When you run your own business, you wear many hats and need to be competent across a number of areas. But which skills make the biggest difference to your success?
In this episode, my special guest Chris Dinaso and I discuss the top 4 skills that are absolutely fundamental to building a profitable recruitment business. We also delve into Chris’s philosophy of “always doing the right thing” which is key to sustainable, long-term success.
It will come as no surprise that selling skills are crucial for recruitment businesses to grow and succeed in a competitive market. A critical component of this is establishing relationships with potential candidates and clients, which starts with an effective elevator pitch.
Chris will be sharing his best practices for selling and business development in running his own recruitment practice. You will hear how he structures his ‘Million-Dollar Paragraph’ and how he effectively reaches out to potential candidates by calling them at their work number.
Chris has been in the recruiting industry for almost three decades and has founded Plumbline Staffing Solutions, a boutique recruitment firm focusing on insurance and general staffing solutions, with offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Austin, Texas.
Episode Outline and Highlights
- [01:45] Sink or Swim – Chris started his staffing career by being thrown into the deep end
- [07:30] Why Chris took a career change and how it influenced his way of working as a recruitment business owner.
- [12:00] “Doing the right thing” is a recruitment business differentiator.
- [22:38] Chris talks about the challenges of getting his company off the ground.
- [33:00] Discussion about Chris’ approach to business development.
- [43:49] The Million-Dollar Paragraph.
- [46:30] Why you should consider calling potential candidates at work.
Doing the Right Thing is a Differentiator
Chris shared an interesting principle as a success contributor: his mindset of always doing the right thing. Influenced by his faith and his experience in his ministry, his aim is to always provide a transcendent experience to his candidates and clients. As he explained, “I want every interaction I have with clients and candidates, I want that to extend beyond just the limits of ordinary experience.”
We discussed the perspective of having integrity, building character, and treating people right in the world of recruiting should be a basic expectation. However, Chris is regular told that he’s different from other recruiters. Chris finds this surprising because, in his view, he didn’t do anything special – he just did the right thing. Which suggests that unfortunately many people don’t have a positive experience of dealing with recruiters.
Although Chris’ reason for doing the right thing isn’t money motivated, the outcome is that it is good for business. I am sure this will resonate with a lot of our listeners – if there is one differentiator for successful recruiters or business owners, it will always come down to how they have treated their clients and candidates.
The Best Way to Sell is to Not Sell
A key strength of Chris is his selling skills, which is one of the reasons he got into the recruiting business way back in 1995. When I asked him about business development, his no-nonsense approach is to sell by not selling. You will hear how Chris starts his conversation with potential clients and candidates, focused on building trust and with the intention of building relationships. I find it really interesting, as customers just don’t respond to a hard sell approach. Coming across too aggressive can backfire. Here are the two things that Chris and I discussed on this topic:
- Structuring and positioning Chris’ “Million-Dollar” elevator pitch.
- Controversially, why Chris believes you should call candidates at their work number.
Four Essential Skills for Starting and Scaling a Recruitment Business
Chris was a successful salesperson and manager prior to setting up his own recruitment firm. I was keen to understand how he applied those skills to grow his own business. “When you start a business, you have to learn how to do everything,” was how Chirs described it.
If you are a recruiter listening and aiming to start your own business, these are four must-haves skills that Chris shared:
- Selling skills
- Copywriting
- Financial Management
- Training & Coaching
To understand why those four skills in particular are the most important, be sure to listen to the full episode.
