New ways to get new business in 2012 #recruitment

New ways to get new business in 2012.

So cold-calling Employers for new business is less effective than it used to be and the recruitment consultant’s traditional markets are changing. If agency recruiters are now to forge new partnerships with the In-House recruiters at large Employers and develop new clients amongst the SME markets, how are they best to approach the task?

I think there will be 3 factors at play:

The number of agency suppliers will reduce.

As you lose competitors within your space you should make every effort to acquire their clients. Perhaps you could offer the owner of the closing agency a financial incentive to make the introduction, buy the database or perhaps you can go direct. There will be an element of: “there’s a reason they’ve gone out of business here..” but nevertheless it’s still worth monitoring. Which are the ones to watch in your space?
Agencies will become better at using Social Media.

Agencies will move away from websites saying things like: “We are the best at what we do…We put candidates before profit……We set up on our own because we wanted to do it properly…” and other such tosh and start developing Candidate and Client networks attracted by the quality of information and independent insight that their Consultants are able to share directly, via their website and via Social Media.

http://www.wearedylan.com

Trade bodies will serve their members more directly.

The recruitment trade bodies like the IOR and REC will soon realise that they need to sell more directly on behalf of their members. This may take the form of new business portals along the lines of the Talent Puzzle and Reed Exchange model being set up by the IOR/REC and run on a Not-for-Profit basis. It’s easily done. This way, members will get a direct financial benefit for the membership subs they pay and it just might attract bigger membership take-up.
Just started LinkedIn/IOR debate on this here: http://linkd.in/A3e1Ft

Good Luck for 2012.

If you'd like to follow my blog: http://newagencyrecruiter.blogspot.com/

Also got a Global Recruiter Directory group on LI: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2482927

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Comment by David Palmer on January 16, 2012 at 11:34am: Sorry I mean volume cold-calling by Agencies to Employers trying to drum up new business is less effective than it used to be.

Comment by bill josephson on January 16, 2012 at 11:36am: David, Unless working with a company less technologically savvy from a recruiting standpoint I don't see how cold calling ever goes away. The moment I start uncovering a steady stream of Internet candidates my clients are simultaneously uncovering their reasons for using me dissipate.

My selling point it uncovering passive/invisible candidates they can't find. Once I uncover the same candidates they are don't I become obsolete as a recruiting vendor for them?

Comment by bill josephson on January 16, 2012 at 11:38am: David, Best way I've found to call into companies winning new business is on high level recruiting calls where you might recruit a high level individual within the company, or marketing a good candidate also to a high level person in the organization.

I agree that cold calling into HR would be the lowest percentage chance one would have of winning clients.

Comment by David Palmer on January 16, 2012 at 11:39am: There'll come a time when no one is "passive". Even those who love their job will leave a footprint in the market intentionally or otherwise that Employers can easily track. This is why I also believe Recruitment/Staffing firms need to develop a killer USP, one that In-House recruiters cannot replicate. More on this later!!

Comment by bill josephson on January 16, 2012 at 11:50am: David, In my 31 years of recruiting I've always believed when the moment comes there are no invisible candidates to companies with all being technologically accessible to them that third party recruiting is over, we're obsolete.

Comment by David Palmer on January 16, 2012 at 12:36pm: I hope not. I believe we need to stay one step ahead after all Employers have always outsourced to Recruiters when it's easier to do so than do it themselves.

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on January 16, 2012 at 12:45pm: I think as long as candidates need to be "sold" on an opportunity there will always be a need for recruiters, inside or 3rd party. Any company can get a list of people performing certain job functions, but who's going to qualify, influence, and ultimately close the candidate on taking the job? That's recruiting's ultimate function isn't it?

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on January 16, 2012 at 1:52pm: @Bill excellent point - we're seeing a lot of that locally with large companies like Amazon and Microsoft - hiring tons of contract recruiters. No idea how long that will last though....

Comment by bill josephson on January 16, 2012 at 2:08pm: Delete Comment

Amy, my bet is that's the trend. Tons of contractors when times are good, a few when times are bad.

Understand, I'm not complaining as technology has made many professions obsolete and recruiting isn't exempt from obsolescence. If everyone's Internet visible, technologically savvy people as well as skilled recruiters with salesmanship capability are hired as contractors in house to effectively deal with the ebbs and flows of hiring, then perhaps TPR recruiting could go the way of the village Blacksmith 100+ years ago.

I maintain, if all employees are Internet visible/accessible outside r

ecruiting will have outlived its usefulness.....and based on comments here that's a distinct possibility. What will TPR's actually be needed for sustaining their relevance in the market place?

Comment by Sandra Anderson on January 17, 2012 at 1:37am: I think Bill has an excellent point! With Linked in and social media even the most loyal of employees will be tempted by recruiters to look at other options. This would stimulate sales for us as recruiters and improve career opportunities for applicants.