It’s a tricky balance doing what I want to do for a living and paying the bills.  I seem to have got myself into a position where I am doing more for free for people than for money whether that is in the name of proposition or business development or just freebies.  Freebies are the thing that I struggle with the most, especially client driven freebies of the ‘could you just…’ type. 

So I bring myself to the same in my head conversation.

What is it that will give you what you want financially and you love to do.

Whilst it won’t be a great surprise it is recruitment based.  For all of its many challenges I enjoy recruitment, I enjoy meeting and talking to a bunch of strangers, learning about their lives, finding them a job.  What I now realise that I hate most of all is business development and this despite my many years of sales and sales management.

Don’t get me wrong I can still do it and on occasion have moments of genius (who said sales people are shy and retiring) but it doesn’t get me like it used to.  This might be an age thing but I think it is more to do with me selling my own time as a service. 

When I sold outsourcing services it was much easier.   Well not easier but less complex.  My job was to develop relationships, qualify opportunities into win/win commercial deals and move on to the next one.  In recruitment you have to the same (twice, candidate and client) and then deliver as well, with each delivery touch point being a mini reference all of its own, all with the potential to destroy your personal brand and credibility in an instant. 

Clearly this is my model and the model of the vast majority of the recruitment industry that is driven by the transactional nature of the business and the need to claim every fee as your own.  I do know a few organisations that use ‘business development’ people to win business and then use the delivery engine back at head office to deliver but have never known how successful they are.

So time to find out but with a twist.

I am moving to a channel model or at least going to test the water and see what happens.  Unlike many industries recruitment has never embraced partnership, sticking to the well  trodden route of keeping everything internally failing to share so it will be a challenge but not an impossible task for those that get it.  The propositions are defined and probably better explained when the new website is launched (days not weeks!) so it’s the model that changes…

• Sell to – direct engagement with global clients providing strategy, tactical application and interim solutions.   This is leading more into succession planning and coaching and I have partners in place today to support that.
• Sell with - engaging with recruitment and HR organisations to sell my proposition as part of an integrated approach to people consultancy.
• Sell through – stand alone offerings that my recruitment partners can sell to complement their existing offerings. This will help them raise the value bar allowing traditional fill the job agencies to move away from pure transaction.

 And the real reason for today’s blog… well I am sitting once again in an empty office, I want it full and then to move up the corridor a way and fill that.  Probably not much more than that.  The target is a fifteen people boutique that supports the recruitment industry.  I can’t do that on my own and need your input…

So talk to me and stop me using my blog for self promotion so that normal service can be resumed…

about mckinley|resource® and Martin Dangerfield

mckinley|resource® is an innovative recruitment practice providing executive search, recruitment, talent advisory and project resourcing services. Delivering full UK and European coverage, we focus on identifying and engaging talented individuals within the IT services, IT outsourcing, management consultancy and technology marketplaces.

We can deploy for a day, a week, a month or longer. This means we can support your recruitment peaks, deliver spot advice or have an ongoing engagement. All we need is a desk in your office and a brief that we have agreed and signed up to. We won’t ask you to sign any long term contracts either. 

We have already proven to be a great success for our clients and are happy to work completely autonomous or alongside your current HR team / recruitment agency. Not only can we help free up the process to help find great new people but help you to look after the great people you already have.

To learn more about our approach give Martin Dangerfield (email, linkedin, twitter) a call on +44161.955.3647