This post was originally published on this site
This article is based on a conversation between Brad Bialy and Mike Cleland on Take the Stage, a podcast/vodcast presented by Haley Marketing. For this episode and others search for “Secrets of Staffing Success” on your preferred podcast player or watch past episodes on YouTube.
The math in staffing is broken.
Ask any seasoned staffing pro, they’ll tell you: sales used to be a numbers game. Make the calls. Book the meetings. Fill the jobs.
But not anymore.
Mike Cleland has seen it firsthand. Reps who used to hit their numbers with a predictable formula are suddenly falling short. The inputs haven’t changed, but the outcomes sure have.
“People don’t know their math anymore,” Mike said. “They used to know, ‘I make this many calls, I get eight to ten meetings a week, I get this many job orders, I hit my goal.’ Now? The math’s completely broken.”
It’s not just about volume today. It’s about changing the way desks are structured and how reps manage their time. “If the math doesn’t work anymore, you have to rejigger the desk and figure out how to do it,” Mike explained.
The Data Doesn’t Lie: Reps Are Giving Up Too Soon
Recent research shows it takes 17 to 20 touches before a prospect even knows your company exists. That’s not to land a meeting or close a deal. That’s just to register on their radar.
And yet, most staffing sales reps quit long before that.
“Ninety percent of sales reps give up at the fourth attempt,” Mike noted. “We’re human. Rejection wears us down.”
It’s a simple (and brutal) truth: success in sales today requires more persistence, more structure, and more resilience than ever before. “Early success is often an indicator of a lack of resiliency later,” Mike said. “When things get hard, people who’ve never struggled before don’t know how to respond.”
Want More Staffing Sales Leads?
Sign-up to receive 30 Sales Ideas in 30 Days.
FREE (for a limited time only)!
For staffing firms, that means it’s time to reevaluate more than the metrics. It’s time to reinvent their intire mentality. Reps need coaching, support, and realistic benchmarks that reflect how the game has changed. Because sticking with old math in a new market will only lead to frustration and missed opportunities.
What’s Next?
In Part 4 of this series, Mike Cleland shares who really owns accountability in staffing, and how leadership can get in the trenches to rebuild performance from the ground up.
The post Fix the Math, Fix the Desk: a Conversation with Mike Cleland appeared first on Haley Marketing Group.
