A 10 Point Blueprint for Recruiters

(the one that doesn't even mention AI or Automation!)

I think it so useful for a recruiter to set out their own set of rules, to guide them when the markets are tough as good just as much as when they are tough.

Here's a starter for ten - adapt them to what works best for you, but most importantly stick to them as it will be your personal rules that will guarantee your success.

SET YOUR CADENCE

We have been stopped, started, stopped, started continuously for the past 18 months, and will continue to be.?

When everyone else stops and starts, the winners are those who keep the momentum going.

Create a rhythm, get a daily cadence of minimum activity, weekly cadence of minimum standards.

No excuses!

Set Weekly Baselines and work in 90 day sprints

Activity levels back up - minimum standards and raise the bar

FIND THE LOW HANGING FRUIT

Recruiters are spending too long looking for new opportunities when there are opportunities sitting right in front of them.

Existing customers

Dormant customers

Network maps – who knows who that can introduce you?

Get proactive about referrals

MAXIMISE YOUR TIME

We’ve all realised just how important time is right now in our personal lives.

It is the same at work.

Only work on the top 3 profit drivers – nothing else matters.

Embrace the opportunities that come with truly agile business modelling

Turn off notifications on your phones and get into Flowstate!

TREAT EVERY CUSTOMER AS GOLD

The quality (or lack of) of your customer relationships have had a huge influence on your success over the past 12 months.

Those recruitment companies that have fostered deep, close, embedded relationships with their customers in the past are winning right now

Keep it personal

Penetration

Squeeze your assets – become truly sticky

Focus on maximising customer lifetime value (CLV)

Partnership agreements only – not supplier arrangements

LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES, NOT ISSUES

·Understand the trends – where is the market going?

Who will lose because of the market changes? Pivot away from them.

Who will stagnate because of the market changes? Develop a maintenance programme.

·Who will win because of the market changes? Target them with all you have!

Turn non-customers into customers – create and align products to their tomorrow’s needs

PIPELINE, PIPELINE, PIPELINE

Who on earth said stop selling?!!!

No-one – just adapt how you do it.

Make sales strategic – a mapped out and well defined, end to end process

Make sales consultative – sell solutions, with products sitting behind them

Align and measure marketing impact on sales… or stop doing it!

Take control of your online reputation

Perfect your initial outreach message – to clients and candidates

THINK LIKE A START UP

Test the market, test the model, test the people

This is “backs against the wall” ways of working… and it is great!

Innovation at pace

Rapid fire evolution

FIXATE ON THE PROFIT

Why do people think this has changed?? It hasn’t!

Profit is still the priority

Only work with customers that give you profit – net profit, not gross profit

Think about how you can make your desk more “profitable”

Have a Data-Driven mindset

Measure everything

Incremental improvements and marginal gains

BE THE SOLUTION, NOT THE PROBLEM

Consultative solution selling

Earn the right – study the client

Earn the right – study the client’s clients

Earn the right – study the client’s competition

Blank canvas approach

Sell productised solutions

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

Learn. Adapt. Compete

Create the change you want to be

Move from ‘difficult’ to ‘different’

Have fun with it!