“Recruitment consultants are brokers. Your asset is your candidate. Your job is to take that asset to market, identify opportunities, and make the right placement.”

Business development simply means creating opportunities and forging relationships that drive long-term success. 

Without a strong business development strategy, agencies risk stagnation, struggling to place candidates or secure new clients.

In this episode of The Recruitment Podcast, host Kate O’Neill sits down with Max Learmonth, founder of Forge Talent, to discuss what effective business development (BD) looks like, how agencies can refine their approach, and why recruiters need to pick up the phone if they want to build credibility.

Let’s break it down.

Why is picking up the phone non-negotiable in business development?

In a world flooded with emails and LinkedIn messages, recruiters who rely solely on digital communication are falling behind.

“You’ve got a very short window to build credibility,” Max says. “And you can’t be credible if you’re not picking up the phone.”

Talking on calls ensures you’re engaging with the decision-makers directly and not waiting for them to reply to your texts. 

Unlike emails that can be ignored or misunderstood, phone calls create genuine engagement and personal connection—both essential for long-term partnerships.

“Think about your own inbox,” Max adds. “How many emails have you already ignored today?”

How to build a solid business development strategy in recruitment? 

Over the years, the fundamentals of business development have remained unchanged. 

With 13 years in recruitment, Max has seen the industry shift, but the fundamentals remain unchanged. Here’s what makes an agency’s BD strategy successful:

• Be proactive, not reactive: Don’t wait for job openings—create them. A strong BD strategy identifies opportunities before they exist, ensuring your agency is the go-to recruiter when hiring needs arise.
• Map the market: Understanding where competitors place talent and analyzing hiring patterns help recruiters identify new opportunities. This proactive approach allows you to target clients already investing in recruitment services.
• Prioritize relationship-building over transactions: Viewing both clients and candidates as long-term customers ensures sustainable growth. A one-time placement is not the goal; a continuous pipeline of opportunities is.
• Encourage face-to-face meetings: While digital communication plays a role, nothing replaces in-person conversations. Meeting clients face-to-face builds credibility faster and creates stronger connections.

“It starts and stops with relationships,” Max says. “If you want to build a sustainable business, you need partnerships with clients who want to keep working with you.”

Want to hear more? Listen to the full conversation with Max Learmonth on The Recruitment Podcast by Recruit CRM.