Lessons from the recruitment sector & running a multi million pound concern

Many people will know me primarily for my work in the personal development sector and particularly from developing the Provocative Change Works model and working closely with Frank Farrelly the creator of Provocative Therapy. What a lot of folks may not be aware of is that for an extensive period in the 1980s and 1990s I worked at the sharp end in the recruitment sector. This started out as a humble telemarketing/recruitment consultant and ended up being a main board director for a number of years for a large multi-million pound business concern based in the north of the UK.

Early Days in Recruitment

Nick KempI first worked in recruitment in 1986 when I saw an advert for a company called “Express Employment Services” and applied for a job. I had the totally naïve idea that it would be a wonderful opportunity to help people find work, a bit like working in the job centre. The basic salary was a whopping 5k per year with promises of great commission potential. The training on day one consisted of the following – “Here is a box of cards of clients we would like to take on as accounts and here are a number of files of people who have registered for work. Ring these clients and sell them these candidates” There was no instruction as to what to say or how to go about this, and during the first week I unsurprisingly had zero sales on the board! After a few weeks without any sales training whatsoever I managed to generate a few client opportunities. I loved the buzz of the office but when your employer asks the question “If you have any other ideas about how you think we could make money?” any employee would start to be somewhat concerned! After a six month baptism of fire I decided to apply for positions with other recruitment concerns and was astonished at how much interest there was in people wanting to interview me. I had at this point not fully appreciated that this was a tough market and even 6 months experience was deemed to be advantageous!

One of the interviews was with The Brook Street Bureau who was looking for a manager to head up a new industrial branch in Leeds. The guy who interviewed me had been recruited by Brook Street from Manpower a large USA business and on a wet afternoon in Leeds he put me through my paces. In typically 1980s interview style he asked me to sell him something, which I then did obviously making a good impression. I became branch manager heading up four staff supplying staff to the distribution industry. My salary was immediately doubled and I was sent on a number of residential training courses in Birmingham. Looking back these trainings were very well intentioned but the actual training was not that great and did little to equip staff in their daily tasks. Brook Street were fanatical about administration and never have I seen so much paperwork in my life! Eighteen months later my boss who originally hired me approached me to work for an exciting new business he was heading up called Staff UK Ltd. I was to launch the Leeds operation and worked for the following few years becoming an area manager overseeing three branches. My Leeds branch was highlighted as doing exceptional business and I began to generate some serious income for the first time. My original boss fell out with the backers of the business and I began to have concerns over some of what I observed with the change of management of the company. On checking company’s house one afternoon I was shocked to be told “I’m very sorry but your company is in liquidation!” This was especially surprising as my division was generating significant net profit and only later did I realise that the rest of the branches were losing money like crazy and the whole business was about to be sold to The Meridian Group.

Developing a Multi Million Pound Brand

Fortunately over the years I had many people seeking out my services and I was employed to set up a new business called Aaron Personnel Ltd. This was to be an industrial business similar to my previous companies. Once again my salary was substantially increased and crucially I was now paid on a net profit basis for all my branches. By the late 1990s I had built up the division of my own business close to £4m turnover and I accepted the job of being a main board director for Leda and Co Northern Ltd the holding company. As one of three main board directors we were responsible for a business of 11m, but again I began to appreciate that the net profit from my division was the jewel in the crown on the whole concern, sometimes accounting for up to 45% of the whole group’s net profit!

I was now in real life running a multi-million pound concern on a daily basis and in 1998 remember receiving a close to six figure take home pay which wonderfully funded my interest in purchasing musical equipment. I would order all manner of gear from Chandler Guitars in Kew Gardens London! These were the golden years of sales, but often we were working 11 hour days with no lunch break. In the late 1990s I had become bored with the routine of the business and decided to leave to set up what eventually became Nick Kemp Training Ltd. After leaving Leda I had a spectacular business offer to be a national sales manager for a major UK business, but I had no interest in continuing to work in this sector and could see that it was time for something new. For a brief period I helped out a friend with his struggling graphics operation before deciding to focus full time of delivering trainings to the corporate sector.

Introduction to NLP and developing PCW

I became interested in NLP around this time and realised that most recruitment concerns were in the dark ages when it came to training. For the last 15 years I have been supplying training solutions to companies using the PCW model. My years in the recruitment sector taught me how to problem solve and work to deadlines. It also taught me how to “make money” and the importance building long term client relationships. Over this period I successfully negotiated a number of multi million pound contracts, managed numerous staff and learned key lessons in how to “work smart” with clients and remain focused on best use of time and energy. In 2006 I first started seeing private clients for coaching and therapy and became and still am the representative for the international Just Be Well Network running two clinics in the UK. I have learned that there is no substitute for hard work and that any successful business concern is the result of a great deal of effort, the occasional lucky break and excellent strategic thinking. These days I am lucky to decide who I want to work with and who I want to work for, with opportunities all over the globe. It’s been quite a ride, but an invaluable experience and of course none of us ever stop learning! I recently launched a new online learning platform and I am delighted that with 48 hours of the launch it’s 75% subscribed with attendees from Asia, USA and Europe.

Corporate Training and key considerations for successful business

These days I advise companies on recruitment policy and remain amazed at how many businesses simply don’t get the need to be pleasant to staff and keep them motivated. Such businesses will never survive long-term  in the marketplace despite their often delusional claims to the contrary! Its very easy for a business to develop a really poor reputation by not paying attention to professional recruitment and staff attention. Recently I came across a business that is losing money and good will at an alarming rate to the extent that longstanding staff (people who have worked 10+ years or more) simply walk with their feet without even a job to go to!

This problem solving experience has been invaluable about learning the importance of meeting and exceeding client expectations. Smart businesses listen to their customers and their staff. Smart businesses also appreciate that to quote an old Japanese proverb I have frequently quoted

“No one of us is smarter than ALL of us”

 

Nick and bear

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