A Better Way to Recruit
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Over the years that I’ve worked with insurance professionals, the subject of
effective recruiting comes up pretty frequently. I’m asked how to find better
candidates, how to select the best candidates, and how to keep the time required
for the recruiting effort to a minimum. My answer to these questions? Stop using
the internet for recruiting!
Now, don’t get me wrong… I’m a heavy internet user and a big advocate for
leveraging the use of technology. But the internet has its place and this isn’t
it. Let me explain the reasons for my position and then you decide for yourself.
There are many ways to go about finding prospective agents. They generally
fall into what I call Passive methods and Active methods. Internet recruiting is
a form of passive recruiting. Active recruiting methods are things like Personal
Observation, Personal Prospecting, Public Speaking, Agent Referrals, Networking,
and Centers of Influence. (The art of personal observation and networking is a
whole other story…)
Passive and active recruiting will both produce results, however they differ
in efficiency and effectiveness – and understanding those differences can make
all the difference to you and your results. Passive (impersonal) methods are
easily the most efficient on the front end but are extremely ineffective, which
makes them inefficient in the long run. Active (personal) methods, on the other
hand, take more time on the front end, but because they are so much more
effective, are much more efficient in the long run.
Let me explain why the one group of methods is so much more effective than
the other. The methods that are passive/efficient/impersonal are easy to do, but
attract 1) “tire kickers”, 2) people looking for a job, and 3) people looking
simply for a way to make money. Please understand, these methods do produce
results and can uncover fantastic people who become great agents, but generally
the quality of results is poor. When these methods are implemented, plenty of
activity is generated, but few prospects become agents and fewer still go on to
do well.
In contrast, let’s talk about why active/“inefficient”/personal methods are
so much more effective. They’re more effective because interviews are only
generated with people who have both an interest in working with you and are a
fit with your purpose/culture. They’re often coming on board because they
identify with you and what you stand for, they see it as a good opportunity to
build a future, and they see the opportunity as one that offers unlimited
financial growth.
Let’s get specific about using the internet. Most internet recruiting efforts
that I’ve seen rely on searching the major job sites. What kind of people post
their resumes on these sites? Think about it. They’re JOB sites! They are filled
with people looking for jobs! A key to a successful recruiting program is to
weed out candidates with an “employee” mindset and more effectively identify
candidates with an “owner” mindset. Candidates with an employee mindset are
better at taking instructions than taking initiative. They tend to require more
handholding, and if you have enough of them on your sales force, they have the
potential to bog down your entire operation and distract you from concentrating
on your true producers. On the other hand, candidates with an owner mindset are
self-starters who recognize the correlation between their success and the amount
of effort they put forth — in fact, they thrive on this. They take initiative,
they think independently and they tend to succeed when they’re given the freedom
to do things their own way. These are the kind of candidates that make up the
foundation of any winning sales force.
Think about whether you’d rather have a candidate who, in their current
job/opportunity, is happy and productive or someone who is unhappy and maybe
even unproductive? Most territory builders I know would always prefer a
candidate who is already productive and happy. They want someone who has a
positive attitude and good work habits. Now ask yourself, what kind of people
show up on a job website? Again we come back to the answer: People looking for
jobs! They are – by definition – either unhappy with where they are or are
unemployed. As far as the financial industry is concerned, this constitutes
adverse selection. You tend to end up with people who are in need of cash flow,
who have been unemployed for some period of time (and are willing to consider
anything that comes along), and/or folks who are generally unhappy with where
they are.
I don’t mean to paint everyone with the same broad brush, but in many cases,
the observations I’ve made hold true. As further proof, just compare the efforts
and results of someone who focuses on internet recruiting with someone who
favors active recruiting methods. The internet recruiter conducts as many as 20
or more interviews to find a decent candidate (who often turns out to be a weak
one at that) or has to resort to conducting regular seminars to wade through the
numbers of people who might be interested and qualified. Then of course, the
manager has to figure out how to get these folks motivated (which can’t be done,
but that’s a subject of a previous article). In contrast, the recruiter who uses
one or more of the active methods may only have to conduct 2 or 3 interviews to
find a good candidate and, because of the nature and dynamics of this type of
recruiting, ends up with someone who is self-motivated!
I’m not saying to abandon the passive, less effective methods. But I am
saying not to rely on them for the bulk of your recruiting success. All the
successful DM/GA’s that I’ve spoken with say the same thing: The most successful
recruiting comes from methods which include personal interaction. These DM/GA’s
may not see the greatest number of candidates, but they effectively recruit the
greatest number of successful agents, which is after all, the ultimate goal.
About the Author
Written
by Michael Beck, an Executive Coach and Strategist specializing in
employee engagement, executive development, and leadership
effectiveness. Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mjbeck
and visit www.michaeljbeck.com
to learn more.
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Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2008-11-24 12:46:36 in Employee Articles
