Locking In & Levelling Up: The Future of Recruitment from TEAM South Midlands - LIVE PANEL
This time on RecTalk, we’re back with another live panel discussion recorded at the TEAM Network South Midlands Regional Meeting, in front of a record-breaking room of recruitment business owners and industry leaders. No script. Just real, honest, unfiltered conversation about where recruitment is heading — and what you need to do to stay relevant. Joining Nitin Sharma on the panel: * Kerry Greenland – Director of Vantage Recruitment * Sarah Grace – Regional Director (Midlands) for TEAM Network and Managing Director of KC Group and Animal People * Miles Lloyd – Co-Founder of NorthStar People This episode centres around one powerful theme: Locking In & Levelling Up Inside this live discussion, we unpack: * Why recruitment is NOT a sales business — and why that mindset shift matters * The death of pure contingency and what’s replacing it * Commitment fees vs retained models (and why language matters) * Why most agencies are wasting 60–70% of their time * How to increase fill rates from 30% to 80%+ * The rise of non-core recruitment revenue (market insight reports, partnerships, referrals, advisory services) * Using your data as a monetisable asset * Moving from “CV supplier” to talent partner * Overcoming impostor syndrome as a business owner * Why legacy agencies must evolve — and how * Practical ways solos and micro-agencies can add value without overcomplicating it Sarah shares how publishing a 70-page Market Insight Report led to 60 face-to-face client meetings in one month. Kerry talks about moving from job-filler to trusted advisor — and why confidence is everything. Miles breaks down the brutal maths behind contingent recruitment and why most agencies don’t realise how exposed they are. And Nitin gets candid about business failure, sunk cost fallacy, and why “we’ve always done it this way” is the most dangerous mindset in recruitment today. This isn’t theory. This is what’s happening right now in our industry. If you’re still running your agency the way you did in 2018, this episode might just be the wake-up call you need. Who This Episode Is For: * Recruitment agency owners (solo or multi-consultant) * Perm-heavy agencies struggling with fill ratios * Leaders considering commitment or retained models * Recruiters wanting to add non-core revenue streams * TEAM Network members and regional leaders * Anyone feeling the market shift and unsure what to do next Key Takeaway: Recruitment isn’t dying. But commoditised recruitment is. The opportunity is bigger than ever — if you’re willing to evolve. 🔗 Connect with the panel guests Kerry Greenland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-greenland/ Sarah Grace: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-grace-02b66318/ Miles Lloyd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslloyd/ Find out more about the TEAM network: https://www.theteamnetwork.co.uk/ 🔗 Connect with the host Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/ Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/ New episodes of RecTalk (including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent) currently drop on Wednesday and Friday. Look out also for new episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on Thursday. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/ Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/ 🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers Ascen: https://www.ascen.com/ ThinkinCircles: https://thinkincircles.com/ Infinity Staff Global: https://www.infinitystaffglobal.com/ The Marketing Junction: https://themarketingjunction.com/ Konquest: https://konquest.io/
