"We are going in another direction."

I have to admit, hearing these words from a prospective client is a challenge for me. It’s hard not to take it personally. No matter what I tell myself to blunt the blow, the sting is real. My mind recaps the conversations and presentations. What could we have done differently or better? What did we miss? How could our perfect search record not be THE thing that locked in the business? What about our speed-to-hire?

“We’re going in another direction” are words no professional services leader wants to hear, and yet hear all too often. They hurt no matter your close rate, but the truth is that anyone with business development in their job description needs to get used to hearing them — even after putting their heart and soul into their sales pitch. Wins always come with losses. It goes with the territory. It’s how you respond that counts.

We find ourselves pitching against the Big 5 search firms more than ever these days. It’s a byproduct of our almost two decades of focus and the extensive network we’ve built. We grew up in the advertising space. Our first placements are now industry leaders. We have the finger on the pulse. The Big 5 have only dabbled in advertising until recently. The flood of PE money has pulled the Big 5 into this space. We see and hear every day about their lack of knowledge in an industry we know well.

But how is that trend working out for the industry? When you have a half-dozen people talking on the phone for 5 to 6 (or more) hours a day for 15 years, you learn things. It's hard-fought knowledge that gets you to solutions faster with better options and outcomes. Coming in with only a process without that hard fought knowledge just isn’t going to produce the same results.

Don’t get me wrong. We’ve won a fair share of the business. That network we have developed cuts both ways. As tough as it is to not land a search project, competition is good. It sharpens your focus to improve all the systems that lead to a successful outcome. I have learned to shift my disappointment to being grateful for the opportunity to be at the table talking about our passion for this work; finding the zen approach in a competitive world.

I’ve never subscribed to a zero-sum mindset. When one door closes another often opens, but ultimately there is a finite number of searches going out to third-party recruiting firms in any given space. No one is going to get fired hiring a Big 5 search firm, and that makes it all the more important we sharpen our pitches and project delivery; to continue to nail every single project and deliver beyond expectations. Focusing on the process with passion has always been the key to our success.

And it will continue to be, whether we hear those dreaded words or not.

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash