The Inquisitive Mindset

In all my experience as a recruitment consultant and training recruitment consultants, I think one of the biggest challenges that we face is taking things at face value, not pushing back at clients, prospects, or candidates, and taking what they say at face value.

And the thing is, if we take things at face value, then we don't really have the ability to add value. And if we're not adding value, what are we there for?

What Is It We Fear?

So what I want to explore is why we tend to back off and take things at face value and also how to stop it; how to actually start probing and getting to what people really mean by what they say. Because once you understand what people really mean, rather than what you think they mean or what you think they ought to mean, then you can start to solve their problems.

And once you're able to solve their problems consistently, you'll start to earn the money you really deserve - because you'll deserve it.

Why Does Probing Matter?

As well as training more than 50,000 recruitment consultants, I've also built my own desk. I built it from scratch and in the first year, I did more than ￡800,000 in revenue. One of the main reasons for that was that I was willing to probe and to push a little bit further and to find out what people really meant, what they really wanted, and what they really wanted to avoid.?

In order to do that, I had to accept that I would feel a little bit uncomfortable. And also that the clients or candidates or prospects that I was talking to would also go through a stage of feeling a little bit uncomfortable with things.

Value Comes From Difference

And that's where the real value is. Because in order to help people effectively, in order to get better fees, in order to get more assignments, you've got to be able to do things differently to everybody else. Because if you're the same as everyone else, why would they pay you differently or treat you differently??

So let me start with mindset. And you can also watch my latest video on the subject. The link is in the comments.

Why is it that people aren't willing, get nervous, get apprehensive, and start having horrible hallucinations about all the bad things that will happen if they push further, if they probe and if they delve into what people really mean?

Value Starts With Mindset

It's largely because we don't feel confident in our own status. We don't feel like we're adding value. So we take a step back. We don't want to push too far because we might upset the other person. We fear that they might push back or they might get upset.?

It's even in the language that we use. “I don't want to push.” Why is it pushing to ask a polite question? Why is it pushing to try and find out what people want or what they mean? Just the language that people use tells you pretty much everything about how they perceive their own status as opposed to the status of the client or the candidate.?

So Change Your Mindset

If you're focused on helping this person, if you don't go into a conversation thinking, “Okay, how can I best help this candidate? How can I best help this prospect? How can I help this client? What have I got to get from this job order so that I can really do the job well and help my client and deliver for the candidates? What have I got to do in terms of this interview prep or in terms of this debrief so that I can really make sure this works for everybody?” Those questions will really help you change your viewpoint on what it is that you're doing.?

You're not digging, you're not pushing. You're helping. You're asking questions so that you can know more, so that you can do more. And that's kind of the secret, because if you know more, you can do more. And you can't know more without doing your research, asking questions, and finding out the stuff that most people don't or won't, or can't. That's absolutely crucial.

See The Rewards

So go into these conversations with the mindset that what you're trying to do is help people get the best resolution, help people get what they really want, help people avoid what they really don't want. Whether it's a cold call, taking a job order, doing interview prep, debriefing, negotiating a close on the deal, or whatever it may be.?

Because once you've got that mindset, you're not digging, pushing, or being awkward. You're inquisitive and helpful. That's a massive shift. That's chalk and cheese, as we say in England. The difference between trying to help and trying to push and cajole is all the difference in the world. It's the difference between night and day.

It's also the difference between struggling and confidently being a top biller.