Learning to drive

Everyone has a different destination

Why did you pay for a driving instructor?

The answer seems obvious… to you. But different people have very different answers (and they all seem obvious… to them).

You might say that you needed to pass your driving test. Good answer.

Or you could tell me that you wanted to become as confident as possible in a skill you use for your whole life. Also a good answer.

Or you might reply that your parents offered to teach you, and for the sake of family harmony you went for a professional instead. Good answer, and probably a very good decision.

Now think about why your clients choose to work with you. In my experience, clients have a whole range of reasons for turning to a third-party expert to help them with their recruitment. And while the obvious answer might seem to be “To fill a vacancy”, in reality there are a whole range of other responses that are obvious… to them.

Returning to the driving instructor question, there’s no way I can guess your answer without finding out a lot more about you - and even then I’d be taking an educated guess at best.

In the same way, it’s difficult to get to the truth behind your prospect’s reason for considering you as a partner. But without knowing why they might use you, it’s very hard to pitch the right service for them.

Not good enough

In the past, most recruiters have backed away from this problem by offering a single one-size-fits-all service and hoping it’s good enough. But you’ve probably noticed that good enough doesn’t cut it any more.

Your clients and prospects have more and more ways to hire, and your middle-of-the-road offer doesn’t get them excited when they’re being offered the latest AI or the nichest recruiter ever.

And you know what? It’s not fair. It’s not fair that you’re better than some shonky AI tech that’s stealing all the headlines. It’s not fair that your client’s head is turned by some upstart recruiter with a flashy video reel. You’re better than them. But you’re not getting chosen ahead of them.

The answer is…

The answer is not to add “AI-powered” to your LinkedIn tag line (although a lot of people have tried by the look of it).

The answer is to understand why your client needs you.

Now we know it’s hard to find a client’s why when it comes to recruitment. But that’s a good thing. It means all your competitors are struggling with the same question. So if you can get the answer, you have the advantage.

Another good thing: you can design your offering in a way that encourages your clients to tell you their why. When you give clients a menu of services, you stop being a sales person in their eyes and start being an expert who can help them find the right approach for their problem.

Once they trust you as the expert, they open up about why they’re hiring… and together you find the right service for them.

I’m talking to more and more recruitment leaders who want to shift from selling a one-size-fits-all solution to consulting their clients on a menu of services. But it’s still early days. If you want to get ahead of your competition and understand why your clients need you, simply reply to this email and I’ll explain what you need to do next.

Jon

P.S. Driving schools discovered that some people look beyond the driving test, so they started offering advanced driving courses… and hundreds of thousands of people in the UK signed up.

Similarly, as a recruiter you are well positioned to offer services beyond the placement. All you need to do is know what your clients are looking for.

If you want to get ahead of your competition and understand why your clients need you, simply reply to this email and I’ll explain what you need to do next.