I recently attended a conference of global recruiters. New business development for recruiters was a topic of conversation. Attendees agreed that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to cold call into prospective client companies. A big part of the challenge is “recruitment fatigue.” Employers are just plain tired of hearing from recruiters and refuse to take the calls or return messages left. Nothing new there. The big “a-ha” was that it often has to do with the way you position your service offering and the title you announce yourself by on each prospect call.
Again, most employers are contacted by a long list of search professionals, executive recruiters and all the other titles the profession has adopted. I heard of someone using a fresh approach or at least it seemed fresh to me. Perhaps you are already on to this concept. The idea is to avoid approaching those clients with recruitment fatigue with another call from a recruiter. Some global recruiters are now positioning themselves and their firms, not as recruiters, but rather as “Talent Managers.” They pitch the ability to work with existing talent rather than promoting the addition and search for new talent. So they lead with services like:
- Executive Coaching
- Performance Management
- Outplacement
- Organizational Change Management
- Psychometric Testing
- Personality Profiling
- Short List Review
- Candidate Sourcing
Obviously this approach will require some training and skills development if you are not expert in these areas. Some can be achieved via partner or supplier affiliations while others will require training. I am guessing that this approach is not unique but is it is likely less frequently used than the “I am a recruiter” approach.
I am interested to know if you are having success with new business development for your recruitment business and any secrets to your success.
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