The biggest challenge facing recruitment leaders right now
And no, it isn’t pricing :-)
I had a chat with 🚨name drop alert🚨 the legendary Greg Savage recently, and he shared his thoughts on the biggest challenge facing recruitment leaders right now.
As Greg sees it, the most pressing issue isn’t the economy, client demand, candidate supply, or even fees… it’s how to retain recruitment consultants.
And because Greg has his finger on the pulse of the recruitment industry, I’m guessing this is an issue you're facing in your business too. If so, you might want to hear Greg’s solution.
The good news is, it’s a simple answer: make your consultants successful.
(The bad news is, it’s easy to say and much harder to do).
It makes sense. We know how hard the first few months in recruitment can be, and how demoralising the quiet periods are even as an experienced consultant. Recruiters aren’t all money motivated, far from it, but almost every type of motivation in our industry relies on having clients and filling jobs for them.
So the sooner we can get new consultants billing, the more they’ll enjoy their job… and stick with it. And the more we can help experienced consultants build a consistent desk, the happier they’ll be… and stick with us.
So Greg and I talked about how my approach - helping recruitment leaders create a strong pricing strategy - tackles the big challenge of consultant retention.
As I see it, there are three steps to making consultants more successful… which leads to them sticking with you for longer.
Step 1: Appreciate their value
When I survey recruiters, it’s clear that many lack confidence in the value of their service. Build their belief in their value, and we’ve built the foundations of their success.
Step 2: Focus on service
Most recruitment pitches finish with an argument about price. We need to keep the conversation focused on what our clients value, and how we deliver that for them.
Step 3: Work on our terms
Our consultants are talking confidently about how they deliver what their clients value. Now they need to close the deal on their terms. Better fees, worked exclusively or retained.
These three steps, delivered properly, transform the experience of being a recruitment consultant. I’ve seen new consultants hit their first billing target much more quickly with a value-focused strategy, and of course they are more likely to stick around than their peers who are struggling to build momentum.
If you want to talk about how you can improve your staff retention by focusing on value, simply reply to this email and I will explain how a one hour consultation with me could give you the answers you need.
Jon
PS. Greg Savage is a fantastic cheerleader for the recruitment industry. And he’s right, it offers opportunities that few other professions can match.
But too many people join our industry and don’t get to experience it the way you and I (and Greg) have. They don’t get the early success, or they’re hit by some bad luck later in their career, and decide to leave.
That’s a missed opportunity for them, and an expensive problem for you as a recruitment leader. So I agree with Greg, this is the biggest challenge we face… so let’s take steps to tackle it.
If you want to talk about how you can improve your staff retention by focusing on value, simply reply to this email and I will explain how a one hour consultation with me could give you the answers you need.