The Recruitment Formula That Has Influenced How We Operate

The Recruitment Formula That Has Influenced How We Operate

One of the recruitment frameworks that has heavily influenced how we operate internally comes from Greg Savage.

Greg often talks about a very simple formula:

Activity × Quality × Target Market = Success

We've taken that core philosophy, evolved it over time and built a significant part of our recruitment methodology around it.

It remains one of the simplest and most effective explanations of recruitment success that I've come across.

Not just in recruitment.

In sales and business generally.

High Activity

The first part is activity.

Recruitment is still a profession where activity matters.

Calls matter.

Conversations matter.

Meetings matter.

Outreach matters.

Many people want recruitment to be something different.

Many people look for shortcuts.

Many people hope technology will replace activity.

In our experience, it doesn't.

Technology can improve activity.

Technology can create leverage.

Technology can make recruiters more productive.

But activity still matters.

The recruiters having the most quality conversations tend to create the most opportunities.

Quality

Activity on its own isn't enough.

Making 100 poor calls is rarely better than making 20 great ones.

The quality of execution matters.

How well are you qualifying candidates?

How well are you understanding motivations?

How well are you building relationships?

How well are you presenting opportunities?

How well are you managing the recruitment process?

The best recruiters combine high levels of activity with high levels of quality.

That combination is powerful.

Target Market

The final piece is target market.

This is the part many people underestimate.

You can have high activity.

You can have high quality.

But if you're speaking to the wrong people, the results will still be disappointing.

The quality of prospects matters.

The quality of candidates matters.

The quality of clients matters.

Market selection matters.

One of the reasons specialist recruitment businesses often outperform is because they become incredibly focused on their target market.

They know exactly who they are trying to help.

And they spend their time speaking to those people.

Why We Like The Framework

One of the reasons this framework has stood the test of time is because it is so simple.

There are no complicated models.

No complex theories.

No lengthy explanations.

Just three variables.

Activity.

Quality.

Target Market.

Improve any one of them and results improve.

Improve all three and results can improve dramatically.

Recruitment Doesn't Need To Be Overcomplicated

One thing I've noticed over the years is that many recruitment businesses overcomplicate things.

Some become obsessed with technology.

Some become obsessed with process.

Some become obsessed with branding.

Some don't have a framework at all.

The reality is that recruitment still comes back to a few core principles:

• Having enough quality conversations

• Executing consistently well

• Speaking to the right people

The Greg Savage framework captures that brilliantly.

Why We Still Talk About It

There are lots of new ideas in recruitment.

New technology.

New sourcing methods.

New platforms.

New tools.

Many of them are excellent.

But some ideas are timeless.

This is one of them.

That is why we still talk about Activity × Quality × Target Market internally.

It remains one of the clearest explanations of what drives recruitment success.

Credit to Greg Savage for articulating the principle so effectively.

Sometimes the best frameworks are also the simplest.