IV. Learning to Ask Questions to Gain More Key Information
The needs of HR and direct managers differ, which also means the information they possess varies. A crucial aspect of tackling different personas is learning how to ask them questions effectively.
Asking the right questions not only allows consultants to gather the necessary information but also impresses contacts with their professionalism. Conversely, asking the wrong questions can lead contacts to think, “How could they ask such a question? How would I know the answer? So unprofessional.”
Here are some questions to help deepen your understanding when asking contacts during BD calls:
1. Questions for HR
– Company size, number of employees, and the number of independent branches?
– Recent employee development and recruitment plans?
– Which types of recruitment needs are more significant in the HR department?
– What are the primary recruitment channels currently in use?
– Which headhunting firms have you cooperated with successfully, and what are your expectations for headhunters?
– In hopes of deepening our cooperation, could you provide some advice on which areas I should focus on more?
2. Questions for Direct Managers
– Are there any changes in the company’s business plan this year?
– Are there new needs and challenges for the XX department (the direct manager’s department)?
– Can your current team structure meet business demands?
– What are your thoughts and plans for the team moving forward?
– What kind of talent interests you, and what kind of personality and background are you looking for?
– Have you used headhunting services before? What kind of headhunter do you think would be a good fit for cooperation?
– If we wish to further cooperate with your company, could you offer some advice?
Some of the above issues require attention. Don’t rack your brain trying to figure out how to outsmart the other party. Use a tone of seeking advice, ask the HR, ask the direct manager, could you give me some advice?
V. How to Introduce Your Company’s Selling Points
Why is it important to highlight your company’s brand selling points?
I have encountered too many consultants who never mention which company they are calling from throughout the BD call, and sometimes they don’t even mention their own names.
When a consultant introduces their company to a new client
the company’s selling points and strengths can help boost the consultant’s confidence and increase the company’s visibility, while also enhancing the consultant’s credibility.
Remember, when clients decide which headhunting firm to assign a position to, they first think of the consultant’s name, then the company.
Here are some examples of what can be highlighted as a company’s brand selling points, which can also help increase the success rate during BD:
– The company’s establishment history and origin (country);
– The number of company offices and the regions they cover;
– The company’s areas of expertise (industry, function, region, or level);
– The number of headhunting consultants in the company, the company’s structure, and the advantages this structure brings to serving clients;
– The size of the company’s talent pool;
– Some of the company’s major client names;
– Some of the company’s outstanding cases;
– The training provided to consultants in the company;
– The backgrounds of the company’s consultants/owners.
VI. How to Communicate Job Requirements
Communicating job requirements is a vital part of BD. After breaking the ice with Cold Calls and enduring continuous rejections from contacts, finally obtaining a position, many consultants believe that the BD phase ends here and the talent search for the position begins.
However, my experience tells me that job requirement communication is the most critical part of BD for the following reasons:
– It is a tool that helps BD consultants better understand the type of candidate needed for the position they are working on;
– Documentation, if the hired candidate leaves, as long as the requirements haven’t changed, it’s easy to quickly get started, finding the same type of candidate as before, saving time and effort.
– After understanding the job situation, it facilitates handover to other consultants or researchers (Researchers);
– It helps consultants gain a deeper understanding of the deep-seated needs of the recruited position, while identifying potential internal obstacles within the client, the length of the interview process, the strengths and weaknesses of headhunting competitors, and assessing the likelihood of job completion;
– By asking various requirement questions and explaining to the contact person the reasons for the inquiries during talent search, it fosters a sense of professionalism and builds trust.
So, how should requirement communication be conducted? I will also share what I learned while being a consultant. The following is part of the content I used for communication, for reference:
1. Client Information
– Company Name
– The full name and contact information of the HR responsible for the position
– The name and contact information of the direct manager for the position
Because many consultants cannot distinguish between the company name, brand name, and the correct name of the legal entity where the candidate will have an employment relationship after onboarding, confirmation can be done at this time;
– Contact information must include mobile or direct-line phones to better control the process and prepare for future BD. Additionally, calling the contact person’s mobile during job communication can help build rapport.
2. Introduction to the Client Company
– Background, Scale
– Organizational chart of the company’s team structure
– Industry situation
– Challenges faced
Understanding the company’s headcount and revenue ensures accuracy since everyone’s perception of scale varies;
The organizational chart of the company’s team structure helps to understand not only the structure of the department with talent needs but also the situation of HR, facilitating a broader perspective and the discovery of other BD opportunities;
Understanding the industry situation and the challenges faced by the client’s business helps determine the direction of talent needs and accumulate industry knowledge for future BD with other clients.
3. Job Information
– Recruitment position name
– Job location (city)
– Recruitment reason
– Salary
– Desired start date
– What has been done so far in this position’s recruitment
– Contact person’s perceived difficulties in recruiting for the position
Is it a new position or a replacement for a former staff member? What is the reason for recruitment? If it’s a replacement, is there an issue with the position setting? Is the salary too low? Or are there other hidden problems? If it’s a new position, is the increase in positions justified? Ensure that you won’t spend a lot of time on the order, only to have the position canceled when it’s about to be completed.
The salary part should specify the base salary, a fixed number of months’ salary, the range of bonuses, whether there are subsidies, other special benefits, etc., to help attract candidates.
Most contacts will say they hope the candidate can start as soon as possible, which does not mean the position’s demand is urgent. At this point, it is necessary to clarify with the contact person that the entire hiring and interview Offer process requires over a month, and most candidates still need a month’s notice period. So, can they accept the candidate starting more than two months later? Also, we can judge the real urgency of the position based on the contact person’s feedback.
What have you done so far in the recruitment for this position? This question is to judge the amount of time and effort a consultant needs to spend on this position.
4. Candidate-Related Information
– Career development for the position
– Additional opportunities provided by the position
– The candidate’s background
– The candidate’s KDI (not KPI)
Additional opportunities include training provided by the client company, promotion, job transfer, rotation, or overseas assignment opportunities, etc.
KDI (Key Deliverables Indicator) refers to the client’s expectations for the candidate’s performance during the probation period (6 months) after onboarding.
– What kind of performance should be achieved?
– How will it be assessed?
– What are the specific numerical references?
This is an essential point to ensure that candidates can safely pass the guarantee period.
5. Process Section
– Interview process
– Interviewer information
– Predicted interview time
Find out the time interval between each round of interviews to determine how long the entire interview process will take;
– Understand the information of the interviewers, including name, position, gender, nationality, age, style, etc., to help prepare for the candidate’s interview later;
– Finally, suggest asking a question:
“If I send out candidates within 2-3 days, how soon can they be interviewed?”
To determine the position’s urgency and the contact person’s eagerness to push the interview process forward.
6. Information Confirmation
– Competing firms
– Request for exclusivity
– Additional questions
– Next steps arranged
Understand how many headhunting firms are currently operating this position? If not yet, request exclusivity or exclusivity for a period of time.
Ask if there are any special points to pay attention to and inform the contact person of the consultant’s planned time to push candidates next.
By now, the above is roughly the content of job requirement communication. The content can be organized into a double-sided A4 form, convenient for later binding and carrying when going out.
Do not think that job requirement communication is just to deal with clients or Team Leaders.
Being able to correctly grasp the client’s needs, understanding which other factors will affect the recruitment process, and even affect the final order completion is also a skill and a reflection of a headhunting consultant’s professional qualities and professionalism.
Consultants can accumulate industry knowledge and experience by understanding the job requirements of different companies. This not only showcases their capability to solve recruitment issues in front of clients but also helps to build trust and rapport with client contacts. Demonstrating a deep understanding of the industry and the specific needs of various companies allows advisors to provide more targeted and effective recruitment solutions, enhancing their credibility and fostering stronger partnerships with clients.
VII.How to Conduct Client Visits Effectively in Business Development (BD)
Client visits are a crucial part of the BD process, serving several key purposes:
Providing a more detailed introduction of your company and gaining a deeper understanding of the client’s organizational structure.
Obtaining specific recruitment needs and timelines.
Strengthening relationships to ensure the client remembers the consultant’s name.
Exchanging business cards, which is essential for establishing contact; if the HR representative forgets, it’s important to politely request them.
Below are some important points to consider for client visits, categorized into “hard” and “soft” equipment:
Hard Equipment:
Attire: The standard for formal visits is a business suit for men and a business suit for women. Be mindful not to wear clothing from a competitor’s brand when visiting clients in the retail sector.
Business Cards: A common oversight, but a critical component of professional interaction.
Official Company Brochures: While HR may not always read them thoroughly, they are required by many company procurement processes and serve as a testament to the consultant’s professionalism.
Resources: Offering materials such as salary reports and industry analyses can be beneficial.
Job Description (JD): If the client has provided a position and sent the JD via email after a phone call, bring it along to confirm details and engage in a comprehensive job requirement discussion.
Job Requirement Communication Form: If the client offers positions during the visit, it’s essential to have a form to accurately record all the requirements.
Soft Equipment:
Client Company Information: Have a general understanding and be prepared to ask questions or request insights from the client’s perspective.
Competitor Information: Discuss any knowledge you have about the client’s competitors and seek any additional insights from the client, as these competitors can be prime sources for candidates.
Potential Job Requirements: If the client has no immediate needs, use similar job requirements from other companies to initiate a discussion, allowing the contact to understand what their competitors are looking for and to gauge if they would consider similar candidates.
Current Recruitment Positions: Research the client’s current job postings on various platforms to understand if there are any positions where you could offer assistance.
Conclusion:
Business Development (BD) is not a short-term task; it is a long-term project that requires continuous effort and accumulation. Throughout this process, it is essential for consultants to build trust with clients.
I once learned about a sales model of customer trust, which posits that the trust between salespeople and customers is directly proportional to the number of interactions and the duration of communication. This principle applies to headhunting consultants’ BD efforts as well. The more a consultant communicates with clients, the longer the conversations, and the richer the content, the more trust is established. This trust not only facilitates the acquisition of job postings but can also lead to exclusive opportunities.
Therefore, every consultant should strive to communicate more frequently with contacts, aiming to have their name and the name of their company remembered by HR personnel or line managers. This approach helps to build a strong brand presence and sets the foundation for lasting business relationships.
In essence, BD in the headhunting industry is about nurturing relationships and consistently providing value to clients. It’s about being a trusted advisor, not just a service provider. By doing so, consultants can differentiate themselves in a competitive market and secure their place as a go-to resource for their clients’ recruitment needs.