You must ask for the business.

Let’s be blunt.

1) You can build a brand.
2) You can get the meeting.
3) You can have a ‘good chat’.

And plenty of recruiters cannot do any of those three! But even if you can and do, you may very well still walk out empty-handed.

Because too many recruiters lose their nerve right at the end. Or they have no idea how to ‘close’.

The meeting isn’t the win. The ask is.

This blog will be foreign to many recruiters. Sure, they don’t have the closing skill I describe, but it’s a moot point because they don’t even do client meetings anyway!

And trust me, that is where recruiting is heading. Right back to the ‘90s. Not in terms of technology, obviously, but ironically because of technology!

Yes, selling will be about trust, credibility, and relationships.

And so, face-to-face meetings will again be a core skill for recruiters. It is happening already. Everywhere

(Even some candidate interviews are going back to IRL because the tech can scam all parties via digital. LOL.Who knew?)

However, a client meeting is not a courtesy call. It’s not a coffee date. And it’s definitely not a vague “let’s stay in touch.”

A sales meeting exists to earn one thing: The right to ask for the work.

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

If you don’t ask, nothing happened.

You have to earn the right to make this close. And that is a sophisticated sales skill that involves deep listening to questions, diagnosing the issues, handling objections, and providing positioning advice. But once that is done…

“Ms / Mr Prospect, I have appreciated your time today. I feel I have a good understanding of what you expect when hiring temporary and permanent staff. I hope I have explained how I can meet your needs. When you next have a hiring need, may I have that opportunity to work with you?”

Or words to that effect.

That’s it. No tricks. No pressure. Just confidence.

Many recruiters dodge the issue because they don’t know how – or because they’re uncomfortable. It’s too salesy. They worry about sounding pushy. They fear hearing “no.” They lack real belief in their value and their ability.

Hesitation kills trust. Confidence builds it.

Everyone knows why you’re in the room. Not asking creates doubt.

Even if at the beginning of the meeting the client says they are ‘not hiring’, a good meeting can get them to miraculously realise they are actually looking to hire. That has happened to me countless times. It means you have earned credibility.

And if there’s genuinely nothing ‘live’ in terms of hiring? You still ask for the next opportunity. A simple “yes” now saves months of chasing later.

Never leave the meeting without clarity.

Before you walk out, one of two things must be true:

1. You’ve taken a job brief (this IS a close!)
2. Or you’ve agreed exactly what happens next

“Let’s stay in touch” is not a plan.

It’s a polite way of achieving nothing.

Great recruiters don’t just run good meetings. They finish them properly.

The last two minutes often matter more than the first twenty. And the first 20 matters a great deal.

Ask the question.

That’s the job.

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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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