Are you utilising your existing client base enough?

In this blog, we will look at 4 tactics to help you get more out of your existing client base.

Firstly, you should be aware of the number of deals you need in order to meet your sales target on a month by month basis. You can easily work this out by looking at your overall target for the year, calculating the value of your average deal and finding the number that you should be hitting every month.

Take a look at the clip below, where the co-founder of The Recruitment Network, James Osborne, explains why you should be committed to getting the ideal number of customers. By utilising your existing relationships, you’ll be able to focus less of your time trying to win new clients, increasing your efficiency & productivity.

 

In our recent Twitter Poll, we asked how much time you dedicate to winning new clients. Interestingly, 67% of respondents said that it is a priority, however, whilst you can always be looking for new clients, the question is, should you be?

Whilst you certainly shouldn’t be putting all of your eggs in one basket, it’s important to consider ways to get more out of your existing clients. By winning more business from them, you’re building on an already established reputation and you’ll find it easier to start a conversation about any upcoming roles.

 

1). Ask for an introduction to different departments 

In this step, you should be looking to build on your existing relationships and talking to your contact within the client company. Start by discussing the possibility of potentially talking to other departments within the companies and focus on your prior work if you’ve previously found them a great candidate. This might encourage them to let you know of any upcoming vacancies they might have. If you did a good enough job the first time, you should find that this becomes much easier and they’ll be far more likely to consider you for other departments.

 

2). Find out which areas of the business they are struggling to recruit for

 In this step, you should be looking to build on your existing relationships and talking to your contact within the client company. Start by discussing the possibility of potentially talking to other departments within the companies and focus on your prior work if you’ve previously found them a great candidate. This might encourage them to let you know of any upcoming vacancies they might have. If you did a good enough job the first time, you should find that this becomes much easier and they’ll be far more likely to consider you for other departments.

 

3). Host regular account reviews & maintain communication

Even after you’ve successfully placed a candidate within a client’s business, it is a good idea to schedule regular account reviews to check on the points above, but to also actively get feedback and an understanding of your services.

The companies which obsess about feedback from clients are the ones that will stand out from the competition and are on a journey to continuously improve. This feedback also becomes a vital tool for when you pitch to other clients and should be something you can either work on, or shout about.

Many people will not willingly give feedback unless you ask them for it, the simple act of merely asking helps open up the right dialogue to understand your services and the value you offer.

If you are successful in maintaining this open dialogue, you’ll be far more likely to be considered to recruit for them again.

 

4). Maintain a value-adding relationship with your placed candidates

Finally, try to maintain a relationship with the candidates you have placed. Take the conversation further than a placement gift, as the person might be instrumental in building out a team of their own, or understanding the hiring dynamics/culture of the business.

By taking the time to check on how your placed candidate is doing, you’ll receive feedback on your own service as well as an insight into the company. Ask if there is anything they need or any information you could provide them with. This will be really useful for understanding the culture of the company from an inside perspective and can inform any future placements you make.

Hopefully, when the conversation comes up to hire a new member of staff, you might be considered due to the positive impact you had the last time.

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About The Recruitment Network

This blog article was provided by The Recruitment Network.

The Recruitment Network is the ultimate support club for recruitment business leaders. We give our members an unparalleled level of support, guidance and tools to help them transform their recruitment businesses with the ultimate objective of improving business performance, increasing business efficiency and significantly growing profitability and shareholder value.

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