Hannah Keep's Blog // Recruitment Coaching and Training // Vi International

Give your Brain a Detox this January

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 11:07:00 +0000

If there is one New Year’s resolution you should keep in 2012, it is to give your brain a detox and rid it of any limiting thoughts or beliefs that could stop you being successful this year. It still amazes me that we set goals for ourselves that consist of diets, cutting out alcohol, doing more exercise, goals that we hope, if we stick to them will keep our body healthy but what about our mind? What will you do to keep your brain healthy this year?

If you read my blogs often then you will know how passionate I am about helping Consultants think like Top Billers. You will know how much I and others have written about the power of beliefs and positive thinking and so look at your list of New Year resolutions and see what you can add in that will get your mind in shape as well as your body to have the best billing year ever.

Time to give your brain a detox and fill it with healthy fuel because if you don’t, you will find you conk out half way through the first quarter.

Your first job is to write down what you want to earn this year.
Then you need to write down what you will need to bill to earn that this year.
Now you need to be honest with yourself.

To have the best chance of achieving a goal it first needs to be SMART and you need to be committed to it and take the action necessary but just as important is having the unwavering belief that you will achieve it. Beliefs drive our thinking, our behaviour and our results. Positive beliefs drive us towards success and limiting ones drive us towards failure.

So be honest with yourself and when you see the goal you have set, write a list of everything you think and believe about that goal. Nobody will see this so you can be really honest with yourself about how you are thinking and feeling about it.

When you have written down your thoughts, now is the time to analyse which thoughts will help you and which thoughts will sabotage you.

Thoughts which are limiting could sound like:

I might, I will try, I should, I won’t be able to, I can’t, I am not very good at, the market is, this year will be tough, I am not sure if, I hope I do.

Thoughts that are positive could sound like:

I will, I know I can, I am good at, it will be easy, I believe I can, I have done it before etc.

Now time for the detox. When we detox, we cut out things, we stop doing things, we limit things, so this is what you need to do with your thinking. Make the resolution to cut out the thoughts, beliefs and excuses that won’t help you achieve your goal. Go about your day being very present and conscious about what you are thinking and feeling and make sure you are sticking to your resolution of putting the correct fuel in your brain to drive the results you know you are capable of.

The first step to changing limiting beliefs and thoughts is to be aware of them and the implications they could have. Once you are aware of them you have the opportunity to change them and the simplest and easiest way to do this is to just choose to believe and think something different. Only you can control this, it can be a challenge and it takes time for this principle to become a habit but ask yourself, is it worth it? You will spend so much time and energy on activities which you hope will lead to placements, make sure you spend the same amount of time and energy on your brain, it is the most powerful resource you have. Detox it, care for it and put the right fuel in it and this will be what makes the difference for you this year.

Have recruiters these days got the drive and commitment to be Top Billers?

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:58:00 +0000

The other night I had the pleasure to attend an S3 reunion and the room was filled with Top Billers who have now gone on to set up their own recruitment businesses and are achieving outstanding success ‘even in a tough market’. Yes the usual excuse I hear – you guys had an easy market back then etc. etc. Yeah whatever!

We got chatting about Gen Y and how different they are to us: Gen X-XS3 (gen X who are all ex S3!). Even though we are all running our own businesses now, only one had booked the day off after our reunion and said he still felt guilty about it. Others said how they hadn’t had one day off sick for years, felt guilty if they were working from home (even though they would be back on email at 10pm), felt guilty leaving the office before everyone else (even though this was 7.30pm) and some still set 2 alarms incase they overslept! Still the same guilt we felt 10 years ago as Consultants!

I don’t often see the same feelings now in this generation of recruiters, the sickness of knowing you have no jobs at the start of the week, the panic of seeing how many finishers you have and working late (past 8pm) every night until you generate a pipeline of jobs and I don’t really hear about Consultants working weekends that often. Where has the commitment and drive gone to be the very best?

I am not of course saying don’t take holidays, or work late every night because we need balance in our lives, but actually when I think about it, that is what we all did back then and is one of the key reasons we all hit the heights we did. We had a higher level of commitment, drive, and work ethic which of course lead to a higher level of sales activity. Question is: How much do you want it?

Here is a list of some of the many reasons Top Billers succeed:

1. They feel physically sick when they are below target

2. When they have hit target they want to do more and smash it

3. They will have a day off (reluctantly) and will call in at least 3 times

4. If they take a holiday then they will have built a strong pipeline for when they get back

5. They will still be closing deals on holiday (they don’t trust anyone to do it as well as them)

6. They are paranoid someone is doing better than them (even now 10 years on)

7. They make NO excuses about anything

8. They see a ‘tough’ market as an opportunity

9. They don’t call a market tough

10. They find jobs to work even when there are few out there and after others have given up looking

Maybe I am looking at the old days through rose tinted glasses and don’t get me wrong I am not generalising about all recruiters in the industry today. However being a trainer who has worked with thousands in the last few years, it is rare I see evidence of all the above and when I do, guess where they are in their billings? TOP OF THE BOARD!!!!

Killer Questions Part 2: The Power of ‘Why?’

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 09:25:00 +0000

The most popular discussion in our Think Like a Top Biller group on LinkedIn at the moment is Killer Questions and our experts have given some great examples. The last post from Ben Browning was ‘Why?’ and I can’t agree more, it is probably the most important question a Recruitment Consultant can ask at all stages of the recruitment process. Yet why do some forget? So happy to have a job spec that we forget to ask the client why they are looking? Try using the following questions and see how they transform your client calls.....

Why are you looking for this person?

Why are you looking to expand your team?

Why have you just hired?

Why will you be hiring again in 6 months?

Why do you have those projects planned?

Why do you want me to call you back in 3 months?

Why do you want me to send you some information?

Why do you have a preferred supplier list?

Why do you have 4 stages in your recruitment process?

Why do you only want to communicate via email?

Why do you want to interview this candidate?

Why are you bringing this candidate back for a second interview?

Why do you need those skills, years of experience, qualification etc. from the successful candidate?

Why does it take so long to get feedback?

Why do you work for this company?

And my favourite......

Why do you not want to talk to me today?

Of course with any question the key is in the voice tonality and if you get that wrong the question will be asked in a way that is asking for the client to justify rather than share information so either use a tone that communicates curiosity (not confrontation) or re-phrase the questions to a ‘what’ question like...

What is the reason for.....what is the purpose of... instead.

Children ask why all day long so let’s bring ‘why’ back into our conversations – you will encourage clients to share more about their thoughts, feelings, decision making criteria, past experiences, future plans, priorities and challenges and more importantly what they need from you. To understand why a client is hiring is just as, if not more important as what they are hiring.

Curiosity killed the cat not the Consultant!

Managing and Motivating Gen Y – needy or just a different generation?

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:36:00 +0000

I saw a post in the IOR LinkedIn group last week asking for any advice or tips that anyone has of working with Gen Y. I remembered I had attended a webinar on this subject last year with Andy Headworth and Nadine Dereza so dug out my notes. I spend every day training Gen Y’s on Rookie programmes and I have to say they are a different breed of individual , they want and expect a lot more from you, aren’t afraid to challenge you even if you have 15 years experience in recruitment and they have 15 days! Andy said on his webinar that they have been brought up in a different world, have had everything and need to be treated differently. They were schooled in a different way with constant pats on the back and rewards hence they need and expect a lot of recognition – more carrot than stick management. They are brilliant at multi tasking and value being in constant contact with others via their phones or social media, I can see why Gen X get frustrated as this need for connection can be mistaken for them being rude. I know most of my clients ban Facebook at work, but they may want to consider having one computer which can be accessed at lunch time to meet their love of connecting – it would be a USP over their competitors for sure. Here are some tips in how to manage and motivate:

2 way style of management – engage in dialogue, ask their opinions and listen to them
Have 1:1 time every day, even if it is just for a few minutes, ask them how they are as well as setting their objectives for the day – they want you to connect with them personally
Don’t dictate or direct – even if they want to do things their way, you need to coach them, otherwise they will rebel and ignore you anyway
Give them lots of training – they expect a lot, not just their Induction, make it regular and build in 1:1 coaching time away from the desk
They have a short attention span so keep them challenged by setting them daily competitions with small prizes, they love to be rewarded
Career progression is important – make sure you tell them exactly what they could achieve and how to get there
6 Month appraisals aren’t enough – make sure you regularly tell them how they are getting on, Make sure the conversation isn’t just numbers based, they need recognition and feedback from you on how they are doing personally not just at hitting KPI’s
The basic salary is important, in my day we were offered £11k as the commission was high and we didn’t argue. These days it is critical to them so don’t see it as a lack of motivation to sell, they look at the basic as a reflection of their status with friends and family

They will leave sooner than you think – so engage, engage, engage and engage. They might seem needy but if you put the hard work in you will get the rewards.

Of course with anything like this we are always generalising based on our own experiences, if you contact Andy I am sure he will give you the research he was talking from. I guess the key here is no different from the old management mantra – everyone has potential, different strokes for different folks!

Hope this was helpful. Anyone got any tips to add to this?

What is Emotional Intelligence?

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 07:48:00 +0000

Many people in recruitment talk about EI as being a key skill and as you know I agree whole heartedly as it is the difference that makes the difference between an average consultant and a Top Biller but few know what EI really is. Here is a checklist of 18 competencies taken from the Hay Group who with Daniel Goleman are the leaders in research in this field:

EI - YOU

1) Emotional Self Awareness – are you aware of how you are feeling and the affects of that on your performance?

2) Accurate Self Assessment – are you aware of your strengths and weaknesses and know which areas to target for change?

3) Self Confidence – What level of confidence do you have in your ability, opinions and decisions?

4) Emotional Self Control – Can you keep your impulsive feelings under control without acting negatively?

5) Transparency – Do your actions match your words, thoughts, feelings and beliefs?

6) Adaptability – How well do you to adapt to changing situations or obstacles?

7) Achievement Orientation – Do you strive to meet, beat and surpass your goals?

8) Initiative – Do you think ahead of the present and anticipate challenges and problems?

9) Optimism – Are you persistent in achieving your goals despite set backs?

EI - OTHERS

10) Empathy – Are you aware of what others are thinking and saying?

11) Service Orientation – How aware are you of others needs and wants? Their real motivators?

12) Organisational Awareness – Are you aware of the power relationships in your client’s organisations and who the real decision makers are? What about candidate’s home lives?

13) Influence – What is your level of competency at persuading and convincing others?

14) Developing Others – Do you act to help others learn and progress?

15) Inspirational Leadership – Do you inspire the group of people you work in despite your authority level?

16) Change Catalyst – Do you recognise the need for change and take the initiative?

17) Conflict Management – How proactive are you in resolving disagreement?

18) Team Work – Do you work well with others in pursuit of shared goals?

So EI isn’t just about mindset, it is how to manage, motivate yourself and how you recognise the needs of others to build effective relationships. Pretty key in recruitment then? So why do so few organisations bring this into their training?

Do your Client’s wear Hoodies or love Jesus? Or maybe both....

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:40:00 +0000

Part1 of Develop your Rookie’s Emotional Intelligence

Tonight I had to get two tubes home, the first one at Fulham Broadway where I was pushed roughly out of the way by a Hoodie so he could get on the train first and who then proceeded to give me death stares until I got off at Victoria. Relieved to get off in one piece I then pick up a squashed (as usual) Victoria line to Euston and along with committing ‘tube suicide’ by bringing a suitcase on board, I was met by a lady who quietly (I asked her to repeat it 3 times) and very kindly, told me that Jesus loves me.

Having got over the excitement of having a potential secret admirer, until I got the Jesus bit, I couldn’t stop thinking about these 2 encounters which happened in the space of 15 minutes in London, a total dichotomy and a great example of just how diverse different cultures are.

What does this have to do with recruitment I can hear you asking? Well having trained Rookies today in Business Development skills and in particular Rapport Building it made me think just how much of a chameleon we have to be in our job. There is the tough manager, knows what they want, direct and will rail road you if you let him. The really nice manager who is always up for a chat, is friendly but never really comes up with the goods, despite her promises. The busy manager who expects you to find the impossible with a job spec that is 2 lines long and the no nonsense manager who once you have his buy in you are friends for life. The organised and efficient HR Manager who lets you talk to line to qualify your roles and lastly the HR manager who would rather die than make changes to their precious preferred supplier list.

All of these types need a different approach, a different style of communication and will require influencing in a different way. These skills come naturally for a lot of us, some were born with it, some have had a misspent youth in diverse environments or some were out working at a very young age and encountered people from all different walks of life. Are we giving our Rookies the right skills? Emotional Intelligence is a gift, it is also a skill you can learn with lots of different techniques so for those that it doesn't come naturally to we must equip them with all the resources they need to influence the different characters they will encounter in recruitment and actually in life.

Watch out for Part 2 of this article where I will share some quick tips you can use to develop your Rookie’s EI....

Know when to STOP!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Having recently just got back from Las Vegas and losing all of the winnings we had built up in the week on the last night, it made me think about how much Recruiters gamble with their own time by working on jobs for too long. I recently ran a workshop on Consistency and we were talking about time management skills, prioritisation and developing a pipeline but what struck me the most was that the problem with time wasn't the inability to plan or structure the day but actually how much time and energy is wasted on working jobs for too long. In other words not knowing when to STOP!
In recruitment we have to be honest with ourselves about the quality of business we are working on, we have to know how much time to spend on a role in sales time and we have to know when enough is enough. As recruiters we are competitive, we want to fill all the roles we are given, we want to be the person to find that candidate and we are motivated by achieiving results and doing deals. These qualities which we develop in our people form a recipe for success but they also sometimes prevent recruiters from saying no to roles, to walking away from business and to stop resourcing for a role for too long.
Give your Requirement list an MOT today and ask yourself the following:

Can I really fill this?
How long will it take me? Am I prepared to spend that much time and should it be in sales time or after 4.30?
Have I explored all the avenues available to find this candidate?
Is the candidate actually out there?
What response have I had from the client? Are they really committed to hiring? Can I get anymore flexibility from them?

Grading jobs is not a new idea and the most common is A, B, C and D classifications, however what seems to be uncommon is showing recruiters how long to work roles in terms of time, when to spend the time and more importantly when enough is enough.

Make sure you train your people not to just to distringusih between good and bad business but how to spend their time and when to stop. We want our people to win, but sometimes winning is knowing when to walk away.

How to deal with the dips in Recruitment

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:51:00 +0000

7 games Andy Murray lost, this wasn’t just a point missed, but a huge deficit and loss of a great opportunity. In Recruitment we see this happen a lot except 7 tennis games last about 20 minutes - some recruitment dips can last for 20 days or even longer.

So how do you get your mojo back? What could Andy have done to get his form back quickly?

The commentators said it that day and you will have heard this before but it is so true – you go back to basics. Instead of trying to get his rhythm and momentum back after losing the second set, he kept going for huge shots and missing them spectacularly, this made him even more frustrated. The same can be said for Recruitment, just go back to basics, focus on the small things, take your eyes off the bigger prizes such as deals and concentrate on doing the basics of the job right.

When we are in a dip we tend to panic, lose confidence, cut corners, make assumptions, give up, stop taking risks, hate ourselves so the ONLY choice we have is to stop and go back to doing the simple elements of the job well:

1) Target yourself on the amount of time you are on the phone for in a day (not dial outs), the longer the conversations you have, the more your confidence will build and the more likely it is that you will create an opportunity.

2) Every morning before you start your day call candidates/clients who love you – have a chat, ask them how things are, ask for feedback on your service, you will start the day in a much more positive frame of mind.

3) Re-read old emails from candidates or clients – the one liner that said thank you for finding them that job, the little bit of praise from them, will raise your spirits and remind you of what you are capable of.

4) Remind yourself why you are in recruitment – what did you join for? Putting the meaning back into your day will focus your energy on what is important to you personally.

5) Every call you make go back to basics- set your objective, plan your killer 3 questions, refresh your objection handling techniques, try to add value to everyone you speak to, use job/candidate qualification sheets (even though you can do it in your sleep) and before you go home, plan the next day so that you can start with energy and momentum from the minute you walk in.

6) Ask for help. It can be hard admitting you are in a dip but the sooner you do the quicker you will bounce back. Don’t spend time with others who are in a dip and moan together, seek out the Top Biller in your company, ask them for advice, observe some of their calls.

7) Finally have a skills refresher. Sit in on induction training as an observer or if your company doesn’t do formal training, buy some of the recruitment books out on the market and implement one best practise technique every day for 21 days.

Most of all, when you go home think of 3 great things you did that day, no matter how small or immeasurable and believe you will overcome this dip, it is part and parcel of recruitment and will prove an invaluable resource for you to draw upon in the future.

Enjoy the ups and learn from the downs!

Think like a Top biller Down Under Post 2: Be Brave

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Sun, 29 May 2011 01:11:00 +0000

OK so it is a tenuous link between today's activity down under, stroking a lion cub and the TLTB Post title but hey everyone loves a lion don't they and they are very brave and strong ;-)
Being brave is a common characteristic shared by Top Billers and is key to being able to take risks and stand out from the crowd.
A Top Biller recently shared with me how he was on a call with a new client and 3 of his competitors who were agreeing with everything the client said even though deep down they must have known their role were going to be hard to fill. The Top Biller spoke out, he challenged the client on their assumptions, shared his feedback on their lengthy process and gave an insight into his experiences of working with them so far. Brave. Then he told them about their negative brand in the market place and gave them some ideas about what they could do to improve it and secure talent over and above their competitors. Very brave.
This story reminds me of a time when I turned down multiple roles with a global Consultancy because the rates which they wouldn't negotiate on, I felt, devalued my service. I was the only Recruiter to do this at the time and I remember it being a very hard decision, one of which I had many doubts. Brave and risky but sometimes you have to make a stand for your values even if you lose out in the short term.

2 weeks the Consultancy came back and I got the extra 2% I had wanted and that client became my best client.
The Top Biller became a trusted partner of his Client and ended up winning a Retained Assignment and filling the role.

OK so being brave doesn't always work out but what I do know is that it probably does more often than not. Challenging the status quo, standing up for your values and saying no to the quick fix is brave, it is risky and it takes confidence, however no one said thinking like a Top Biller was easy!

Think like a Top Biller Down Under Post 1: Push the Boundaries

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Fri, 27 May 2011 11:17:00 +0000

Walking around the volcanic rock pools I noticed several Japanese tourists risking their lives to take the best shots they could of each other. Ignoring all boundary signs that said 'don't go past here', they risked falling into 100 degree sulphur and steam to reach their desired outcome.

Whilst I have never heard of a Top Biller risking their life by pushing the recruitment boundaries the tourists did remind me of one Top Biller I interviewed recently who told me how pushing those boundaries was one of the keys to his success. He described his 3rd month in the job where he had got hold of a manager looking for 10 help desk people and having taken the job spec, instead of arranging interview slots or a time for CV feedback, he got the manager to commit to 10 working interviews all of which became placements. The boundary he pushed in that moment on the phone was instrumental in him achieving 30 runners in his first 6 months.

From training recruiters I see this 'nothing to lose' attitude, little fear of loss and a hunger to prove their ability most common in Rookies fresh out of training or Top Billers who constantly strive for more. Pushing more, achieving more, realising more. They feel the fear. They push through the fear. They take risks that average recruiters do not.

Pushing the boundaries in recruitment and of course in life, allows us to reach new heights, and create more opportunity. The only boundaries that stop us from reaching our full potential are the boundaries we put there ourselves.

How competitive are you?

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Fri, 13 May 2011 01:15:00 +0000

Top trait from the Top Billers I have interviewed so far is competitiveness, which I am sure is no surprise to anyone, however everyone in Recruitment would say they are competitive, but to what extent?
I have heard stories about not congratulating colleagues if they got more placements in one week, not going for Friday beers because they couldn't face looking at who beat them and from my own perspective I would call up another office every day and find out how many interviews my competitor had on the board......
I was so competitive as a child my friends didn't want to play with me, especially at monopoly as I would either cheat to win or throw the board in the air if I was losing. This translated onto the tennis court when I played in the county team, the number of broken rackets, in the end my Mum told I would have to pay for their replacements!

So how competitive are you? Go on, tell us a story.....

How to Add extra value to your Clients and improve your chances of offers for your Candidates

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:05:00 +0000

I was amazed to see the latest research from Monster on Interview preparation both from client and candidate side. Whilst the research is generic it doesn’t stop me from thinking that maybe recruiters in this competitive market are missing an opportunity to be that true partner and improve their process control. According to the research:

15% of candidates were reduced to tears, 62% reported stress caused by interviewer arrogance, 42% poor preparation by the interviewer including 43% irrelevant questions. Not only that but 30% of interviewers forgot the candidates name, 28% admitted going unprepared and 54% said they took an instant dislike to the candidate based on their first impressions.

WOW we need to take note of this. I train Consultants to prepare their clients and candidates and I don’t just mean the standard points, we have a 13 point checklist for each side and the call can last up to 45 minutes. This call is probably the most critical to the process – let’s make sure we do this every time and show just how different we are to the recruiters who can’t be bothered!

Top Billers will make the most out of every second they have at their desk, how are you going to make an impact in the 7 recruiting days out of the usual 10?

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:09:00 +0000

Look at what business you could close in the next 7 days and make sure you have done everything possible to ensure it closes before May 1st.
Start building your pipeline for May too, you don' want to get back after the bank holidays with an empty desk and have to create momentum, do it now. Where is the best place to find business? Call all of your existing clients and candidates and check in with them.
DO NOT WASTE any time - do tasks that aren't going to make you money out of core hours, work later if you have to, a Top Biller would do everything they could to make sure the bank holidays won't impact their figures. How far would you go to ensure April is a great month? Will you do everything it takes?

From interviewing Top Billers this week it is clear they think, see and act differently which is fundamental to the results they achieve. Watch out for these filters.......

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:15:00 +0000

Delete, Distort and Generalise. We do these 3 all of the time when we communicate and they are dangerous when used in the wrong hands........

Delete - top billers have minimal drop outs, when they pledge a deal they know it will be a deal. Why? They heard the subtle signs at the beginning of the process from client or candidate that things could go wrong. They didn't delete them. They acted upon them.

Distort - top billers think they are the best recruiters in the whole world, they don't take things personally, they truly believe they are the best solution to their clients/candidates needs. Make sure you distort in a positive way - make your version of reality a positive one! Believe you are the best and people will believe in you.

Generalise - top billers are careful not to make assumptions on past experiences. They take every situation at face value, they do every part of the process with fine detail and consistently. They don't assume or generalise. They question everything!

Have a close look at the way you are filtering the information you are taking in, your actions are driven by way you believe and your beliefs are formed from what you think you have seen!

Luck, Schmuck! I have never heard a Top Biller talking about luck.....

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 11:14:00 +0000

I have heard some interesting comments over the last few days about recruitment gods, fairys and karma.....
If we think this way then aren't we giving our power and personal accountability away? I heard someone say 'I deserve some luck'.....who says we deserve anything?
My belief is that some things don't go our way despite our best efforts, this was not bad luck it was just circumstance. Then something that we didn't expect to happen does go our way and this was unexpected but not luck. If we wish for luck then surely we aren't controlling anything and putting our results in the hands of the recruitment gods whoever they are!
Anyone disagree?

Most frequently asked question at the Top Biller workshops this week: how do I change my mindset quickly when things go wrong so I don't waste time? If this is you, read this NOW

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:03:00 +0000

Most amount of time wasted - 1 week, least amount of time wasted - 2 hours. We can't afford any time wasted in this job, top billers might rant for 10 minutes but then they go back to making things happen. So how do we change our thinking quickly?
Try this - just choose to and do it.

I know it sounds easy and it isn't, it takes practice but it can be done you just learn to flick the switch. Change the channel. Think something different. My partner is a pilot, if the aircraft has problems he has about 10 seconds to make a decision and act. No time for self doubt or fear, it is life or death. He has seconds to anaylse the problem, think of the viable options, decide and then ACT. Doubt causes crashes.
Recruitment isn't life or death obviously but wasting time on thinking unhelpful thoughts kills action. You have to flick the switch, be the captain of your own brain, don't let your thoughts captain you because if they are negative you are heading for a crash landing!

How will you change your thinking today?

Watch out next week for some handy hints that will help you learn to flick the switch....

Part 2 Busting your Limiting Beliefs - quick exercise Now you know what your limiting beliefs are, you have a choice.

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:54:00 +0000

You can choose to deal with them head on or let them stop you from reaching your billing potential (which is why I call them ‘potential blockers, they can block your potential’).
Your liming beliefs are your biggest competitor. Would you give your competitor your job list or share your best candidates? Of course not, you would protect them, yet we don’t protect ourselves from these blockers which are more dangerous than 20 of our best competitors. Why? Because we are competing against ourselves.
Using my NLP training I have developed a few ways to banish them, here is one way:

Choose one limiting belief and give it a name (mine is called Sad Sacks, don’t ask!)
Give it a physical representation (mine is a green mosquito type creature)
Place your ‘object’ on your desk and shrink it to the size of a pea
Thank it, yes you did read that correctly, even limiting beliefs do something good for you even though they get in the way too (I thanked mine for stopping me looking stupid)
Ready to banish it? Now squash your pea size object flat (mine gets done by a fly swot). Over and over again.

If your competitor tries to come back in the future, don’t worry they are stubborn and have been attached to you for many years, they will try their hardest. Don’t let them, you don’t need them anymore. Make the choice. Do the exercise above as many times as you need to banish them forever.
Don’t believe you can change limiting beliefs that quickly? Your competitor is back disguised as Mr/Mrs sceptical.
You can do whatever you choose.
Free yourself to be your best.

If we can have between 60 and 80,000 thoughts a day then what is your thought for Monday that you will hold front of mind and ensure today is a great day? Mine is......

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:47:00 +0000

I love Mondays and I love helping new Sales Consultants refine their Pitching skills which I will be doing all day long. Today I will be the best, most inspirational trainer I can be.

What is your thought of today? Please share our thoughts and energise each other for a great week!

How to identify your Limiting Beliefs - bust your 'potential blockers' As we hold our beliefs unconsciously we aren’t always aware of what is driving our behaviour...

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:57:00 +0000

Those of you who have been to the Think like a Top Biller workshops will have had the experience of finding your ‘driving force’ (positive beliefs) and understanding your ‘potential blockers’ (limiting beliefs/thinking that block your potential). For those I haven’t met yet here are some symptoms of limiting beliefs so you can also start the process of awareness. Part 2 of this article is an exercise on how to bust limiting beliefs and stop ‘them’ from stopping you.

Symptoms:

Reoccurring negative thoughts/moments of self doubt - write them down
Conversations that you have with others (or yourself) that have the following words – I can’t, I won’t, I hope , try, they won’t, perhaps, possibly, maybe, might, don’t
Generalisations you make – sentences with always, never, every or all (e.g those kind of candidates are…) or assumptions you make about people, yourself or situations
Distortions – misrepresentation of the facts in a negative way e.g that client doesn’t like me because they never come back to me, that deal fell through so I am going to have a bad month
Procrastination – tasks that you always put off because you ‘don’t like them’
Negative emotions that change your breathing, temperature or voice
Failure to achieve something you keep trying to do
Agreeing to do something you know you won’t do because you don’t believe in it

Spend the next few days on ‘limiting belief watch’, write down your symptoms. Be honest with yourself and ask yourself what is the belief behind these symptoms?

Get ready for Part 2 of this article on Monday for an exercise you can do to banish them.

Presenting Candidates, not emailing CV’s

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 10:43:00 +0000

The top billers I’ve worked with over the years have one thing in common. They take risks and push the boundaries. One extremely successful top biller I interviewed last week said that if the client said they would interview in 3 days time then he would present a candidate over the phone in 1 days time and set up a telephone interview before his competition has even started resourcing.
In the ‘old days’ we would call this ‘selling the candidate in’ but in these more consultative times we would now call it ‘presenting a candidate’ which doesn’t mean just emailing the CV. Infact when I started recruiting there wasn’t email, we had to fax and god forbid our manager saw us standing at the fax machine sending CV’s instead of presenting them over the phone and confirming the interview there and then.
This approach of course helps us keep more control of the process (benefit for us) but the benefit to the client is not only will they cut the risk down of losing good talent due to time but they get to hear the reasons why we are presenting them. By reasons I don’t mean, they have 2 years experience and you are looking for 2, they live locally to you etc.
I mean presenting the value add, the possible return on investment the candidate will bring – showing the client how they are the solution to their problems. Few consultants do this for a variety of reasons. Their contact is HR, they don’t have the confidence or they have got into bad habits or patterns of behavior with their clients.

To do this though you need to do a thorough candidate qualification to find out what the return or value add could be. Why not add these 3 questions in to your candidate interview:

What are your 3 key achievements you are most proud of your career? What did you do? What was the return?
What would your last manager say about you? (get references and ask the manager what the value of the candidate was)
Why do you think you are suitable for this role? What value will you bring to the client? What makes you different?

For one day why don’t you stop emailing CV’s and spend 15 minutes presenting your candidates and their value add? Even to HR, they are still a key influencer so make the CV come alive for them, give them a reason to move quickly instead of pushing them for quick feedback based on your own needs.

Practice this 5 minute self coaching exercise to train your brain to think solutions, not problems....

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 11:39:00 +0000

As we have said before Top Billers don’t waste much time thinking about problems, they move their thinking quickly to the future, towards an outcome, towards a solution. We know Recruitment is a fast paced industry; therefore too much time spent in the past, stuck in the problem or excuse or worse, self blame, is a waste of valuable time and energy.
But how? Try these simple Outcome focussed questions to move yourself from Problem to Solution in the space of 5 minutes:

Thinking of the challenge/problem you have:

What do I want in this situation? Why is that important to me?
How will I know I have got that? What will be happening?
What resources and strengths do I have to help me?
When I have done something similar?
What is the first step I will take towards getting what I want? (Now notice how you feel compared to 5 minutes ago)

Time spent analysing a problem is useful – what we can learn, what the route cause was and what we will do differently next time. However too much time spent analysing will keep you stuck and drain energy and ultimately your motivation so make sure you train your brain to move from problem to solution as quickly as possible.
Managers – want to enhance your coaching skills? Use these questions with your people and empower them to come up with their own solutions.

If being a Top biller is 67% mindset and 33% skill, are your thoughts going to keep you stuck or launch you towards greater results?

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:37:00 +0000

Reading a great book at the moment - Mind Power by James Borg, would recommend any one reads this who wants to think like a Top Biller. He makes an interesting point that we can have 60-80,000 thoughts a day, some of which are distorted and not based on fact. Distorted thinking can take the form of: criticising yourself for past failures, doubting your abilities, fear of future events e.g not hitting targets, putting yourself down e.g I'm not great at head hunting, have an expectation of failure e.g I see the point of Business Development but I could do it all day and not get a job. Distorted thinking is making meaning or creating a different reality or as I like to call it creating a soap story where we are the star of the show.

We all do some of the above, some more than others depending on our personality type, confidence levels and self awareness. The difference between a Top Biller and someone who is stuck is that a Top Biller will distort their thinking to the positive, will change any negative thoughts or self doubt quickly so they don't get in the spiral of negative thinking. The key here is that they control their thinking, they don't let their thinking control them.

Every thought you have results in a feeling, feelings drive behaviour and behaviour drives results. Make sure you control this chain reaction and use your thinking as a more powerful tool than the telephone and pc infront of you....

Why I think the word 'try' is the most pointless word in the dictionary....

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Was just running to catch my train and I heard someone say 'I am trying to be positive today' and I thought it was an interesting comment to make. Surely you either are positive or you aren't? I don't believe in the word try. It is the most pointless 3 letter word in the dictionary and yet we use it all day along in conversation with little thought behind it. Actually the word can be very limiting and if you look past it can be linked to our beliefs, it also shows little commitment or accountability to whatever action it is we are 'trying' to do.
'I am going to try and spend a hour on Business Development today' actually means I know it is a priority but I have all of these candidates to call and if I am honest I would rather do anything else or I have every good intention to and if I have time I will but if I go home and I haven't then the world isn't going to end.

Examine your speech today for the word try and really challenge yourself if you hear it. Replace the word with ‘I am/will’ if you want to have any hope of completing the action you want to complete or if not then just don't do it at all and reset your expectations to something lower that you will have a chance of achieving.

Turning Rookies into Top Billers - 10 things you need to know

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 11:59:00 +0000

Top billers come in all shapes and sizes. Some talk about how great they are all day long, some sit in the corner quietly, some follow the recruitment process to the letter, some bend it, cut corners and still come away with the desired outcome. Some have high call stats some have the lowest, some manage their time and some are totally disorganised.
What does this tell us? Well once Rookies have 3 months worth of knowledge it depends on their personality, their background and their inner self belief as to whether they will fail, be average or be a Top biller. This means your training in the early stages must include Mindset training to give them the tools to deal with failures, the tools to be confident every day, the tools to change their mindset and above all the tools to control their thinking, when their thinking controls them they will fail.

10 things you need to know when building your Training plan for Rookies:

From day 1 a Consultant’s success is pre determined based on the early experiences in their life
A Consultant’s positive and limiting beliefs are formed from the ages of 0 to 14
Unless a Consultant knows how to manage their mindset when things go wrong they will waste a lot of time and energy
You can inspire your Consultants but their self motivation is down to them – do they know how to do this?
If a Consultant doesn’t believe in themselves they will never do the things a top biller will do like get commitment from a client or get a candidate on exclusive
At 3 months into their career a Consultant will have the knowledge and then it is down to their mind set as to how they apply it
At 3 months a Consultant will have made a lot of mistakes, do they know how to learn from them or do they let their inner critic beat them down until they are de-motivated?
At 3 months a Consultant will have a belief about their capability to do the job and how successful they will be – are they aware of that belief and do they know how to change it if it is limiting?
At 3 months a Consultant will have periods of self doubt and are unlikely to admit this to you – do they know how to deal with self doubt? Do you?
A rookie needs to understand why a call was successful and what they did that lead to the result. This gives them confidence. Not just what they said, but what they thought, how they felt and what belief drove the success. Do your managers know how to coach at this level?

The different that makes the difference between average and outstanding is mindset, make sure your Rookies join this group to help them control their thinking and watch out for our latest E-Book coming soon.

Don’t be your own worst competitor in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Vi International) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 02:31:00 +0000

We hope you have had a rewarding January and you are on track with your targets for the year ahead. This quarter we have a simple message which we would like to share with you and it is based around your ability to work with you.
So January has gone and we are well into February, how are you getting on with your targets and goals for 2011? Where are you now? What progress have you made? What could stop your success - You or others?
Sometimes we are our own worst competitor and can ‘ think’ our way to failure instead of success. Beliefs drive behaviours so make sure yours give you what you want.
If you are on track with your goals and targets, great, ask yourself what can I do to maintain this?

If you aren’t on track, ask yourself these coaching questions:

What do you want to achieve this /month/quarter /year?
How are you stopping yourself?
What are your thoughts and beliefs about your goals? Are they empowering or limiting?
Where are you focusing your thinking? In the present, worrying about the past or what could happen in the future?
Are you focusing on hard facts or your perception of the situation? What is 100% fact?
Are you disassociated or associated? What would an expert advise you to do?
What is the one thing that you are not doing now but if you did daily would make a difference to your success?
What are you going to do differently now you know this?

If you are stuck, or procrastinating take action NOW. Tomorrow is too late.

We are enabling individuals to achieve their 2011 goals and targets through 1:1 Performance coaching via telephone or Skype. Contact us now for information on these 1 or 2 hour dynamic ‘Power sessions’ and learn how you can think your way to success this year.

Don’t let you be your worst competitor!