Recruitment became more ‘remote‘ because of Covid.

There was no alternative.

But now, for many recruiters, it remains that way, ‘because it suits them!’.

Add to this a candidate-tight market where plenty of recruiters have developed a one-sided skill-set that focuses only on candidate activities. You have an unhealthy situation where clients are being ignored, or under-serviced at best.

There is a generation of recruiters evolving who could not find their ‘BD Muscle’, let alone flex it.

Even in ‘normal’ times, there is a tendency to be complacent about client relationships.

I bet you have seen and heard it too.

• “That’s my client.”
• “Oh, don’t worry about that client. She only uses me.”
• “I get all their work.”
• “I don’t need to take this job in person. I know this client well, and he is 100% loyal to me.”

Sound familiar?

But now, this has taken a new leap backwards. Recruiters increasingly live by the underlying ethos: “I don’t need to spend time on clients because if I have candidates, every client will take my call.”

And it’s probably true. For now.

But so dangerous. So naïve. So much is going to hurt you when the market turns.

Now is the time to get ‘client fit‘.

That means honing up every aspect of the client relationship. Keeping it oiled and supple and vigorous and healthy.

Take this little quiz to check your ‘client fitness’

(Good, regular clients I am talking about, not one-hit wonders or prospects).

1. Have you seen your client contact, face to face, in the last three months? (In most countries, this is now possible. Indeed, many clients crave real-life connections)

2. Do you see that person at least four times a year?

3. Do you take every permanent or search order, in person, (Or at least via VC) if possible?

4. Have you met every line manager in the client business who could potentially be a hiring manager for you?

5. Have you met your client’s boss?

6. If your client is a line manager, have you asked to meet the HR/Talent team, gone to see them, and asked, “What can I do to make your job easier.”

7. Have you studied your clients’ websites closely recently?

8. Do you subscribe to your client’s blog, LinkedIn page, newsletters, Instagram, Twitter feed and Facebook page?

9. Have you tried, and do you try to use, your client’s products and services?

10. Are you connected to your client on LinkedIn? (Laugh not, here is the truth, most recruiters are NOT)

11. Do you massage your clients’ ‘social ego’ by re-tweeting their tweets, commenting on their blog and “Liking” their Facebook page?

12. Have you asked, “What is there about my service that I could do better, or what could I add“?

13. Have you found a good reason to get your client into your office? (A quick sandwich lunch in the Board Room to meet your CEO… whatever!)

14. Have you built up your ‘Recruitment Chat‘ and developed a series of insights, advice and market intel, that you can tailor to any client, and use to differentiate yourself from the inbox spamming, resume flicking, transactional, recruiting hacks?

15. Have you followed up with every placement you have ever made at your client company, and do so every six months?

16. Suppose you have temps on long-term contracts at your client’s site. Do you ‘make yourself big’ by going to see them, handing out holiday gifts, running on-site training, bringing in morning tea, celebrating temp longevity, and generally making sure you are ‘visible’?

17. Do you know who your clients’ clients are? And do you know lots about them?

18. Do you keep up to speed with your client’s industry, especially their competitors, and know the key issues and trends?

19. Have you done an annual or bi-annual ‘Business Review’ with your client like a mini-performance review, where your work is summarised and assessed and communication both ways occurs to improve the relationship?

20. Do you know your client’s three most significant staffing/HR issues, and do you discuss them often to assist?

21. Do you keep up to date with your clients’ benefits structure, vacation allowance, social media policy, flexible work policy, salary review schedule and any other factors that could influence the interest of a future hire?

22. Do you regularly provide your clients with value-adds that you don’t charge for, like salary surveys and market updates?

23. Have you agreed to ‘standing briefs’ with your client? These are clearly mapped out and defined skill-sets that your client is always interested in – even if they have no specific role for you? Most companies are open to hearing about ‘that special someone’. You need to know who that is and float them in.

24. Are your most current business terms up to date and signed off by the client? Or are you still operating off the business terms they signed in 1999?

25. Have you introduced your clients to another recruiter on your team, or your manager, so that client ‘feels the love’ and knows they can call on someone else if you are out or away?

26. Have you specifically thanked your client for their business, maybe over lunch, with a small gift, or even just a visit where thanking them was the sole purpose?

OK, feeling exhausted with your fitness test? Score yourself now;

0 -13: You are unfit. Totally out of shape and unworthy of keeping your clients. Commit to getting fit! Or accept you will die a young recruiting death.
14-18: Come on! Lift your game. You have some things right, but a long way to go.
19-22: You are a ‘client-fit’ amateur athlete. Working hard, looking pretty good, but still not yet nailed it.
23-26: You are a superbly honed, ‘client fit’, Olympic-level superstar. Nice job!

Can you add to this list of ‘client fit’ activities? Please comment below.

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