The Benefits of using a headhunter for Revenue Creating, Business Development & Sales Leadership roles - Part 3.

Part 3: Better representation of your company = Better company reputation 

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently” Warren Buffet 

Reputation can have a big impact on your success as a company, and each manager's approach to their role can have an impact on that reputation. And we’re not just talking about their management style, it’s also in how they manage the recruitment process when they look to add to their team.  

Time and time again I’ve heard from good candidates, that they withdrew their interest in a role because of the way the hiring process was managed. Or that they didn’t get enthusiasm for a role, because of the approach made to them. And in some cases, it’s been clear that they would have been a perfect fit for the job, and the company was then left with hiring second best. And I’m sure every recruiter will tell you too, if your business already has a bad reputation to recover from, you can be certain that when going to the market to recruit, you will be faced with rejections to explore a role before you’ve even told the prospective candidate what the opportunity is! Now of course a well-trained consultant will be prepared to handle these objections and have an artillery of rebuttals, but if you’re not in conversation with them or cannot manage that discussion, you will fall short on securing their time to hear you out. 

Your image as an employer and a supplier, is visible to anyone in your market, whether that be a customer, a potential new employee, or even a competitor or investor. So, ensuring that your reputation represents the brand and image you are looking to portray, is vital to keeping a good flow of top candidates coming into your organization, and customers confidence in you as a supplier.  

Now of course not every business wishes to come across as a high-end premium product or service, but I’m confident in saying that every business would like their staff to be professional, customer focussed and knowledgeable on the products and sector they are in. So how does using an industry specialist head-hunter increase your reputation both to your customers and to potential new employees? 

This works in two ways.  

1.  Your reputation as an employer 

Of course, there are many things that you need to do as an employer to make your company attractive to top performers. But when it comes to recruiting, particularly at a senior level, prospective candidates will be much more inclined to have an exploratory chat with you, if they are approached in the right way and the process is managed correctly. 

When industry professionals are contacted by a leading search firm in your niche, it's clear to them that you’ve taken a serious and professional approach to your recruiting strategy. It’s recognized that you are not only investing in the best recruitment partners for your company but also that you want to invest in the best employees. And if this is the view they get from the get-go, you’ve made a good first impression. And one fact I will tell every candidate and client I work with; you only get one chance to make a good first impression!  

Now I won’t discredit all agency approaches or methods often used by internal recruiters, but I can tell you now that our consultants are told on a daily basis that the way we contacted them and presented the company and opportunity to them, often determined whether they even heard us out or not. When that individual is happy where they are and succeeding in their role, particularly if you have no previous contact with them, you have a very small window of opportunity to capture their interest. A simple message on LinkedIn or a poor introduction by a recruiter will often be ignored, as explained to us by our contacts time and time again. And once that rejection has already happened, it’s even harder to go back to that person again, if it turns out they really are the one you need onboard. 

In any niche industry, the candidate's experience throughout the hiring process will have an impact on their interest to move, and if you’re head-hunting top performers who don’t need to move, you really need to pinpoint areas of potential interest to them in your company and vacancy. If the potential candidates in your market are regularly seeing adverts and getting calls from various agencies, over time, this could make it look like your attempts to recruit are failing, and could give them concern as to why you haven’t managed to secure someone. 

If your chosen recruitment partner can approach these individuals, open up a conversation over the phone, provide a reference to relevant connections, and sell your company and the potential benefits of exploring the role to them, you can be sure that you will see increased interested from top players in your sector. And even if they don’t, at least they will leave the discussion thinking that it sounded like a great opportunity and company, just not for them. Quite often we’ve heard from our clients that after using our services for the first time, they were very surprised about the level of talent that they could actually attract. So don’t let your past experiences lead you to believe certain people are outside of your reach, speak with a specialist recruiter in your market, and find out what talent they believe could be available to you.  

In a niche market, people network and share stories of their interviews and employment experiences. If there is a common theme of a positive experience from candidates every time you are hiring, this message will spread. And of course, if you are always bringing in great people, your business will be doing well, candidates will recognize that you have good people on board, and naturally, this will count towards your reputation as a great company to work for. 

2. Your reputation as a supplier 

Now again, there are many factors you have to get right to gain a good reputation with your customer base, but one thing that’s for sure, if the people facing and talking with these customers isn’t outshining those of your competitors, you run the risk of losing their confidence, and of course their custom. Inadequate or infrequent customer calls and visits could lose their interest in buying from you.  

But when you hire a real A player in your market, a proven performer that builds confidence with your customers and demonstrates passion, enthusiasm, and a high level of competence in your product, your customers will have a much better impression on your business. Not only does it make you stand out as a professional organization, but it also shows them that you value their business, and you send them experts that can provide a solution or product they need, and not waste their time. 

These days, it’s recognized that companies must be very customer focused to be a market leader in their field. If you can guarantee that your customers are consistently getting the level of service they need from a supplier, this will surely result in a solid relationship and ongoing business. 

Conclusion 

Your image to the world outside of your business plays a vital role in the success of your company. Consistently bringing in the very best talent in your market will ensure that your brand remains highly regarded by your industry and its customer base.