About This Episode

Today’s conversation is a little different from some of the other discussions we’ve had before on The Sales Engagement podcast. Our guest on our latest podcast episode was Adam Steinberg, CEO of 10xFinders. He has spent almost a decade working in the recruiting industry. 

What you might not know about recruiters is that they’re really just expert salespeople. 

And there’s a lot of great lessons that we can learn from them.

So, I wanted to focus this discussion on the parallels between sales and recruiting, on key principles that sales organizations can take from the recruiting industry to be more effective. 

Recruitment is Basically Two Sided Sales

See, when you work at a recruiting company, you are what they call “full desk”. 

One on side, you’re responsible for business development. You’ve got to contact companies looking for talent and convince them to work with your company. 

Then, on the other side, you’ve got to represent that employment opportunity to top talent. You have to convince people, who are usually currently employed, that this is the opportunity that they should check out. This is the one they should interview, and potentially leave their job, for. 

Recruiters have to create their own opportunities and close their own deals…on two different sides. They’re basically expert salespeople. 

So, what can we learn from them? 

Think About the Customer Journey

You’ve probably heard this a lot before. 

But are you really, truly thinking about the customer journey? The whole customer journey? 

And are you really thinking about it as if you were the customer?

Remember that the sale starts at the first step of that journey. 

You have to get them excited about the opportunity right from the start. 

Then, it’s about keeping them engaged. 

So, put yourself in your customer’s shoes and shape your service around that experience. 

Become an Expert

When Adam first started as a recruiter, he would cold call CTOs that he knew were looking for a technology professional — say, a software engineer. 

And he would read a pitch to that CTO…and to all the other ones he would call. 

He realized that in order to really add value, he needed to become an expert on what each company was looking for and on the talent he had available. That way, he could offer a perfect match. 

So, Adam spent time researching the companies, the job descriptions, and the candidates in his database until he was able to offer value, all the way down to the details. 

You can fake it til you make it but you shouldn’t be faking it forever. 

Don’t just pick up the phone and hope it’s going to go well. 

Do the work up front. Spend time researching. Become an expert in your field. On your product. Learn how to speak the language natively. 

As you become an expert, your interactions will become more enjoyable. Because every time you have a conversation with someone, you’ll be truly adding value.

Put in the work now, and you’ll reap the benefits for a long time to come. 

Stay Human

In this world of increased automation and technology, just being human can be a differentiating factor. 

So, stay human.

Remember that people are only buying from you because they have a need. 

Don’t take that for granted. 

Don’t betray your values to make a sale. 

And if you don’t know what your values are, figure them out. 

And no matter what, be ethical — there can be major consequences to every sale.

Keep Your Eye On the Next Opportunity

Most people fail to maximize their careers in sales because they don’t start looking for a job until they’re desperate for one. 

They fail to search far and wide, to find something they really connect with. 

To avoid this, you should always be researching your next opportunity. 

Think about what would be a step up for you. 

And remember that it’s not always about more responsibility or a bigger position. 

It’s about working for a company you really believe in. 

Don’t think you know about every opportunity out there.

Instead, be curious. 

And find something you really believe in. 

This post is based on a podcast interview with Adam Steinberg from 10xFinders. To hear this episode, and many more like it, you can subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast.

If you don’t use iTunes, you can listen to every episode here.

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