So far in this blog post series, I’ve outlined why providing a positive experience is important for recruiters and I’ve also offered six ways that recruiters can provide such an experience.
I’d like to wrap up this series by addressing what I like to call “self-perpetuating referrals.”
Providing positive experiences for people is one of the biggest factors in generating referrals. And the best thing about these types of referrals is that you don’t even have to ask for them—they’re self-perpetuating. That means the person tells people about you without you prompting them in the least.
The reason: the experience that you gave them was so positive, you’ve stayed at the top of their mind. Consequently, when one of their friends or colleagues encounters a problem or situation that you helped them with, they’re more than happy to drop your name and give you a ringing endorsement.
In fact, what you’ve created is a sales force, people who will “sell” you for free. It’s the ultimate marketing campaign, as grass roots as they come and arguably the most effective. It’s certainly the most effective in terms of the amount of time, energy, and money you have to expend in order to launch it. All it takes is the proper mindset and a commitment to providing a positive experience for everybody you talk with or meet on a daily basis.
Furthermore, even if you do ask these people for a referral, they will be infinitely more likely to give you one. You’ll notice that referral reluctance will decline . . . and that’s a good thing, in any economy.
A personal application
As you might imagine, this has a personal application, in addition to its role in recruiting and in business. By providing positive experiences to the other people in your life, you draw them to you and strengthen the relationships you have with them. The principles and action steps outlined above are the same, and the results are the same, as well.
In general terms, the rules are simple. People like to be around those who provide them with a positive experience. They like to interact with them and like to talk with them.
On the other hand, they will go out of their way to avoid those who provide them with a negative experience. After all, there’s a seemingly unending supply of people who specialize in giving negative experiences. They don’t need another.
So what experience do YOU provide—for candidates, hiring managers, and even other recruiters?
Recruiting is is a “people-centric” business. People are the key to success, and to ignore the human element or to downplay it will only hamper your efforts. But by paying close attention to giving people what they want, you’ll stand out in the crowd and set yourself apart.
“Differentiation” has always been a big buzz word in the business world. How are you different from your competition?
What makes you stand out?
Forget for a moment about the specific services that you offer. Think instead about the overall experience. Is your competition providing a better one?
What can you do to ensure that what you provide is the best experience possible? Placements have been made and lost because of a lack of attention to giving a candidate or hiring manager the best experience. Of all the reasons to lose a placement, that is the one that’s the most preventable.
Start to build more loyalty with an approach that emphasizes positive communication, low-pressure interaction, and targeted problem-solving. Loyalty is a commodity that’s valuable in any market, whether it’s a boom time or a down time.
Position yourself correctly for the rest of 2015 and beyond. Focus on providing everything that a candidate or hiring manager might want—in other words, the complete experience—and you can bolster your business.
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