Agencies and search firms are looking to drive revenue and bounce back in 2025 after a volatile 2024. Yet many have started the year with an unsettling feeling. For 12 months sales has been the top priority, and yet for many, the results just aren’t coming. While some look to the market, others are asking: “What more can we do?”

Findings in a new report (see end of article) now offer recruitment leaders clues as to how to improve the performance of their business development (BD) strategy and boost revenue in the year ahead.

Positive sentiment

Recruiters have an upbeat outlook on BD. Respondents cited positive beliefs about recruitment (85%) and sales (84%) that drive their work.

These numbers point to a healthy relationship between what has become a key focus for most businesses, as the amount BD consultants are expected to do has increased.

However, a closer look shows that only half ‘like the way they sell’. So why do recruiters, who believe so strongly about their work, have misgivings about the way they approach BD?

No clear plan

The data around BD strategy may shed some light. Less than a quarter (24%) of consultants say they have a clear plan for winning new business. Over half (52%) confessed to often being unsure of the next steps. More alarmingly, nearly two-thirds (62%) of respondents are uncertain how many sales emails they send and or calls they make each week.

Could this lack of clarity be causing recruiters to doubt their sales approach? If so, might the key to better revenue results be as simple as implementing a more structured plan?

Making progress

Further insights come in how recruiters are improving their performance. Most (55%) take steps to improve their performance each week. Yet a huge 83% say they get no weekly coaching, and 75% rarely get to review their calls. Perhaps, then, it is little wonder the vast majority (73%) don’t know which areas of their BD strategy needs most improvement. Is the lack of support in improving their skills causing recruiters to have doubts about the way they sell?

Looking forward

Recruitment leaders invested time, money and effort to develop their teams’ sales activity in 2024. The data shows that today, the industry has a strong foundation of positive beliefs about recruitment and sales.

Yet while recruiters believe in what they do, the lack of clear planning, activity tracking and coaching support appears to be undermining their confidence in how they sell.

As agencies seek to bounce back, addressing these gaps could be key to helping recruiters align their sales performance with their positive outlook.

• ‘The State of Sales in Recruitment in 2025’ is a new report (available now) revealing key insights into the way over 500 recruitment businesses approach BD. The wide-ranging report creates a distinct picture of the state of sales in the industry, covering the seven pillars essential for an effective business development strategy, from culture to closing.

Ben Browning is managing director of Resonant, a sales training company

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