Hear the secrets of world class sales professionals
Jelle den Dunnen — Understanding Yourself, Understanding Your Client
Personal relationships with your clients are paramount.
Jelle den Dunnen is a Senior Account Executive at Bullhorn, the global leader in delivering recruitment software to recruitment agencies. When he joined Bullhorn five years ago, Jelle was the first non-native English speaker in the company, but he is now the top seller globally, with an average performance of 130% of quota per quarter, and 171%Continue Reading …
Clip from Episode 29: Top Recruiter at Michael Page – Talene Savadian:
What are you finding most effective today? It’s a combination. It’s a combination for sure because I deal with people all across the country all across the world. Different time zones different ages so everyone has different habits and you have to be flexible and be willing to you know be reach out to people on all different channels and platforms and see which works for different people. But I mean LinkedIn I already stated I use religiously. I think that’s my number one way to get a hold of candidates or clients emails of course. You know it’s a part of everyone’s life today I believe and then phone calls are very important. And then there comes the you know the face to face meeting. Everything can be great but I always think of meeting someone actually face to face. Typically seals the deal in sense of trust between the two parties. And you know so yeah I can’t I can’t pick one one specific avenue. I use a combination but LinkedIn for sure.
Clip from Episode 29: Top Recruiter at Michael Page – Talene Savadian:
I truly love the industry I recruit for and I love the people I speak with and I believe that is what’s gotten me to the success but the transparency piece Scott is very very very important especially in the industry which I’m in within sales. And it’s I’m dealing with humans on both sides. It’s not an object it’s not a it’s it’s a service but it’s a human and it’s a human I’m dealing with I have to I cannot there’s no lies that can be held. There’s no covering the truth in this aspect or that aspect. On both ends I always advise both parties to be completely transparent with one another ask whichever questions they have. Truthfully you know compensation sometimes is a tough topic to discuss. I help navigate that conversation but I always tell both parties you know I presented you at this amount. I understand you’re looking for this have that open conversation with them. Same with the client. You know this is what the client This is what the candidate is making. He wishes to be around this factor. Feel free to openly discuss that with them if you need to. Then that’s just one aspect of transparency. I believe you need to gain the trust of a client to have continuous business with them or else it’s going to be a one timer. And of course we already discussed me in one timers. I don’t really like doing that. So.
Clip from Episode 29: Top Recruiter at Michael Page – Talene Savadian:
Is there something that you feel like the average recruiter or the average sales professional believes or does that you think is crazy? Yeah I think that the KPIs again I think I can be maybe shunned upon for saying this but I don’t believe in the KPIs. The mentality of what an individual has for those KPIs. You know I need to I need to do 600 to get this I need to make this many calls to get this I need to do X Y Z. They should be very very results oriented. And I think it should be hey you need to place this to get this focus on doing that rather than the very get go. I of course that should be taught and whatnot but one should always be in my opinion thinking. You know I need to place this job so I need to do as many calls as it takes to find the best candidate rather than OK I have 200 more minutes to go. And then I can leave today.
Clip from Episode 29: Top Recruiter at Michael Page – Talene Savadian:
I want to build an image, build a brand around myself. And I guess hopefully one day become something that when people recognize me and remember me for. Now today it’s recruitment. I don’t know what it will be five to ten years from now. You know hopefully you know if it maintains and stays within recruitment I mean that will make me super happy but I mean even today like I said earlier receiving calls and referrals recommendations from people within the industry that speaks to that part of me that keeps me going and that inspires me that OK I’m doing what I what I wanted to do. So I’m going to continue doing that so it can be on a bigger scale.
Clip from Episode 29: Top Recruiter at Michael Page – Talene Savadian:
It’s me I mean I’m super crazy that’s why recruitment is a very tough industry to be in. But Michael Page entirely I mean I think a lot of recruitment agencies do work on commission. But Michael Page does not offer commission. Instead they offer it’s a base salary that you receive plus a bonus. So it’s a quarterly bonus of course based on your billings you get a specific percentage of it. So that would be diced into play but it’s not it’s not commission. I guess. I just want to I need to be working at all times I’m on a roll. I cannot just not be working on something and not have anything not be working on any candidates. Short lists. Things like that. But that’s what drives me and motivates me because then I don’t want to go to work I don’t want to I don’t want to be spending all the hours just staring at a computer screen when there’s no activity going. So those are the factors that personally drive me. I know I’m very obsolete in that sense. But of course money is very you know empowering at times to have. But I wouldn’t say it’s the main driver.
Clip from Episode 29: Top Recruiter at Michael Page – Talene Savadian:
LinkedIn is huge. So yeah I didn’t mention that when you asked about the apps just because I don’t use it on my phone for some reason. I don’t like the app version of it but LinkedIn is 100 percent. I mean I don’t think I would have reached the success I have today without LinkedIn. I find all my candidates via LinkedIn I do a lot of industry knowledge gaining via LinkedIn. It’s a great tool. I mean in all aspects. I mean entirely I reach out to them I speak to them and you’re able to understand and understand the marketplace and understand various candidates via their LinkedIn page of course very from a general and brief perspective but you’re able to do so without having their contact details or anything of that sort. The rest is upon your initiation.
Clip from Episode 29: Top Recruiter at Michael Page – Talene Savadian:
I quantify and I guess yes there’s KPIs you know we have to be on the phone for X amount of minutes. You have to reach out x amount of people. But I’ve never found that something that I mean is useful or motivating to me. As I said earlier I’m very self-driven So from my it’s more so you know I need to I need to close the job this week. I need to I need to speak to this client three I need to find three candidates that I can send into my shortlist to my client today. So it’s more so you know I will do as many calls as it takes to get those three candidates I will reach out to you know whoever I need to speak to whoever I need to. It’s more of that mentality rather than OK. I need to do 600 minutes so I have 200 more minutes to go. Got it. So much more results oriented. Right. Like I’m just going to get to the goal of whatever it takes to get there I’m not going to worry about how many calls or how many minutes or anything like that to get there. Exactly.
Clip from Episode 29: Top Recruiter at Michael Page – Talene Savadian:
It’s like a roller coaster there’s up and down at all times. But I think personally I mean I never give up. So I don’t think there will ever be a day where you just close the book and say OK I’m done with anything in my life. Perhaps I might want to gear a little different and direction or specialize further in a specific something but something that definitely keeps me going is when I hear whether it’s from clients or various candidates or receiving e-mails just recognition in the sense of, I was at a trade show and I heard about you or this client has referred me to you. Things like that. I think definitely make me see the brighter side on more gloomier days.
Talene Savadian — Resilience is Key to Being a Top Recruiter
Resilience in the face of rejection — consistency will get you the results you want.
Talene Savadian is the top sales and marketing recruiter, both in America and globally at Michael Page. She focuses on the Sales & Marketing roles within the Consumer Packaged Goods industry and has consistently produced outstanding results, despiteContinue Reading …