The Resilient Recruiter

Is implementing KPIs and measuring metrics the same as micromanagement?  Measuring activities is fundamental to evaluating how effective your strategies are in running your recruitment business. However, there are some recruiters and business owners who are apprehensive about implementing metrics measurements and KPIs. Is that the same for your recruitment business?  What are the metrics and KPIs that we should measure? How do we implement a KPI and data-driven environment without giving the vibe that team members are being micromanaged? How do you communicate the intent and purpose of your KPIs to your team members?  In this episode, Greg Savage explained why it is not about micromanaging and discusses metrics that empower talents. On top of this, you will also hear insightful takes on critical trends in AI and technology, and why your mindset is the key in your recruitment career success.   I am delighted to welcome the legendary Greg Savage to give us a reality check and revisit the pillars leading to recruitment success. Greg has four decades of experience owning, managing, and growing staffing businesses across the world. He’s the founder of four highly successful businesses; Recruitment Solutions (took to IPO). Firebrand Talent Search (trade sale), Eloquent Staffing (trade sale), and People2People.   Greg still takes an active interest in founding and growing recruitment businesses, investing in recruitment start-ups in Australia and the UK. He’s a LinkedIn Top Voices and has been inducted into the Recruiter International Hall of Fame. He’s founder of The Savage Recruitment Academy, and author of the best-selling book, The Savage Truth, and has recently published a new book called Recruit The Savage Way.   Episode Outline and Highlights [03:06] Greg and I delved into the essence of authentic leadership. [05:44] Exploring the four key factors for achieving success in the recruitment field. [11:01] Strategies for overcoming complacency and avoiding contentment with the status quo. [15:00] Greg shared his insights on the importance of continuous learning and how he benefits from nano degrees. [18:40] Greg’s valuable insights into the impact of AI on the recruitment industry. [29:41] Technological innovations that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of recruitment. [32:08] Conversation about activities and key performance indicators (KPIs) and their role in achieving success in recruitment. [39:08] Exploring the best practices for effectively managing KPIs in recruitment. [47:52] Greg shared his perspectives on career development opportunities for recruiters. [57:00] Analysis of the economic landscape in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.   The Mindset, Attitude, and Resilience to Become a Successful Recruiter   I have always valued Greg as a mentor all these years. With over four decades of phenomenal success in the recruitment industry, he is an established authority when it comes to sharing wisdom with aspiring recruiters and business owners. He has recently published a book, Recruit the Savage Way, which offers “practical advice, skills, and attitudes and will give rookies an excellent grounding to thrive in their new career and help veterans brush up and add new competencies.”   We have talked about the first section which is on mindset and attitude. Greg said that one of the big reasons for the high turnover in the staffing and recruitment industry is because of the wrong attitude and mindset towards the industry. He mentioned the fallacy of believing that “recruitment is not rocket science,” because it is a complex, sophisticated job.    Greg believes that the mindset and attitude factors are something that can be corrected early on. Like skills and competencies, mindset and attitude can also be honed and trained. He emphasized four factors:   Believe in your value as a recruiter Believe in the value that you can deliver to your stakeholders Having that true resilience - which he refers to as the bounce-back ability Overcoming the threat of complacency   Greg also shared insightful principles on what true resilience looks like for recruiters. He elaborated on the value of emotions and moving on with positivity. You will also appreciate how he defines complacency in the recruitment field.    Activities and KPIs are Critical For Recruitment Success There is a section in Greg’s new book about the reality check on the importance of activities and KPIs to recruitment success. Greg elaborated on the two fundamental things to be successful in the business:   “The first thing is if you don't do enough stuff in this business, you will fail.”  “You cannot get better at something unless you measure it.”   Greg and I talked about the myth that measuring your metrics and KPIs is synonymous with micromanagement. As Greg said, “There is no sports person or academic or anyone who doesn't measure their outputs and then try to work on improving them. So I mean, the problem with... most KPIs is that they are foisted on people with no consideration to where those people are up to, not explained why they're important.”   Greg shared his advice to recruitment business owners on how to implement KPIs in a healthy working environment.   Insightful Take on Career Development for Recruiters   Greg also discussed a topic that deeply resonated with me: career development for recruiters and recruitment business owners. You will hear his thoughts on the threat of complacency. As he simply puts it, 10 years of experience is just 1 year of recruitment experience repeated 10 times if you are complacent. How do we overcome the trap of complacency and move forward with development?   Continuous Learning. Greg is an advocate of continuous learning. He shared how he benefits from taking “nano degrees” to stay up to date with recent trades, such as AI.   Owning Your Development. This is how Greg wittily describes it, “There is no one, nobody having sleepless nights about your career. Okay, maybe your mom, but nobody else is having sleepless nights about your career. Even a company that is going to help develop you, you've got to be dreaming if you think they're worried about where you're going to be in 15 years. And nor should they. You've got to worry about your career and you've got to take ownership of your career.”   Do Not Only Think of Your Career as a Hierarchical One. Greg shared successful recruiters who have had satisfying careers by focusing on and growing the career of becoming a recruiter by itself. My takeaway from this is that appreciating the sense of progress honing your craft and seeing your results increase is extremely satisfying.   Greg Savage Bio and Contact Info   With a career spanning four decades, Greg is a founder of 4 highly successful businesses, a trusted advisor and respected voice across the global recruitment and professional services industries, and a regular keynote speaker at conferences around the world.   Throughout his fascinating career, Greg has learned countless lessons in leadership, business, and life. One of his greatest achievements is his success as a communicator.  An early adopter of social media for recruiters, Greg’s industry blog, The Savage Truth, is a must-read in the recruitment industry. In November 2018, he was named one of LinkedIn’s ‘Top Voices’.   Greg’s website link Greg on LinkedIn Greg on Facebook Greg on Twitter @greg_savage Greg on Instagram: @gregsavagetruth Greg on Youtube   People and Resources Mentioned   Driving performance with recruitment metrics and KPIs Greg’s Masterclass: Recruit - The Savage Way: A recruitment masterclass series from Greg Savage Greg’s new book: Recruit the Savage Way Recruitment Coach Live Summit in Florida - recruitmentcoach.com/florida   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Related Podcast You Might Enjoy   TRR#1 The Future of Recruitment: Strategies To Stay Relevant and Effective, with Greg Savage TRR#64 The Recruiter Roadmap to Recovery: How to Thrive in a Post-Pandemic World, with Greg Savage Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.  “Support the podcast and leave a review here”.  

Recruitment entrepreneurship can be immensely rewarding, but also brings the risk of burnout and overwhelm. New entrepreneurs can be vulnerable to workaholism, which can lead to negative consequences on physical and mental health, as well as personal relationships. We need to recognize the signs of workaholism and take steps to maintain a healthy work-life balance   My special guest, Tina Hazlett, founder of Spectrum Recruiting Solutions, shares her tips for success while maintaining a work-life balance. She gave at least four intentional steps that she took to overcome burnout, and I am sure you will find value in exploring the same steps.   Tina also shared the journey of how she transitioned from being a recruiter to a business owner, and how she navigated unpredictable market conditions. She also walked me through her advocacy of addressing the gender gap in her industry, and the steps they took to be successful in taking small steps forwards.   Tina has 22 years of experience in recruitment and started her own firm, Spectrum Recruiting Solutions, in 2018. They’ve since grown to a team of 14, based in the Salt Lake City area, Spectrum supports engineering and manufacturing companies in Utah through a combination of Direct-hire recruitment, RPO, and Consulting. Episode Outline and Highlights   [01:30] Tina Shares the Beginnings of Her Career in Recruitment. [03:57] Tina's One-Year Sabbatical Journey Before Launching Her Recruitment Firm. [10:33] Envisioning a Business Founded on Inclusivity and Remote Work Opportunities. [15:59] Addressing the Challenge of Hiring and Training Individuals Without Recruiting Experience [17:54] Tina's Four Steps to Overcoming Burnout as a New Entrepreneur. [24:34] The Evolution of Team Growth Throughout Tina's Entrepreneurial Journey. [28:30] Cultivating Camaraderie in a Remote Work Environment. [29:42] Discussing Gender Balance and Diversity in Utah's Engineering Industry. [37:00] Navigating Challenges in an Unconventional Market. [40:56] Insights into Tina's Business Development Strategies. [48:20] Establishing Career Paths and Succession Plans for the Team. [49:20] Tina's Approach to Transforming Solid Planning into Effective Execution. [51:48] Recognizing the Right Time to Expand and Grow Your Team.   Overcoming Burnout as a New Entrepreneur   New entrepreneurs can be vulnerable to workaholism for various reasons: passion and drive, new responsibilities, and adjusting to the learning curve of managing a new business. This was exactly how Tina felt when she founded Spectrum.    “If I'm being very honest about a couple years into starting spectrum, I hit a wall and I hit it hard and was so super burned out. And there was about at least a three-week period that I struggled to get out of bed. I was so tired.”   If you are feeling the same way, do not just ignore it. Workaholism leading to burnout can have many negative consequences. Tina was well aware of this fact, so she took action in order to build herself back up. We discussed the four steps she took to overcome overwhelm:   Realigning her priorities and making the most of her support system. She took concrete steps like scheduling dedicated family time on her calendar Creating a space for herself to take care of her mental health by doing yoga. Walking away from adversarial clients.   Gender Balance and Diversity Within the Engineering & Manufacturing Field in Utah   Tina talked me through her advocacy when she was planning to launch her recruitment firm. She said, “We really struggle in terms of our reputation and women's rights. That's one thing that I really wanted to promote. Where we focus on engineering and manufacturing in Utah, there's not a ton of representation for females out here, especially when it comes to equality, politically and professionally. Our goal was to really make sure women have a seat at the table.”   Her team took intentional steps to reach their objectives. They created channel partnerships and pipelines of candidates. They go beyond social media platforms through face-to-face networking.  She elaborated on how they would align with a group with similar mission and values for mutual support. This resulted in having females in 41% of their placement, which is an astonishing feat in their industry.   Business Development Strategies   We also discussed Tina’s most influential business development strategy. How are they able to develop their client base? She explains, “Through a lot of our networking events is our number one way to do it where we can get in front of people. For example, we just did a hosted roundtable with the Utah Outdoor Association which does a lot of product development for outdoors like kayaks, canoes, tables, and that type of thing. So if we can get in and present, be the experts, be that resource, then we have people coming to us with questions that evolve into those strategic conversations. And what's been the most successful for us is getting that FaceTime. We're not cold callers.”   This strategy of hosting and speaking at events builds the credibility of Tina and her team. This gives them the opportunity to have a consultative approach instead of just selling.    Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Tina Hazlett Bio and Contact Info   Tina started Spectrum Recruiting Solutions in 2018 after serving 17 years in the Talent Acquisition industry.  A professional sabbatical and personal desire to travel helped to provide the mental space she needed to create her vision of the ideal Talent Acquisition Firm. She and her entire family spent a full year traveling across the United States in a Winnebago, on purpose.  She fulfilled her soul as well as her contractual non-compete agreement.    With sheer determination and a dream, she built a successful recruiting, consulting & outplacement company that is thriving today. Amongst historic levels of economic uncertainty and geopolitical turmoil, she began a recruiting revolution!     When she’s not putting her blood, sweat, and tears into Spectrum, she is active in the community fighting for gender pay equality and managing her family's annual "Backpack Project" which provides basic necessities to underprivileged kids within our community. Somehow Tina still finds time to continue exploring her soul and her world, traveling, hiking, biking, teaching yoga, and living life to the absolute fullest with her AMAZING family.   Tina on LinkedIn Spectrum Recruiting Solutions website link Spectrum on Facebook Spectrum on Instagram Spectrum on YouTube Spectrum on Twitter   People and Resources Mentioned   Foram Brown on LinkedIn Emily Rushton on LinkedIn   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Related Podcast You Might Enjoy   TRR#155 How to Grow a Recruitment Agency from Start-Up to $3M Profit in Two Years, with Emily Rushton Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.  “Support the podcast and leave a review here”.  

Starting a cybersecurity recruitment business during a tech market downturn can be exceptionally challenging for several reasons: reduced demand, intense competition, financial constraints, and talent availability. Despite these challenges, it's not impossible to succeed in launching a cybersecurity recruitment business during a downturn, as proven by my special guest, Stuart Mitchell. Stu founded Hampton North in 2022 with the goal of building the most trusted cybersecurity search firm in the united states. Despite the downturn in the tech market, they’re on pace to bill $1.5-2M in their first year. In this episode, Stu shared his insights into key topics that help him succeed: finding the right people to surround you, attracting and retaining the best people, and how to build a personal brand, and becoming a recognized industry leader. With over a decade of experience, Stu has been a successful billing manager, having personally billed over a million dollars while building a multi-million dollar team who achieved an EBITA of $1m. He’s placed some of the most well-known cyber security executives into Financial Services Companies, Retail Brands, and Tech Giants alike. He has built cyber security programs from 0-20+ on multiple occasions, including one of these scale-ups in less than 8 weeks.   Episode Outline and Highlights [03:30] How Stu got into recruiting leading to him starting his recruitment firm. [11:30] From good to great - finding the right people to surround you. [16:18] How Stu began to build his brand by sharing a case study on LinkedIn. [20:48] Stu shared how he launched Hampton North and what makes them thrive despite the downturn in the tech industry.  [29:52] Attracting, hiring, and retaining the best people as a startup.  [39:21] Breakdown of how Stu became a recognized industry leader.  [50:00] The importance of consistency in creating value-adding content - hear Stuart’s content strategies. [1:03:30] Stu shares what is next for Hampton North.   Overcoming a Tech Market Downturn - Launching Hampton North and Billing 7 Digits on Their First Year   A remarkable achievement that I wanted to discuss with Stu is how he launched his cybersecurity recruitment business, Hampton North in 2022. What makes it amazing is that despite the downturn in the tech market, they are on pace to bill $2M in their first year!  I am excited to share in this episode Stu’s insights on the things that contributed to this success. We zoomed in on three key factors:   The importance of hard work. Developing key account relationships. The quality of people that you hire.   The third topic resonated well with me as I feel the impact of having the right team members to support my business. For many recruitment business owners, especially those who are just starting, hiring someone can be like a roll of the dice. Stu shared how he was able to get the top talents and retain them. It can probably be summarized with a question that serves as his guiding principle when hiring: “Who are the best people that I know, and why aren't they already working here?”   Becoming a Recognized Industry Leader and Consistent in Sharing Relevant Content   Stu also did a phenomenal job in establishing a reputation in the cybersecurity space as a recognized thought and industry leader. With more than 40,000 LinkedIn followers, he is consistent in posting industry-relevant content. I also enjoy the posts that he shares, so I wanted to get his thought process on how he is consistently coming up with ideas.   We discussed the following subjects:   The impact of sharing case studies. Creating a brand of familiarity less the intention of wanting to be liked. Avoiding “forced content” by sharing free-flowing ideas. Strategies in creating 2-3 posts a day consistently.   Stu described his thought process this way, “I think I kind of see this as t kind of the writer's strike in Hollywood, right? The more you force it and try and make things rigid and structured like it's really hard to force great ideas. Great ideas are free-flowing.”   Surrounding Yourself with the Right People   Before becoming a recruitment business owner, Stu has always been a consistently successful billing manager.  He billed over a million dollars while building a multi-million dollar team that achieved an EBITA of $1m.    He revealed what can turn a good recruiter into a great recruiter: “I think it goes back, there's a saying of yours, your collective sum of the five closest people around you.”    Stu mentioned great recruiters where he learned to shift his perspectives in terms of what is possible. Surrounding yourself with the right people can shift your whole belief system to drive you to reach your potential.    Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Stuart Mitchell Bio and Contact Info   Stuart is a seasoned professional with over a decade of global expertise in technical recruiting.   Stuart's influence extends deep into the heart of America's cybersecurity landscape, where he has been instrumental in securing top-tier executives for prominent Financial Services Companies, Retail Brands, and Technology Giants. His achievements also include the remarkable feat of independently establishing cybersecurity programs from the ground up, often growing them from zero to over 20 employees in astonishingly short periods, with one such endeavor completed within just eight weeks.   With a track record of building and expanding technical recruitment enterprises, Stuart embarked on the journey to establish Hampton North. His mission is to forge Hampton North into the foremost trusted name in cybersecurity recruitment throughout the United States.   Stuart on LinkedIn Hampton North website link   People and Resources Mentioned   Steven Li on LinkedIn Lee Hills on LinkedIn   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Related Podcast You Might Enjoy   TRR# 175 How to Build Trust and Relationships at Scale by Hosting Meet-up Events, with Steven Li Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.  “Support the podcast and leave a review here”.

Recruiting is not only sales and data-driven. It encompasses a broader range of skills, qualities, and considerations which is mainly focused on building relationships and human connection. Effective recruiting involves understanding people's motivations, aspirations, and personalities.    That is why it is important for recruiters and business owners to understand the value of Emotional Intelligence. Emotional intelligence empowers recruiters to navigate the intricacies of human interaction, fostering trust, rapport, and success within the recruitment industry.   In this episode, my special guest, James Elliot, shares the 5 pillars of emotional intelligence which are critical components in becoming effective recruiters. James is very different from my usual guests in that he does not come from a recruiting background.   James joined the British Army in 2006, deploying around the world including to Afghanistan.   After his own issues with mental health, James became a strength and conditioning coach at a national league rugby team, where he learned the power of mentoring. He was then asked to help establish the first-ever British Army Parachute Jumping Instructors Platoon.   At RAF Brize Norton, James also attended several courses in mental health, becoming an instructor, and also broke 2 Guinness world records in feats of endurance in rugby.    In 2018, James became a Mental Resilience Coach for the British Army, where he helped develop and deliver mental resilience training, including to special forces. In 2020, James left the army to take his mental resilience training to a wider audience including high-performing individuals and teams, such as the Paralympic Rowing team.  Episode Outline and Highlights   [1:39] Why understanding human behavior is practical in the recruiting industry. [04:36] James’ journey as a mental resilience coach and what made him pursue mental health qualifications. [15:04] James shares the resilience principles that he was teaching in the British Army. [17:40] Our discussion on the key concepts of resilience. [31:14] Practical applications of resilience in the field of recruiting. [39:09] Why emotional influence and biases play a huge role in your decision-making. [42:29] What should you do when a candidate ghosts you? [46:49] Zooming in to Emotional Intelligence - what is it and how do you develop it? [54:10] The 5 Pillars of Emotional Intelligence.  [55:51] James shares his motto "Leave every room better than you found it" - use your positive influence.   Understanding Resilience and Human Behaviour to Become an Effective Recruiter   James explains his approach to mental resilience which focused on adapting to adversity. We discussed key topics o human behavior that can contribute to your success as a recruiter or recruitment business owner. The takeaways that well resonated with me are the following:   Embracing Human Behaviour Insight: He zoomed in on the value of understanding human behavior, which he believes is a massive part of being an effective recruiter. When dealing with your team, a candidate, or a client, this life skill is critical to becoming effective.   Leveraging Human Connection James also elaborated on the importance of engaging with someone on a very human level to bring out the very best of their performance. This is useful when coaching your team. James relayed very specific examples of how this has worked for him and his coachees and how this can work for you.   Thriving Through Resilience The principle of resilience is about turning surviving into thriving. For you to become resilient, it is not always about being the strongest or the sharpest. It is about learning to adapt. For James, it is about changing quicker and adapting faster than everybody.   Unveiling Emotional Intelligence James reveals his thought process about emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and understanding your emotions. These topics are relevant to the recruitment field, which is a people business.   How Emotional Intelligence Influences Your Decision Making   When we say resilience, we do not only refer to overcoming drastic events and momentous situations. For example, recruitment on its own is challenging as is due to its demanding and stressful nature, punctuated by daily rejection. You are dealing with human beings, who don't always do what they say or communicate transparently. A strong will and resilient mindset are critical components to be successful in recruitment.   I had to ask James’ viewpoint on how to develop mental resilience. James argues that resilience isn't about suppressing emotions but understanding them through emotional intelligence. We talked about practical steps that can help you develop emotional intelligence. A good example is when dealing with people, may it be a candidate or your own team member. Emotional maturity includes overcoming conscious and unconscious biases to deal with your stakeholders effectively. James says our biases often make us see people as we want, not objectively. Look at their actions by making an objective timeline of people's actual behaviors to see their true patterns.    We also discussed modern-day communication and how to deal with ghosting, which is becoming a more common trend nowadays. James gave his perspective on what prompts other people to ghost others and how this can be dealt with in the field of recruiting.   The 5 Pillars of Emotional Intelligence James breaks emotional intelligence into 5 pillars:  Self-awareness, emotional control, empathy, social awareness, and motivation.   He elaborated on each of these pillars and shared insights on how their application. He talked about the biggest obstacles to motivation and self-improvement. James also shared his motto: "Leave every room slightly better than you found it".   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   James Elliot Bio and Contact Info A psychotherapist and resilience coach, who takes a close look at the scientific methods of the development of resilience, from observable neurobiological reactions to psychotherapeutic processes and proven psychological techniques to develop an individual's emotional resilience.   Having served 14 years in the British Army's Airborne Forces, including as the second in command of the British Army's Mental Resilience Training Team, as part of the British Army's first Army Parachute Jumping Instructors platoon, operational deployment to Afghanistan, and two seasons as a strength and conditioning coach to a National League rugby team.    Now working as a psychotherapist who works with a broad spectrum of high-achieving individuals including trail-blazing athletes, special forces operators, blue light services, CEOs, politicians, and vulnerable veterans to help the individual find their subjective fulfillment and state of emotional resilience.   Fighting through childhood abuse, instability, poor mental health, and poverty, James Elliott uses his lived experiences to help relate the complicated psychological principles to his audience.   Currently living in Essex, where he is still an avid supporter of his local rugby team, dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and developing his health and strength, James continues his studies currently at King's College London and is a father to a charismatic daughter.   James on LinkedIn Tough Enough to Care website link (A Non-Profit that James support) Think Yourself Resilient: Harness Your Emotions. Build Your Confidence. Transform Your Life.  People and Resources Mentioned The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell    Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

Fostering a workplace where everyone wants to work can translate to positive employer branding. This is a critical factor if you wish to build your recruitment business to scale.   Joe Curtis, my special guest, will tell us how they can launch and scale recruitment companies while building those as businesses that people want to work for. The first recruitment business Joe and his cofounders built, 3Search, launched in 2014, and currently employs 40 people. With the successful scaling of 3Search, Joe turned his attention to building the 11 Investments Group, now at 100 heads, with 6 recruitment companies within the group.   In this episode, Joe shared his insights on they are able to have 900+ 5-star Google Reviews across their group, which is phenomenal for a recruitment company. We also discussed the value of diversity and inclusivity, as well as his take on the work-from-home and hybrid setup which is a recently hot topic.   Episode Outline and Highlights [02:27] Joe’s recruiter and investor journey: How he left Michael Page and started his boutique firm. [06:41] Strategies for investing in startups instead of growing capital for the original business.  [13:27] Turning mistakes into learning opportunities - Joe revealed their biggest learnings and how they use them to help new startups invest in their holding. [22:35] Having a shared vision and working well with co-founders. [31:00] What it takes to be recognized as a Great Place to Work. [38:49] Zooming in on inclusivity and behavior-based hiring. [47:45] Discussion on the hybrid and work-from-home setting.   Critical Components When Launching and Scaling Recruitment Businesses   Joe co-founded his first recruitment business, 3Search, in 2014 which currently employs 40 people. With the successful scaling of 3Search, Joe turned his attention to building the 11 Investments Group, now at 100 heads. I wanted to pick his brains on the core components needed to build and scale a recruitment business.    From a strategic point of view, Joe tells the story of why they invested in startups.  “Because we didn't want a multi-discipline business. We wanted a group of specialists,” he continued, “we champion small business, we champion entrepreneurship. and growth of small companies. And we have a platform that enables significant ownership to the guys that come in and found the businesses with us. We know how to scale and grow a recruitment business today in 2023, and we bring in founders who know their market well.”   What does the roadmap look like when it comes to scaling a recruitment business? Joe explained how they use an investment model to adapt to the market. He also mentioned how important it is to be hands-on. You will also hear strategies for handling operational tasks such as accounting and marketing on a centralized approach. Most importantly, Joe also shared the mistakes and learnings that they had to take for the past 9 years and how they are leveraging them to help out recruitment businesses investing in their group.   Running a Recruitment Business with Multiple Co-Owners   Running a recruitment business with multiple co-owners can be challenging for several reasons such as decision-making, division of responsibilities, and communication. But what I think is most common is the lack of a shared vision. Leaders can have different ideas of what they're trying to accomplish. What advice would Joe give to recruitment business owners who are working with multiple or other partners? He discussed the following two key principles:   Having an articulated vision in the short, medium, and long term. Constantly talk about what you are doing and building.   As Joe describes it, “And these days, you know, we don't spend an awful lot of time together as a three talking about stuff, making decisions. So if you're not careful, you can start planning the future. on your own and then one of the others is planning a slightly different future. And as you kind of, as time goes on, those plans get further and further and further apart. So it's important to keep talking about what we're building.”   Creating a Business That People Want to Work For   Recently featured in The Sunday Times, Best Places to Work 2023, 11investment’s efforts have been recognized among the top-rated employers. This is an amazing feat, especially in the recruitment industry. Joe and his partners recognized that “hiring people is going to be hard in the recruitment industry and keeping people was going to be hard in their doing what we're doing.” They took proactive steps to ensure that they retain their valuable talents.   Joe revealed the things that they are doing differently to foster an environment where people want to work. “This employer brand we're building is all based around us really striving to provide the best benefits package we possibly can as a holistic package for people. It's really important that we consider everybody's needs collectively rather than just paying as much commission as we possibly can or having an amazing holiday benefit or, yeah, we're trying to put everything together. So we do have an amazing commission structure, I believe. We do have a good holiday. We've got unlimited holidays… The goal is to provide the best environment we possibly can that enables everybody to flourish both professionally and personally.”   We also discussed topics relating to hybrid and work-from-home setups, as well as what it takes to become a B-Corp-certified company.    Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Joe Curtis Bio and Contact Info   Joe is a recruiter, founder of multiple businesses, and now a recruitment investor who is helping to build and scale recruitment businesses.   Joe is the Director & Co-Founder at 11 Investments Director & Co-Founder at Recruiter Labs Director at 3Search   11 Investments was named The Sunday Times' Top Place To Work for 16-34 year-olds in 2023.   Joe on LinkedIn 11 Investments website link 3Search website link Recruiter Labs website link   People and Resources Mentioned   Adrian Romani on LinkedIn Anne Swain on LinkedIn APSCo website link Hibob HR Tool link Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast episode discussion on working from home   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

“Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a priority to the next generation of employees. Their expectation is to see leaders who look like them and to know organizations are committed to DEI long-term — not only during times of social crisis.” The Future of Recruiting 2023 LinkedIn Report Embracing diversity in the recruitment industry is a progressive move that not only brings commercial benefits. It is a long-term commitment that aligns with the values of the current and future employees. I am delighted to share this episode with a very special guest, Alexis Alvarez.  Alexis is a diversity advocate and the founder of Career Rockstars, a boutique talent and diversity search firm that partners with lower and middle-market PE firms in the United States and Europe. In this episode, she shared how they became diversity recruitment specialists for lower and middle-market private equity firms, with diversity hires of 60-75%.  Alexis has over 10 years of recruiting experience and is also a podcast host. Her show is called Take the Stage - Ladies Who Rock, conversations with rockstar women from the world of private equity. Episode Outline and Highlights [01:46] From the US to the Middle East and Europe -  hear Alexis’ recruitment career journey. [12:30] How Alexis started her Private Equity (PE) recruitment firm. [21:39] Why truly embracing diversity can be a key differentiator to a recruitment company. [26:00] A retrospect to Alexis’ biggest achievements as a recruitment business owner including key learnings. [29:07] Do you consider yourself the biggest challenge in your recruitment career? Listen as Alexis shares how she can relate.  [32:02] Discussion on how to dislodge self-limiting beliefs. [36:18] Career Rockstar’s critical success factor: Patience, Purpose, and Intention framework. [40:20] Launching “Take the Stage Ladies Who Rock” - adding value to the recruitment industry through podcasting.  [51:12] David vs Goliath - the story of how Alexis won a huge deal over Heidrick & Struggles. [56:40] Navigating the unseen challenges of working full-time as a mom and recruitment business owner.   Truly Embracing Diversity as a Key Differentiator   Career Rockstars’ unique selling point is its commitment to diversity and inclusion. Alexis has a remarkable  60 to 75% diversity placement rate in her company. They prioritize diversity in their searches. This approach attracts like-minded firms that are also committed to diversity.    What led Alexis to adopt this approach? She explained, “And I don't know why, maybe it's being, growing up in LA, you're in a really diverse setting... It was really like in 2020 when the world was falling apart. I'm seeing everything happen in the US. I just thought, what's happening, like, I could be doing more… I  just thought, okay, well, what can I do? And that's really when I decided to double down on increasing the number of diverse candidates that are in my pipeline, at least. And that's really how it started.”   Like me, you will also be inspired by Alexis’ passion and positive energy while sharing her story. How are you embracing diversity in your recruitment firm? Doing so is a progressive move that brings significant advantages. By fostering an inclusive culture and actively seeking diverse talent, recruitment companies create a more dynamic and forward-thinking business mindset.   Operating Under the Patience, Purpose, and Intention Framework   Alex shared her work framework involving patience, purpose, and intention. This is aligned with her business model and also a no-nonsense approach to coming up with solutions for her clients. Some valuable insights that Alexis shared are:   Patience - this entails planning in advance and not over-complicating things.  Purpose - having clarity on purpose and the “why” of doing things will lead you to plan with intention. Intention - this is credibility through action.   This benefits Alexis both personally and professionally. She explains, “So not only with the clients that I work with and telling them how to help them and what they need to do and what patience in their context means and purpose and intention in their context means, but like with candidates who want to make a move, it's the same simple concepts that are applied, but just you're adapting them to different scenarios.”   Dislodging Self-Limiting Beliefs   A lot of us can relate to another key topic that Alexis and I discussed: overcoming self-doubt. When I asked her about the biggest challenges she had to face, she mentioned that her biggest obstacle is self-limiting beliefs. I admired how Alexis transparently laid out how she felt when she had to deal with insecurity, an impostor mindset, and self-doubts. We then discussed how she is able to greatly improve her confidence with the support of her husband. She also talked about the value of joining a coaching group.    Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Alexis Alvarez Bio and Contact Info   Career Rockstars Founder, recruitment expert, and diversity advocate, Alexis Alvarez is a steward of capital...human capital. She delivers value-creating impact working with L&MM PE firms who want to increase their diverse hires and broaden their talent pools.   With 15 years of recruitment experience, Alexis knows that firms simply cannot hire high-caliber diverse talent with a low-caliber, or non-existent, diversity strategy. She understands that attracting, and retaining, diverse talent requires patience, purpose, conscious effort, and intention. This approach, together with her positive energy and ability to find and attract outstanding talent, make her a true talent partner.   Alexis’ commitment to diversity started as a child growing up in Los Angeles. As a first-generation American, she was raised to embrace different cultures, races, and religions, understanding from a very early age that being different was not a weakness but a strength. That upbringing has served as a guiding principle throughout her life: different is good and more often than not, great!   Prior to founding Career Rockstars, Alexis led recruitment efforts in the European and Middle Eastern digital TV spaces, working with HBO Europe and StarzPlay Arabia. She holds an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain, and a BS in International Business from CSU Northridge. She is a lover of languages and considers herself a hard-core Godfather fan, and when not playing referee to her three young children, tries to squeeze in time for reading and sewing.   Alexis on LinkedIn Career Rockstars website link Take the Stage Podcast link   People and Resources Mentioned   The 2023 Future of Recruiting LinkedIn Report   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#154 How to Improve Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Your Recruitment Process, with Jo Major TRR#102 How Recruiters Can Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, with Chikere Igbokwe  TRR#57 Diversity as a Differentiator – How Recruiters Can Attract 70% More Diverse Talent, with Helen McGuire TRR#12 The Commercial Value of Diversity and Inclusion in Recruitment, with Raj Tulsiani Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

"Selling without selling" refers to an approach or technique that focuses on building authentic relationships with potential customers and meeting their needs without resorting to pushy sales tactics. The goal is to create a positive and genuine interaction with prospects, building long-lasting relationships.   This can be easier said than done, that is why our special guest, Mike Silverstein of Direct Recruiters, Inc shares how he applies this to his practice and he has helped developed multi-million dollar billers.    Mike is the Managing Partner of DRI's healthcare IT and life sciences practice. In 2014, Mike was inducted into the Pinnacle Society, which is the nation's premier consortium of top recruiters within the direct placement and search industry. In 2016, Mike was named one of the most influential millennials by Staffing Industry Analysts.   Episode Outline and Highlights   [04:28] How getting fired from his first job led … Mike got into recruitment. [08:16] Building a practice from scratch in the middle of a recession [17:15] Figuratively depositing in the emotional bank account - hear young Mike’s strategy for building relationships with senior executives in transition. [22:30] Mike reveals why you should “Never sell on the first call!” [31:20] Practices on leads tracking and follow-up. [33:19] Why you must hire team members to complement what you’re good at. [38:24] Lessons learned in trying to grow a team. [39:56] The one thing you cannot teach your team members. [43:41] Hiring, mentoring, and developing million dollar billers.   “Never Sell on the First Call!”   Mike revealed the best advice he got when he was just starting as a recruiter.    He shared, “I learned that if you can resist the urge to sell on the first call … you're going to land in the friend or, you know, consultant bucket versus the person that five minutes into a call is asking for something. And if you can resist the urge to sell on the first call, you'll have carte blanche to ask for stuff for the rest of your relationship because you've established yourself in the right part of somebody's brain.”   I believe that this approach has contributed greatly to Mike’s success. Understanding the value of being genuine and authentic allowed him to gain respect from potential clients and other stakeholders. Mike shared how he applied these principles to grow a multi-million dollar practice.   Hiring, Mentoring, and Developing Million Dollar Billers   A fulfilling accomplishment in Mike’s career is how he hired and developed million dollar billers in their firm. Some of the talent he hired as rookies have gone on to become Partners. What are the key factors in build a team of high performers?   Here are some insights that Mike shared:   You cannot teach self-motivation: “I think one of the things I learned is you can't teach motivation. Like people have to be self-motivated. You can teach the skill, but you can't teach them motivation.”  Build Relationships: Mike loves talking to people, whether it be candidates or senior executives, and would happily add value even if he is not pitching any business during the initial interactions. He described it as “depositing into the relationship bank”, which keeps him top-of-mind when there are positions that need to be filled. Be Top-of-Funnel Driven: “I've had to learn the hard way that you can't be relying on any one customer or any one relationship. And so I am obsessed with top of the funnel,” Mike says. Being consistent in top-of-funnel activities like marketing and business development is key to consistent billing.   Complement Your Strengths with the Right Team Members   Another topic that resonated with me is our discussion on the value of hiring the right team members. A lot of solo recruiters and recruitment entrepreneurs tend to attemp to do everything on their own. But the most successful business owners I know are those who know how to delegate and hire team members that complement their strengths.    Mike shared how this has been a game-changer for him when he hired an experienced partner to complement his strengths and weaknesses. He said, “And if recruiting is a combination of art and science, I'm the artist and she's the scientist.”   If you are a solo practitioner, you might be missing out on opportunities by not building a team. If you're in a boat rowing by yourself,you can only go so fast and so far. But if you have a whole crew who are rowing in the same direction, man, you can really motor!   Our Sponsor   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Mike Silverstein Bio and Contact Info   Mike Silverstein is the Managing Partner of DRI's Healthcare IT Division and Life Sciences Practice. In 2014, Mike was inducted into The Pinnacle Society, the nation’s premier consortium of top recruiters within the direct placement and search industry. In 2016, Mike was named one of the most "" by Staffing Industry Analysts, the global advisor of staffing and workforce solutions.   Mike founded the Healthcare IT practice in 2008. Under his leadership, the Life Sciences Practice has expanded and the HIT practice area has grown significantly year-over-year. Additionally, in 2011, Mike helped found what is now DRI's Hospital IT group as a Managing Partner, which is concentrated largely on Hospital IT staffing and consulting. With a focus on recruiting from the Executive Level and C-Suite through individual contributor roles within healthcare software and services organizations nationwide, Mike's diverse background helps him to identify exceptional individuals from startup companies to Fortune 500 corporations. Mike’s consultative style along with his personable approach enables him to develop trusted relationships with clients and investors in order to deliver high-caliber talent capable of leading companies in competitive and fast-changing business environments. Mike Silverstein is known as one of the top healthcare IT recruiters and life sciences recruiters in the United States.   Mike graduated Cum Laude in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. He is a Cleveland sports fan, and enjoys music, socializing with friends, and discussing politics.   Mike on LinkedIn Direct Recruiters website link Direct Recruiters on Facebook Direct Recruiters on YouTube Direct Recruiters on Twitter   People and Resources Mentioned   Pinnacle Society The book mentioned: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team  Kasey Kaiser on LinkedIn  Dan Charney on LinkedIn Fernando Espinosa on LinkedIn  Norman Volsky on LinkedIn  Chris Shoettelkotte on LinkedIn  Rich Rosen on LinkedIn  Crelate - recruiting software   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#182 Growth Mindset: How to Conquer Self Doubt and Become a Top Biller, with Fernando Espinosa How to Build a $6M+ Practice by Hiring and Training Top Performers, with Norman Volsky How to Create a Unique Value Proposition and Sell Retained Executive Search, with Chris Shoettelkotte Think Like a Big Biller: How to Get Repeat Business and Referrals, with Rich Rosen Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter     If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.  “Support the podcast and leave a review here”.    

The most successful recruiters and recruitment business owners are constantly learning and evolving. While average performers often think they know it all, the top 10% are never satisfied in their quest for continuous improvement. Someone who has reinvented himself multiple times over his 30-year recruitment career is my special guest, Fernando Espinosa.  I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. Fernando is an incredible recruiter who’s filled as many as 500 roles in one year - that’s more than a placement per day!  But the reason I most admire and respect Fernando is his humility.  Fernando has navigated several economic recessions and business setbacks. In the process, he has overcome self-doubt and limiting beliefs numerous times throughout his career. His passion for personal growth and development stems from his sincere desire to become the best version of himself on a daily basis. Fernando is the President and CEO of Top Notch Finders, Inc., a member of Sanford Rose Associates (SRA) Network. With over 3 decades of excellence in the field, Fernando’s firm recruits top-tier executives for manufacturing sites in Mexico, LATAM, and the United States. He also has expertise in executive roles across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Fernando’s been a member of The Pinnacle Society since 2007, a collective of the top 80 headhunters in North America.    Episode Outline and Highlights [01:54] How Fernando got into the recruiting industry. [04:52] Placing 30 to 40 people per month and launching Top Notch Finders. [10:47] Making more than one placement a day - how Fernando did it before the internet! [15:43] Practice makes progress - Fernando shares how he became fluent in English. [18:21] Transitioning from a successful recruiter to becoming a recruitment business owner and returning as a solo recruiter. [22:00] Reflection on overcoming limiting beliefs. [34:00] Why and how you should avoid the “Lion Syndrome.” [35:45] Shifting from contingent to retained and engaged. [46:04] What makes Fernando one of the top recruiters in the US? Hear his incredible story of how he filled 500 positions in a year. [53:18] The biggest lessons Fernando has learned that make him a successful recruiter today. [55:07] Why Fernando invests in coaching and personal development despite his great successes.   Become a Successful Recruiter by Overcoming Self-Limiting Beliefs  A key topic that really resonated with me in this conversation with Fernando is his mindset on limiting beliefs.    He shared his story of resilience when the 2008-09 Global Financial Crisis hit their recruitment business: “We went from $6 million to about $500,000 in sales. So we had to let go of many people. It was a brutal experience. We felt like we were, we had imposter syndrome because we weren't what we thought we were.”   He had to part ways with his business partner and he had to start over by setting up his solo shop. This is how he described the situation: “I had to start all over again… And of course, also the limiting beliefs. When you have limiting beliefs and you don't know that you have limiting beliefs, that affects your ability to reinvent yourself, to create a better version of yourself. And I have tons of limiting beliefs, self-limiting beliefs.”   Can you relate to Fernando’s experience? Have you faced a setback so hard that it affected your mindset and you would not know where to start? You will likely be inspired by how Fernando overcame this hurdle by reinventing himself throughout the years and improving in many different ways.   Evolving from Contingency to Retained Recruiter - and Billing $700,000 in 8 Months with One Client I have always advocated the value of the retained or engaged search model as a win-win solution for both clients and recruiters. That is why I was interested to hear how Fernando transitioned from 100% contingent to retained search. He shared mainly two key pointers in doing so:   Understanding the dynamics of engaged and retained search processes. Overcoming the biggest obstacle in transitioning to a retained - his own beliefs.   Fernando shared his first retainer project and how he started to engage his clients in this new approach by working on positions that most competitors and talent acquisition teams are struggling to fill. He then asked for a low retainer - of one to two thousand dollars, just to get the commitment of the client. He then turned it into an incredible $700k billings in eight months!   At the time that this episode is published, Fernando is getting a 60% success rate in his retained search.   Continuously Reinventing Yourself in a 30-Year Recruiting Career    My main takeaways from this episode are Fernado’s astounding humility and appetite for learning. As he mentioned, he has reinvented himself continuously in his 30-year recruitment career. We actually recently started working together as part of our coaching group. This is despite him already billing $1M+ yearly, having already extensive training from SRA, being a member of Pinnacle, and doing so many things right in his recruitment business. This is how he concluded our conversation: “I believe that it is very critical to develop the best version of yourself on a daily basis. When you settle with the version of yourself, you automatically put a stop to your growing and your developing. I always believe that I don't have all the answers… I always know that there are people with different perspectives, different ideas, and different thought processes that I can learn from and that I can enrich myself. And I'm willing to do that. I'm willing to listen to an expert recruiting coach that has been very successful helping other recruiting owners.”   Our Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Fernando Espinosa Bio and Contact Info Fernando has more than three decades of search experience in search. Since 1994 involved in assisting clients from North America, Europe, and Asia to solve a variety of dedicated search, recruiting, outplacement, employee engagement and retention, cultural sensitivity, and other human-resource-related issues in their Mexico, Latin America, and US/Mexico border region operations. He is the first credentialed member of The Pinnacle Society from Mexico. Membership in The Pinnacle Society is limited to 75 of the highest-performing recruiters in North America. Membership is attained only by meeting an exceptionally high standard of recruiting production and after a thorough review and approval process by its Board of Directors. Member of the Board of Directors for NAPS (National Association of Personnel Services). District Director for the US West Coast.   Fernando on LinkedIn Top Notch Finders website link Top Notch Finders on Facebook Top Notch Finders on YouTube Sanford Rose website link   People and Resources Mentioned The Pinnacle Society Karen Schmidt on LinkedIn Jeff Kaye on LinkedIn Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Sales is the lifeblood of every business. It’s almost impossible to scale your recruitment company without a consistent flow of new business. Yet many recruitment agencies are lacking an effective and repeatable sales process.   My next guest, Alex Elliott, has designed an effective client acquisition system that yields consistent, predictable results. It enables him and his team to focus their efforts on the right things, optimize the customer experience, and make data-driven decisions to drive revenue growth and business success.   However, designing and executing an effective business development system is easier said than done! In this episode, Alex reveals how they designed their client acquisition funnel around four core sales processes.   Alex also shared best practices and tips on how to consistently share value-adding LinkedIn posts, and how to structure your business for scale.   This is Alex’s second time on the show. The last time was way back in December 2019, before the pandemic. He shared the story of co-founding Liquid Personnel with Jonathan Coxon and how they scaled to a 100M revenue business and became the number one market leader in their space before exiting via a sale to Private Equity.    Alex is now an investor and Strategic Advisor with Strive, headquartered in Manchester. Strive provides Go To Market professionals for disruptive VC-backed tech startups and scaleups across EMEA and the US.   Episode Outline and Highlights   [03:46] The three steps to consistently post good LinkedIn content.  [10:30] How to structure an effective LinkedIn post using the AIDA formula. [14:18] Mark and Alex share perspectives on LinkedIn posts’ return on effort. [19:15] Why Alex invested in Strive Recruitment. [23:30] Alex discusses how they structure their business for scale.  [36:15] The four core sales processes to design an effective client acquisition system. [44:53] How to use Sales KPIs the right way to get better results. [55:18] Core marketing channels that Alex’s team focuses on.   Consistently Sharing Value-Adding Linked Content with a Strong Opening Hook   Posting on LinkedIn consistently can build your professional brand, expand your network, attract top talent, engage with your audience, and promote your organization. If you are a recruitment business leader, you should set an example for your team.   Alex shared his thought process on why he consistently posts:    “I think because I've gone into the SaaS space … one of the things I noticed early on sort of going into that industry, a lot of the leaders, the sales leaders, the go-to-market leaders, and also just the CEOs within that space take personal responsibility for building their own brand. Which in turn has a huge, potentially huge positive impact on the business's brand. So I think I saw that and I was kind of motivated to see whether we could do the same.”   Alex revealed his three steps to be consistent in creating good LinkedIn posts:   Decide to make posting on LinkedIn a habit. Create a workflow. For example Alex writes all his LinkedIn content for the week on Sunday afternoon. Bank your ideas. Alex has a note on his phone where he captures ideas throughout the week. Then when he sits down to create content, he can bang out multiple high-quality posts quite quickly.   He elaborated on how he formulates his content using the AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) principle. We also talked about our perspectives on the return on effort on LinkedIn posting.   How to Structure Your Recruitment Agency for Scale with Career Pathways   “We have multiple career pathways… If you want to scale a recruitment business, you can’t just keep adding heads and heads and heads. You have to build some of the infrastructure which is going to support that growth. One of those things is career pathways.”    I am 100% aligned with Alex regarding the importance of creating a well defined career path for your team members. For Strive - it is about ensuring that a framework or path is in place for their new joiners. Specifically, they design these paths to ensure that they work on their team’s strengths, rather than the usual progression of biller to manager.    Alex shared the career path layout for their team members covering delivery, business development, account management, technical, and management routes. We also discussed how the 360, 270, or 180 models fit their organization.   How to Design an Effective Sales Strategy and Funnel   Another topic that I love in this conversation is how Strive have designed their client acquisition and sales funnel. Focusing on business development and marketing is an absolute must for building a sustainable and resilient recruitment business. Doing this minimizes the chance of getting into a feast and famine rollercoaster that many in the industry are experiencing.   You will find value in Elliott’s explanation of the four core sales processes:   Territory Management Call Management Opportunity Management Account Management   Alex also generously shared the platforms or media that they mostly focus on for their business development campaigns.   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here:  https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained Alex Elliott Bio and Contact Info   Alex is an Investor and Strategic Director at Strive. Following the sale of his recruitment firm, Liquid Personnel, in 2016 (PE sale), he has now joined the Strive Board of Directors to help scale the business and support our international expansion. A Quote Alex lives by is "Excellence is achieved by mastery of the fundamentals".   Alex on LinkedIn Strive website link Strive on Facebook Strive on Instagram   People and Resources Mentioned   Adam Richardson (Strive co-Founder) on LinkedIn  Harrison Scott (Strive co-Founder) on LinkedIn Cracking the Sales Management Code by Jason Jordan   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#2 Setting Up A Recruitment Business For Scale with Jonathan Coxon and Alex Elliott   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

Is it possible to exit a small, boutique search practice where the owner is one of the primary billers? My special guest, Stephan Aschenbrenner, has found a way of making it possible.    Stephan is the CEO of EO Executives, a franchise network with offices throughout Europe. In 2011, he joined EO executives to build out their German territory. And after four years, they became one of Germany's top 50 executive search and selection firms. Stefan became the managing director of EO International Group in 2016 and became the owner in 2019.   Stephan’s goal is to help executive search professionals to build and scale a partner-led executive search firm and achieve annual billings of 2-4 million. The idea is to build a sustainable business that could be sold to a successor with a significant equity value.   Episode Outline and Highlights   [03:52] Stephan discusses the challenges and solutions to sustainably scale small boutique executive search firms. [10:40] How Stephan’s retail background relates to growing recruitment businesses through partnership and franchising. [14:05] Helping franchise partners to grow - Stephan shares the tools they provide. [18:50] Leverage Level - enabling partners to maximize their time and productivity by providing assistants. [21:45] Team Level - spreading business relationships within the partner’s team. [26:30] Developing others - billing while building teams. [33:50] Fostering a culture of training and coaching. [43:33] Finding and retaining the right partners in a franchise setup. [49:50] Building the equity value of a search firm. [54:43] Why 12 is the magic number? [57:32] Leveraging technology platforms.   Enhancing Small Boutique Firms' Growth through the Power of Franchising   Scaling an executive search firm is very challenging. Stephan described from his own experience how it can be disappointing to invest time and an immense amount of funding to train and onboard new consultants who will end up leaving your business.   As Stephan shared, “You're always putting the money from the strong builders and investing in the newcomers. And then the other thing is that's what we learned in the UK especially…the better the people are, the sooner they just go for a higher paycheck. So it always was a kind of high turnover. We spent so much time training the people and the people said, ‘thank you for the training. This was probably the best training I ever got. But sorry, now I go to London, for a bigger paycheck.’ So it was a constant turnover in the company.”   I think this is the experience for many owners who want to grow - the frustration and difficulty can cause many to give up pursuing their dreams of building their businesses. In our coaching program called Apex, we have dedicated business owners who are looking to scale their recruitment business between 5-25 people. We know the difficulty of achieving a strong successful company - but it is absolutely doable!   Stephan shared another solution - that is through a partner-led franchise business model. This business model is where they find committed recruitment entrepreneurs who are senior executives themselves, train them, and give them the processes to run a successful search firm.    The value they provide, as discussed by Stephan throughout this episode is helping recruitment-business owners to:   Grow their team without the risk of investing in expensive fee earners. Grow their team while remaining to be a strong fee earner at the same time. Help them attract high-fee earners who will stay with them for 5-10 years. Have additional revenue streams. Prepare the business for succession planning.   Why Business Leaders Should Embrace Coaching   Stephan and I discussed the value of business owners and leaders embracing coaching. That is, being coachable and becoming coaches themselves. Stephan says, “Coaching is one of our favorite themes in EO… I am a certified business coach now… We are now training all of our leaders in this coaching habit as well.”   If you are a recruitment business owner, I most certainly believe that coaching is a top priority. It is a skill that can be developed and improved, and can certainly be a game–changer for your business.   Leveraging Technology to Support Partners   On top of training, EO also provides technology platforms to its partners. Stephan shared about Executive Intro (their white label version of i-intro), a technology platform that allows their partners to differentiate their service and win retained searches. They also provide CRM and ATS platforms for all their partners, allowing them and all their partners to work on the same systems and leverage each other’s networks to make more placements.   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/vc   Stephan Aschenbrenner Bio and Contact Info Stephan used to work in large international companies as an employed executive. He loved all the benefits and the “security” such firms could provide him. Then the dot-com bubble burst, the world went into recession, and he and his wife found themselves unemployed at the same time.   This was the time he decided to change his career and Stephan started his first company. In the following 10 years, Stephan and his team helped more than 2.000 entrepreneurs to find their right business idea and actually get started. During the financial crisis of 2009 he started EO Executives in Germany and within 4 years had built it into one of the TOP 50 Executive Search Firms in Germany.   In 2016 he became CEO of EO International and in 2019 he became the owner of the EO Group. Stephan is a certified business coach and during the Covid Crisis, he became a partner in the biggest business coaching network worldwide. Stephan on LinkedIn EO Executive website link EO Executive on Facebook   People and Resources Mentioned   i-intro website link   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#91 How to Start, Scale, and Sell Your Recruitment Business in 7 Years, with Karla Reffold TRR#123 How a Recruitment Business Launched, Scaled, and Sold for $12,000,000 in 5 Years, with James Caan TRR#111 Enjoy Exponential Growth: How to Scale and Sell a Recruitment Firm for €32 million, with Tom Hopkinson Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter