Recruitment Matters International September Newsletter

In the aftermath of Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's not-so-mini-budget, are we on the way to sustained economic recovery or all 'going to hell in a handbasket?'

What is your view on the disbanding of the higher income tax rate of 45%? Is it an inspired way of encouraging more external investment in the UK, or an unfair redistribution of wealth - or both, perhaps?

In fact, it's such a complex equation with so many variables, that it's far too early to forecast the outcome with any degree of certainty.

In the meantime, the jobs market remains buoyant and candidates in many sectors continue to be scarce. As recruiters, we simply have to work with what we know - there are many opportunities out there to pursue and get stuck into. 

Here at RMI, we're not detecting any diminishing demand for good quality training, and we'll certainly continue to strive our utmost to help you work as productively as possible to support both your new hires as well as more experienced consultants via our programme of interactive online training courses .

In this month's newsletter:-

Warren shares some ideas on how to improve your self development by asking a few simple questions.

Ideal Marketing's Jess Shailes looks at factors to consider when choosing the right marketing channels for your business.

JMW's Simon Bloch examines options for employers trying to help alleviate the 'cost of living crisis' for their employees and what their legal obligations are.

And I write about why you should 'pay attention' and not ignore warning signs, as they won't just go way on their own.

Lastly for news of our full range of recruitment services, including upcoming training courses, check out "What's new?"
 

Contributor: Warren Kemp, CEO and Trainer, Recruitment Matters International. Warren is also a qualified Mental Health First Aid Instructor
 
It’s easy to get wrapped up in developing and running a desk, a team or a business ….but how about you?
 
Self development is every bit as important. Now this idea involves you undertaking a bit of self analysis and then taking the time to ask some key people in both your business and personal  life a couple of questions.
 
Take a few moments later on today to ask yourself what you consider to be your top strength. What is the one thing that you consider to be your main strength that helps you in your work and then ask yourself why that is? What we are looking for, in basic terms, is a personal statement of features and benefits. So what is your one main strength and why?
 
Now ask yourself the opposite. What is your main weakness? If someone were to ask you what your one failing is in business, what would it be and, once again, why? We are only looking for one answer from each side of the coin because that really focuses the mind.
 
Then ask half a dozen people from a mix of colleagues, subordinates and line managers the same two questions about you, including the reasons why. Also ask half a dozen people from your private life - people not related to your work - the same questions i.e. What they consider to be your main strength of character and your main weakness and, again, the reasons why.
 
Do not get into a conversation about the answers and do not take it personally and start defending your weaknesses or extolling your strengths. Simply take the answers away and look at the list of twelve people’s thoughts in reference to your strengths and weaknesses and start to see yourself how others see you.
 
I will guarantee that you will get one or two pleasant surprises that will boost your confidence in certain situations but you will also get a nudge or two in the right direction to adjust the way you deal with others. You may find that work and personal strengths and weaknesses are the same or you may find some marked differences.
 
One thing, for sure, is that it will refresh the way you deal with other people.

Choosing the right marketing channels for your business
 

• Social media
• PR
• SEO
• Email marketing
• Digital advertising
• TV advertising
• Video marketing
• Direct mail
• Networking
• Referral scheme
• Print advertising

• Marketing budget – there’s a huge range in price with different marketing channels and although some channels are cheap/free they require a time investment.
• Your audience’s whereabouts – how targeted can you be in who you want to talk to? There’s no point advertising on TV if your target customers mostly watch YouTube or posting on LinkedIn when they’re easier and cheaper to target on Facebook.
• Resources – do you or your team have time to create materials and messaging for the channels? If not, do you need to hire someone external and do you know what the ongoing cost of this will be?
• Timeframe – how quickly do you need or want to see results?
• Stage of the funnel – customers rarely see a message once and buy. There’s a journey of building trust before this happens, particularly with larger ticket items or anything with a commitment. With so much to consider you may feel more confused than ever, so we’ve put together a handy table which touches on some of these points.

Marketing channels and the customer journey
 
Now you’ve considered budget, timeframe and the strengths and weaknesses of each channel, it’s time to address the phases of a customer journey. In this example we’ve used the AIDA marketing model, which stands for ‘Awareness/Attention, Interest, Desire and Action’.
 
Each of these phases in the customer journey sparks a different level of interest from a potential customer as they need the answers to different questions to progress to the next phase.  The best marketing plan will have a range of messages to address these phases and be delivered over a mixture of channels to match your audience’s interests.


For a free consultation about your marketing needs, from branding to PR to digital marketing, visit idealmarketingcompany.co.uk or call 01858 44 55 43.

Pay Attention!

 

Written by RMI’s MD, Ken Kemp.

How often when you were a child did a parent or teacher say, “Pay attention!”?  At the time you probably thought nothing of it.  To be fair, perhaps they had a point.
 
Have you noticed since then, that when we don’t pay enough attention, things suffer?  It can be very visible in the garden when the plants need to be watered. In can also have consequences when you don’t pay attention to relationships, whether that be with customers or contacts, and in our personal lives, too.
 
Sometimes we pretend an uneasy feeling will go away or we simply ignore it altogether, possibly to avoid potential conflict.  In fact, it’s like the warning light on your car – ignore it and eventually you’ll run out of petrol!
 
On the other hand, you’ll also have noticed that things improve when you do pay attention to them.  This too applies to any area of your life or business.
 
So take a moment now:

• Are there areas of your life or business, that aren’t working in the way you’d like?  Are there things that you’re uncomfortable about right now?  Write them down.
• What is it precisely that you need to pay attention to?
• What action are you going to take?

 
To quote Georges St-Pierre: “When you pay attention to detail, the big picture will take care of itself.”
 
Ken Kemp is MD of Recruitment Matters International. For more information on RMI, visit https://recruitmentmatters.com/  telephone 0800 0749 289 / +44 (0)1529 410375 or email ken@recruitmentmatters.com

 

• Hybrid working arrangements to reduce travel costs.
• Sell back schemes for unused holiday days.
• Interest free loans.
• Staff discount schemes.
• Employee Assistance Programmes.