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Well known for her 30 year history of high dollar production and growth-oriented leadership, Kathleen has worked extensively with companies and individuals to leverage learning as a business success strategy. Clients ask Kathleen to work with them on increasing Production, Profitability and building high-performing recruiting teams in the Executive Search, Perm and Staffing industries. Having served as Chief Learning Advocate with Global Recruiters Network, Inc (GRN), Kathleen worked with the almost 200 franchised offices to implement a learning strategy that increased system-wide and individual office revenues by launching over 1000 hours of annual learning content. While National Practice Leader with StarbridgeGroup, Inc. Kathleen worked with training and consulting companies around the world to recruit and hire executive talent to convert their business goals into reality. Her tenure in the learning business has included highs and lows in her various roles as practitioner, search team leader, building and managing a 15 person search firm, as a franchise owner and a franchise consultant and learning leader. Kathleen now works with a variety of recruiting and human capital companies as a speaker, trainer, coach and business consultant. Kathleen began her professional career in 1980 when she traveled around the country teaching sales effectiveness to thousands of fund raising executives on behalf of a national non-profit organization. After several years, Kathleen shifted into sales, starting with opening new territories and moving up to Vice President of Sales for an educational software firm. Moving into recruiting provided Kathleen with a powerful way to leverage her sales and executive experiences, and her long history of helping executives build organizations and struggle with career decisions established her as a trusted advisor and coach. Kathleen has remained a leader in the executive search industry for the last 20 years of her recruiting career, and was selected in 1995 for membership in the Pinnacle Society, a recruiting industry honor society recognizing 75 of the top executive recruiters in North America. Kathleen was honored to serve as President of this prestigious organization for 4 consecutive years, and has now returned to the organization as an honored member Emeritus. Kathleen’s core expertise is in helping others learn and get things done. Working with others as coach and consultant, she is known for helping her clients build dreams, make plans and execute to create results. Often that means laying out a roadmap, identifying roadblocks and building a detour so the journey is productive. Kathleen Kurke specializes in Productivity and Profitability Coaching in the Recruiting Industry. If you or your team would like to make better choices on working Job Orders to increase your production and pro tability, reach out to Kathleen at kathleentkurke@gmail.com.
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Four Hot Topics your Client Prospects WILL Want to Talk About
By Kathleen Kurke | Sunday February 26, 2018
If you’re calling prospects and telling them “I’ve got a guy for you” or, it’s likely they’re not answering the phone or returning your call. Neither of these topics are what your prospects care about, thinking about, or are talking about inside their own organization, so they’ll likely see no value to talking about those topics with you.
But, here are four (4) topics that WILL interest your prospects, so build your call and conversation strategies around these topics:
• Innovation
• Competition Differentiation
• Growth
• Talent Shortage
Framing your calls to prospective clients and candidates in terms of business issues will set you apart from other recruiters and have you in conversation about topics that are core to what clients and candidates are already talking about every day at work. Regardless of the stock market trajectory or the political landscape, these business issues are at the core of every company’s challenge to make money and save money.
Here’s how to have business-issue related conversations that are relevant to prospective clients and candidates.
Become aware of business issues relevant to your niche.
• Google it. Examples: ‘Innovation in Clinical Trials Industry’, ‘Competition in Building Products Industry’, or ‘Talent Shortage in Medical Devices Industry’.
• Check the headlines. What are leading industry or business publications reporting about what’s going on in your industry related to these topics? Check the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, and/or industry specific publications.
• Ask everybody you talk to during the day about business issues. Example: “What are the biggest business struggles you’re seeing in the industry?”
Always lead your calls with business issues conversation. Here are some examples:
• Topic: Innovation
“I’m always so fascinated when I read about innovation our industry and it prompted me to wonder: what are the areas in which your organization is trying to innovate and what are the skill sets you need for that innovation to be successful?”
or
“Even when my clients tell me everything is going well, there’s almost always a skill set they need NOW to be ready for future innovation. What’s that skill set in your organization?”
• Topic: Competitive Differentiation
“We’re in a marketplace where there’s an incredible push toward commoditization, so differentiation is tough. What are the skill sets you need on your team to continue to set your company apart in this tough marketplace?”
Or
“Making great product is important, but we all know the people on your team can make an even bigger difference in this competitive market. What skills sets do you need on the team to maintain/expand your competitive position in the marketplace?”
• Topic: Growth
“Sometimes grabbing market share requires more than just the people you already have working harder. It requires more talented people connected with prospective customers who need what you do. Where can you benefit from growth if you have more talented people in the field?”
Or
“What are the benchmarks you’re expecting your group to be at in 3 years. What skills sets do you need to hire now to hit that goal?”
• Topic: Talent Shortage
“Maybe it’s fake news, but the headlines are filled with stories about skills shortages. What are the most critical skills your company can’t afford to be without?”
Or
“I’m noticing your company job postings that don’t go away, and that’s got to be worrisome You’re not alone, that’s why my clients hire me. The caliber of talent they need has too much to do to find those postings and they need to find a better way to reach the talent they need in such a competitive landscape. Of all those postings, what’s the biggest pain point?”
Bring a business issue into every conversation and you’ll always have something to talk about.