For a stranger, getting Lucy Le on the telephone is hard. She makes 30 to 50 calls a workday and allows very few interruptions. “If I am on the phone and a number pops up I don’t recognize, I let it go to voicemail,” she told me.
This interview first ran on ERE in January 2016. You can read the original on ERE here: https://www.ere.net/articles/recruitings-rising-millennial-explains-her-success.
About Lucy
Like the old Bing Crosby song says, Lucy believes in accentuating the positive. She treats a no from a prospect as a reason for hope. “When I get a no, I don’t take it as a no. If I made 48 calls and got 48 nos, I think the next one will be a yes.”
Born and raised in England, Lucy moved to the Dallas Fort Worth area in 2009. When we spoke she was an executive senior partner with Lucas Group, recruiting in accounting and finance, tax and audit, which is close to home for me. She ties her success not to talent but to a strict, simple routine.
The Interview
Joe: Where were you born, and what is your family situation?
Lucy: I was born in the United Kingdom, and I am engaged to be married.
Joe: Did you want to be a recruiter growing up?
Lucy: Not a headhunter as such. My first job at 15 was telesales; being under 16, that was the only place that would hire me. I kept working in telesales through university. After college I moved to Japan and taught English. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t a long term career, and someone suggested I’d make a good headhunter.
Joe: What made you a success as a recruiter?
Lucy: I’m very disciplined on the phone. I don’t hang out at the water cooler. If people come by my desk to chat, unless it’s critical to an offer, I ask them to come back after prime time. Some people dread making calls. I’m very focused on mine. You’ve got to be in it to win it.
The other thing is genuinely caring about people. People can tell if you just want to make a buck or if you truly love what you do. My CEO taught me to treat my customers like gold, always.
Joe: What skills matter most?
Lucy: Put in the effort. Believe in the process and follow it. Lucas Group gave me an excellent road map, and I execute it. Always make your number of calls. It’s easy to get disheartened, but a no is not a no to me.
Joe: How much phone time do you put in?
Lucy: Two to three hours, so 30 to 50 calls. Some are live conversations and some are voicemails. It’s a mix of warm and cold calls. Mornings are for business development and afternoons are for recruiting candidates. It doesn’t always work that way in this crazy business, but I time block.
Joe: What do you do that others don’t?
Lucy: I don’t think I’m a particularly good salesperson. I just make more calls. I don’t make two calls and go get coffee. I stay focused, I’m all in, and I use my time wisely. If I take on a search, I feel obligated to fill it. I never want a client to feel I didn’t deliver.
Joe: What are your hours?
Lucy: They vary with my clients’ schedules. An average day is 9 to 6, but I’m online at night and do my planning then. I’m not an early bird.
Joe: Where did you learn that discipline?
Lucy: In the call center at university. When you finished a call, the system automatically dialed the next number. It just kept calling and calling, and that taught me to get comfortable calling consistently.
Joe: What three lessons do you have for an up and coming recruiter, besides making lots of calls?
Lucy: First, be well planned. I know exactly whom I’m calling each day. I rely on my database and a keyword coding system so I can pull up the right contacts fast instead of reinventing the wheel for every new search. I also have a wonderful researcher, but I direct her on who I’m looking for.
Second, don’t get distracted. If a number I don’t recognize pops up while I’m on a call, it goes to voicemail.
Third, see no as a good thing. I’ve seen colleagues make 50 calls and say it doesn’t work. If you take a no as a positive, you’re in a much better position.
My Takeaway
Discipline beats talent when talent doesn’t show up. Lucy’s routine is simple, and that’s exactly why it works.
I’m Joe Pelayo, an executive recruiter for 40 years and founder of Joseph Michaels International here in Dallas. We recruit for roles with base pay from 75K to 2 million, and one call to me reaches our network of 700 recruiters. Right now we have 1,619 open jobs.
Let’s Talk
If you’re a finance or accounting professional in Dallas or anywhere else, let’s talk about your next step.
Call me at 1-800-786-1099 or email info@josephmichaels.com.
Joseph Michaels International, 13355 Noel Road Suite 1360, Dallas, TX 75240