In May of this year, Bethenny Frankel, housewife-turned-reality TV star ended up on the cover of Forbes as the highest grossing celebrity mom.

Okay, so 5 months later it’s not that newsworthy, but I think we can still look to Bethenny for a few tips on building a strong brand.

Bethenny’s brand has a a clearly defined purpose:  Healthy, yet accessible living.

It’s not a ground breaking idea, but she has packaged it so well from her very first TV appearence, that she was able to sell her “Skinnygirl” spirits company back in March for a reported $100 million. (you can read more about that here).

So what can recruitment firm owners and managers take away from Bethenny’s branding success?

1. Be consistent. Bethenny is a skinny woman who endorses Skinnygirl margaritas. There’s no confusion there. When your firm says one thing, but acts in an incongruent manner, your clients get confused.

In his ERE article, “What Drives Me Nuts About Staffing Agencies (and How They Can Work as a Better Partner),” Matt Lowney wrote about his frustration with firms who are not who they say they are:

Almost every agency says they have a special/unique process for reviewing resumes, sourcing candidates, and access to candidates that sets them apart from their competitors. From my experience I’ve not really seen the impact of their “unique” process in the candidates they’ve submitted.

Sending mixed signals can drive a spike between you and your client.  If you can’t deliver on your promise, then maybe you a new slogan?

2. Recognize Your Mistakes. Bethenny openly admits that appearing on Skating with the Stars was a huge mistake.  It didn’t align with audiences, and it didn’t align with her purpose.  But, she was able to return to the core of her brand, suffering little, if any setbacks.

When your firm has a defined purpose, it’s much easier to come back to the cornerstones of your firm should you happen to veer a little off of your path.  Did that technical education service you offered turn out to be a bad idea?  Admit it’s not working, and bring your focus back to the purpose of your firm.

3.  Diversify. The Skinnygirl margarita was a huge success. But Bethenny didn’t stop there.  Exercise equipment, cookbooks, TV shows – all upshoots from her core brand, but all driven by the same purpose – to help women achieve a healthy lifestyle in a realistic way.

Diversifying your services help you sustain through difficult times. Direct hires down? Lean on contract staffing.  Do something different, but do it your way.

4.  Put a Face to Your Brand.  When I think “Skinnygirl margaritas,” I think Bethenny Frankel.  She and her brand are one in the same.

Do your clients see your face when they think of your firm?  As Travis has written about, avoid using stock photos.  Don’t be afraid to send emails from your CEO.  Let your clients know that there are real people behind your fancy logo and stock web images.

5.  Use Your Platforms.  Bethenny asks, “Why be on TV if you don’t have something to sell?”

Do you know what your firm is selling?  If you have a clear purpose, then you do.  Whether you’re hosting a webinar, presenting to a client, or networking at a conference, your brand – and the experience you create – benefit when your purpose is clearly defined.

6.  Do Not Fear Transparency.  Like any seasoned reality TV star, Bethenny is no stranger to on-screen meltdowns – and her fans love her for it.  While you may not want to have an emotional breakdown in-front of a client, it doesn’t hurt to address problems head-on. Sometimes it’s more productive just to own up to a mistake, and show your client how you’re going to provide a solution.

Solid Branding Stems from a Defined Purpose

When your purpose is defined, and you can easily align with it, it’s much easier to live out your brand message –  not only as a slogan on your website or in your email signature, but during any moment you have the attention of your candidates and clients.

Right now attendees of the 2011 NAPS Conference are touching down and are ready to experience 3 days of training, tips and networking.

This year NAPS is being held in Las Vegas at the Red Rocks Casino and Resort and is sure to be a good time for everyone. Trainers and speakers like Jon Bartos, Scott Love, Jeff Kaye, Neil Lebovits plus 20 other known personalities will be helping firm owners, salespeople, recruiters and researchers build the skills the find, manage and close.

Our own Jonathan Herrick will also be hosting a round table discussion titled “Building a Purpose Driven Recruiting Firm” – a topic perfect for owners and managers.

Members of the Sendouts team will be exhibiting a booth #6 and we’ve got some fun contests and giveaways for attendees. Also, we’ve created a page that will be displayed at our new booth (woo hoo) that aggregates tweets mentioning #naps2011 and makes it easy for you to follow other conference attendees. You can visit http://www.sendouts.com/naps on your laptop or mobile phone to stay current with the topics and mutterings from the NAPS twitter-verse. We’ll be posting updates throughout the show so stay tuned!

1.  You Ask the Right Questions

You don’t waste time.  Before working on an opening, you qualify the job order.  You ask all of the right questions to gauge if the opening can truly be filled.  This process helps both you and your client assess if a candidate actually exists for the position, as well as if your client is really prepared to bring on a new hire.

2.  Contacting the Competition

While social media tools – specifically LinkedIn – have made it easier for companies to contact people working for their competitors, it is still a bit taboo for an internal recruiter reach out to the competition.  And should your client risk contacting the competition internally, they still have to make the pitch, and gain the candidate’s trust – both skills that your are adept at.

3.  Savvy Salesmanship

You can persuade a highly sought-after candidate to sign with your client, because you are a great sales person.  First, you have to sell your personal brand and your services to your client.  Then, you have to sell a position to a candidate who may, or may not have been looking or an opportunity in the first place.  Finally, you present the candidate to your client, and are prepared to explain why this candidate is “the one.”

You can close a deal; otherwise you wouldn’t be in this business.

But Wait….

You already know the many, many reasons why companies need a great third party recruiter.  But do your potential clients know why they need your services?

Download “10 Reasons Why You Need a Third Party Recruiter” to pass on to a potential client & thanks for reading the Sendouts Blog!

This month at NAPS, Sendouts Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Jonathan Herrick, will be leading a round table discussion.  He is passionate about driving recruiting and staffing firm with PURPOSE, as opposed to PROFIT, and will be leading the discussion on “Building a Purpose-Driven Recruiting Firm.”

So as a sneak preview, what is the difference between purpose and profit driven firms, and why does it matter?

Profit-Driven Firms are Not Built to Succeed.

John Moore, a marketing consultant who has worked for businesses like Starbucks and Whole Foods, says that a business has to have a reason to exist, otherwise customers will go elsewhere.

Unless your firm has a reason to exist, your employees will go elsewhere, too – and they do.  (Perhaps there is a reason why recruiting firms average 5 to 8 employees instead of a few hundred employees.)

Unfortunately, making money is a poor reason to exist.  It’s a great goal to have, but it is not a sustaining purpose.

For instance, try explaining to your client that the reason your are calling her is so that you can make money.  You probably won’t have a very successful sales call.

But, if you explain that your purpose is to help your client become a better company by helping her sign the best candidate in the industry, she’s going to feel a lot better about working with you.

No one wants to work with a company that is only concerned with making money.  No one wants to work for profit-driven owners to help them line their pockets.

When the opportunity presents itself to move on, most recruiters working in a profit-driven scenario have no problem kissing their employer good-bye and heading to greener (more profitable?) pastures.  When the talent leaves, the profits follow.

Purpose-Driven Firms can Bill More in the Long Run

The awesome part about recruiting is that every recruiting firm actually has an incredible purpose:  Finding the best talent to build stronger companies.

When firms embrace their purpose:

1. Employees feel like they are contributing to the company as a whole.
2. Employees stay with the firm for reasons that transcend how much they are going to bill this year.
3. Employees develop a greater sense of loyalty to the firm.
4. Top talent is attracted to a firm that retains its employees.

Companies that retain top talent, foster creativity and innovation, and enjoy greater profitability over time.

What’s Your Experience?

Have you experienced working for a purpose-driven firm?  How did it compare to the profit driven firm(s) you worked for?

What obstacles are in the way of building purpose at your recruiting or staffing firm?

Weigh in in the comments section, or if you’re in Vegas for NAPS in a couple of weeks, participate in Jonathan’s round table discussion – he has a lot of passion and insight pertaining to this topic.  Stop by and see us at Booth #6!

No matter how amicable a parting, leaving an employer can get a little messy when it comes to the contacts you have built during your time there.  Recruiting firms who use an ATS, such as Sendouts, have a huge database that has been built up by their employees.  And you better believe that every firm recognizes the value in those contacts.

You make your living by building relationships, and your contacts are your most valuable asset.  It is well worth your time to take a few extra steps to protect your contacts, because when you part ways with your employer, you are most likely parting ways with your recruiting software as well.

While Sendouts makes it easy for your employer -  our client - to import and export data to their heart’s content, we cannot export data for former employees of our clients.

But not to worry, you can be proactive in protecting your data, making it easier to take your contacts with you when you join a new firm, or branch out on your own.

Review.

Before you take any action, it is best to review any policies your company has regarding intellectual property / electronic data.  They may not allow you to contact any vendors after you have left.  There can be many gray areas when it comes to intellectual property, so it is also helpful to review any precedents your company has set with people who have left before you.  What happened to Jane Doe, her contacts, and her social media profiles when she parted ways?

Keep Your Own List.

Don’t wait until you’re ready to make a move to compile a list of your best contacts.  Instead, take a few minutes each month to update your own personal compilation of contacts and resources.

1. See if you can export a list of contacts from your ATS.  For example, Sendouts lets you right-click on a highlighted list to export contacts into a .csv file.
2. There have been cases in which companies have claimed ownership of their employees’ LinkedIn profiles, so it may be a good idea to export a list of your LinkedIn connections as well.
3. Along the same vein, export your company email contacts every so often, since you may not have access to your company’s email account after you leave.
4. Save your exports in a simple Excel file, important them into your personal email contacts, or even go old-school and print them out for safe keeping.

Personalize.

Draw the distinction between business and personal in your virtual life.

1. Create a duplicate LinkedIn profile that is not associated with your company, so that when you leave, your company cannot take the network you have built away from you.
2. If you use social media under your company flagship (i.e. an @yourcompanyname Twitter account) set up your own personal account and add your most important contacts to that profile as well.
3. The same goes for your company blog and company Facebook page.  Create a blog and start a professional Facebook page under your own name.

Duplicating social media profiles under your own name and industry (instead of under your company name) keeps you in control of your networks.

Be Proactive.

Don’t expect your company to just hand over your contacts when you leave.  Keep an updated list of key players in your recruiting success that you can take with you anywhere you go.

image from here.