A few months ago, I announced that we were adding a new Virtual Core Group to the monthly teleconference schedule.  That group happened to be Aerospace/DOD.

Well, I’m happy to announce that I’m adding yet another group to the mix.

That group is Energy/Power/Oil & Gas.  That group is now part of the Virtual Core Group schedule for the month of June, and I’ve included the schedule in its entirety below.

As always, Virtual Core Group meetings are regularly scheduled conference calls for Preferred Member recruiters who work in the same industry or niche.  During these calls, recruiters share information about the activity they’re seeing, they share hot job orders and candidates, and they also bounce ideas off one another.

That being said, below is the Virtual Core Group conference call schedule for the month of June (all times listed are Eastern Standard Time):

As you can see, the first two Thursdays of the month and the first slot of the third Thursday are filled with conference calls.  That means the second and third slot of the third Thursday are open, as well as all three slots of the fourth Thursday.  It ALSO means that we have plenty of room for growth.

If you think you’d like to start a new Virtual Core Group—or join an existing one—please contact me!

I’d also like you to contact me if you have questions about other things you could be doing to maximize your Network Membership.

And when I say “maximize your Network Membership,” I mean “make more split placements!”

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330.455.1433, x156
Drea@TopEchelon.com
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We’ve been running our Virtual Core Group (VCG) conference call meetings for quite some time now, and they’ve been quite successful.

As a result of these meetings, recruiters have exchanged job orders and candidates, they’ve formed Trading Partners relationships, and most importantly, they’ve made split placements together.

This week in The Pinnacle, I’d like to make an announcement regarding the VCG meetings that I believe will help to foster even more participation and activity within these groups.

That announcement is as follows:

Meeting minutes will no longer be distributed to Preferred Member recruiters who do not attend the Virtual Core Group meeting.

In the past, if you didn’t attend the meeting, I still forwarded the meeting minutes to you.  I will no longer be doing that.  That’s because I believe very much in the benefit of attending these meetings and networking with other recruiters.

Yes, you’re busy.  So is everybody who attends the meetings.  Active Participation is one of the Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network for a reason: active participation is a precursor to production, which is a precursor to split placements.

We want you to make more placements.  We want you to be more productive.  We want you to actively participate in Virtual Core Group meetings.

If you have any questions about this new policy, I encourage you to contact me.

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Drea@TopEchelon.com
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Last month, I announced that we were starting a new Virtual Core Group for the month of April.  That group was for the Aerospace/DOD industry, and I’m glad to say that group will be sticking around.

In fact, if you look at the chart below, you’ll notice that the Virtual Core Group schedule for the month of May looks remarkably similar to the schedule for April.  There’s a good reason for that: the schedules are the same (although the dates have been changed to protect the guilty).

As I’ve mentioned before, Virtual Core Group meetings are regularly scheduled conference calls for Preferred Member recruiters who work in the same industry or niche.  During these calls, recruiters share information about the activity they’re seeing, they share hot job orders and candidates, and they also bounce ideas off one another.

And of course, participating in Virtual Core Groups is one of the things that leads directly to making more split placements!  I can’t emphasize that fact enough.

Below is the Virtual Core Group conference call schedule for the month of May (all times listed are Eastern Standard Time):

The first two Thursdays of the month are filled with conference calls and the third and fourth Thursdays are open.  If you don’t see your industry or niche represented in the chart above, I am ALWAYS willing to start a new group.

If you think you’d like to start a new Virtual Core Group—or join an existing one—please contact me!

I’d also like you to contact me if you have questions about other things you could be doing to maximize your Network Membership.

Let’s make 2012 a great year.  It’s almost halfway over.  Let’s make some split placements!

— — —

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Drea@TopEchelon.com
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The next meeting of the Northeast Ohio Regional Core Group is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, at Shula’s Steak House II in Independence, Ohio.  It’s recommended that attendees arrive at 6 p.m. if they’d like to engage in some pre-meeting networking.

If you plan to attend, please bring your hot job orders and/or candidates to share, along with any other topic you wish to discuss.  This is an open discussion meeting.

The members of the Northeast Ohio Regional Core Group meet on a regular basis (and sometimes irregular basis) to share information and discuss Network-related issues and general recruiting topics.  If you wish to attend this meeting, please contact David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc. as soon as possible.

Below is the address and phone number for Shula’s Steak House II:

6200 Quarry Lane
Independence, Ohio 44131
216.901.7852

If you’d like to promote your Regional Core Group meetings in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, send an email to marketing@TopEchelon.com.  If you’d like to start a new Regional Core Group or join an existing one, be sure to contact ME!

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330.455.1433, x156
Drea@TopEchelon.com
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Yes, it’s that time again . . . time to reveal the Virtual Core Group schedule for the new month!

And I have some good news: I’m starting a new VCG for the month of April.  That would be the Aerospace/DOD Virtual Core Group.  The conference call for that group—as you can see by referencing the chart below—is scheduled for noon, EST on Thursday, April 12.

I’m glad that we could add another Virtual Core Group to the rotation.  If you’d like to be part of this group and participate in the conference call on that day, please contact me as soon as you can.  We’ll get you set up and ready to go.

Remember: participating in Virtual Core Groups is one of the things that leads directly making more split placements . . . and we want you to make more split placements!

As I’ve mentioned before, Virtual Core Group meetings are regularly scheduled conference calls for Preferred Member recruiters who work in the same industry or niche.  During these calls, recruiters share information about the activity they’re seeing and they also bounce ideas off one another.

Below is the Virtual Core Group conference call schedule for the month of April (all times listed are Eastern Standard Time):

The first two Thursdays of the month are filled with conference calls and the third and fourth Thursdays are wide open.  If you don’t see your industry or niche represented in the chart above, I am ALWAYS open to starting a new group (like Aerospace/DOD).

If you think you’d like to start a new Virtual Core Group—or join an existing one—please contact me!

Participating in Virtual Core Group conference call meetings is just one of the many things that leads directly to making split placements.  I’d also like you to contact me if you have questions about other things you could be doing to maximize your Network Membership.

— — —

330.455.1433, x156
Drea@TopEchelon.com
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Here at Top Echelon Network, we are ALL about networking, and that includes both traditional networking and social networking.

That’s why we’re doing our best to meld the best of both worlds.

Regional Core Groups within the Network have started to heat up again in recent months.  This is not too surprising, since economic conditions in the country seem to be getting better and companies appear more interested in hiring again. (In fact, the economy added over 200,000 jobs during the month of February.)

At one time, we had anywhere from six to eight Regional Core Groups operating within the Network.  While we don’t have that many groups at the moment, they’re making a comeback.  In other words, the recruiters in these Core Groups are meeting, and they’re making plans to meet again in the future.

With that in mind, we plan to create individual photo albums on the Top Echelon Network Facebook Fan Page dedicated to each of the Regional Core Groups within the Network.  That way, every time the group holds an event, we can post pictures of that event in the album for all to see.

By way of illustration, we’ve already started with two Core Groups that recently held meetings.

The Mo/Kan Regional Core Group:

This is short for the Missouri/Kansas City Regional Core Group.  Before, it was known only as the Kansas City Regional Core Group.  This group had a meeting last month in Leawood, Kan., and we have a couple of photos with more information.

Click here to access the Mo/Kan Regional Core Group photo album on Facebook.

The Maryland/D.C./Virginia Regional Core Group:

This group was once known only as the Maryland Regional Core Group before expanding its territory slightly.  What hasn’t changed, though, is the fact that the group holds a special after-holiday party every year, complete with annual awards.  The latest after-holiday party for this Core Group also took place last month.

Click here to access the Maryland/D.C./Virginia Regional Core Group photo album on Facebook.

There are, of course, other Regional Core Groups currently operating in the Network, chief among them the Fort Wayne Regional Core Group and the Central Ohio Regional Core Group.  Facebook photo albums will be created for those recruiters, as well, and the albums will be filled with photos from their events as they are provided.

Which brings me to my next point . . . please send us photos of your Regional Core Group events.  We can’t post photos of events that we don’t have.  So snap some pictures and send them our way, and if you’re interested in joining an existing Regional Core Group—or starting a new one—be sure to contact me.

Oh, and if you’re Facebook Friends with any of the recruiters in these photos . . . be sure to tag them for me, would you?  Thanks.

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Drea@TopEchelon.com
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You don’t need the “luck of the Irish” to make split placements in Top Echelon Network (although . . . I suppose it wouldn’t hurt).

No, you just need to do those things that lead most directly to making splits, and one of those things is participating in Virtual Core Groups.  Luckily, we hold Virtual Core Group meetings every month throughout the year.

Virtual Core Group meetings are regularly scheduled conference calls for Preferred Member recruiters who work in the same industry or niche.  During these calls, the recruiters share information about the activity they’re seeing and they also bounce ideas off another other.

Below is the Virtual Core Group conference call schedule for the month of March:

The first two Thursdays of the month are filled with conference calls and the third and fifth Thursdays are wide open.  Please note that there is NO slot in the schedule for the fourth Thursday in March.  That’s because that’s the week of the 2012 Top Echelon Network National Convention in Nashville, Tenn.  Yours truly will be at the convention—and I certainly hope you will be, too!

Anyway, if you don’t see your industry or niche represented in the chart above, I am ALWAYS open to starting a new group.  If you think you’d like to start one—or join an existing one—please contact me as soon as you can.

Participating in Virtual Core Group conference call meetings is just one of the many things that lead directly to making split placements.  I’d also like you to contact me if you have questions about other things you could be doing to maximize your Network Membership.

— — —

330.455.1433, x156
Drea@TopEchelon.com
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I’ve blogged extensively about all forms of Core Groups within Top Echelon Network—Traditional Core Groups, Regional Core Groups, and Virtual Core Groups.  All three help recruiters make placements in the Network—and I have proof this week.

The truth be told, there’s proof every week that Core Groups help recruiters make split placements.  It’s just that a new month is here, and that means a new month of Virtual Core Group teleconference call meetings, and I want as many recruiters to participate in these calls as possible.

Why?  Because the more recruiters that participate, the more split placements they’ll make, and the greater the revenue they’ll produce for themselves and their firm.

That being said, I have a specific example of how a Virtual Core Group meeting helped two Preferred Member recruiters make a split placement together.  The information below would normally be published in our “Comments and Compliments” feature in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, but circumstances dictate that they’re published in this blog post.  (I like to dictate circumstances.)

— — —

“[My trading partner] and I connected after an IT Virtual Core Group meeting.  She was a delight to work with.  She was very detail-oriented with her candidate interview, so much so that all of my focus with the candidate was on selling the client and not re-interviewing, because all other questions were answered on the RDS (Resume Data Sheet).  Thanks!”

Submitted by Jed Davis of Carroll Technology Services, Inc. regarding his split placement with Recruiter Name Withheld

Position Title—SAN TE
Fee Percentage—20%

(Editor’s note: This is the first split placement that these recruiters have made together in Top Echelon Network.)

— — —

Virtual Core Group meetings are regularly scheduled teleconference calls for Preferred Member recruiters who work in the same industry or niche.  During these calls, the recruiters share information about the activity that they’re seeing and bounce ideas off each other.  They also share hot job orders and candidates.

Below is the Top Echelon Network Virtual Core Group teleconference call schedule for the month of February:

As you can see, the first two Thursdays of the month are filled with teleconference calls and the third and fourth Thursday are wide open.

If you don’t see your industry or niche represented in the chart above, I am always open to starting a new group.  If you’d like to start a group—or join an existing one—please contact me.  I’d like to fill those open slots in February.

Get involved in a Virtual Core Group and make more money!  (That’s an order.)

— — —

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Drea@TopEchelon.com
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It could be argued that there are two types of people: people who things happen to . . . and people who make things happen.

The purpose of this blog post is not to get into a deeply philosophical discussion.  In fact, I’m not even going to discuss the first group that much.  Instead, I plan to focus on the second group, namely because it seems as though these types of people are rather representative of the Top Producers in Top Echelon Network.

They make things happen.  They search the Split Databases.  They reach out to other Preferred Member recruiters.  And they attend Top Echelon Network events such as the upcoming 2012 National Convention.  Speaking of which, the convention is scheduled for Thursday, March 22, through Saturday, March 24, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.

To further illustrate my point, click here to see the recruiters who have already registered for the National Convention.

Notice anything?  I’d be willing to bet that many of the names you see listed are also among the Top Producers in the Network.  Actually, I know they are.  I did the comparison myself.  And a couple of the recruiters who look as though they’re having limited success within the Network are making a boatload of money using the services provided by Top Echelon Contracting, the recruiter’s back-office solution.

So why are these people attending the convention?  You’d think that if anybody could stay home, it would be these people, right?  They’re already making money using Top Echelon’s tools and services—what more do they have to learn?

Actually, the question that should be asked is this: what do they know about the Network that you might not?

The answer to that question, of course, is a rather open-ended one.  However, it appears as though one thing these recruiters do know is how to do is make things happen.  They’re “taking the bull by the horns,” so to speak, and putting into motion a series of events that they believe will lead to more production, more revenue, and more profits for their firm.

And why shouldn’t they believe that?  After all, it’s worked for them before on countless occasions.

That’s why we’re inviting you to join us in Nashville in two months for the convention.  Meet new recruiters, talk about important recruiting topics, share ideas and information, and most of all, MAKE something happen!

At Top Echelon, we like to mix things up.  The reason we like to mix things up is because that makes things happen—and making things happen usually leads to more business.  That’s exactly what we want for you as a Preferred Member recruiter in Top Echelon Network.

Click here to view a promotional PDF detailing everything you’ll enjoy at the National Convention.

Early Bird Registration for the convention is over at the end of the business day on Friday, February 10.  Between now and then, you can sign up at the low price of just $399 per person.

Join us in Nashville.  Make it happen.  You won’t regret it.

View the preliminary agenda.
See who’s already signed up.
Register for the convention.

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330.455.1433, x125
MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
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In last week’s issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, I wrote a post about how we’re going to “light the fuse” on Regional Core Groups in 2012.  Well, I want to do the exact same thing with Virtual Core Groups this year!

As I’ve mentioned before, Virtual Core Group meetings are regularly scheduled conference calls for Preferred Member recruiters who work in the same industry or niche.  During these calls, the recruiters share information about the activity that they’re seeing and bounce ideas off each other.  They also share hot job orders and candidates, which can lead directly to recruiters making split placements with one another—which just so happens to be the name of the game.

Below is the current Virtual Core Group conference call schedule for the month of February:

Once again, the first two Thursdays of the month are filled with conference calls and the third and fourth Thursdays are wide open.  I don’t want those dates to be wide open; I want them to be FILLED with Virtual Core Group meetings!  In fact, that’s the goal for this year: for those dates to be filled up each and every month.

If you don’t see your industry or niche represented in the chart above, I am always open to starting a new group.  If you think you’d like to start one—or join an existing one—please contact me as soon as you can.  Let’s not waste time.  Instead, let’s “light the fuse” on Virtual Core Groups and make this one of the best years for VCGs in the history of Top Echelon Network!

I’m Drea Codipsoti, and I approve this message.

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