When it comes to split placements, it’s not just the third time that’s the charm.

So is the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and so on and so on.  Such is the case with Top Echelon Network recruiters Catherine Bateman of Woods & Paolino Recruiting Solutions and Paul Johnson of Paul Johnson & Associates.

Bateman and Johnson have made four split placements in the Network during the past six weeks, and they’ve made five split placements overall during the past 12 months.  Clearly, they’ve built a Trading Partner relationship that works and works WELL.

The secret to their success?  It can be summed up best by their comments, which are located below: “effective and timely communication” and “an excellent candidate.”

Bateman started recruiting in 2012.  Johnson started recruiting in 1998.  Once again, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the game.  When it comes to split placements, you can make them with anybody at any time at any stage of your career.

All you need is a good Trading Partner who works well with you. Then you, too, can make four splits in six weeks!

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Catherine Bateman

“Working with Paul is a real blessing.  His relationship with his client is solid, and he treats candidates with the utmost professionalism.  By the way, shall I also mention that he has perfected effective and timely communication?”

Submitted by Catherine Bateman of Woods & Paolino Recruiting Solutions regarding her split placement with Paul Johnson of Paul Johnson & Associates

Position Title—OUTSIDE SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Fee Percentage—20%

(Editor’s note: This is the fifth Network split placement that Bateman and Johnson have made together in Top Echelon.)

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“Thank you, Catherine, for an excellent candidate!”

Submitted by Paul Johnson of Paul Johnson & Associates regarding his split placement with Catherine Bateman of Woods & Paolino Recruiting Solutions

Position Title—OUTSIDE SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Fee Percentage—20%

(Editor’s note: This is the fifth Network split placement that Johnson and Bateman have made together in Top Echelon.)

Just as there were no Virtual Core Group teleconference call meetings during the second week of September, there will be no VCG meetings during the first week of October.

In September, the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) Conference was to blame.  And now?

The 2013 Top Echelon Network Fall Conference, of course!

Mark Demaree, Todd Bossler, Debbie Fledderjohann, Hannah Laps, and I will be at the Sheraton Chicago O’Hare for the conference next week.  (The official dates of the event are Thursday, October 3, and Friday, October 4.)

As a result, there will be NO Virtual Core Group teleconference call meetings during the first week of the month.

Other than that, though, there aren’t any other changes to the Virtual Core Group schedule.  In fact, below is the VCG teleconference call schedule for the month of October (all times listed are Eastern Standard Time):

There is STILL time for you to register for the Fall Conference.  In fact, we’ve had signups this week! As I write this, there are 106 recruiters planning to attend the conference, representing an equal number of opportunities to make split placements.

So register for the 2013 Fall Conference!  And attend a VCG meeting next month!  That’s an order!

To join an existing Virtual Core Group or to start a new one, contact me at 330.455.1433, x156 or via email at drea@topechelon.com.

Every once in a while, there’s a “bump in the road” as far as the Virtual Core Group schedule is concerned.  Just such a bump will happen during the second week in September.

It’s not really a bump, though.  It’s the 2013 National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) Conference.

As many of you know, Top Echelon officials (including myself) will be in attendance at the NAPS Conference.  Since I can’t—as of yet—be in two places at the same time, there will be NO Virtual Core Group teleconference call meetings during the second week of the month.

However, outside of that “bump,” there aren’t any other changes to the Virtual Core Group schedule for the month of September.

In fact, below is the VCG teleconference call schedule for September (all times listed are Eastern Standard Time):

So, since there won’t be any Virtual Core Group meetings during the second week in September, I certainly expect to see you at the NAPS Conference.  Then I certainly expect to see you at the upcoming Top Echelon Network Fall Conference in Chicago.

Then I expect you to attend a Virtual Core Group teleconference call meeting!  (Needy, aren’t I?)

To join an existing Virtual Core Group or to start a new one, contact me at 330.455.1433, x156 or via email at drea@topechelon.com.

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SURVEY QUESTION:

How many phone conversations do YOU have with split Trading Partners during the course of a week in Top Echelon Network?  How important are these conversations to your production within the Network?

Communication is not only one of the Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network, it’s also the number-one way in which Network recruiters make split placements with one another.

Of course, the telephone has long been the primary mode of communication for recruiters, despite advancing technology and other communication tools like email, texting, and instant messaging (IM).  With that in mind, how much do Top Echelon Network recruiters use the telephone when it comes to communicating with their fellow split partners?

We recently conducted a survey of Network recruiters, and that survey was based upon the following question:

On average, how many phone conversations do you have with Trading Partners each week?

SURVEY RESULTS:

The choice of answers that were provided is listed below, along with the percentage of recruiters who selected each answer:

• None — 11.1%
• Between 1 and 5 — 59.3%
• Between 6 and 10 — 25.9%
• Between 11 and 15 — 0.0%
• More than 15 — 3.7%

SURVEY ANALYSIS:

The answer that survey participants chose the most was “between 1 and 5” phone conversations per week (59.3%), while “between 6 and 10” was second at 25.9%.  Interestingly, 11.1% of recruiters don’t have ANY phone conversations with Top Echelon split partners during the course of the week.  (If they do communicate with Trading Partners, it’s presumably through email or some other means.)

A small percentage (3.7%) has “more than 15” phone conversations each week.  That’s a lot of networking!  None of the participants chose “between 6 and 10” as their answer.

While the results of this survey are indicative of how much personal preference plays a role in how Network recruiters interact with one another, it also underscores the link between communication and success within the Network.

FEEDBACK:

How many phone conversations do YOU have with TE split partners during the course of the week?  How important are these conversations to the closing of deals and making of split placements?

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SURVEY QUESTION:

Split partner relationships are the lifeblood of Top Echelon Network.  There’s no doubt about that.  But how exactly do Network recruiters find new Trading Partners?

After all, even if you’re not a new Network recruiter, you can still find split partners in the Network you’ve haven’t made placements with.  Recent issues of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog have highlighted the fact that’s exactly what some recruiters in the Network are doing.

We recently conducted a survey of Network recruiters, and that survey was based upon the following question:

Which of the following tools do you use most often to find split partners?

SURVEY RESULTS:

The choice of answers that were provided is listed below, along with the percentage of recruiters who selected each answer:

• Split Candidate Database — 15.7%
• Split Job Order Database — 51.0%
• “Who Works What” — 19.6%
• MEGA Database — 0.0%
• Call Drea (TE) — 13.7%

SURVEY ANALYSIS:

Far and away, the most popular answer among survey participants was “Split Job Order Database” at 51.0%.  “Who Works What” was a distant second at 19.6%, while “Split Candidate Database” finished third with 15.7% of the vote.

Top Echelon Network recruiters prefer to search the Split Job Order database in their quest to find new split partners.  While they certainly use other means to find split partners, this is how they find the most success.

FEEDBACK:

Which means to YOU use to find split partners in Top Echelon Network?  Are they the ones listed above, or do you have others?

THE RECRUITERS:

Ron Sunshine has made 21 placements as a Top Echelon Network recruiter.  His firm, Ron Sunshine Associates, has been a Preferred Member since 2007.

Larry Goldberg, CPC has made 55 placements as a member of Top Echelon’s Recruiting Network.  His firm, Lawrence Personnel, has been a Preferred Member since 1991.

Kristen Jiles has made 11 placements as a Top Echelon Network recruiter.  Her firm, eSearchPro, Inc., has been a Preferred Member since 2007.

Debra Bennett has made 1 placement as a Top Echelon Network recruiter.  Her firm, Velocity Search Group, has been a Preferred Member since April of 2013.

THE SPLIT PLACEMENTS:

It doesn’t matter if you’re a brand-new Top Echelon Network recruiter (Bennett) or if you’ve been in TE for more than 20 years (Goldberg): you can make split fee recruiting placements with a recruiter you’ve never made split placements with before.  So no matter who you are, how long you’ve been a Network Member, or how long you’ve been in the industry, your next split with a new recruiter could be just around the corner!

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“I posted the job on TE.  Larry called me and submitted four candidates, and [the candidate] got hired.  Thanks for your help, Larry!”

Submitted by Ron Sunshine of Ron Sunshine Associates regarding his split placement with Larry Goldberg, CPC of Lawrence Personnel

Position Title—PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Fee Percentage—20%

(Editor’s note: this is the first Network split that Sunshine and Goldberg have made together in Top Echelon.)

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“This is Debra’s first Network placement, and she is FABULOUS.  Great addition to the TE team!”

Submitted by Kristin Jiles of eSearch Pro, Inc. regarding her split placement with Debra Bennett of Velocity Search Group

Position Title—VP of Sales

Fee Percentage—Flat fee recruitment

(Editor’s note: this is the first Network split that Jiles and Bennett have made together in Top Echelon.)

THE TOP RECRUITERS:

Veronica Snyder has made 52 placements as a Top Echelon Network recruiter.  Her firm, Career Professionals, has been a Preferred Member since 1990.

Cindy Andrew Cordell, CPC has made 36 placements as a Top Echelon Network recruiter.  Her firm, Corporate Resources, has been a Preferred Member since 1992.

Therese Eckhoff, CPC has made 20 placements as a Top Echelon Network recruiter.  Her firm, Recruiting Pros of Chicagoland, has been a Preferred Member since 2002.

Pam Copeland has made 1 placement as a Top Echelon Network recruiter.  Her firm, Albert Energy/fulltimeGiGS, has been a Preferred Member since 2011.

THE SPLIT PLACEMENTS:

The split placements below represent the value that Top Echelon Network provides, namely the fact that these recruiters would not have made the placements without the help of their Trading Partners.  The Network helps recruiters make placements (and generate more revenue) that they would NOT have made otherwise.

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“Thank you, Cindy, for your expertise in the IT field.  I couldn’t have done this without you!”

Submitted by Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc. regarding her split placement with Cindy Andrew Cordell, CPC of Corporate Resources, LLC

Position Title—IT MANAGER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the first Network split that Snyder and Cordell have made together in Top Echelon.)

— — —

“I appreciate Pam’s diligence and professionalism throughout the process.  Her candidate presentations are very thorough.”

Submitted by Therese Eckhoff, CPC of Recruiting Pros of Chicagoland regarding her split placement with Pam Copeland of Albert Energy/fulltimeGiGS

Position Title—PROCESS CONTROLS ENGINEER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the first Network split that Eckhoff and Copeland have made together in Top Echelon.)

Last week in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, we highlighted Network recruiters Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group, Inc. and Mario Linale of Atlas Consulting Group, LLC.

Stuck and Linale have been on fire lately (not literally), to the tune of four Network placements in less than five months.  Well, this week we’re highlighting a pair of Network recruiters who have made four placements in a little more than FOUR months.

You might recognize them, since one of the recruiters, Robert Briones, CPC of R.A. Briones & Company, was also featured in last week’s issue of the newsletter.  In fact, his article generated quite a bit of interest, as well as comments by other Network recruiters, so check it out, if you haven’t already.

In the meantime, below are comments submitted by Briones regarding his split partner in these four placements: Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.

As for Napoles, he’s rather familiar with the concept of split placements.  After all, he’s made 182 of them in the Network . . .

— — —

“Another placement, our third now!  You give Sean the specs, then in a couple of days, he sends the candidate, fully qualified, a summary of why, and dead-on to the job specs!“

Submitted by Robert Briones, CPC of R.A. Briones & Company regarding his split placement with Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.

Position Title—PHP Programmer
Fee Percentage—30%

(Editor’s note: This is the THIRD Network split that Briones and Napoles have made together in Top Echelon.)

— — —

“Sean has provided consistent and incredible results for several of my jobs.”

Submitted by Robert Briones, CPC of R.A. Briones & Company regarding his split placement with Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.

Position Title—PHP Programmer
Fee Percentage—30%

(Editor’s note: This is the FOURTH Network split that Briones and Napoles have made together in Top Echelon.)

You may have heard that we at Top Echelon have moved into a new building.  And since we’ve moved into a new building, we’d love for you to visit us!

In fact, two Network recruiters have already paid a visit to our “new digs” in Canton, Ohio.  Those recruiters are David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc. and Bob Gabor of The Gabor Group.

Of course, they were also good enough to pose for a photo op while they were in town, and the photos from those ops are located below:

ONE TO SGRO ON: Dave Sgro is pictured with Top Echelon employees J.D. Fye (left) and Lori Elliott.  True North Consultants is located in North Ridgeville, Ohio, just north of Canton.

WHAT ABOUT BOB?: Bob Gabor is pictured with Top Echelon employees Drea Codispoti (left) and Mark Demaree (right). As an Ohio State University alumnus, you can see Bob is doing his best to “represent.” OH . . . IO!

If you’re a Network recruiter and you find yourself in the Canton area, we’d love for you to pay us a visit, too!  Just give us a call at 330.455.1433 and we’ll set it up . . . including the photo op!

Oh, and don’t forget to visit our Facebook Fan Page.

When a Top Echelon Network Preferred Member wants to recommend a split recruiter for their work in a split placement situation, they use a variety of descriptions to do so.

In this issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, those descriptions include the following:

• “really good candidates”
• “smooth process”
• “great to work with”
• “nice surprise”
• “great candidate”
• “timing was perfect”

Not only that, but one of the two split placements below is a recruiter’s first Network split in Top Echelon!  (We won’t give away the secret, but actually we will, because the recruiter’s name is Shannon Caston.)

Good . . . great . . . perfect.  These are just some of the words that Network recruiters are using to compliment and recommend one another.  All things being equal, there are worse things people can call you . . .

If you’d like to recommend another recruiter as the result of a recent Network split, submit your comments with your Completed Placement Form, and they’ll appear in a future issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

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“Cynthia Strzelecki from Spyglass Search is great!  She immediately went to work and found three really good candidates and one was hired.  It was a very smooth process, and Cynthia is really great to work with.”

Submitted by Connie Moore, CPC of CA Moore & Associates, Inc. regarding her split placement with Cynthia Strzelecki of Spyglass Search, Inc.

Position Title—STATISTICAL ANALYST

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the first Network split that Moore and Strzelecki have made together in Top Echelon.)

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“It was a very nice surprise when Shannon saw my [job order] and sent over a great candidate.  The timing was perfect because the client had just called asking to see more prospects.”

Submitted by Carol Calvano of Prof’l Recruiting Consultantsregarding her split placement with Shannon Caston of Management Analysis & Utilization, Inc.

Position Title—I & E ENGINEER/SUPERVISOR

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the first Network split that Calvano and Caston have made together in Top Echelon.)

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330.455.1433, x125
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