This week's marketing campaign was such a smashing success that my Macbook Pro with retina display will be chugging some electrons this weekend. 

Somehow, someway, we're gonna need to squeeze around 30 or so experienced Program Managers our of DB to present on four new JO's....all pretty close siblings to one another so there should be pretty good synergy.  One of the FOUR NEW CLIENTS I found this week also is seeking an engineering liason with Korean language skills so they can create a level playing field in negotiations with Hyundai and Kia.  Then, out of the blue, a call came in responding to a carefully crafted voicemail message I left on Wednesday that our bogey had already engaged a couple other (cough cough) local recruiters to help them but no uh-uh.  They need a sales person to KILL IT with some NBD for around $75K....hence....a millennial that knows what they're doing.  And last, we need a small variety of engineers with BSME's to sprinkle around for some instant send-outs.  After all, in the last case, we got some pre-set interview times for good measure.

This means I have to put on my tinfoil boolean skullcap and start working some magic in our database.  Once I finish cutting my lawn that's pushing about 9 1/2 inches, I'll have to hunker down and start reading resumes. 

I tuned up the office robot scraping Detroit based automotive Program Managers for the next 24 hours.  This thing burns up our office bandwidth and we occasionally get tossed into google IP jail because of it.  But google plays nice and releases us after a day or two.  Once my robot figures out e-mail address, I'll be sending out a very friendly "heya! How ya doing?  Will you connect with me?  :)  Please" e-mail and my LinkedIn connections will bump up by another 5%.

Through much search this weekend I'll pull together (hopefully) a pretty solid contingent of around 200 target candidates to call one-by-one Monday and Tuesday.  My goal will be to get approximately five or so candidates for each position and fire their resumes off to my new clients. 

Wednesday next week I'll get back to marketing.  I'm pushing it now though.  Want to be careful not to head into "over-promise, under-deliver" territory. 

So what are my hopes and expectations?  Well.  This is the controversial part.  Our office goal is to make 2-3 placements per month and that's my goal.  My expectation is that I will successfully make one placement from the past weeks activity. 

I can imagine some out there going ... "Well, sheeze louise, Mr. Snarky writer guy bragging all big britches about what a swell marketer and rainmaker you think you are only to admit you actually push your own mower and make only one stinking placement.  Loser-poser!  Bartender, another Cosmo over here!"

This is year number 11 for me in this business.  This is not a Nascar race or game 7 of the second round of the Stanley Cup finals.  You don't have to be number one.  This is horseshoes and getting close enough of the time can translate into a W (or more).  Of course, I'm going to put everything I've got into these searches.  But I also manage my expectations which allows me to sleep a little more peacefully and suffer failures and fall-offs with grace.

I'm starting to bore myself.

I've got the pool cranked to 94 degrees and some beverages to attend to before my sucky "reading resumes all weekend" starts.  It's OK.  The better-half and I will be kicking back with the rock stars soon elsewhere and taking a load off.  For now, I'm putting my sledge hammer away until tomorrow and shutting down.

Have a safe weekend everyone!!!

- Steve