Recruiter Training By Barb Bruno, CPC

Your clients must be able to TRUST YOU in order to keep them satisfied. Being trusted by your clients is critical to your success as a recruiter. How can you earn their trust? What can you do to protect and maintain trust once it has been established?

The following four simple behaviors that will answer those questions:

1. ALWAYS BE FAIR AND STAY CONSISTENT WITH YOUR CLIENTS
They should know what to expect from you and they should know what you expect from them. Once expectations on both sides are consistent, their ability to trust you increases dramatically. Your clients are aware that you deal with people and expect every situation to be unique. You will be required to make decisions that will affect them and their company. Once they trust you as their recruiter, they begin to see you as an extension of their team. Regardless of any action you are required to take, always be fair.

2. KEEP YOUR PROMISES TO YOUR CLIENTS
Never make promises to your clients that you are not 100% sure you can keep. I always attempt to Under-Promise and Over-Deliver. Clients simply want to be able to count on you and what you say. If you make promises that you don’t keep, their trust in you will diminish quickly. If you keep your promises, they will turn to you first with their needs.

3. SPEAK OUT FOR WHAT YOU THINK IS IMPORTANT
Your clients cannot read your mind. They do not know what you feel or think. If they are left to guess what is important to you, they may be wrong. They will respect your honesty and be grateful for the time that they will save throughout your working relationship. Once your clients trust you, you become their Trusted Advisor not their recruiter.

4. ALWAYS TRY TO DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU’RE GOING TO DO
This is very simple, but very important in building trust in any relationship, especially with your clients. Barb has always said, “You are only as good as your last placement.” This concept is often true. If you say you are confident that you will fill their position, then you need to produce results. If it is a difficult search assignment, tell your client that it is a difficult search and you will dedicate yourself to filling the assignment. If the search assignment is a “needle in the haystack”, we refer to them as “Mission Impossible.” You should be honest with your client and do not tell them that you will fill their opening. Tell them that you will try, but make sure you also tell them that the search is challenging and you will do your best to find the right fit.

Overall, trust can make or break your relationships with your clients.

The steps above are common sense, however, in a challenging market, we as recruiters want to fill any and every job order we write. Keep in mind that you still need to MAKE A CLIENT NOT A SALE!

Nancy J. Phillips, CPC
Sales Consultant/Coach
V.P. of Sales & Marketing