How to approach more valuable clients to cooperate with and grow our headhunter business?
We are an executive search firm specilized in serving munltinational companies with their business in China market. So i would like to have a more efficient way to approach more clients to serve. So, i want to get some advice. Thanks.
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Mar 30, 2017
Your question requires a specific work. It is not about giving a guidance and leaving. It is about creating suggestions from which your organization will get a few impacts. One of the headings for a potential methodology might be to distinguish engaging quality of the Chinese business showcase, and so forth. Our organization SCHWIPAR Center for Innovational Development is interested in work with your organization under contract understanding for advancement "head-chasing" proposals.
Apr 21, 2014
Hi Charlie, A great Question,
If I may make a few points.
1) All clients are valuable. I saw a sales billboard the other week. It was selling land (domestic) the board said "We saved the best till last"
Which left me thinking about how the other customers must feel, if they where not offered the best.
2) I like your website, it talks about your specific areas of interest and expertise.
3) It does not make mention about the strength of your pool, of candidates. which I would consider to be one of your competitive differences. For instance you are a company are not interested in just filling vacancies, You are more interested in providing strong, tested longer term potential team players, or managers who's focus is ..................
4) You should be highlighting how you are different in your selection process. Not every candidate you meet becomes a suitable candidate for your company.
You stake your companies representation by the high caliber candidates you present.
5) It you build up the value and points of difference, you start to answer your prospective clients. what's in it for me. and Why should I use your company compared to others.
6) China is such a large country, and you are located some 3 hrs away from Shanghai. You may need to spell out your companies reach. Is it local, is it only the one province, or is it the whole of china.
7) If you are making a pitch to oversees companies to consider China, you may need to provide additional stories of reasons for them to establish.
8) If you are making a pitch to oversees companies who have already established a presence, you would need to provide a different story as to how you can help com paired to what ever means / method they tried before.
This would require highlighting your successful stories, and the high quality of the fish you have in your pond.
9) Once you have the right story to tell, that will hold their attention, that indicates why they should use you. and that you are different to the others because you have a stronger understanding and a better more aligned pool of talent.
They will take more notice. Then it's a matter of fishing in the correct pond. The one were your prospective clients go to.
I trust this helps you.
George.
Apr 20, 2014
Your question requires a certain work. It is not about giving an advice and going away. It is about developing recommendations from which your company will get some effects. One of the directions for a potential strategy may be to identify attractiveness of the Chinese business market, etc. Our company SCHWIPAR Centre for Innovational Development is open to work with your company under contract agreement for development "head-hunting" recommendations.
Apr 19, 2014
Charlie,
This is a sort-of psychological gut feeling - not backed by any scientific evidence/research but only some experience in similar situations. I pretty much derived my answer by replacing "China with "South Africa" in your question. I am struggling with the same problem, only in South Africa.
So - on to my comment. I am sorry if I am making assumptions, but since your surname is Chen, it sounds like you are Chinese, or at the very least is of Chinese origins, so you possible know some Chinese people, and/or the language, culture and customs. It also appears from your picture that you are Chinese (again an assumption, sorry)... but don't worry - I am getting to a point here.
My comments on this are:
If my assumptions are spot on, you possibly have a great advantage here: Your understanding of Chinese culture, customs, the people and the business climate is one single advantage that you have over similar companies targeting the Chinese market. Often trust is instilled by talking to someone "of your own kind".
Of course, the answers of others (especially Murali) about having quality services at affordable rates, addresses the side of things I have not even touched base on.
Good luck!
Apr 19, 2014
The approach is easy if you have already something that is valuable for them. In this case it means compatible and skilled people that value the respective company. One ideea could be to organize an event/show where you test a lot of people (urban challenge could be good experiential low cost solution) and ask them also about the companies they admire. Then you have your own database with skilled people and motivated to work for one or other company, so when you contact the HR you give them access to this people at a lower cost than if they would do the same process by themselves. If you need more info about this please contact me.
Apr 19, 2014
Dear Charlie...China is the happening place as they need lot of experienced managers and hence you are in the right market place. Also one should try and project his/her company as a firm concentrating on only few domains or Verticals and here again you are OK as you seem to be concentrating only on manufacturing, marketing and supply chain fields.
However some suggestions to improve your business:
a) Make sure your USP is coming out ‘load and clear’. You are not coming out as a true Executive Search Company. To succeed, you need to differentiate yourself from the other recruitment agencies particularly those who masquerade as head hunters in China.
b) China needs lot of ‘Globally’ experienced managers and your company is not coming out as a company with global reach or experience.
c) Make sure you are providing a high level of service at an acceptable price, in China’s price sensitive market.
d) Brand yourself as a true Executive Search Company. Keep harping on the value your Executive Search Company provides over other recruitment firms. Show case that you can recruit challenging positions on short notice at a Global Level. Talk about business in every business arena, and hold seminars.
e) Your business is usually based on the (personal) relationship you build with your clients. Read your competition and see how they retain their clients. Try and understand what your existing clients may need as they grow their business and how to cater their requirements in the future. Your Clients may require new skills, new labor techniques and not just the senior managers to run businesses. Hence it will help your business to look into these and start gearing up in advance.
Hope this helps. All the best.
Apr 19, 2014
Dear Mr. Chen,
Great query on a topic relating to the outsourced hiring process for corporate customers. We used to execute this back in 2009-10 and created a breakthrough for the client's HR function by achieving a 30 % increased productivity (even though we weren't in the hiring business but only mastered the process for them as an external consultant).
As we evolved into the second decade of the 21st century, we also realized a few other aspects of how to engage in a network to create a net worth for our clients.
With over 500 people in any professional network, corporations could become your target provided you execute the right drivers to rein them in as what we term as "Pull" strategy (originally known as "Kanban" with the Japanese). On most occasions we push and get frustrated let alone frustrating the client.
So what are some "Pull" factors one can drive to seek corporate clients to hire Reso Consulting?
a - Known Track record of outsourced hiring services to date (displayed clearly on a website or a professionally built URL such as LinkedIn where clients socialize on a virtual basis).
b - Return On Investment for the Client by hiring Reso Consulting? What is their USP (Unique Sales Proposition) and how do the differ from the rest of the crew? Well a client can see that they limit their customer pool so that they can focus and deliver the goods, however, the client wants to see results in addition to theory. Theory claims that by focusing on limited customers, assessing the candidates in a short span of time (say 5 days), there is a likelihood that clients would achieve a breakthrough in their outsourced strategy. Now the question for which the clients need and answer is - Did Reso Consulting actually achieve it and did the walk the walk along with the talk? This literally means a graphical (visual) comparison of traditional outsourced companies taking xyz time and $ and delivering much slower and less efficient compared to Reso Consulting's efforts. Having this kind of information displayed along with an authentic client testimonial would simply "Pull" corporate clients to your website or profile.
c - Retention of Candidates for a client after hiring. - With the average retention time of the Millennials in FTE with corporations decreasing, it is becoming a challenge for corporations to retain great talent. When Reso Consulting demonstrates its track record on this by comparing its clients' with the supposedly traditional ones in the industry, the data should show that Reso Consulting stands apart. Does it? Where is the data I can use and determine that?
d - Website Navigation - A website that is dynamic as well as interacting with the viewer client. The web pages should not transition too fast irritating the client, nor should it be too slow that the customer cannot wait to get to the page. A balance I suppose.
Good luck to you Mr. Chen and hope to connect offline.
Dr. Shree
Apr 19, 2014
Whats in it for them?Fees are usually an issue. Is there something that makes your more relevant.
Hal is right. I used some head hunting firms for both managers and to find me a position. Today's businesses are so different than in the 90's. Company's are looking for leaders and performers to fill positions not just someone that has a degree or experience. I have a friend, now retired who owned a executive hunting firm. He did very well. Interviewing all people he dealt with the company's to find their needs and the professionals searching for a change in careers. He would not commit to a business if he couldn't deliver the product/ person. Professionals flocked to him and so did company's
Also like Hal said what are the fees. company's know there are a lot of executives out there with no job so you need to show you can over deliver.