When you offer contract staffing as part of your business model, you’ll be able to make more money for a longer period of time due to the better relationships you’ll build with your clients. The majority of companies prefer to utilize both contract and full-time workers. If you can provide them with both, then they will be more likely to think of you no matter what kind of need they may have. In other words, you’ll become what is called a sole-source provider, and your name should be at the top of their list when they have ANY staffing need.
Even if a client’s department manager can’t technically hire due to a “hiring freeze” based on their company’s capital budget, in most cases they can still hire contractors using their operating budget. If you can provide them with a contractor who will help them to meet their deadlines while still honoring the corporate hiring freeze, they will certainly be grateful and more apt to use you for their hiring needs in the future.
Or say, for instance, that there isn’t a hiring freeze, but that a client needs to fill a position immediately. They can do so with a contractor while they search for the “perfect” direct candidate. And if they end up hiring your contractor for the position on a direct basis, you’ll be entitled to both the hourly contract income and the direct placement fee. In another situation, they could be looking for someone to simply handle the payroll and be the employer for a retiree or intern they want to utilize for a couple of months. With the help of a back-office service provider, you can handle of all of your clients’ needs.
And while you’re improving relationships with your clients, you can improve your business at the same time. With a steady flow of contracting income each month, you won’t be as prone to accept direct search assignments that are not really in your area of expertise. You’ll have both the confidence and the flexibility to turn them down and only focus only on those assignments you want to work. So in essence, you’ll be improving relationships with your top client companies while gaining the leverage to cut ties with those clients who consistently debate with you over your fees or other issues.
