BOOTSTRAP RECRUITMENT

PART 2: EXPERT INSIGHTS

“How does the way I work affect my chances of success?”
“How do I make sense of performance data?”
“Which prospects will have the most potential?”
“What are the secrets to a winning growth strategy?”

Bootstrap Recruitment is a forthcoming handbook from eBoss. It is a free, downloadable ebook for recruiters, which considers recruitment agency growth strategies for smaller businesses.

In the previous chapter, we looked at ways to analyse your own business. In this section, we listen to some expert advice for recruitment agency growth in 2018.

CHAPTER 2: EXPERT INSIGHTS

With Warren Kemp

When it comes to excellence in any industry, it pays to listen to the experts. For recruiters, there is no better consultant than Warren Kemp – CEO of Recruitment Matters, and the man behind Ku.dos online training courses for recruiters.

eBoss talked to Warren, to find a winning formula that would work for any recruiter; starting with a daily routine.

IN THIS CHAPTER:

(Roll your mouse over the image for explanations.)

2.1 ROUTINE

It’s difficult to measure your performance, when all of your data is a variable. So stick to a tried-and-tested recruitment regimen. Don’t introduce changes for novelty’s sake. Aim to achieve consistency, instead. Work-day routines will focus your efforts, bring clarity to your vision, and give you confidence in your results.

“A healthy routine is one of consistency – full stop. In my opinion, too many recruiters don’t have consistency in their strategy or their processes.

Let’s say you spend two hours in the morning – every morning – sourcing candidates. When you do that consistently, you know if you are getting the results. If you spend half an hour here, half an hour there – at different times of the day – you have no measure for comparison.

It doesn’t matter how good your processes, how many hours you are working. A lack of consistency means you never really know your business. But, with consistency, you can see where it currently is.”

2.2 RESOLVE EVERY TASK

Resolve every task you start – even if that resolution is not the one that you had set out to achieve. Incomplete and open-ended duties will draw your attention away from other priorities if they are left unresolved.

“I call this ‘Mop-up Friday’ – if you spend Monday to Thursday on recruitment matters, the 5th day can be spent on a new activity that has not yet developed. Chase up outstanding issues. Get an outcome, and start the next working day with a clean state.”

“If you chase something up and you don’t find a resolution, decide right away if you should drop the matter. Ask yourself: ‘what effect does this have on my business if I don’t follow it up any further?'”

2.3 CONNECT – IN THE RIGHT WAY

We live in a digital world – it means that everybody is talking. Today, it is less important to stand out from the crowd, and more important to be personal in the way you communicate.

From a personalised website and social media presence, to a more creative way to reach out, communication is an art form that few recruiters spend enough time to develop in the right way.

“If I am making a phone call, I always have two reasons to make that call. Maybe I am selling. That is my first reason. But maybe the prospect isn’t interested. So then I am going to offer them my second reason for calling. Maybe this is a piece of market research: I ask the prospect to share a view on a particular issue related to our business.”

“Then, I come back to them at a later date. I tell them what I have learned. ‘Maybe you would be interested to know that 60% of people agreed with what you said?’ Either way, I have given myself another reason to engage with them; another reason to remember me”

“And perhaps this time, they are interested in what I had to sell?”

2.4 SMARTER TARGETS

Warren’s growth formula may take you by surprise – or it might sound very familiar. While most business leaders equate growth with an outward expansion, Warren says that most companies’ profitability is found closer to home.

“I subscribe to the Pareto [or ’80-20′] principle. That is: 80 per cent of your revenue will come from the same 20 per cent of existing clients. It is, therefore, in your interest to focus on your best customers. Spend 80 per cent of your time nurturing your top 20 per cent of clients.”

“When it comes to growing your business, getting more out of your existing top buyers will always be easier than attracting new clients. It is therefore easier to upscale your business this way.”

So don’t neglect a customer once they are on board. In fact, you should be giving more of your time to people who already buy from you, than to attracting new clients.

Warren’s final piece of advice is probably the most important – never stop learning new things about your business – and your clients’ needs.

“Look at the make-up of your ‘20%’ clients. Understand the make-up of their DNA. Use that to see how they work; what you can offer them. Then, use that to help you identify new customers who match that type of enterprise.”

RECRUITMENT AGENCY GROWTH: NOT A MATTER OF CHANCE

This section of the growth guide was originally intended as one of the final chapters of the book. We thought that an expert consultation would be a great way to wrap up the lessons of the guide.

But, having listened to Warren’s strategies, we realised that they were going to re-shape our entire approach to writing the growth guide. It became necessary to move this section forward in the ebook: to showcase the experiences and theories that will be implemented throughout the rest of our strategy.

And what did we learn from Warren? That recruitment agency growth is not a matter of luck. It is something that requires consistency, thoughtful planning and preparation – and no short supply of your own personal creativity.

Where next?

The complete Bootstrap Recruitment will be available soon to download.

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