Market Share Mastery – Free Training
I was a recent guest of Recruiters Connection, delivering my Market Share Mastery webinar. Below is a link to the video recording of that program. Enjoy!
What’s Hot and What’s Not – The StaffingU Market Demand Report
Demand for specific types of talent from staffing and recruiting firms can vary greatly from week to week. In this edition of the StaffingU Market Demand Report, we’ve analyzed what will be most and least in demand in key sectors. Recruiters are encouraged to actively recruit the titles in demand; salespeople should share this demand data with employers and actively sell talent to them.
MARKET DEMAND FORECAST – September 1, 2010
ADVERTISING AND CREATIVE
More Demand – Editors (up 25%)
Less Demand – Graphic Designers (down 10.9%)
ENGINEERING
More Demand – Chemical Engineers (up 16.3%)
Less Demand – Mechanical Drafters (down 15.5%)
FINANCE, ACCOUNTING, AND BANKING
More Demand – Tax Preparers (up 912.3%)
Less Demand – Loan Officers (down 12.3%)
HEALTHCARE
More Demand – Speech-Language Pathologists ( up 1.5%)
Less Demand – Pharmacists (down 14.7%)
INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING, and WAREHOUSE
More Demand – Machinists (up 6.1%)
Less Demand – Assemblers and Fabricators (down 14.8%)
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
More Demand – Computer Security Specialists (up 9.6%)
Less Demand – Programmers (down 7.6%)
OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
More Demand – Office Managers and Supervisors (up 9.5%)
Less Demand – Legal Secretaries (down 12.2%)
SALES
More Demand – Retail Supervisors and Managers (up 20.9%)
Less Demand – Sales Reps (down 11.2%)
If you have a category you’d like us to analyze, send it to scottw@StaffingU.net.
StaffingU analyzes data supplied by WANTED Analytics in preparing this report.
Do You Suffer from NPS?
Are staff not held consistently accountable in your firm? Do you come up with justifiable reasons when expectations are not met? Are reprimands or terminations delayed or do not happen at all? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you most likely have a condition called Nice Person Syndrome. Don’t worry, it’s not terminal.
To succeed as a recruiter or salesperson in the staffing and recruiting industry, you have to be a nice enough person (or able to fake nice) to build relationships. These same nice people end up as managers and, as managers, it does not feel nice to hold other people accountable. That’s why virtually every manager has some degree of NPS. The nicer you are as a person, the worse your NPS tends to be.
The important thing to recognize is that feeling discomfort at holding other people accountable is normal, with reprimands, layoffs, and firings feeling even worse. Life is full of things we don’t like, yet we do them anyways. Even though it may not feel good, holding others to a standard that will help them succeed is the right and compassionate thing to do.
When Taking Things Personally is a Good Thing
We’re often told not to take things personally. Yet, there are times when doing so serves us well. Take, for example, when you learn that a current client bought from someone else. Most likely, that means the customer did not tell you or, more often than not, that you did not ask how else you could be of service. In this instance, one of your competitors got a check that should have been made out to you.
It’s in moments like this that I recommend you take a few moments and take this very, very personally. You missed out! Somewhere, somehow, your follow-through or process was not enough to get that customer to send you more money.
The key questions to ask yourself, when this happens, are:
1. How did I miss this?
2. And how do keep this from happening again?
These same questions can be used with candidates when they take an opportunity through another firm. Especially when it’s at a company that is also a client of yours.
Mistakes are valuable as long as we make them only once and learn the lessons they contain. So, feel free to take these kinds of things personally and improve your process as a result.
Compare Your Firm to Others with Free Data
Until Friday, Aug. 20, the American Staffing Association is offering free data to any staffing firm that participates in its inaugural Sector Benchmarking Survey. The survey covers temporary, contract, and direct hire placements in the following industry sectors—health care; industrial; office-clerical; professional; and technical, IT, and scientific.
By taking 15 to 20 minutes to share your staffing firm’s data, you’ll receive a complimentary full survey report if you’re an ASA member, while nonmembers will receive an executive summary of the key findings with an option to purchase the full report at a 50% discount.
Sample metrics collected in the survey include:
- Turnover of sales, recruiting, and customer service employees
- Assignment billing and pay rates by sector
- Daily employee placements by company size
- Data on gross margins and profit margins by sector
You can even review the questions prior to starting the survey. Just go to www.americanstaffing.net/sectionsurvey to download a PDF of the questions or to start the survey.
The information you submit is completely confidential. The survey is administered by Inavero, an ASA corporate partner and market research firm, and ASA only receives and reports aggregate data.
If you have questions about the survey, contact Amalea Híjar, ASA senior manager, sections, at 703-253-1171 or ahijar@americanstaffing.net.
The StaffingU Market Demand Report – New Feature!
I’m pleased to share the first post of our newest feature, the StaffingU Market Demand Report. In partnership with WANTED Analytics (www.wantedanalytics.com), we’ll be bringing you updates on the latest trends in market demand along with suggestions on how to use this information with prospects and clients.
This week, we’re featuring the top 20 positions most in demand in the United States and where your best sales opportunities exist for the top five. The openings added are in the last seven days.
Demand for the top five will be greatest in the following cities:
Registered Nurses
1. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX – 1.52 (times the normal demand)
2. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ – 1.46
3. El Paso, TX – 1.45
Physical Therapists
1. Danville, VA – 1.79
2. Harrisonburg, VA – 1.69
3. Visalia-Porterville, CA – 1.57
Retail Supervisors/Managers
1. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY – 1.36
2. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA – 1.33
3. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC – 1.32
Retail Salespersons
1. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY – 1.42
2. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA – 1.39
3. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL – 1.39
Occupational Therapists
1. Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA – 2.01
2. Lakeland, FL – 1.96
3. Visalia-Porterville, CA – 1.89
To create a sense of urgency for potential buyers, be sure to share how many other openings are competing for the same pool of talent. For example, it’s one thing to say there is a lot of demand for Physical Therapists. It’s much more powerful when you backup that statement with the fact that there are 7851 openings in just the past seven days for that same position.
Not All Priorities Are Created Equal
Human critters are pretty quirky. We talk a good game of working smarter versus harder, yet, quite often our actions tell a different story. Never-ending to-do lists, over-flowing in-baskets, and 10 plus hour workdays are just a few examples.
The first issue to acknowledge is that people in our profession are great at reacting. The two things we often react to first are typically the task that is right in front of us or the one that is easiest to complete. Yet, most of the time, neither is the highest priority.
It would be a great day if you were to accomplish just two or three really important things. Anything on top of that gets bonus points.
How do you know what’s really important when all of the priorities appear to be critical?
Just ask yourself these two simple questions:
1. What’s the payoff of doing this task first?
2. What’s the ROI of taking this action?
Knowing the answers will help you to choose which tasks to do first, second, third, and so on. If you tackle your priorities in that order, you may not get everything done, but you’re likely to achieve what’s truly important for that day.
Show and Tell – Not Just a Kids Game Anymore
What did you take to your first “Show and Tell” at school? Do you remember the anticipation of seeing what your friends brought and sharing your special toy or item?
Now imagine a very different game called “Tell.” The teacher in a kindergarten classroom asks the children to pick out a favorite toy at home, but not bring it to school. Instead, the teacher has each student stand up and tell everyone all about the item they chose. My guess is that most kids, and even adults, would find this a bit lacking …especially when compared to the fun of “Show and Tell.”
There’s a whole lot of telling going on in the staffing and recruiting business. Clients are told how cost effective using staffing services can be for them. Candidates and applicants are told why one firm is better than another. Jeff, a hiring manager for a manufacturing firm in Kansas City, confirmed the ineffectiveness of just telling. He says, “I have a lot of staffing firms telling me how good they are. But how do I really know for sure? I don’t want words; I want proof.”
The “proof” that Jeff and many others are looking for can be shown. Just like demonstrating how much fun a toy is, you can show clients and candidates why they should do business with you. Here are five examples to get you started on playing a consistent game of “Show and Tell”:
TELL
“It is much more cost effective to use our services than to try and fill your needs on your own.”
SHOW AND TELL
Partner with your prospect or client in completing a cost comparison. By doing so, they’ll be able to tell themselves the difference in cost.
A free cost comparison tool, the Hiring Process Audit, is available in our Free Tools section.
TELL
“Candidates and applicants tell us that we find them the best jobs and assignments in the area.”
SHOW AND TELL
Ask people that you’ve placed to write a letter you can give to prospective candidates and applicants. Have them write the letter to the applicant telling them how much they benefited from your services.
TELL
“The people we send for your consideration are thoroughly screened before you ever see them.”
SHOW AND TELL
Send a new prospect a copy of the questions and documents you use in your screening process. Better yet, invite them to your office to watch you go through the steps.
TELL
“We act as a career advisor to the people we work with.”
SHOW AND TELL
Set up a career resource center in your office. Then invite every applicant or candidate you work with (whether you place them or not) to come in and use these resources to help them with their job search. If you’re working a national practice, you can create this same resource center online.
TELL
“I have exactly the person you’re looking for. Let me tell about their background and why they are such a great fit.”
SHOW AND TELL
Let the client try out the person for a few hours at no charge.
So, which game sounds more fun to you? And just as important, will “Tell” or “Show and Tell” be more enticing to your clients and candidates? Play the game and you’ll most certainly find out!
The Terry Tate Question
After watching this video, be sure to ask your clients, when taking orders, if they employ a “Terry Tate.”
What Do You Have to Look Foward To?
I’m back from a wonderful vacation and my next pleasure trip, a weekend in Vegas with Holly, is already on the calendar for October. While I know that I will have a wonderful time in Vegas, being able to look forward to this trip is just as meaningful.
I play the “always having something to look forward to game” every week. Sometimes it’s a ballgame, time with friends, or something as simple as time with my son. The key is that I always have something that I can look forward to. It helps me to enjoy the present moment, even the ones that are not all that pleasant since I know this too shall pass.
So, what do you have to look forward to? Put something on the calendar now. Maybe a massage later this week or dinner with a friend. And while you’re at it, how about scheduling that next vacation or weekend trip away. You know you deserve it and the anticipation that comes with it.
