When the talent market is tight, businesses must work harder than ever to compete for the best talent. That should mean plenty of business for staffing firms. As a staffing professional, it’s clear that working with you is the most efficient, cost-effective way for employers to compete for the top talent, but many hiring managers are so focused on the struggle to fill one position at a time that they don’t step back and look at the big picture to develop a more strategic approach.
This is where a savvy staffing professional can step in to make employers’ jobs easier and open new sales avenues for your firm. Here are a few tips you can add to your approach.
Talk the talk.
Everyone has heard the term “thought leader” – but what does it mean? It’s about establishing yourself as a true authority on a topic. Once you do this, people will come to you. You may not operate on quite that plain (yet!), but you can take steps to showcase your expertise, so you are the person who comes to mind first when someone thinks staffing in your field.
How can you accomplish this?
Narrow your niche.
Don’t spread yourself too thin. Focus on what you know and the areas where you can excel. Get your specialty down pat, then find ways to branch out from those roots rather than haphazardly chasing the latest business trend. Even large corporate staffing agencies that cover every conceivable area of staffing and recruiting tend to separate each specialty into silos manned by individuals with niche expertise.
Speaking engagements. Volunteer to speak to local business leaders at events in your area. Share best practices and ideas to make recruiting easier. Don’t worry that you may be giving away your expertise. The more you know, the more people understand it’s better to hire you for help than it is to try to duplicate your extensive body of knowledge.
Blogs. Start your own blogs, write for industry sites or publish on LinkedIn. The more you write, the more that will come up when people search for you on Google and the better the chances of you coming up in a search for your specialty.
Social media. Share your blogs or advertise your engagements on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. It gets your information in front of more people and extends your reach. Answer questions or ask thoughtful questions online in places like LinkedIn.
Increase breadth within your base.
Selling into your existing customers is faster, more cost-effective and yields better results than acquiring new customers. You’ve already established the relationships and you understand the business. If you pay attention to your current clients, you’ll know who is opening a branch office, who’s having trouble meeting production goals and who may be losing a key executive. Use this insider information to their advantage and yours by identifying the areas where you can best serve and offering your expertise.
About Avionté:
At Avionté, we provide solutions for staffing firms that help you to operate more effectively and keep your operational costs down. Our comprehensive staffing software delivers integrated software systems that make it easier to drive growth, maximize profitability and streamline your administrative tasks, so that you can focus on your serving your customers. To learn more about the many benefits of Avionté staffing software, contact us today.
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