It’s time for the first edition of the ‘Monthly Musings’ for 2024! Our ‘Monthly Musings’ are where we give you our industry insights and tips across all facets of agency recruitment!

This edition is focused on BD!

We had a record turnout for our BD course in February and it’s evident from that and the hundreds of conversations we’ve had in the past month, that agencies are zeroing in on business development. After a year of unpredictability, it’s time to gear up for a year of action.

So, how do we up-skill on BD? Before we look at L&D, we need to uncover what our BD Blockers are. We all have them!

So, if business development has been a bit tough, you are definitely not alone.

Lets dive in to 10 of the main BD challenges we see, and what you can do right now to overcome them:

Market Mapping:

• • Action: Identify the top hiring companies in your space. Use LinkedIn Recruiter to do searches and add the filter that shows you who has hired within the last year. This is a great starting point for your BD!
  • Why: This allows you to target your BD efforts in the right place and allows informed conversations and strategic outreach. Not random outreach!

LinkedIn:

• • Action: Set aside 20 minutes daily to engage with content from industry leaders and potential clients.
  • Why: Consistent engagement positions you as an active player in your niche. Don’t underestimate the impact of your prospects seeing you liking other people’s content. It builds familiarity and a tiny bit of trust, and the LinkedIn algorithm loves it when you engage with others’ posts. It will, in turn, prioritise your posts to be seen by the same people you are engaging with.
  • Hot tip: Brainstorm topics for the next month and schedule posts in advance. You can do this directly in LinkedIn. When posting, click the little clock icon and schedule it for a later date.

Value-Adds:

• • Action: Create a one-pager on market trends to share with your top prospects! Use LinkedIn Recruiter or Talent Insights for this. It holds SO much valuable information that recruiters rarely use.
  • Why: Providing actionable insights showcases your expertise beyond sending CVs or filling a job. We want to showcase our services as industry specialists. Using this value add as a reason for a call moves you away from a cold call salesperson and opens up a business conversation which tends to end up in recruitment. This builds rapport and positions you as a trusted advisor, not just another recruiter.

Automation Advantages:

• • • Action: Explore tools like Zapier, Herefish (Bullhorn Automation), ROI AI (for JobAdder), to connect different parts of your workflow. There are so many tools out there. Figure out what you do day-to-day that’s manual. Can it be outsourced to a VA or an automation?
    • Why: Automation frees up your time for high-value, personal interactions. What may seem like a small amount of time doing, for example, LinkedIn connections – adds up over time and compounds. Small tweaks are where it’s at.

Video as a Personal Touchpoint:

• • Action: Send a personalised video message to a client or candidate you haven’t spoken to in a while.
  • Why: Video can revive connections and add a personal touch. When all of your competitors are sending mass emails & mass InMails, you need to stand out! Loom is a great product to use to send videos. It’s free too!!!!

Brand Building Blocks:

• • Action: Audit your online presence and update any outdated information. Make sure to update your LinkedIn URL as it increases your searchability and make sure you have your profile set to public.
  • Why: 80% of prospects will search for you online before meeting with you. If your profile isn’t set to public, they’re not seeing it! So, make sure your LinkedIn is humming and is descriptive of who you are.

Pitch Perfect:

• • Action: Practice varied pitches. But more importantly, practice the open-ended questions you are going to ask prospects to uncover what their problem is.
  • Why: A targeted pitch based on someone’s pain points will always hit home. You should never have one pitch. Rather, adjust based on what the prospect has told you.

Reverse Marketing Techniques:

• • Action: Every week – pick one standout candidate. Write 3 key statements about them that are tailored to solving clients’ problems and have examples of how they’ve done it. Then research a minimum of 10 companies you believe would suit said candidate. Pick up the phone!!!! Open with a pitch that gets straight to the point & showcases you have done your research. E.g., “Hey Amanda, a bit left of center from me today, however, I noticed in the past 6 months your biz has hired 4 marketing coordinators all with backgrounds across superannuation. The reason for my call is that I’ve just interviewed what I would say is the best coordinator I’ve interviewed in a very long time. She has xx amount of experience across super, has demonstrated xyz. Would a candidate like this be of interest either now or in the near future?”
  • Why: This proactive approach will uncover hidden job opportunities.

Objection Handling:

• • Action: List common objections and develop clear, concise responses. Don’t go straight into defence or sales mode when someone gives you an objection. Often they are not entirely sure why they’re objecting. It is your job to lower their stress levels by acknowledging their objection. People want to feel heard. Once you’ve done that, then probe further. Why do they have this objection? Is it valid? If not, can we perhaps workshop with them?
  • Why: Being prepared can turn objections into opportunities.

6-Month BD Roadmap:

• • Action: Outline your ideal client interactions for the next six months and set reminders for follow-ups. Review one client account and identify areas for deeper engagement. Research who they’ve hired in the past 12 months via LinkedIn. Delve deeper – who did they use? What was their experience? Can you be supporting them further?
  • Why: If you don’t set yourself a strategy, you will be inconsistent with it! A goal without a plan is just a wish! A plan ensures consistent touch-points. Robust account management fosters loyalty and growth.

Before you dive into the tactics, ground yourself with solid research. Understand the market you’re working in – knowledge is going to give you that all-important CONFIDENCE.

Lastly, without action, market research & knowledge is pointless. Action creates momentum. And consistent action creates results!

UPCOMING COURSE INTAKES

6 Week Recruitment Leadership Course: 6 March:  People leave bad leaders, not bad businesses. Packed full of sage advice from a highly successful recruitment leader, this course covers both the psychology of leadership and the practical tools that will create a high performing and cohesive team environment. Shout out if you’d like more info our head to https://humescope.com.au/courses/leadership-course/

6 Week BD Course For Recruiters: 2nd May: Due to popular demand, we have added in another intake of our BD course which kicks off on 2nd May. Shout out if you’d like more info our head to https://humescope.com.au/courses/business-development-bootcamp/