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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.
Why are so many staffing firms are failing?
Because selling has become an afterthought. After more than a decade of steady growth and high demand, sales reps got used to taking orders instead of creating opportunities. But in a market that’s no longer booming, this is a losing approach.
Mike Cleland sees it all the time: firms struggling to sell because they’ve simply forgotten how.
“We don’t know how to sell because we’ve been order-takers for so long,” Mike said, reflecting on a recent client conversation. “We’ve never had to sell.”
That’s a huge problem. Because true selling is proactive. Uncomfortable. Often thankless.
Selling is the Only Proactive Thing We Do
In staffing, most daily activity is reactive: responding to inbound orders, filling job requests, managing candidates.
But sales? That’s different.
“Within staffing, [sales] is truly the only proactive thing we do,” Mike explained. “If you’re managing orders, you’re responding to what’s coming in… If you’re a salesperson, you’re creating opportunity … often out of nothing.”
It’s not just about booking meetings. It’s about building resilience in the face of rejection. “It’s a whole different mentality. A whole different way of looking at things. A whole different way of getting ready for the day. A whole different way of dealing with rejection,” Mike shared.
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Unfortunately, too many staffing sales reps aren’t ready for the grind. They give up too early. They take “no” too personally. In today’s market, that’s a recipe for stagnation.
“If you don’t have thick skin … selling staffing services can really eat at you quickly,” Mike says.
For Cleland, the solution starts with acknowledging that selling is hard, and by helping staffing professionals rebuild those lost muscles. Because firms that continue treating sales like a reactive function are going to struggle. Now more than ever, selling must be intentional, disciplined, and relentless.
What’s Next?
In Part 3 of this series, Fix the Math, Fix the Desk, Mike breaks down the math behind modern sales—and why outdated expectations are holding teams back from real performance.
The post Selling Is a Lost Art: a Conversation with Mike Cleland appeared first on Haley Marketing Group.
