ABR = Always Be Recruiting

Read Print-Friendly Version

Recruiting talent for your dealership should be a 24/7, 365-day-a-year imperative.

By Scott Cullen

Have you seen the movie version of David Mamet’s play Glengarry Glen Ross? In a scene Mamet wrote specifically for the movie, Alec Baldwin, playing the downtown office hatchet man, is sent to one of the company’s struggling satellite offices. He addresses the team of salesmen and, in Mamet’s colorful language, spells out what’s at stake. During his presentation, he reads the words scrawled on a blackboard with great emphasis. “ABC. A – Always, B – Be, C – Closing.” It’s a funny, albeit uncomfortable, scene as Baldwin tries to motivate the beleaguered salesmen through fear. 

Well, you’ll find no colorful language or exaggerated fear mongering here, but after speaking with the recruiters at Copier Careers, their message is clear:

ABR

A – Always, B – Be, R – Recruiting

For many office technology dealerships, recruiting is treated as an event rather than a process. A salesperson resigns. A service technician gives notice. A sales manager retires. Suddenly, management shifts into hiring mode.

One mistake organizations make is assuming recruiting can take a summer vacation or pause for the holidays. Talent doesn’t work that way. Candidates change jobs in July. They accept offers in December. They decide to explore new opportunities while on a beach, at a family gathering, or reflecting on career goals during the year-end break. That’s why recruiting has to be a year-round discipline, not an activity reserved for when it’s convenient.

The problem is that by the time your organization has a vacancy, you’re already behind.

The strongest dealerships approach recruiting the same way they approach sales. They understand that relationships, pipelines, and opportunities must be cultivated long before a need becomes urgent.

The Cost of Waiting

Every dealership owner knows the consequences of an open territory or an understaffed service department. Sales opportunities go uncovered. Customer response times increase. Existing employees become stretched thin. Managers spend valuable time filling gaps rather than focusing on growth.

The situation becomes even more challenging when hiring is reactive. Under pressure to fill a position quickly, employers may be tempted to lower standards, overlook warning signs, or settle for a candidate who checks only a few boxes rather than most.

This isn’t unique to the office technology industry. Research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) consistently shows that the cost of a bad hire can be substantial when accounting for recruiting expenses, onboarding, lost productivity, and turnover.

A rushed hiring decision can create problems that last far longer than the vacancy itself.

One of the biggest misconceptions in hiring is that top candidates are actively searching job boards every day.

Many aren’t. In fact, a large percentage of professionals are considered “passive candidates”—individuals who are employed, performing well, and generally satisfied with their current roles. They may be open to the right opportunity, but they aren’t necessarily applying for jobs.

That’s especially true in the office technology industry.

Strong sales representatives often have established territories and customer relationships. Experienced service technicians may have spent years building expertise on specific manufacturers’ devices. Sales and service managers are typically deeply embedded within their organizations.

These individuals rarely wake up one morning and decide to upload a resume. However, they may be willing to have a conversation when approached with the right opportunity. The challenge is that those conversations take time to develop.

If your recruiting efforts begin only after a resignation lands on your desk, you may already have missed the window to engage the candidate you want.

The similarities between recruiting and selling are difficult to ignore.

Successful salespeople understand that today’s prospect may become tomorrow’s customer. They network, stay visible, maintain relationships, and follow up consistently.

The same principles apply to recruiting. Dealerships that consistently attract strong candidates often maintain ongoing relationships with industry professionals, former employees, referral sources, and recruiting partners. They attend industry events. They network. They pay attention to emerging talent. They remain aware of who may be open to a conversation, even when they don’t have an immediate opening. The bottom line:  they keep their recruiting pipeline active.

Imagine a salesperson waiting until the end of the quarter to start prospecting. Most dealership leaders would recognize that strategy as a recipe for disaster. Yet many organizations effectively take that approach to hiring.

Speed Matters More Than Ever

Even office technology dealerships that understand the importance of recruiting sometimes stumble during the hiring process itself. Once a strong candidate enters the pipeline, delays can become costly.

Top candidates often have multiple options. A dealership that takes weeks to schedule interviews, gather feedback, or make decisions may find that the candidate has already accepted another offer. This challenge has become increasingly common across many industries.

The hiring process often feels like a careful evaluation from the employer’s perspective. However, candidates are evaluating employers just as closely. Long delays may send unintended signals about company culture, decision-making, or organizational urgency.

The best recruiting strategies combine continuous relationship-building with decisive action when opportunities arise.

Creating an “Always Be Recruiting” mindset doesn’t mean constantly posting job openings. Instead, it means making talent acquisition part of your organization’s ongoing business strategy.

That may include:

• Encouraging employee referrals.
• Maintaining relationships with former employees.
• Networking at industry events.
• Keeping in touch with promising candidates who weren’t hired previously.
• Working with specialized recruiters who understand the office technology industry.
• Regularly evaluating future staffing needs rather than focusing solely on current openings.

Most importantly, it means recognizing that recruiting is not an HR function that activates only when a vacancy occurs. It’s a leadership responsibility.

Just as dealerships continuously pursue new customers, they should continuously pursue new talent.

Hire Ground

If there’s one lesson Copier Careers recruiters have learned over decades of recruiting in the office technology industry, it’s that the best candidates rarely appear exactly when a dealership needs them. That’s why their approach has always been ABR—Always Be Recruiting.

While dealership owners and managers focus on running their businesses, Copier Careers recruiters continually build relationships, have conversations, and stay connected with talent across the industry. When a hiring need arises, those relationships can make the difference between starting a search from scratch and already knowing where to find the right candidate.