Recognising the value in B and C-class brokers

Everyone would love to hire an A-class player into their business – someone that is as passionate about your business as you are, is completely self-sufficient, hunts their own leads and closes them with little support.

The truth is this doesn’t exist. To recruit someone into your business that’s as concerned with its success as you are is just not something you are going to find, and if you did, they would quickly realise we are in an industry where it is much more lucrative to work for yourself if you have the attributes I previously described.

Being here in Melbourne, I’d love to relate this to AFL, but the system is a little different, so I will relate it instead to soccer.

If you want to attract A-class players, then your offer needs to be a cut above the rest in every area. It comes down to the brand, the money and other areas that motivate the particular person you want to hire. It needs to be tailored, as different people are motivated by different things.

Too often I speak to groups that are experiencing a degree of success – they want to grow their team, and because they see their brand as their baby, their opinion of it can sometimes be elevated – which is why the brief they give me is … Cristiano Ronaldo. They want the best in the market – and who doesn’t – but you’ve got to then be prepared to have the most competitive offer.

Ronaldo plays soccer for Real Madrid for a multitude of reasons. He can build his own personal brand within the leverage of the huge Real Madrid brand, which is known for its galactic superstar team. They are a team that can afford to pay top-dollar for the best in the world. They can surround him with players at a similar ability so he can thrive amongst like-minded talent. They attract the best managers and coaching staff, as well as doctors, to ensure he can grow and develop as a player, as well as stay fit and healthy. They have the facilities to cater to his every want and need, and as a result, he is very happy there after leaving another huge club … Manchester United.

When you’re looking to grow your team, you need to have the awareness of what kind of person will find your offer attractive. You need to bear in mind that people usually make the step up into a new job rather than a step down, so the next person that comes into your business will have come from somewhere not as successful as yourself. I see so many groups having success hiring B-class and C-class players because they fit into the business better and it’s much more achievable for their needs to be met.

I think having some awareness around your offer and who you’re going to attract, as well as the groups you should be fishing from, is the key to a scalable recruitment campaign where you’re looking to constantly grow the team. Having an employer brand and an offer that is attractive to the right calibre of person is the key.

What does it look like? That all depends on what you can give first. In such a candidate-short market, there’s a heap of different groups looking to grow, so candidates more often than not will have a couple of offers to choose from. Why should it be yours?

Zak Wilford, recruitment specialist

Zak Wilford is a specialist recruiter that works alongside mortgage brokers in growing their business through hiring great people. He first stepped into the mortgage industry in 2013, aggressively targeting aggregators and headhunting their brokers and groups to join the then start-up aggregator Finsure and 1300Homeloan. After a year with Finsure, he joined recruitment agency Drake International, and a year later he stepped out on his own to fill a gap in the market – to start a recruitment agency specialising in working with finance brokers. Leveraging his network and experience, Zak now works with both commercial and residential finance brokers, sub-aggregators and other groups to help them grow through hiring great people. For more information, visit www.zakwilford.com.