11:45 – Q&A with Jim Coddington and Bo Stevenson

In this week's 11:45, Jim Coddington and Bo Stevenson shared their strategies for successfully engaging with clients and candidates in an evolving industry. Together, they touched on client relationship management, candidate sourcing techniques, and effective communication methods. Here's what they had to say.

Key Takeaways:

Client Exclusivity: Secure a competitive advantage by negotiating exclusive or priority access to job openings with clients when possible.

• Jim Coddington: Negotiate a 2-week window or head start with clients. For developed relationships, this approach prevents mixed messaging and competition from less confident recruiting firms.
• Bo Stevenson: Use playful language to broach the subject of exclusivity with new clients. For example, "Hey, can I get some exclusivity on this? Can I be the only search firm on this for a little bit? You see how I do before these other guys get out and muddy the water?"
• Educate new clients on the benefits of exclusivity. Jim suggests telling clients, "I don't know if you know how much other search firms can muddy the water, so I'll let them be our best advertisement...if you don't like constant back-and-forth or how they interact with you, get rid of them. They aren't doing you any good."

Candidate Sourcing: Both Jim and Bo primarily source candidates from LinkedIn, but agree that referrals are the best way to get quality candidates.

• Jim Coddington: Explore ZoomInfo for niche assignments if LinkedIn isn't producing results. This can help find candidates who don't have a LinkedIn account or aren't active on the platform.
• Bo Stevenson: Utilizes LinkedIn as a primary source for candidates. He noted, "You're talking to people who want to play the game with us. They will engage with you, and I like talking to people who want to talk back."
• Leverage referrals from industry contacts for quality candidates. Jim shared a recent success where a candidate who wasn't right for the role referred a high-quality colleague, saying, "I really think this guy would thrive in that role."

Career Director Approach: Differentiate yourself and build trust with candidates by focusing on long-term career coaching.

• Jim Coddington: Focus on long-term career planning rather than immediate job details like salary and benefits. He emphasized, "Getting that conversation, making a presentation... going back to that whole career director approach that I authored early on and always worked wonders for me."
• Bo Stevenson: Build relationships by offering genuine career advice, such as "Hey, I'm glad you took the time to talk to me about this $150,000 salary job. But you've got a great career. And you don't want to just blow that listening to some recruiter about an opportunity that's attractive and shiny."
• Use this approach to differentiate from other recruiters in the market. Bo noted, "I think there's so much clutter in the market with other recruiters that if you can come to them with something real like that and have a long-term approach, people are still blown away by it today as they were back when we started."

Communication Strategies: Adapt communication methods to increase engagement and response rates from potential candidates.

• Bo prefers text messages for initial contact with candidates, if he can get their number, because it is a softer, less pushy approach.
• Use flattering language in outreach attempts. For example, "I've heard you're great at what you do. To be honest, I know your reputation. I'd love to meet you."
• Aim to move conversations off LinkedIn to personal email or phone whenever possible.

Bo provided these text message templates that you can modify for your outreach:

"Hi Andrew, It’s Bo Stevenson at Kimmel & Associates. I work in the glazing industry, too, and it’s a small world because I know a lot of your peers, and they have a ton of respect for how you manage projects. Can we hop on the phone sometime this week?"

"Hey Andrew, it's Bo Stevenson. I lead the glazing division at Kimmel & Associates. The bad news is that I'm a recruiter, but the good news is that I'm not trying to recruit you. The guys I talk to that know you say you're excellent and I'd just like to meet you. Got time for a call sometime?"

Referral Techniques: Develop a nuanced approach to requesting referrals, focusing on building relationships first rather than making it a last-ditch effort.

• Jim advised, "If they see you as a career counselor rather than just somebody who's trying to sell them a job, then when you ask for that referral...they are more likely to take that request seriously."
• Jim likes to ask candidates about respected colleagues from previous employers. He suggested, "I noticed you used to work for Benson. How are the people there?"

By mastering these strategies, you'll not only improve your individual performance but also contribute significantly to the company's overall success. Remember, it's about building meaningful relationships and providing value – this approach will set you apart in a competitive market and drive your career growth.