You Snooze, You Lose
Executive Suite
By Steve Margalit
Time kills all deals! Time kills all deals! This statement holds true for almost any sales transaction, and it’s something I learned first-hand on my first day in Executive Recruitment. The most efficient and effective sales processes capitalize on momentum. Once you lose it, your chances of ‘closing the deal’ tumble dramatically. Sitting here at FPC National, in the corporate office/training center of our 60+ office Executive Recruiting Franchise network, I am reminded all the time that many companies have a broken hiring process. Our recruiters work tirelessly to partner and consult with their clients trying to avoid the pitfalls in this highly competitive marketplace. Whether the hiring process is long and drawn out, inflexible, or fraught with indecision, companies pay a heavy price when they don’t get their candidate of choice.
Here is the transcript of a recent story I heard from a recruiter outside the FPC network. If you’ve been in recruiting long enough, or have been the hiring manager at your company, I’m sure you’ve experienced something similar:
Recruiter: I’m sorry. The candidate just accepted an offer from another firm.
Client: What?! You told us she loved us; that she wanted to work for us.
Recruiter: She did.
Client: We’re #1 in our space, you said she liked that.
Recruiter: She did.
Client: You said she liked the team; that she thought she would fit in here.
Recruiter: She did.
Client: I don’t understand, we were thinking about making her an offer.
Recruiter: Yes. And while you were THINKING, your competition was ACTING.
- While you waited three weeks to get that last business partner to meet with her… Your competition flew her in to meet the key players and had her do a video call with the business partners who weren’t available.
- While you sat on the knowledge that she was interviewing elsewhere… Your competition made things happen and sped up the process.
- While you waited a month to get a few more people into the mix for “comparison”… Your competition recognized top talent and made the call.
- While you debated with HR over salary requirements and asked her for her history… They put out an offer at the top end of their range to ensure the deal was done.
Folks, the ‘war for talent’ is fierce. If you are looking to land top candidates, you need to be prepared, you need to be creative, and you need to be decisive. I promise you, your competition is. A well trained industry specialized Executive Recruiter, leveraging relationships with both parties, can be a valuable partner in managing expectations and making sure exchanges like the one referenced above don’t happen to you. For more information on how you can partner with an FPC recruiter, check out our website, FPC National, or contact me directly, smargalit@fpcnational.com.
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