I recently spoke at a conference on employer branding. My first task as I took the lectern was to try to convince the audience I wasn't there to sell them anything. As a ripple of audible cynicism ran through the auditorium I realised just how difficult the relationship between clients and their recruiters has become and how essential it is that this changes.

In the age of skills shortages and talent wars, it is time for some new working practices. Time to drop the sales patter and focus on client need. Become ambassadors and not sellers.

Being an ambassador for your client's employer brand means you don't just understand the vacant position and package on offer. You'll get to grips with the good and not-so-good aspects of their organisational culture, business goals, development opportunities, work ethic and value system.

However, ambassadorial representation is not right for all clients. It hinges on trust and honesty between both parties. The recruiter has to become a business partner, not just another supplier. You'll need to hand-pick a client for this type of relationship, and follow some key principles.

First steps

Explain your intentions right from the start, focusing on the benefits of ambassadorial representation. Today's talent war for high earners provides an ideal framework. These candidates aren't just looking for a high salary and good package. They want to understand a businesses culture even before they go to an interview to make sure their career aspirations and work-life balance goals can fit with the new organisation.

Prove yourself: The added value of ambassadorial representation comes at a financial cost. To substantiate your higher fees, encourage due diligence on you and your offer. Provide testimonials and contacts who can describe their dealings with you and support the business partner approach.

Demonstrate your understanding of the marketplace through relevant and up-to-date research. If you have discovered poor perceptions of your client as an employer then you need to report that back. Ducking bad news won't build trust or help you recruit a talented individual for the long term.

Play detective

Without getting to the heart of a client's business, ambassadorial representation is simply unachievable. Encourage your client to brief you as they would a marketing agency. If you are to represent the employer brand of your client to the marketplace you need to understand more than just the position and salary. Try to get into the culture of an organisation and don't be afraid to challenge and question. Everyone needs to be realistic about the opportunities on offer to candidates.

Ideally, you'll get time with the board for senior appointments. This provides a great opportunity to understand where the business wants to go and can result in you having to challenge their brief. But this needs to happen if you are to become a strategic consultant and not just a recruiter. More importantly it encourages the sharing of information and, if appropriate, you should offer to sign a confidentiality agreement to demonstrate your commitment.

Right first time

In his book, Top Grading, Brad Smart estimated the cost of miss-hire to be as high as 24 times the base salary. It is a shocking statistic that reinforces the need to get the right person from the start. Ambassadorial representation rules out sending in a candidate who is expecting Hawaii when the reality is Siberia. All your candidates will have a tremendous insight into the business but it will be based on honesty, not just glossy, 'great company' headlines.

Looking to the future

Taking an ambassadorial approach means you're in it for the long term. First-class account management principles must be applied with plenty of face-to-face contact. When there aren't positions to fill maintain a dialogue by providing added-value input. This can include competitor information, brand feedback and sector insight.

Ambassadorial representation provides a great opportunity to redefine the role of the recruiter.

It is not right for all but where there is mutual respect, it might just be the ideal situation in which to develop a more strategic business relationship.