In the fast-paced world of recruitment, you’re under constant pressure to deliver results for your clients and achieve sales targets. So what’s the secret to maintaining peak performance without burning out?
In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, our special guest, Scott Eastin, provides a fresh perspective on achieving sustainable, long-lasting success in recruitment. Drawing from his own successful career, having navigating many ups and downs, Scott emphasizes the pivotal relationship between prioritizing health and recruitment success.
Scott is the Director of EastinIT Security. Over the last 13 years established himself as a leading Microsoft Security consultant. He’s worked with major organizations such as Coca-Cola, American Express as well as state and local governments. For the last 5 years, he’s built an IT consulting and staffing firm winning high-value, long-term projects that generate recurring revenue.
In this episode, Scott unpacks his remarkable transition from being a software developer to becoming a successful recruiter. He divulges his four cornerstone strategies for business development. Most importantly, emphasizes why prioritizing physical health is a non-negotiable component in maintaining his overall productivity.
Episode Outline and Highlights
- [02:25] Scott’s journey from being a software developer to a successful recruiter.
- [10:14] Insights on challenges when transitioning to a career in recruiting.
- [14:47] Sharing a story of how embracing an idea that was not done became a game-changer.
- [24:00] Scott’s Top 4 Business Development strategies
- [30:35] Hosting networking events – an effective way to engage with your community.
- [36:15] Comparison of consulting practice versus permanent direct hire models in the tech space.
- [44:36] Managing cash flow challenges in a consulting and IT staffing business.
- [54:40] Mindfulness, health and well-being.
The Advantages of a Consulting Business in the IT Space
Is it easier to manage an IT consulting business model versus a permanent direct hire practice? For Scott, having a consulting business model works well for him for the following reasons:
- Trusted Independent Contractors – He has already established a network of reliable independent contractors, which makes it easy to take in projects from his clients.
- Long-term Contracts – Because of quality service delivery, he can secure long-term contracts that assure him six-digit revenues at the beginning of the year.
If you are running an executive search firm or permanent hire practice, you might want to consider exploring the option of a consulting or contract service as an additional revenue stream. Scott believes that this is a great time for such a business model:
“Quite frankly, if you look at the statistics that are coming out now, more and more people are interested in contracting and independent consulting work. I know I was reading an article from the staffing industry where I think they said literally 38% of the U.S. workforce has done some type of gig work.”
Of course, there are also challenges in this type of business model, such as cash flow management – sometimes you would have to pay your contractors before the client even pays you. Scott shared how he solves this. He also elaborated on his approach to business development.
The 4 Cornerstones of Scott’s Business Development Strategy
Scott describes himself as a “reluctant salesman.” Before becoming a recruitment business owner, he had this preconceived notion about salespeople: “Selling is somewhat, maybe a dirty word for some people in the technical industry.”
Part of his journey is getting over that mindset. Scott’s primary principle regarding selling and business development is “Great service, great people, and great value.” He shared four key pointers about this topic and elaborated on how this helps him to get continued repeat businesses:
- Referrals – Scott’s mantra of great service, great people, and great value is the foundation of providing excellent services consistently. This leads to referrals and repeat businesses across his market and industry.
- LinkedIn Visibility – Scott consistently posts content and videos on LinkedIn.
- BDR – Scott hired an experienced Business Development Representative part-time on a contract basis to make cold calls and set up sales appointments for him.
- Hosting meet-up events – this is something that Scott picked up from one of our guests in a previous episode, Steven Li, and he is thankful that he applied this approach.
Mindfulness, Health, and Well-Being
Being a one-man shop is not easy and can be stressful. Scott shared how he manages stress by prioritizing his health and consistently implementing healthy habits.
“I learned my lesson over the years where when I did not take my fitness or health very seriously, I was not at my best.”
Scott does P90X training, distance running, and regular functional gym sessions. As a recruiter or business owner, prioritizing health is not only essential for your well-being, but it also contributes to a more productive, positive, and sustainable work environment. Scott shared, “I’m just so much stronger, so much fitter. And so it’s one of those where it’s very cliche to say health is your first wealth, but you know, no matter how much success you’ve got, if you don’t have your health, it’s not worth anything.”
