In today’s challenging economic conditions it’s more important than ever to retain your existing clients

These are tough times for recruiters, with reports of a reluctance to recruit prevalent.

This month the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s Report on Jobs suggests a weakening job market for both permanent and temporary workers. Employers are not recruiting. Here, there is a lesson to be learnt — your clients may not be recruiting, but you must keep them interested in your business.

Small gestures, big rewards

It’s the little things that make all the difference. Recognising your customers and appreciating the fact that they have chosen you, your product and/or service is one of those things that can unfortunately fall under the radar. We shouldn’t take for granted the people that allow us to be in the industry in the first place and once you’ve won their support, it’s not a case of reeling them in and throwing them in a keep net.

No room for complacency

Recruitment is vast. It doesn’t matter if you’re a big player or a small fish in a big pond, you shouldn’t assume you know everything. It’s true what they say: you learn something new every day. The day you stop learning or even becoming uninterested in the world around you is the day you should be worried.

Keep yourself regular

You may not be actively supporting your client with recruitment but courtesy phone calls are underestimated. Make regular contact without being intrusive. Once you have established a rapport, simply ringing them to ask how they are could easily open a conversation on succession planning, organisational moves or the opening of new retail outlets. This insider knowledge could be crucial when you come to pitch for future business.

Stay connected

Attend industry events that are relevant to your business. Hosting clients at an evening black tie event is a glamorous affair, yet while retail fairs and forums may be conceived as dull they are an essential element. People underestimate the power of face-to-face marketing, yet as soon as you put a face to a name, you take down a barrier and have permission to market your wares. Indeed, some networking events may take the form of evening drinks, but what’s the harm in giving up a few hours of your evening if it guarantees you are kept at the forefront of your client’s mind? Keep up to date with market trends by reading relevant media and by chatting on a regular basis to your contacts at the online job boards. If you learn that someone has moved organisations, give them a call, say hi, and impart your knowledge of the marketplace. Just five minutes a day keeping on top of industry trends could make all the difference. The more informed you appear, the more likely a client is to come to you for advice and opinion.

Make sure you have a presence

When times are hard, people don’t spend money. Yet this is the exactly the time when you should be increasing your presence in the marketplace. Even if you are not at the forefront of your client’s mind, not actively recruiting for them, it’s important that they see you continue to perform in a tough economic climate. Prepare a marketing strategy that includes recruitment advertising and ensure your client sees your brand.

TOP TIPS

1 Keep communication rolling with your client but learn to recognise when your client is feeling the pressure and needs to be left alone

2 Network, network, network

3 Don’t forget a candidate could be a future client, so remember their experience, too

4 Learn to read your client’s tone and body language. Subsequently, you can learn when to back off, if necessary

5 Don’t be a faceless voice at the end of the phone

Some employment agencies that have been engaging their temps directly as employees have put in place overarching contracts of employment to ensure that such contraActs are legal. So what are the benefits of these types of contract?