TUMBLING HEADLONG INTO THE GAP

Between You and a More Profitable Recruitment Business

In the fast-paced world of recruitment, businesses often fall into a common trap known as the "Delivery Gap."

This crucial concept, while not widely discussed, can significantly impact the efficiency and success of recruitment agencies.

Let's dive into what the Delivery Gap is, why it matters, and how to address it effectively.

Understanding the Delivery Gap

The Delivery Gap is the disparity between the number of jobs a recruitment agency takes on and its ability to fill these positions efficiently. It's the kind of quantitative and qualitative measure that efficient businesses live by. And yet recruiters really struggle to keep it under control.

Why?

Of the many possible reasons there are two that are most potent.

'Jobs On' as A BD Metric

Many recruitment agencies celebrate the number of 'jobs on' as a key performance indicator. However, this metric can be misleading. While it might seem impressive to have a high number of job listings, it becomes problematic if these positions remain unfilled or take too long to fill.

This scenario leads to inefficiency, reduced client trust, and potentially lost business to competitors who may not be as skilled but are more effective in their delivery.

Jobs should only ever be seen as the by-product of good BD. Not the main aim.

Reactive Consulting

Grading jobs has risen in popularity in recent years. This is the act of defining how difficult a role may be to fill based on information taken in the brief. But working in this reactive way feeds the delivery gap. Order taking and then working out to do with what you've been given will lead hungry delivery teams to work all roles - even C jobs or dead-losses - with more energy than is warranted.

To be seen as an expert you must put consulting before recruiting.

The Impact of the Delivery Gap

A significant Delivery Gap can have several negative consequences:

• Reduced efficiency in the recruitment process
• Diminished trust and respect from clients
• Loss of business to more efficient competitors
• Strain on resources as consultants struggle to manage too many open positions

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Closing the Delivery Gap

To address the Delivery Gap, recruitment agencies need to shift their focus and strategies:

1. Prioritize Client Acquisition Over Job Listings

Instead of celebrating every new job listing, agencies should focus on acquiring fully committed, exclusive clients. This approach leads to filling more roles, faster, with less effort and potentially larger fees.

2. Implement Accountability in Sales

Sales teams should be held accountable not just for the number of jobs they bring in, but also for the 'fillability' and time-to-fill of these roles. This ensures a more balanced approach to job acquisition.

3. Develop a Proactive Consulting Approach

Implement a robust client onboarding process that includes proactive consulting before a vacancy arises. This helps in better understanding client needs and improving the chances of successful placements.

4. Adopt a Customer Success Mindset

Adopt a straightforward process for making sure every role you work on with a given client gets easier to fill. Over time the speed to hire and effort required goes down whilst your fill rate goes up. This way you reduce inefficiency whilst delivering a better service.

The Benefits of Closing the Delivery Gap

By addressing the Delivery Gap, recruitment agencies can:

• Improve overall efficiency and productivity
• Enhance client relationships and trust
• Increase revenue through faster placements and higher-quality matches
• Gain a competitive edge in the market

Conclusion

The Delivery Gap represents one of the most significant opportunities for increased revenue and improved performance in recruitment agencies. By shifting focus from merely acquiring jobs to improving the efficiency of the entire recruitment process, agencies can dramatically enhance their success rates, client satisfaction, and overall business performance.

For recruitment business owners and managers looking to optimise their operations, addressing the Delivery Gap should be a top priority. It's not just about getting more jobs on; it's about consistently and confidently growing revenue by ensuring that every job taken on can be filled efficiently and effectively.

Considering how your approach to BD might be making your business less efficient?

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