Apple CEO Steve Jobs had a particular way to sell yourself or your brand whether you were an average job seeker, a manager, consultant, or even a CEO. Presentation skills not only help sell ideas or products; you can also us them to elevate your personal brand, which as a recruitment firm owner, is essential in establishing yourself to clients. Consider these Steve Jobs techniques on your next presentation.
- Sell Dreams. You are not selling simply the fact that you can find candidates for positions. You have the power to “move the company forward by discovering the people that will lead it into the future” because in reality, they know the service you are providing, as they have hired previously, so they want to know how you can help them achieve more, which leads you to a lasting client relationship. When you meet with a client, research them and sell them the idea of fulfilling long term goals with the candidates you turn over to them.
- Create a short vision for your firm. Steve Jobs presented products with a short one-sentence description, such as the MacBook Air being “the world’s thinnest notebook.” Can you summarize your firm into a sentence to lead and finish with? For example, if you are a healthcare recruitment firm that specializes in niche roles in rural areas, you could state that you are “the hunter of rural healthcare candidates otherwise undiscovered.” This is under 140 characters, fewer than a twitter post, but the mind is trained to key in on these statements and the next time that client needs a healthcare role they will remember that.
- The Rule of Three. Neuroscientists have findings that state human think in chunks of three or four. Do not overload your client with too many stories, attributes, or experiences, but stick to three points and introduce them early, expand on them, and summarize them at the end. This way, your client will be able to focus on the main points you are trying to sell your firm with, instead of remembering odds and ends from throughout the conversation.
- Strive for Simplicity. Steve Jobs stated that, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Do not clutter presentations or speeches, but keep it as sleek and to the point as possible.
- Practice. If you are looking to expand your clientele, or even asking a current client for more positions, make your presentation look effortless by practicing your pitch as many times as possible. This is a great way to teach the recruiters you hire how to become more effective and to brainstorm ways to make your client pitch stronger.
Above all, keep your personality alive. You have decided to become an independent recruiter for a reason, and that passion should be visible to your clients. Show them that they should want to use you as their headhunter not only because you deliver results, but because this is your calling and what you were made to do.
