What is it that makes one recruiter produce $150,000 and another produce over $1 million? When you meet these top producers, they are not smarter, more educated, or more experienced than the average recruiter. Money has the greatest impact on anyone’s life, next to only good health. Big Billers realize very early in their career that their prior annual salary can become their monthly earnings in the recruiting industry.
The following are six reality characteristics of top producers in recruiting:
#1. Top producers expect to be top producers.
Most recruiters become comfortable at a certain level of production. They might envy the million dollar producer, but they don’t expect to attain that level and aren’t willing to pay the price to become a “big biller.”
#2. Top producers attach their goals to their life.
Top producers equate their production and income to their quality of life. They have defined personal goals, which the recruiting profession allows them to achieve. They want a beautiful home, great vacations, nice cars, and the freedom that comes with earning a high income and the ability to attain the lifestyle of their dreams.
#3. Top producers focus on full fees and high-margin business.
The one common denominator of top-producing recruiters is they all understand the importance of very strong relationships with their clients. They become a trusted advisor and truly a partner with these clients and get to know them both personally and professionally. Whenever possible, they meet with their clients in person and understand the value of this type of face-to-face networking. They treat their clients as a number-one priority throughout their relationship and communicate with them on a consistent basis. They also realize that it’s all about the “WIIFM” (What’s In It For Me) of their client.
If you only present the best candidate in your recruiting database vs. the best candidate in the industry, you cannot expect to be paid full fees or high margins. It is very important that you feel you are worth full fees or high margins. You need to become proficient at overcoming all objections when it comes to the value of the service you provide.
#4. Top producers only focus on the top 5% of candidates.
For the top producers who work both sides of the employee placement process, they understand the value of forming lifelong relationships with their candidates. They listen to the “hot buttons” of these candidates and only send them on opportunities that are aligned with their future career goals. The best candidate management in recruiting is targeted to each contact.
Top-producing recruiters do NOT spend time on LPCs (Least Placeable Candidates). They pre-close the top talent they recruit to make sure that their salary requirements are commensurate with their level of experience. Set up a resource for the candidates you won’t place that also generates passive income by going to www.happycandidates.com. This resource also eliminates your greatest time waster and increases referrals!
#5. Many producers are rainmakers.
In many instances, the top producer is working the client side of the recruitment and hiring process. They have a team under them that could be composed of candidate specialists, researchers, or project assistants. These individuals provide them with candidates and do the initial interviews, previous employer reference checks, presentations, etc.
The rainmaker steps in when the final 3-5 candidates have been identified and handles all of the activities related to the closing of the placement. These individuals understand the 80/20 Rule and whenever feasible, they delegate the tasks that are not the best use of their time. This definitely impacts their level of production and income.
#6. Top producers are organized and focused on what is “closest to money.”
These individuals would not describe their day identical to another top producer, but most of them have their day segmented for certain activities. They focus on the activities “closest to money” first. They are great at smelling money and don’t write or work on job orders or assignments that are not hot.
Make this the year you realize money truly does make the world go around. You deserve to live the life of your dreams and the minute you can visualize what that life would be . . . you can achieve it!
Will data from your recruiting software help you identify what’s closest to money in your firm? If not, start your free trial with Top Echelon, and see what kind of productivity you’ve been missing our on!
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Barb Bruno, CPC/CTS is a guest writer for the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog, and you can hire her for your next conference or event or for in-house training. Barb’s training techniques have guided thousands to a higher level of sales and profits. She is best known for her methodical, easy-to-implement strategies that she shares with her audiences. Her enthusiasm is contagious! If you would like to hire Barb, please call 219.663.9609, email support@staffingandrecruiting.com, or visit Good as Gold Training online.