Client relationships are just as important as your candidate relationships.
Are you managing yours effectively?

Historically, one of the biggest criticisms hiring managers and business leaders have about recruiters is the 'transactional' approach:  Recruiters are all over them when they're trying to 'sell' them on a candidate, but disappear between job requisitions, or don't take the time to understand the Big Picture. 

Last month we discussed how recruiting is changing, and how companies are looking for recruitment professionals who can function as strategic partners. One of the best ways to do this is by strengthening your relationships with clients. 

Why bother investing in client relationships?

There are all kinds of reasons why building better relationships with clients will make your life easier and your job more enjoyable.  Here are just a few:

You won't have to start from scratch every time:  When you maintain long-term relationships, you maintain a good understanding of the clients' business challenges, strategic goals, cultural environment and existing team.  When they come to you with a new job opportunity, you don't have to spend all kinds of time getting up to speed on what the business is doing or what kind of team they're buildling - you'll already know.   And you'll have a better idea of what the ideal candidate looks like, which saves everyone a lot of time and headache.

You build loyalty:  Maintaining long-term relationships between job reqs sends a powerful message to the client:  You care about their business even when it's not directly attached to a commission cheque.  This can go a long way to ensuring the client calls you first the next time they have an opening to fill.

You become a 'trusted advisor' instead of just a 'salesperson':  The recruiting community in any given geographical area or specialization is a small one, and one of the best ways to fast-track your career is to become the kind of recruiting professional who's recognized as a strategic thinker, a source of good advice, and a helpful resource.  Building relationships gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise.  This applies whether you're a corporate recruiter and looking to raise your profile within the organization, or an agency recruiter looking to build your personal brand.

You'll like your day-to-day work a lot better:  Spending your day 'selling' to clients and potential clients isn't nearly as much fun as spending your day talking to people who already like and trust you.  Building long-term relationships  means you spend less time selling yourself and your candidates to a skeptical audience, and more time exchanging useful information - not only are your interactions more positive, but you'll find you get more done.

Building great client relationships:  The basics

Some of the principles are exactly the same as building great candidate relationships: 

• Be responsive:  Return calls and emails promptly
• Keep your promises:  It's better to under-promise and over-deliver than the other way around, and if you say you're going to have a shortlist by Friday at noon, make sure you've got one
• Be honest:  Don't tell the client you have 'tons' of suitable candidates at your fingertips if you don't - it's better to be honest up-front than be disappointing later
• Be friendly:  When clients call you, do you sound happy to hear from them?  The most successful recruiters are the ones other people look forward to interacting with.

Building great client relationships: The long-term

Okay, so you've got the basics mastered.  Here's how to build fantastic long-term relationships with clients:

Spend more time listening:  ...and less time 'selling'.  Clients - internal or external - aren't necessarily speaking with recruiters every day, so they probably aren't going to be able to tell you everything you need to know in 3 or 4 pithy sentences.  So it's important to listen to what they're telling you about the business, their department, the current pain points, their current team makeup, etc.  (And don't underestimate the value of letting a hiring manager 'vent' about their current challenges - it's a great way to foster a sense of teamwork by allowing you to be 'on their side'.)

Ask better questions:  Don't let the hiring manager or other client representative just email you a checklist of the skills and experience required for the job - checklists are hardly ever a good indication of what the ideal candidate will look like.  Insist upon a real-time conversation, in which you ask open-ended questions about the role, what soft skills are most important, what the role will look like in 6 months or a year, what gaps currently exist in the team, etc. 

Take a personal interest:  Remembering a few personal details about your clients that you can reference in your conversations are a great way to build relationships.  Yes, you have a zillion open job reqs and a zillion clients, but you also have a computer, and it's easy to track pertinent details as you get to know your clients:  Saying something like, "Hey, how's the new house coming along?" or "Are you loving the new office location?" in the first couple of minutes of the conversation is more powerful than you think.

Offer relevant insights:  Nothing says 'strategic partner' better than being able to offer interesting, relevant, insightful information to clients, about their industry, the labour market, or recruiting trends.  Did you come across a salary report directly relating to one of your clients' business?  A great infographic about employee engagement and productivity?  A helpful article about recent legislation affecting their industry?  Send them an email, or reference it in conversation.  The more they think of you as an expert and helpful resource, the more likely they are to call you first (and recommend you to others).

Know when to decline an assignment:  Sometimes a client will come to you with a request that's outside your area of expertise, and you'll know that you're unlikely to be successful with it.  The best way to preserve a positive, credible long-term relationship is to be honest and decline the assignment.  Sure, it will feel painful in the short-term and you'll wonder if you've done the right thing, but what you're really saying to the client is, "I care more about you and your business than I do about the possibility of a short-term cheque." - which is the kind of thing that keeps clients loyal over the long-term.

(Best solution:  Refer the client to a friendly recruiter who specializes in the role they need.  This has the added advantage of making you look well-connected - again, you become a trusted resource.)