This recruiter killed the client meeting

We don’t mean to be hesitant, do we?

We want to be bold, believable, and confident when dealing with clients.

We want to leave candidates impressed and trusting of our advice and expertise.

Yet time and again, we use words that are stumbling blocks. Our insecurity takes over.

And we use tentative language.

Words that offer the client or candidate a reason to doubt us. Phrases that reduce our credibility.

Watch the video snippet from the Savage Recruitment Academy training library, and read the full story below

I went on a client visit with a good young recruiter with 2 years of experience. I prepared her, “You’re going to run the meeting. I’m going to be the wallflower. I’ll chip in when needed, but it’s your gig.”

She was so excited, determined to do well.

The first thing she said to the client was, “Thank you, Mr Client, I promise we won’t take up much of your time.”

And all was lost. Right there!

Now, she was being polite, but the message sent was disastrous.

What she needed to say was, “Thank you for your time”, or “We appreciate your time”. That’s respectful, but “we won’t take much of your time” suggests that his time is more valuable than ours, and it’s most definitely not.

We’re there to help the client with one of the most important tasks in his role: hiring talent.

When she said that, the client lost respect for her. He started planning to cut things short. He assumed the ‘position of power’.

And it’s not about ‘power’. We were there to provide value, not to take up his time or otherwise.

Recruiters need to evolve to be true advisors. And even if you don’t see it right now, you have a vast amount of insight to offer your clients. Who, after all, knows more about salaries, talent motivation, skills availability (and so much more) than you?

But you can only ‘advise’ if you have credibility. And you can only be credible if you have the knowledge to share.

But it’s also crucial how you deliver it!

We all use many words that prevent us from being in the driver’s seat – ‘Approximately’. ‘Usually.’ ‘I feel that…’ ‘Sometimes’. ‘Our average price’. ‘Ballpark figure. “Maybe’. ‘Probably’. ‘I will check with my manager.’

These words are not inherently evil, and there are times when they should be used.

But often, combined with a hesitant tone and lack of eye contact, these words send an instant message to the client’s brain that you’re a bit unsure—just a little insecure. Tentative. Guessing. Bluffing, even.

When the client (or candidate, for that matter) hears insecurity in your words, they cannot help but simultaneously hear the insecurity in your work and your service.

Don’t say, “GS Recruiting is one of the leading marketing, creative and digital search companies in Sydney“. You have qualified the statement by prefacing it with “one of the”. Instead, say, “GS Recruiting IS the leading marketing, creative and digital search company in Sydney”.

Who is going to argue? What defines ‘leading’? Claim it!

I am not advocating hubris, BS, or senseless bravado.

But say what you believe with pride and then follow through.

When a recruiter says to a client, “For this job, we charge $20,000, and we deliver an outcome in one week or less”, your client is instantly impressed. The client didn’t hear tentativeness in your price or your ability.

Candidates are sensitive to tentativeness, too. In fact, never more so than right now.

Don’t say, “this job might have some of the things you are looking for in a new role”, or “this job is probably worth looking at”. Why would that compel me to go to see that client? Especially when candidates may have many choices

Say, “This is an excellent company with a great client list and a fantastic culture. What’s more, it fits all the criteria you outlined for a job move, including more client-facing time and the international travel you are looking for” (This is an example, of course. What you say must be true!)

Think about your words. Think about your voice tone. It can make all the difference.

One thing is sure.

Stop using tentative language.

It is holding you back.

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The video above is a short snippet from the 200 + hours of recruitment training available on the Savage Recruitment Academy

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