I met the co-founders of a business I used to advise recently. When we worked together, I had prepared and trained them to build a contractor division, including a whole suite of documentation, software, compliance requirements and invoice discounting. They looked a little shifty when I asked about progress.
“It was just too difficult”, they said. “It was easier to keep chasing big perm fees than work on margins that inevitably start small”.
And of course, during 2022 they enjoyed extraordinary demand.
Since then? Different story.
Demand had dried up. Margins were under constant pressure. Decisions and payments were taking longer and longer. And they were still scrabbling around for perm fees every month, while some of their best clients had gone to the competition who offered a more comprehensive service.
Here’s the thing. Change is ALWAYS difficult. It feels uncomfortable for a reason- it’s not a habit.
YET.
It requires exercising your brain. Tolerating some learning by trial and error. Often it involves changing systems, reward structures, timetables, even staff.
But for sure, in all my years in the recruitment sector (41!) I have never known a time that required greater adaptability from recruitment business leaders. It’s one of the things I’ll be talking about at the Recruitment Agency Expo on 9th October. With real examples of how a completely different approach to recruitment brought millions of pounds of consistent, repeated revenue to businesses I’ve worked with.
Take a long, hard look at your leaders. Are they there because of history? Or (even worse) just length of service? Because they put in big billings earlier in their career?
Or because they are open to change and understand how to make it happen? Because recruiters (whatever their level) who hold your company back because change is “too difficult” will bury it in the end.
On the other hand….
If you are serious about evaluating your leaders and scaling your recruitment agency for long-term business growth, get in touch. You might be amazed what you are capable of.
And if you’d like to dive even deeper, I’ll be sharing case studies and practical strategies in my talk at the Recruitment Agency Expo on 9th October (3PM, Impact Stage).
It’s free to attend, secure your spot here – https://app.ingo.me/q/idfdo
