Transitioning from a delivery-focused role to a fee-earning one in executive search is a common aspiration, but it's not without its challenges. At Carlin Hall, we’ve seen many delivery professionals eager to step up yet struggle to convince clients of their capabilities. Here’s how you can bridge the gap and present a compelling case for your promotion.
The Core Challenge
Clients often hesitate to hire delivery candidates as fee earners because:
- Limited Origination Experience: Fee earners need to excel at client development, skill delivery roles often don’t fully hone.
- High Expectations for Immediate ROI: Clients want assurance that hiring you will quickly generate significant revenue without extensive training.
- Unclear Individual Contribution: Without a breakdown of how you contributed to past successes, clients may underestimate your potential.
How to Demonstrate Your Worth
To position yourself as a viable fee earner, it’s essential to clearly showcase your past contributions, especially your role in generating revenue. Creating a breakdown of your billings, as outlined below, can make a strong impact.
Step 1: Attribute Billings to Yourself
When presenting your achievements, quantify your contributions and clarify the role you played in each placement. Here’s a format you can use:
- Sole origination and execution.
- Co-origination / led execution.
- Co-originated and co-led execution.
- No origination involvement / led execution.
- House account (inbound, led execution).
This approach offers a granular view of your value and highlights how much revenue you directly contributed to.
Step 2: Emphasize Skills Beyond Execution
Clients are looking for more than just billing figures—they need evidence that you can handle the broader responsibilities of a fee earner. Focus on these areas:
- Relationship Building: Detail examples of how you’ve nurtured long-term client relationships, even if they weren’t initially yours.
- Business Development: Provide evidence of any involvement in bringing in new business or identifying growth opportunities.
- End-to-End Recruitment Skills: Illustrate how you’ve managed placements from sourcing to onboarding.
Step 3: Highlight a Growth Mindset
Clients value candidates who are eager to grow and learn. Acknowledge areas for improvement while demonstrating how you’re actively working to develop these skills. For example:
- Taking courses or certifications in business development.
- Shadowing fee earners to gain insights into origination.
- Actively seeking mentorship or coaching to sharpen your sales techniques.
Step 4: Position Yourself as Low Risk
Reassure clients that hiring you as a fee earner is a sound investment. This might include:
- A Transition Plan: Suggest starting with hybrid responsibilities, and gradually taking on origination while maintaining some delivery tasks.
- Demonstrated Success Metrics: Show how you’ve exceeded targets in your current role, proving your ability to deliver results.
The leap from delivery to fee-earning isn’t impossible, but it requires careful positioning and preparation. By quantifying your contributions, demonstrating your skills, and addressing potential client concerns, you can present yourself as the perfect candidate for a fee-earning role.
At Carlin Hall, we specialize in helping executive search professionals unlock their potential. If you’re looking for your next opportunity or need guidance on your career progression, reach out to our team today!
