How can I become a smart recruiter?
Client nurturing and acquisition is key to smart recruitment
Having worked closely with a number of successful recruitment agencies and resourcing companies, it is clear that they have all created an efficient client nurturing and acquisition program. They strategically identify under-served niches where they can bring value, or they offer compelling competitive advantage to beat any competitor that currently sits on a company’s preferred supplier list. The winners typically have a clear vision with regard to targeting clients, doing so where the client is typically under-served and the recruiter is utilising their valuable network. Above all though, they have one thing that betters their peers in the field; speed. This ‘blue ocean’ approach can work well but is hard to defend – if the sector is lucrative enough, new entrants will quickly follow suit, particularly as experienced recruiters head out on their own. Speed is one thing but, if someone is quicker, how do you obtain the marginal gains necessary to win the race? One strategy is to quickly build solid industry expertise and create high profile marketing to position your agency as a leader in your sector. When done well, the perception of lower risk and premium fees can provide reassurance to clients.Understanding client sectors
Do you understand the sectors that a client operates within? Whilst programming languages such as C# and Angular are invaluable in many settings, are these skills going to enhance the productivity and success of your prospect’s workforce? A candidate may have 5 years of experience in account management, but how is this role typically defined in a given vertical? Our experience is gained from providing smart sales engagement software to contingency and RPO recruitment firms across Europe. As such we continually listen to feedback to ensure our solution drives success for our clients. We learn what helps recruiters acquire and retain clients, then provide the automation tools to help our clients accelerate their revenues. Our top tips for success in 2022 are as follows:
Sales engagement platforms such as JeffreyAI centralise client information, such as individual contact details, team structure, client financials, hiring strategy, previous hires and all contact information. With an accurate and complete record of your target client, you’ll be armed to engage and be increasingly relevant to your prospect. It also stops you wasting time chasing a hiring manager who left last month.
There’s nothing more likely to get your communications blocked than a bland, poorly-targeted approach. JeffreyAI allows you to segment your prospects into groups with shared pain points, by sector, location, size – in fact, any common factor that prospects may share.
-as specifically as you can. Show that you have knowledge of recent legislation in their sector or the availability of talent in the locality or sector. There are different challenges experienced by inhouse HR versus outsourced or embedded teams. Make sure you can demonstrate a knowledge of your client’s problems and provide relevant and timely solutions.
As much as we’d like to close a sale every time we call a client, there is no magic wand to make this happen. However, by gathering as much information about the client’s milestone dates and providing relevant and timely messages will set your organisation apart. Keeping in touch with cold prospects can easily be over-looked when you use manual processes – resulting in an opportunity for your competitors. This is where JeffreyAI comes in to its own – by automating the marketing you’ve created to specific verticals, you can ensure that all leads are nurtured and receiving timely content that puts your brand at the front of their mind.
A smart engagement platform, such as JeffreyAI, allows users to define carefully designed workflows to stay in touch at the right time. Using the smart engagements capability, your prospects and existing clients can automatically receive personalised messages, just as though you had crafted them yourself. Whilst the hints and tips mentioned above are no panacea, the importance of having the right sales software cannot be under-estimated. Software such as JeffreyAI delivers smarter sales engagements for recruitment agencies, that will help you differentiate your sales approach and give you lasting competitive advantage.
If you are interested in learning more about JeffreyAI or wish to speak to one of our growth consultants, please book a consultation with one of our specialists.