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Selling Staffing in the New Normal: How to Strengthen Client Relationships

By David Searns


States are coming back online. Our economy is restarting.

But we’re not likely to be headed back to “business as usual.”

No, we are headed into a “new normal,” and your success will rely on a mix of hard work, creative thinking and maybe even a little reimagining of the value your staffing company can offer.

One of the best ways to increase your value and discover more staffing sales opportunities in the months ahead is by getting closer (figuratively, of course) with your current customers.

Strengthening Client Relationships

How strong are your relationships with your clients? Are you an essential partner to their organizations, playing a strategic role in their talent management process? Or are you just a vendor that can be all to easily replaced by another staffing company on the approved vendor list?

In order to get closer to your clients, take the following steps:

1. Learn how your customers have been impacted.

Plan a meeting (or Zoom) to get a deeper understanding of how your clients are being impacted by the current economy.

· Are they open for business? If not, when will they reopen?

· What are their plans for reopening?

· How has their business been impacted by COVID-19?

· What are their plans for recovering?

· How have they adjusted their staffing plans in the past few months?

· Where do they anticipate talent needs in the next 60 to 180 days?

· What are they doing to address workers who don’t want to return from unemployment or those on FFCRA?

2. Assess the depth of your relationship with each client.

· How many staffing decision makers do you know?

· What percentage of their staffing business do you get?

· Are there other departments or divisions that could use your services?

· Do you know the strategic and economic decision makers?

· How strong are your relationships with the HR department?

· What about purchasing – are they involved in the staffing process?

3. Build a stronger contact network within each client.

· Map out the org chart of each client, and then determine where you have gaps in your relationships. Develop a plan to expand and strengthen your network of contacts.

4. Help them create long-term hiring and workforce plans.

If possible, work with each client to outline a proactive workforce strategy for the next six to nine months. Help your clients to anticipate their hiring needs, proactively source the talent they will require, and effectively manage their temporary and full-time hiring needs.

The next several months will not be easy for those of us in the staffing industry. But by solidifying relationships with your existing clients, you can pave the way for success in the months and years to follow.

Looking for more resources to drive sales in this economy?

Visit our COVID-19 Recovery Resources web page, packed with business strategy and marketing ideas to help your staffing firm stand out, stay top-of-mind and sell more.

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