[InSights] Why Selling Staffing Is Harder Than Ever—and What Actually Works Now

In this episode of InSights, presented by Haley Marketing, Brad Bialy sits down with Brad Smith to unpack why selling staffing services is harder than ever—and how tightly integrated sales, marketing, and AI-driven buyer enablement are becoming the real competitive advantage heading into 2026.

About the Guest

Brad Smith is Chief Strategy Officer at Haley Marketing, bringing more than 20 years of experience helping staffing firms turn digital marketing, technology, and strategy into predictable growth. A Certified Inbound Marketing professional, Brad is a frequent industry speaker and contributor to leading staffing publications.

Key Takeaways

• Selling got harder—but avoidance won’t fix it.

• Activity beats hope when markets tighten.

• Buyer education now happens before sales conversations.

• Specialization creates leverage in crowded markets.

• AI amplifies systems—it doesn’t replace them.

Timestamps

• [01:10] – Why sales feels harder than ever

• [02:35] – The real reason leaders avoid quotas

• [04:45] – When inbound stopped being enough

• [05:10] – The shocking truth about 72 touches

• [07:00] – Why reps quit before momentum starts

• [09:15] – Turning marketing into sales leverage

• [10:45] – How buyers decide before calling you

• [12:40] – What buyer enablement actually includes

• [15:10] – A $1.1M lesson in control and scale

• [18:05] – Why marketing can’t fix broken sales

• [21:00] – Focus beats doing everything for everyone

• [26:20] – How AI shifts from advantage to necessity

About the Host

Brad Bialy is a trusted voice and highly sought-after speaker in the staffing and recruiting industry, known for helping firms grow through integrated marketing, sales, and recruiting strategies. With over 13 years at Haley Marketing and a proven track record guiding hundreds of firms, Brad brings deep expertise and a fresh, actionable perspective to every engagement. He’s the host of Take the Stage and InSights, two of the staffing industry’s leading podcasts with more than 200,000 downloads.

Sponsors

InSights is presented by Haley Marketing. The old way of selling staffing is dead. Let’s fix it – with smarter strategies and HUGE DISCOUNTS on modern lead gen tools: 👉 https://bit.ly/Bialy20

Book a 30-minute business and marketing consultation with host, Brad Bialy: 👉 https://bit.ly/Bialy30