Let’s not beat around the bush here – in a target-led industry like recruitment, everything we do we do to make money. As salespeople we love ‘hacking’ our way up the leader board by trying out different tactics. And as long as we keep our integrity and continue to be the best recruiters we can be, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
So, here are a few recruitment sales hacks that’ll help you win more business and make you more money!
1. Productise your services
Productising your services is a really good way to help clients better understand what exactly they’re paying for when they choose to work with you, and it makes it easier to upsell additional new services too.
For example, if you’re offering a retainer and then say,“For an additional £X we can also throw in interview coaching sessions for hiring manages too.”, you might up your fee and your services will stand out.
Be careful of feature-bashing though – you don’t want to overwhelm your prospects. If it’s not relevant, don’t mention it.
2. Use the ‘foot-in-the-door’ technique to win more meetings
The way this technique works is if you first ask a client for something small and then follow it up with a bigger request (so in this instance, a meeting), they’re a lot more likely to say ‘yes’ – 135% more likely to say yes!
Try asking your prospect something small to begin with, like: “I read your post on LinkedIn about X, could I ask you a quick question about it?” OR “Could you explain to me how you currently handle Y?”
If you get a ‘yes’ to your initial question and a discussion opens up as a result, you’ll be in a perfect position to introduce the idea of a meeting. And we all know getting a meeting is a sure fire way to build rapport, win the business and make some money!
3. Play hard to get during your sales calls
Let’s face it, decision makers are inundated with sales calls from recruiters who all say the same things and are all desperate to win their business. Instead of making the same desperate pleas as everyone else, playing a bit of hard-to-get can help you stand out from the crowd.
The next time a client asks, “Why should I do business with you?” say, “at the moment, I’m not sure you should”. This will catch the client off guard by giving them an answer they’re not expecting.
You can then follow with “Are you happy with me asking some questions first to determine if I can help you?”. This will show that you’re not just trying to sell the ‘one size fits all’ solution and means you can find out the client’s key requirements and sell against them. This will make for a much more productive call and increase your chance of winning business you can actually make money from.
4. Walk away from jobs not worth working
Knowing how to distinguish between jobs worth working and ones not worth your time is a recruitment sales hack in itself. You wouldn’t believe how much time you could save (and time is money!) by not taking on every single job that comes your way.
What’s the point in taking on fifteen jobs at a reduced fee if you know you can only realistically fill three of them? If you walk away from the jobs you can’t fill, you can keep your higher fees and your client will appreciate your honesty.
Additionally, don’t be afraid to walk away from jobs you can fill if the decision maker isn’t willing to pay enough. We all work too hard to have our services undervalued and you’re better off spending time working jobs that pay the right rates and actually make you money.
5. Automate triggers within your talent pools
Creating triggers within your recruitment software will ensure you never miss an opportunity for new business. One way to do this is by setting triggers inside your talent pools to flag when candidates reach career milestones (two years certified in the legal sector, for example) and then reach out and let them know how much they’re now worth on the candidate market.
You’ve already built trust and have a relationship with them so they’ll more than likely want to work with you as a result. If you set up these triggers with ‘walking fee’ candidates, it’ll be the easiest money you’ll ever make!
74% of business will stay remote after lockdown is over, so you need to adjust your sales strategy to reach and sell to prospects who are working from home. The eBook below includes a full step-by-step guide to warming up and winning prospects virtually, so you can keep winning business remotely. Click to get your copy!
