Happy New Year! It is not a bad idea to set recruitment goals at the beginning of each new year. In fact, there is good evidence that indicates that those that set goals and then are held accountable are far more likely to hit those targets. I find that goals that are about new recruitment habits and behaviors are better drivers of results than those goals that define the result only without addressing the behaviors that help you attain new benchmarks.
Here are a few behavior-based kinds of targets to consider that will drive a positive result for your recruiting business in 2014:
Know when to say “NO” and do so more often.
Not every opportunity is a good opportunity for your recruitment business. If you feel you must say yes to all opportunities, look for solutions like a recruitment network to help you fulfill on these expectations with less dedicated time from you and your staff. More likely than not, you are like me and want to say yes to things that you know offer a 5% chance of success. The time you spend on these “long-shots” takes away from true money makers and better fit opportunities. Saying “no” means you can say “yes” to good fit opportunities that will help you reach your recruitment goals.
Balance short-term and long-term
If you are chasing a great month or a great quarter and fail to invest in longer-term prospecting and lead development, you will eventually pay the price with a really miserable month or quarter. Just talk with any consultant in any business. They will tell you prospecting for business when you are knee-deep in producing on a current engagement is difficult and only happens if it is a habit. And the reason most leave the ranks of the self-employed is that they were unable to balance short-term with long-term. If you want to succeed long-term, you need to do both. Make it a recruiting habit to do a prospecting call after every successful current customer call.
Don’t sweat the things outside your control.
If you are worried about the impact of politics, taxes and bad weather on your recruitment business, you are wasting time. Focus on building better recruitment habits, reaching recruitment goals and building your recruitment business to new and higher levels of success…those are things you can control.
Better habits will produce better results!
What habits have you changed or do you plan to change in 2014?
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