities fall through the cracks and no one is responsible ??
Sophea Heng
3 个月
I have always struggled with the traditional comms structure. We do splits. Always have. It works well so long as you have people with the right values for team work. No one has time for lone rangers in our business.
Director at iPlace Recruitment
3 个月I've actually worked in this environment and it didn't work. This was years and years ago before we started iPlace Recruitment but the main issue was - the BDM goes out and meets the client and takes the brief and then comes back to the delivery expert who is disconnected from the client as they didn't meet them, they didn't get a feel for them or the environment which is a massive part of the recruitment process. The role on some occasions might not have gotten filled which created tension as the BDM had done their part and felt resentful. There was always issues with commissions and bonuses and just didn't work. The overwhelming reason it didn't work in my opinion was the transfer of information back to the client as the BDM maintained that part of the relationship. Talking about a candidate you haven't met is hard, even if your colleague has briefed you. Even if the the delivery expert had been the one to speak to the client, the BDM is who met them so the client felt like they were being passed around and repeating themselves. It's my experience that the process works best when you are the one the client meets, builds a relationship with and knows who they are getting every time they call. ??