Jeremy Snell's Big Ideas

Recruitment has spent the last decade quietly talking itself out of selling. The story goes that recruitment is now a marketing job, that automation and AI can carry the load, that outreach is something you schedule rather than something you do. The result? A generation of consultants who have watched their sales capability erode without noticing it happen, hiding in the noise and calling it strat...

The Great Abdication in recruitment right now is driven by weak management. Right now, "Treating People Like Adults" Is killing your performance culture. In this episode, Jeremy Snell confronts one of the most shared, most repeated complaints in modern work: the dislike of being micromanaged. Scroll any feed and the articles are everywhere. Sit in enough interviews and you will hear it again and a...

Talent teams see volume and call it abundance. Hiring managers feel powerless. Candidates are bruised into transactional behaviour. The result is a mirage - a hiring market that looks functional on the surface and breaks down at the point of placement. In this episode, Jeremy unpacks why direct hiring is failing more often than internal teams admit, and what recruiters need to do about it. Volume...

Why most "headhunting" today isn't headhunting at all  and what to do instead. Jeremy Snell unpacks the difference between true headhunting and the icky, mass-produced LinkedIn outreach that's come to wear the same name. Drawing on his executive search experience from the mid-90s (when headhunting was a telephone contact sport and being on the receiving end actually felt flattering), he makes the...

Counter-Offers Are Rising. Here's Why You're Losing Candidates at Two Minutes to Midnight. Counter-offer loss is climbing again - and it's not a money problem. It's an emotional one, dressed up as logic. In this episode, I unpack why recruiters are bleeding placements at offer stage, and why the fix sits at the start of the process, not the end. We cover the three forces driving the spike: a volat...

Are Your Consultants Doing the Job - or Just Completing It? There's a crisis running through recruitment businesses right now. Consultants are drifting. Not because they're lazy, but because the conversations around their work have become binary. Did you call? Did you advertise? Have you done the database? Done doesn't mean done well. In this episode, Jeremy explores the difference between executi...

Recruiters are told the job is about relationships. Nobody explains what that means or how to build one with intent. In this episode, Jeremy Snell breaks down the difference between being liked and being trusted, and gives you a five-level roadmap for moving clients from casual contact to genuine partnership. The Five Levels of Trust Level 1: Entry Trust. Access without influence. Small talk and c...

Recruitment can be thankless at times. What feels like hard work and effort doesn’t always translate into results. But are we doing the right things? Are we being distracted by other work and slowly losing sight of the things that matter? When you are responsible for your own results it’s important you have clarity on three things - the standards you choose to adopt, the goals you set for yourself...

BD is a hot topic right now. Many are hoping AI is going to save them and they can automate their way out of the hole. The reality is if you want to win more clients, secure better business and grow your recruitment agency you must be able to answer these three questions.  Simple questions that make the entire process of building a sales strategy and set of executable tactics easier.  And if you w...

AI is everywhere. And we’re getting AI fatigue. Because of this, recruitment agencies are missing the power of AI at a desk level. In this episode Jeremy shares how you can use AI to enhance your skillset and the dangers of letting ChatGPT drive the bus and decide what good looks like on your behalf. You are the wizard. AI is the apprentice. Teach it to enhance what you do. You’ll discover in this...

Winning new clients is recruitment becomes a whole lot easier when you know how to build pipe. In this episode Jeremy shares the three pipes that exist in every recruitment business and how they relate to each other. Pipe number one, the acquisition of new clients, is the pipe everyone is chasing right now. Jeremy shares the one simple thing you can do to make this pipe easier to fill and easier t...

Fill rate is a key metric for recruitment businesses. Especially when job flow is challenged. In this episode, I share how I helped an agency double their fill rate with a focus on job quality and consultative on boarding. It takes discipline to stick to a new method of working. You have to want the outcome enough to be willing to do the work. Life is easy when you're willing to compromise quality...

It’s a tactic that’s as old as recruitment itself. Engage with a candidate whose role includes managing and leading a team, then flip them into a client. It doesn’t seem that clean any more. Too many recruiters worry about the flip as if it requires a specific moment. It’s not a judo throw.  Better to shift your mindset as to the conversation you’re having and shift it to the one you should. If yo...

Your voice is your most precious tool, it’s your edge. In this episode, we unpack how pitch, pace, tone, timbre, and volume shape the way clients experience your message. You don’t have to compromise who you are to improve your voice control. It’s about sounding intentional. We’ll explore how tiny vocal shifts can build trust, command attention, and drive better outcomes in recruitment sales. If y...

Most agencies have a CRM. Few see it as the central hub for their business. Too frequently consultants become addicted to job boards and Linkedin to find today’s candidates for today’s jobs. And the CRM becomes a glorified bucket of CVs.  If you want to improve your results and increase consistency of placements, take a fresh look at your CRM. I expect your next 10 placements are hidden in there s...

Relationships are everything in recruitment.  It’s the biggest defence for why AI is never going to take our jobs. Yet how often do you review the quality of relationships you have with clients, candidates and prospects? What does good look like? And what will better be? And how do you plan to get there?  I share my beliefs around relationships in recruitment and why most recruiters are failing at...

The clear answer is no. And the answer is yes. Because it’s your perception that drives decisions you make – bottom line is you can prove it is or prove it isn’t. The reality is the phone is still an important part of the fabric of a good sales strategy. A conversation will book a meeting more than an email ever will. Today we see high levels of call reluctance. Those who choose to avoid the phone...

The podcast is back and I’m ready to share ideas with those who want to listen. It’s been six months since I last published an episode. A lot has been happening for me and in the recruitment universe. I’ve got a couple of observations from the last six months – namely recruitment has got very good at talking about the importance of business development. Yet not necessarily implemented enough to na...

This episode is full of gold (even if I say so myself). Everyone in recruitment claims “it’s all about relationships” and that getting people to know you, like you and trust you is important. But no one seems to share how to do it.  Until now.  I share the ten tools that build trust in relationship based sales and the order of ascension. Most are stuck at levels one to three. Take your client and...

For almost every recruitment professional and business owner who desires more success there are three common barriers. And I’m going to share and unpack all three to help you get out of your own way and start building the business you want. This is a big episode.  Yes, yes it is still 20 minutes in duration – it’s the content that’s big.  Because every one of the three things is totally in your co...

Running your own recruitment business is tough. It’s hard enough running your own desk in an agency. The market is volatile, there is competition everywhere – for people’s attention and their wallets.  Everyone believes they’re good at what they do and that they should be a natural choice for their clients.  But it’s not true.  Especailly if you ask clients real opinions about the majority. Thankf...

Firing clients is something we’ve all imagined.  Strangely many choose to put up the disfunctional relationships they find themselves in.  Scared to push back.  Worried about losing a customer.  But if they’re a drain of time, energy and resource and aren’t creating profit in enough abundance they’re a liability. I’m sharing a few stories and tactics that can help you devleop a better strategy to...

The big myth in recruitment is the importance of control. Or more accurately, the poor advice as to who should be in control.  When you attempt to exercise control over another, it leads to manipulation. And feeling manipulated is not pleasant. It leads to candidates ghosting you and clients following their own path, rather than your advice.  Making placements is critical - it takes something more...

Right now as we enter the final third of the year there are three simple attributes EVERY recruitment professional needs to make sure they harness. The market is turning upwards. Business confidence is returning and there is money to be made.  What you do in the next 90 days will ensure you close the year out strong AND position yourself for a rocket start into 2025.  Let others continue their moa...

All is takes is a single idea to make a huge difference to your business. In theory, we’re all one idea away from achieving our goals. An idea, that when worked on with focus and determination could become the catalyst for growth. Joining the 4D Recruitment Method Membership could provide you with all the ideas you need to change your business for the better. To refine how you work and win better...