Dear Barb:
I have owned my recruiting firm for almost a year and have yet to make a profit. Before I opened my business, I was always referring my friends to people I knew and they got hired. I’m finding this profession is more difficult than I had anticipated. I have enjoyed reading your common sense answers in your column. What three pieces of advice you would provide to a new business owner?
Steven F.
Cincinnati, OH
Dear Steven:
Our profession is not brain surgery, but we have people on both sides of our sales process – clients and candidates – who talk back and change their minds. If I could provide just three pieces of advice, they would be the following:
- Realize your priority each day is to get your candidates in front of hiring authorities. This action is referred to as a sendout.
- Track your numbers so you will eventually know your individual ratios. This will help you determine what results you need to achieve daily to attain your sales and income goals. This will also determine your strengths as well as your weaknesses.
- Plan 100% of the outgoing calls you will complete each day in order to hit your minimum standards and the results you need to achieve your goals.
Bonus Tip: Make sure you have selected an area of specialization or niche. This will help you make multiple use of your orders as well as your candidates.
In addition, you must become a student of our profession. There is a placement process that guarantees your success and prevents things from slipping through the cracks. If you want to obtain free training from me sign up for my “No BS Newsletter” by going to Good As Gold Training. You will receive a free training article bi-weekly that will help you master our profession.
This is one of the greatest professions on earth; you will change people’s lives for the better each day. Don’t give up.
Barb Bruno, CPC, CTS