Page 36 - The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million - PDFDrive.com

But how do you shift to a passive recruiting strategy? Do you simply hire a
recruiting firm?

That's what I did at first. I probably worked with about 10 or so recruiting
agencies over the course of that first year. Overall, the results were average,
though some firms were better than others. At the time, these recruiting agencies
charged anywhere between 15 and 20 percent of the base salary of any
candidates we hired (a success-based fee). Every firm demanded that I work
exclusively with them so that candidates were not contacted by multiple firms
for the same job. I ignored that request and always had two or three going at
once. If a firm presented a handful of candidates to me and the candidates did
not make it through the early stages of the process, I stopped working with that
firm and moved on. In an industry with multiple, similar competitors, it's
important to be willing to move on quickly if you find yourself unimpressed
with the product or service delivery.

In a vacuum, I was able to tolerate the average agency results. What really
bothered me was the reliance I had on outside resources for arguably one of the
most important drivers of my success. What if HubSpot wanted me to triple the
pace of sales hiring? Scaling the external agency model simply wouldn't be
predictable enough for me.

I then received the best advice I've ever gotten on candidate sourcing.

Don't hire a recruiting agency. Don't build a corporate recruiting team. Build a
recruiting agency within your corporation.

Here is why this was such sage advice: the recruiters at outside recruiting
agencies work really hard. They source passive candidates who aren't looking for
jobs. They pay their recruiters well, often with performance-based variable
packages that incent the staff to crush the phones and fill positions. However,
these agency recruiters are not working exclusively for you. When a recruiter
finds an amazing salesperson, will they pitch your company first? Will they pitch
your company exclusively? Probably not. If the recruiter is a rational, currency-
seeking human being, he will prioritize the company that will generate the
highest commission for them.

On the flip side, and generically speaking, internal corporate recruiters are very
different from the recruiters you find at agencies. They tend to value quality of
life, work nine to five, and aren't particularly interested in cold-sourcing
candidates. They typically make less than agency recruiters and are paid a base
salary with no performance-based commission. Generically speaking, internal