By: Adam Gomez
There are a few things we hear from recruiters who are struggling to grow their desks consistently. One of these is that the leads their company provides to them suck.
Often, in coaching situations we must dig deeper. And when the topic of lead-quality is brought up it is important that as a coach, we investigate. After all, if the recruiter feels the leads are the reason for their struggles, rest assured you will have a difficult time making any progress as a coach until this has been ruled out.
In my experience as a coach, it is rarely the case that the leads are the issue. Instead, I typically find it has become a justification by the recruiter for their lack of success. And it becomes obvious when we dig into how leads are distributed to team members and the relative success each has with the leads they receive.
Once it becomes clear that leads are not the issue, I’m able to talk with the recruiter about their outreach strategy with new leads. We explore the following key areas with respect to outreach strategy: timeliness, frequency and duration, channel, and messaging. In every coaching experience I’ve had we’ve always discovered at least one area for improvement that has led to improved production.
If you find yourself blaming the leads for your struggles, take a moment to look around the office. Are other recruiters finding success with the same leads? If so, take some time out of your day to meet with them to discuss their outreach strategy. There’s a good chance you might just find out it’s not the leads that suck! And the potential you may walk away with a tip or two that will help you increase your production.
