PSL - How to get your agency or consultancy name in the preferred suppliers list!

There are several ways to break through a PSL. The first way is to play the long game: to treat the client like they don’t have a PSL. Keep the company on your monthly call list and your monthly e-shot list. Keep sending to them and talking to them about high-calibre industry-related candidates. They’ll soon realise you’re a smart, intelligent recruitment consultant. An example of a conversation could be: You: “Hi Tony, It’s from . How are you?” Client: “Hi, as I’ve said before we’ve got a PSL in place.” You: “I know and I completely respect that you do However, I had to run this candidate past you. She’s moving into the area and she currently works for a competitor of yours called Automotive Cars. You’ve heard of them right?” Client: “Yes.” You: “She was part of the team that launched the new energy efficient self-driving car. She’s relocating up North due to family commitments and she’s only working with me. How would you feel about seeing her CV?” Client: “Okay.” You: “I’ll send you over her CV now.” The second way, which is how I broke into my patch, is through hard-to-recruit-for positions. There’ll be occasions when the client wants a difficult and hard to find candidate. The suppliers on the PSL will immediately jump into action to find the client this candidate, but eventually their energy will run out as they struggle to find the right candidate. They’ll make a business decision to concentrate on filling the roles of other clients, which will be easier to place. Meanwhile the client becomes frustrated with their preferred suppliers and loses faith in them. This is when you come in and offer a solution to the client’s problem. If you’re new to recruitment and you don’t have many clients you’re more likely to fill these placements. As a result, your client will see you as a hero and they’ll put you at the top of the PSL, running any new vacancies past you first. An important point is to always sell to the MAN, which stands for ‘money, authority and need’. The MAN can be male or female, but they’re the line managers of the company. Unless you’re recruiting for HR staff you should avoid HR and sell directly to line managers. The line managers are the people who have the staffing problem. They’re the people who know exactly what they want in a candidate and what skills and personality they should have. They also are less precious about the PSL, as they just want the problem solved. If you send the right candidates to the line manager and build up a good relationship with them, they’ll push HR on your behalf.