Listen: to build a strong relationship with them. We’ve all come across that one recruiter who name-drops every popular client they’ve ever had, or the type of clients they’ve placed with instead of listening to your specific needs. Remember to avoid cliché statements, there’s not much that’s more annoying than coming across as a salesperson.
Regular updates: As well as listening, you’ll need to ensure your communication skills are up to scratch. Once you’ve established a relationship with your customers, you’ll then need to be able to maintain it effectively. To do this, you’ll need to be able to communicate effectively. This means replying to emails in a timely manner, answering phone calls politely and returning phone calls promptly.
Be an expert: Before approaching your client, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with their company and industry. Your clients don’t want to spend the time they could be using to grow their business to teach you about aspects of their business. Conduct initial research into the role they’re recruiting for, the salary being offered for that position, the experience, qualifications etc. While it’s good to ask questions, it also good to show you’ve done research and aren’t relying on your client to provide all the relevant information.
Manage expectations: Over-promising and under-delivering to a client can be very frustrating. While it’s quite tempting to offer your clients more than you can deliver, it’s important to remember it can be damaging in the long run. Before promising results, be sure to explain why it’ll take as long as you’ve estimated and what the perfect candidate could looks like given your experience and network. That way your clients have a realistic estimate of when to expect results and a realistic idea of what skillsets actually exist.
Personalised approach: It’s important to create some sort of personalised approach when dealing with your clients. While there are those that find an approach that works for one client and replicate it to the others, a personalised approach instils confidence in you as a person and you as a business.
Feedback: Finally, the importance of feedback shouldn’t be underestimated. Asking your clients for feedback on how well you’ve performed or are performing. With this, you’ll be able to identify and control areas of concern in your approach.
I specifically focus on recruiting General Practice Surveyors (L&T, Disposals, Acquisitions, Investment, Development, Strategy, Asset Management) in both the Public and Private sector across the UK.
Whether you are passively or actively seeking a new challenge or responding to influences within your business, I am positive that a confidential conversation with me will be an investment in your future.
