How To Do Business Development in Recruitment | 4-Step Strategy

How To Do Business Development in Recruitment: A 4-Step Strategy

As a recruiter with over 16 years of experience, I've placed over 2,000 people into employment worldwide and generated over $20 million in recruitment fees. I'm sharing a simple 4-step strategy to help you improve your business development calls and learn to love them.

Step 1: Discovery Phase

The first step is the discovery phase. This is where you ask as many open-ended questions as possible to discover exactly what your client needs. I call this my "needs and wants analysis." You're looking to identify:

- Pain points
- Problems
- Challenges
- What they've done to date
- What went well
- What didn't go so well
- What could be improved
- Any gaps

Remember, unless you've identified the exact problem, it's impossible for you to offer a solution.

Step 2: Reconfirm

The second step is to reconfirm what your prospect has said. This does two main things:

1. It shows the client that you've been listening and understand.
2. It gives the client an opportunity to correct you if needed.

Try to get at least five "yeses" during your conversation. This makes it harder for them to say no later when you pitch your solution.

Step 3: The Journey Phase

The journey phase is all about taking the client on a journey of what they will get by working with you. Explain every step of the way, which is a benefit to them and relates to one of the problems they've been facing.

For example: "Okay Mr. Client, understood. Well, it sounds as though you need a head hunting approach for this role. It sounds very niche and difficult to fill..."

Step 4: Close

The final step is your close. If the conversation has gone well and your prospect says they want to work with you, you can move to an assumptive close. For example:

"Okay great, so as a next step, what I'll do is send you an email with a plan of action. I'll get started working on this role right away and I'll get started with the market map this afternoon. I'll give you an update on Thursday. When do you have 30 minutes in your diary to catch up about the candidate profiles?"

Remember, don't close too early. It's always best to trial close and ask a closing question to get a yes. This is your approval to go in and close.

Mastering these four steps - Discovery, Reconfirm, Journey, and Close - will significantly improve your business development calls. Remember, you need to believe from the bottom of your heart that you can help this client. With that conviction, the sale will be so much easier.