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Marketers who feel “unloved” or “worked” in the wrong way will totally get this blog, and likely forward to their leaders and recruiters. Recruitment Leaders and recruiters need to read this blog if hey feel that they are not making money from marketing!
Recruitment Marketing and Sales are Disconnected
I recently had dinner with a recruitment leader (anonymous) and we were talking about her goals for the year…
Profit, Effectiveness, ROI, CRM Upgrade, Marketing…
Or rather she said:
I want to get more ROI from my colouring-in department!
In my recruitment marketing mentoring programs I often come across Recruitment Marketing departments who are disconnected from Sales – disconnected enough to warrant a (healthy) scepticism. This is often demonstrated by graphs showing community sizes rather than fees generated from marketing activities.
Why? I often find that this is due to a complete lack of understanding (by Sales) of what Marketing is there for. Marketing are often not expected to generate leads, and if they do, Sales sometimes don’t stop cold calling long enough to convert them, or feedback to Marketing on improving the lead criteria.
Who Cares About Your LinkedIn Followers? I Want Candidates to Apply for Jobs, and Clients to Pay Invoices
We all know Greg Savage. We even had a webinar dedicated to (our invented) Greg Savage day. He has numerous sound bites, one of which is so pertinent to this:
Those of you getting your staff to compete over cold calls are competing over who can piss off the most prospects… Cold calls? Warm calls are better.
Now warm calls are not generated by radiators or working in hot climates – they are generated by marketing (delivered by Sales and Marketing).
Marketing is all about being in the peripheral vision of your talent and clients – content, events, great job adverts…
Marketing should rule lead generation – not simply colour it in!
If you agree with Greg (as my clients do) that this year is about recruiters being more focused marketers, and you agree with me…
If you’re a marketer it’s about recruiters… if you’re a recruiter it’s about marketing.
Then you need to either radically change your perception of your colouring in department, or hire a new more sales-focussed one. It’s all about ROI!
5 Things You Can Do to Get Your Marketing Department to Put Their Crayons Down (and Generate ROI)
Tell them who your target clients are – seriously, they’ll love knowing and they’ll get super giddy when they see these clients surfing your website and engaging with their content.
Give them a budget to generate leads. Even as an IT Director in my younger days, my Commercial Director said “I’ll give you £1 as long as you make me £2!”
Put down the cold call and demand a list of warm calls.
Stop jumping out of your cave with your club looking for the Woolly Mammoth and start looking to be stroked. Are you so busy chasing that you can’t see who’s looking at you?
Get a lead from your marketing department and it’s not worth your time? Feedback and demand better (nicely).
Marketing ROI is About Perception and Expectation
Recruitment marketers need to “get” Sales, generate leads, demonstrate value and get into the thick of growing a business.
Recruiters need to “get” that Marketing (with a big and small m) is intrinsically part of the sales process, not simply a pretty logo, website, LinkedIn Recruiter Licence sign off, etc…
And when Marketing generates super leads for you, convert them into sales please, then tell Marketing how much money they have helped you take home that month, say thanks, and don’t be surprised if they log that somewhere and remind you of it regularly.
I train and mentor recruitment marketers to generate the 4Cs: candidates, clients, colleagues and cash.
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Rose Megson
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Recruiter Productivity Series: Optimise Bullhorn Part 1 ~ Engage, Nurture, Place, and Re-Place
Recruiters! I know that recruitment has never been so competitive— even your own clients are competing with you to place candidates!We're launching a new series of recruiter productivity webinars focussed on optimising your use of Bullhorn and driving speedier sourcing, recruitment, leads, sales, and commission! Part 1 is focussed on managing candidates.Let's show you some tips to engage with candidates effortlessly. Let's build stronger relationships using Bullhorn’s nurturing features: communicate, optimise, protect, PLACE! (And repeat!)REGISTER NOWBullhorn MythsIn today’s fast-paced recruitment world, having a powerful ATS/CRM is essential. It saves time, improves efficiency, and drives a profitable desk. But often, we hear:I use Bullhorn when I get a minute.Bullhorn is just a database, not a business growth tool.We have Bullhorn, but we’re not seeing a return on investment.The data is a mess, so I need to advertise and use LinkedIn too.These statements couldn't be more wrong…Bullhorn:💓 Can be your recruitment Buddy if you let it!😱 Reduces admin workload.💪 Keeps you organised.🕒Helps you source, sell, and place quickly!…and so much more when used effectively!Register Now for Our "Candidate Engagement" Bullhorn WebinarRecruitment leaders! Don’t invest in Bullhorn only to underutilise it and then wonder why you’re not getting results.Recruiters! Don’t create unnecessary "busyness" with messy data, inefficient workflows, and poor adoption, leading to a lack of return on effort (RoE).What You’ll Learn in Our Upcoming Bullhorn Optimisation Webinars:📌 23 April 2025: Engage with candidates effortlessly. Build stronger relationships using Bullhorn’s nurturing features: communicate, optimise, protect, PLACE! (And re-place!) Register Now📌 Date TBC: Leverage Bullhorn to source and track qualified candidates faster with less effort.📌 Date TBC: Maximise lead generation and improve conversion rates with smart Bullhorn strategies.📌 Date TBC: Optimise recruitment workflows for maximum efficiency and profitability.Whether you're new to Bullhorn or looking to refine your ATS/CRM strategy, this webinar series will provide you with actionable tips and real-world insights to immediately benefit your recruitment team.By the end of our 4 Bullhorn Optimisation sessions, you’ll have the tools and knowledge to:⏳ Save time (and sanity) and be more productive.🤝 Engage more candidates effectively.💸 Place candidates faster and increase your sales and commission.Don’t miss out! Register now to secure your spot in this free, must-attend event.We look forward to showing you how Bullhorn ATS/CRM can elevate your recruitment ROI (return on investment) and ROE (return on effort) and drive business growth!REGISTER NOWRecruitment and Bullhorn TrainingWe deliver the best live Bullhorn ROI webinar training, and you'll find other tips and tricks in Recruitment HIIT, our online recruitment training platform.Plus, through our Bullhorn Vision service we help generate serious ROI from your Bullhorn, data, and people.TRY HIIT FREE HERECONTACT US ABOUT BULLHORN ROI
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Wayne Barclay
Blog
Protect Your Pipeline with this Antidote to Backdoor Placements
Backdoor placements are often an "invisible" pipeline killer. Yet they are also a great opportunity to recover lost revenue. Silver linings! Are you missing out on smashing target by not actively managing backdoor placements? 20 Years Ago, in a Land Far Away...In Lisa and my younger days (20 years ago), we created a report to track theoretical backdoors, and had a team calling candidates at the employer they'd recently had an interview with. If they answered, they were put through to the recruiter to begin recouping the lost fee.Surely time has moved on and there are more effective and tech-driven ways of doing this? Plus, surely recruiters are better at sales admin and relationship management now, so back doors are less common? I'm not so sure... If anything more data and tech has actually created a less robust process in many firms.Let’s explore why tracking backdoor placements is critical and how to implement best practices and technology for spotting and reducing them.The Financial Impact of Backdoor PlacementsWhen a candidate you’ve introduced to a client is hired without your knowledge or agreement on fees, you lose the fee. This often happens when terms of business aren’t adhered to, or when a client chooses to go behind your back. Consider this: one recruiter we’ve worked with reported uncovering at least one lost fee per consultant annually. For a team of 30 recruiters, that’s a staggering £150,000 in potential net revenue. In one instance, a single backdoor placement resulted in a recovered fee of £32,000. These numbers are too significant to ignore.Additionally, recruiters often spend resources sourcing candidates from external platforms instead of leveraging their databases. Tracking and addressing backdoor placements encourages better use of internal resources while ensuring you recapture fees rightfully owed to your business.Building Trust and Strengthening Your Recruitment ProcessClients: Actively managing backdoor placements helps you optimise your client relationships. Clients who circumvent your terms of business do not value your partnership. Using Bullhorn to flag these incidents creates transparency and helps you spend time on clients who value you.Candidates: Additionally, having a proactive backdoor placement management process complements your silver medalist strategy. Silver medalists are candidates who reached advanced stages of the recruitment process but were not placed. By regularly engaging these high-potential candidates through your tracking systems, you keep them warm for future opportunities while minimising your reliance on external sourcing.Best Practices for Managing Backdoor PlacementsTrack Every Interaction: Ensure your CRM system captures interview stages and outcomes, even for candidates rejected at early stages. Use detailed note types like “Rejected at Interview” or “Rejected at CV Send” to maintain a clear record.Standardise Your Terms: Attach your terms and conditions to every client communication. This ensures clients can’t dispute fees later and provides you with a reliable audit trail.Monitor Data Ownership: Many lost placements are tied to inactive users or former consultants. Assign ownership of these candidates to managers to maintain visibility and accountability.Automate to Remove Human Error: Implement automation to consistently track candidate progress and flag potential backdoor placements. This minimises manual errors and improves data integrity.Automation - The Antidote to Backdoor PlacementsDuring a recent Bullhorn Automation User Group, I was asked about my top 3 ways to use automation. Backdoor placement management is one of those 3 ways. These 2 automations are a must of you are set on prevention and pipeline maximisation:Interview Confirmation automation: If you already use these automations, add a notification step, x months after the interview date. Choose a timeframe which suits your sector the best.Check Past Interviews (Backdoor): If you don't use Interview Confirmation automation, create a stand alone automation that tracks the interview date and does not have placement. Add a wait step x months later to send a notification to your recruiter to check-in with the candidate and check they don't have a new job. You could even do what Lisa and I set up in a previous life and call the employer and ask to speak to the candidate. If they answer... bingo!Process and Tech Is KeyUse tech to prevent them.Use tech to spot them.The bottom line is that backdoor placements aren’t just about recovering lost revenue; they’re an opportunity to refine your recruitment strategy, strengthen client and candidate relationships, and ensure your systems are robust enough to thrive in a competitive market. Take control, and turn these challenges into wins for your recruitment / staffing agency.And if you need help on your processes, your data, and your Bullhorn adoption / ROI - call us - we can help.Automation and Bullhorn1stWe are Automation Buddies and Bullhorn Experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses who want to increase speed and sales.Automation: We coach to inspire, and build your automations so you can recruit and sell!Bullhorn: We optimise, train, and improve RoI from your key recruitment system.READ ABOUT OUR AUTOMATION BUDDY SERVICERead about our Bullhorn 1st Service
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Rose Megson
Webinar
Recruiter Productivity Series: Optimise Bullhorn Part 1 ~ Engage, Nurture, Place, and Re-Place
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Wayne Barclay
Webinar
Automation ROI Webinar Series: Data = Clean and Monetised! Part 2
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Wayne Barclay
Webinar
Automation RoI Webinar Series: Unlock Bullhorn Part 1 ~ Generate Leads and Revenue
