I talked in a previous article about how top billing recruiters don’t just focus on new business, but also focus on client retention, which brings in a consistent supply of placements to fill. By doing so, they  build themselves a foundation of regular work that can free up their time to develop new business and consequently bill even more.

In this blog I’d like to focus on another key strategy of top billers and that is the power of building sales pipelines.

A common scenario

We’ve all been in this scenario at some point in our recruiting career. We’re rushed off our feet sourcing the right candidates for clients. So all our time is taken up delivering great candidates and all that goes with that; screening, interviewing, matching, preparing them for the interview, the list goes on. You’re good at what you do and you’re placing candidates on a regular basis and your bonus is, reflecting all the hard work you’ve put in. This might go on for a few weeks or even months but then, all of a sudden, the work drops off. But why?

You’ve done nothing wrong have you, so what’s happened? There are several possible reasons:

– Most companies will have quiet periods, they don’t recruit consistently every month

– Your key contact has moved companies

– The industry you recruit in has seasonal fluctuations where they don’t need to recruit more staff

These are all possible reasons, but the most probable scenario is this: You neglected your sales pipeline.

Why you should never neglect your sales pipeline

Have you ever analysed how long it takes you to get a vacancy from a client? From initial contact to getting the business? If you haven’t you should, because it’s essential in planning ahead.

Of course there will be variations, but if you look at enough data, you’ll find that a pattern begins to emerge. Let’s say that you find it takes on average two months to secure a vacancy from initial contact. That means everything you do today is ‘looking’ after you in two months’ time.

Yes you need to deliver for your current clients. But you should never forget about developing new business. It is something that you should prioritise as a task every day, regardless of how busy you are.

Pipelines need daily activity

Always keep it in your mind that you are looking after your own future. So set aside part of your day to get on the phone and talk to potential new clients

A strategy top biller’s use is to allocate 90 minutes a day, every day for new business development. Like all habits consistent activity will bring results. It’s well known that working for 30 days on a specific activity starts to ingrain it as a habit.

Running your own desk is like running your own business, there will be ups and downs. The good news is that when you implement a strategy like this you might have the odd bad day though rarely this won’t turn into a bad month or quarter; why? Because you are implementing strategies that work-daily. That way momentum builds.

Until next time,

Cheryl