Biller Rollercoaster | Sophie Allen - Doing a 180 from candidates to clients and becoming a BD Director in 7 years!

This week I’m joined by Sophie Allen from Venatrix.

Fresh out of university, Sophie began her recruitment journey in a 180 candidate facing role in Manchester. Fast forward to now and she’s done a complete 180 (pardon the pun) and is Venatrix’s Business Development Director. 

An unusual switch in the recruitment world, but an interesting one nonetheless! Sophie has developed her experience in a start-up environment, which we all know can be even tougher than an established consultancy. In this episode she is sharing her journey (and tips) on being successful in a BD role.

For recruiters who are keen to learn more about the 180 model and how Sophie has developed her role over time, this is definitely one for you! 

For the junior consultants out there, this episode really delves into candidate work KPI’s and ‘the basics’ for being successful; so give this a listen if you’re looking for a little inspiration.

Timestamps:

How did Sophie enter recruitment? [1:58]

The assessment day during the interview process [3:38]

Perception of recruitment [4:21]

First year in recruitment [5:32]

The challenges [8:22]

Building the London business [12:06]

Cold business and the difficulties it can bring [13:39]

Cultivating resilience [14:39]

What makes a successful BD call? [16:33]

Communicating advice to those early in their career [19:00]

Billings [20:40]

Are you motivated by money? [24:49]

Biggest learnings [27:02]

Transitioning to a start-up [31:00]

Mindset on client development [36:25]

Day structure [39:22]

Billings this year [42:35]

Working with graduates [47:25]

Generating content and the response it gets [50:10]

The 180 model [51:33]

What are the common things you see that prevent people from doing well at BD [53:48]

We go again! [57:20]

Resilience [59:00]

What is Sophie excited about? [1:00:33]

One last piece of advice… [1:01:54]

You can connect with Sophie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophievenatrix/

I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem Azzouz

If you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. 

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