The Importance of a Sales Excellence in Executive Search

The Executive Search world is diverse, consultants range from the aggressive lone wolf to the highly inclusive and collaborative worker, both can be successful. Which ever the style however, the daily focus for a head-hunter or Executive Search consultant is selling. There is rarely a moment that the consultant is not selling. They need to sell to attract the client commissions and agreement to conduct the search, they need to sell to close the deal, sell the opportunity to prospective candidates, sell to over come client issues after interview, sell while negotiating an offer, sell to the candidate to get them to accept the offer and so forth. Sell, sell, sell, sell & sell. It is more often than not therefore an exhausting process.  Clearly sales ability is a key attribute of a successful Search Consultant however it runs much deeper than this as in addition to these numerous "sales points" the successful consultant will also be handling multiple assignments at various stages at anyone time, plus they need to keep their prospecting live to keep the pipeline going. Add to this the need for healthy marketing - particularly via social media - and the expectation for the consultant be always available via email or phone, then it is amazing that any one in Exec Search makes it as a career!  The reality is that very few people do. In my 18 year career I have seen hundreds of people pass through the profession and only a small percentage of people stay the course and / or develop their careers even further.  Great search consultants are then a rare thing.

The challenge for the Exec Search consultant is further exaggerated by the diversity and range of expertise that they are expected to profess. Clients pay the consultant to sell their organisation to senior candidates as expertly as they would themselves with all the accompanying understanding of the structure of the business, the products that they offer and the structure of the organisation - sometimes this needs to be a global picture too. Further to this we need to be able to turn our hand to markets or companies in certain markets that are exceptionally niche.

So why choose a career in Exec Search?  Well, clearly after eighteen years in the business I am biased but for me there are a number of outstanding features:, the intellectual stimulation - you have to deeply understand quickly a range of diverse roles, companies, industries and countries (much search work is international these days); the roller-coaster, both emotionally and professionally (if you like steady state then Exec Search is not for you); the ability to bring change to an organisation and operate as a peer and lastly the chance to earn well.  All in an exhausting but rewarding combination.