Headhunters: Practice Like The Samurai

For all you Headhunters and Executive Recruiters out there...

So you want to get really good at getting clients, really fast?

Practice like the Samurai

Arguably, traditional swordsmanship reached its technical zenith among the Samurai class in feudal Japan.

There are a number of reasons for this, from the constant warring of between Shoguns...

(much like the agency "War for Talent" world we live in now)

• to the view of the Katana as the soul of the Samurai...
• and to the Japanese culture that excels at refinement...

For likely a confluence of these reasons, swordsmanship reached a zenith that has never been rivaled anywhere else. 

For our purposes here, we're going to focus on the development of the finest blade ever created [the Katana] and the skill required to wield it like a master [refinement, or Kaizen] as the two driving forces behind the Samurai being the most skilled warriors of their era.

Simply put, the Samurai didn’t leave their development to chance.

They instead took a deliberate approach to the forging of the Katana and their mastery of swordsmanship, and worked hard to improve by 1% every day.

[There's a reason why the concept of Kaizen comes out of Japan.]

So the way I look at it, if you truly want to excel in a business that's over-run with competing agencies (much like the Shogun in feudal Japan), and their armies of warriors on the talent battlefield, you have to think and act like a Samurai.

You, just one faceless warrior out of many who will fight and likely retire unknown and unheralded, who dreams of one day walking the halls of the pantheon of Samurai with the likes of Miyamoto Musashi, Hattori Hanzo, or Uesugi Kenshin...

...you must first realize that, just as a true Samurai's success hinges on their Katana and their swordsmanship skills, a true Headhunter's success hinges on their higher-level offer, and their skill not only in winning top clients, but in winning over the crème de la crème of candidates.

If this is the case (and it 100% is), would it not make sense to apply some of those same Samurai principles to your own skill development?

I think it's self-evident, but let's break it down:

?? STEP 1: Talk to your ideal clients about what pains them, and analyze every competitor in your market to find what they do to solve those pains

...are they being underserved by your competitors? If yes, then:

?? STEP 2: Develop a higher-level offer that solves those pains

...and no, "really digging into your clients' culture" doesn't solve any pains. If your offer consists of things everyone else can easily say they do, then sorry it's not a bonafide higher-level offer. You have a commodity product. Fix it.

?? STEP 3: Develop messaging scripts (voicemails, live calls, email) that agitates above pain and promises a path to solve it. Think bait. These are used on your HUNTING CALLS.

?? STEP 4: Develop a closing script highlighting your ideal client's pain, painting a vision of their future, spreading the gap in between, and inserting your offer as the solution. This is used on your CLOSING CALLS.

Think of your higher-level offer as your Katana Blade, and the scripts you use as your swordsmanship technique.

Both have to work in a harmonious dance of steel.

?? STEP 5: Practice with a role-playing buddy. Hunting calls, closing calls, etc

....randomize everything. Simulate the battle-field.

?? STEP 6: (HUNTING CALLS) Reach out to your market with said bait to set up meetings with decision-makers. Record your calls. For every 100 calls analyze them as a block and adjust your script. Iterate, and wash, rinse, repeat over and over again until you're deadly effective.

?? STEP 7: (CLOSING CALLS) In your meetings, deploy your closing script and record your calls. Every 20 calls, analyze them as a block and adjust your script and/or offer. Iterate and wash, rinse, repeat over and over again until you're deadly effective.

REMEMBER: Every time you make an adjustment, first go practice that adjustment:

...and when you find a role-playing buddy, make sure you engage in the following training exercises:

• KAKARI-GEIKO: The continual drill-training of one technique over and over again (role-playing with a partner, and practicing one piece of a script repeatedly until it become ingrained in your very soul)
• JI-GEIKO: Free-style training, designed to simulate combat (role-playing with a partner, but not knowing what he/she will throw at you so as to better simulate real-world chaos)

?? Then take action. MASSIVE ACTION.

?? Then gather feedback and ANALYZE.

?? Then adjust again.

Keep doing that until both your offer and your scripts are honed to a razor’s edge…

Like the blade of a Katana…

Lastly, while this is going on, make sure you are:

ADVANCING: Nurturing all of your warm leads that didn't have needs or you weren't able to set meetings with, continually advancing towards a closing call.

FARMING: Using your in-depth knowledge gleaned from steps 1 - 7, create a web of content daily (that focuses on your clients' PAIN and DESIRE) that will make all your other activities easier over time and will bring in a steady flow of inbound leads.

Disclaimer: Unlike what some trainers will tell you, this takes a while to build up steam, and is not the immediate 'inbound lead cornucopia' they say it is. But it will be if you're consistent and your content is used as a prospecting tool (more on that in a future article)

...and every day, when you lay your head down to rest at night, ask yourself:

"Did I engage in all 4 Power Activities today?"

(HUNTING, ADVANCING, FARMING, and CLOSING)

...and

"Did I record everything and make slight improvements in blocks?"

If yes to both questions, not only will you'll never go hungry in this business.

…but you’ll be well on your way to a level of mastery that few in this business ever attain.

While your competitors leave their skill development to chance...

You’ll be the master Samurai warrior in your niche.

DSP

Do you want help unleashing your Samurai within? I can help in 3 ways:

1. Download The Lighthouse Method: My 45-page guide on selling Higher-Level Search and using social media to scale a 7-Figure recruiting practice: DOWNLOAD HERE
2. Register for my free online training, 5 New Model Principles To Grow Your Recruiting Practice And Scale It To 7-Figures Quickly: REGISTER HERE
3. Or book a call with me directly to talk about The Accelerator, the program that walks you through exactly how to become a Samurai warrior in this business, while building your social media marketing ecosystem to dominate your niche before your competitor does: BOOK A CALL

It just may change your practice, and your life...