You’re Only in Town for 72 Hours? Here’s How to Maximize Every Recruiting Moment

So the big question is this, how do recruiting leaders like us who have 12 to 15 other job responsibilities win at this game of recruiting? How do we build a system that allows us to recruit effectively in a minimal amount of time while motivating recruits towards meaningful change? That is the question, and this podcast will give you the answers. My name is Richard Mulligan, and welcome to Recruiting Conversations. Hey everybody. Welcome back to Recruiting Conversations.

It's your host, Richard Milligan, and I've got a good one for you. Today we're talking about something that's come up so many times in coaching calls, and if you travel for your role, this one's gonna hit home. So picture this, you're heading into a market for a few days. Maybe it's a leadership meeting, maybe it's a branch visit, maybe it's a conference. The first thing you think is say, uh, dang, I've only got 48 hours in town. How can I make the most of this?

From a recruiting standpoint, if you've ever said that, or worse, if you've ever not said that, and just let the opportunity slip by this episode is for you. Let me start by calling out what most people don't do well when they travel. They book the flight, grab the rental car, put a couple things on the calendar, and maybe they think about recruiting maybe.

They go to a dinner, shake some hands, and then two months later they look back and go, man, I should have met with so and so while I was there.

That is lazy Recruiting and lazy recruiting is always expensive. See, here's the thing. Being in market gives you a competitive advantage. People are more willing to meet when you're physically there. You're more memorable face to face, and in this noisy digital world, presence is power, but if you're going to capitalize on it, you need a strategy. Not a plan, not a vague idea, a strategy. So let me walk you through the five part playbook I coach to.

When a recruiting leader is heading into a market with a short window, whether it's 24 hours or three days, I. Step one, you need to build a hit list, and I don't mean a random list of names, I mean a targeted data-driven list. Use your data provider. Pull the names of 20 to 30 people who fit your recruiting avatar, people who are in the right role with the right production history, who have the right kind of tenure. Then , and this is key, I'll break them into three buckets.

Bucket one is high priority, warm relationships.

These are people you've already had a conversation with. Maybe a follow up, stalled out. Maybe it's been a while since you've talked, you know, but there's already some rapport there. Bucket two is called leads who Match Your Ideal Profile. These are people you haven't spoken with yet, but they're in the sweet spot and bucket three past convos that fizzled out. You're gonna rekindle a few of those too. Maybe the timing was off last time. Doesn't matter.

You're back now, and that creates a second shot at the relationship.

Once you've built the list, you move to step two, the outreach. Now, here's where most recruiters get it wrong. They send a generic message, uh, Hey, I'm in town. Wanna grab coffee? And it just screams template. No one's biting on that anymore. You've gotta lead with affirmation and personalization. Say something like, I'm going to be in Dallas next week, and I was hoping to meet with you face to face. I followed your production this year, and I've gotta say, I'm impressed.

You're someone I'd like to know better, regardless of whether we ever work together. You see the difference there? It's authentic, it's specific, and it's not about closing a deal. It's about building a relationship. Now let's move to step three. Remove the tension. This is a relationship building play, not a recruiting conversation. So include a line like this. This wouldn't be a recruiting meeting, just two professionals connecting in the same market. No strings.

That one sentence alone, it is open hundreds of doors. For leaders I coach. It works because it lowers the guard. People don't want to be pitched, but they do want to be seen, heard, valued. And most of them don't get that from their current leadership. Once someone says yes, you move to step four. Stack your meetings like a pro. You're not in town to float around and hope things happen. Block your time in 45 minute increments.

Anchor your day around one or two spots, maybe a coffee shop, maybe a coworking space. Keep your drive time tight. One of my coaching clients recently landed nine recruiting conversations in just

two and a half days in a market he didn't even live in, and that wasn't by accident. That was by strategy. He prepped ahead. He followed up quickly, and he booked conversations. And don't be afraid to say, I only have two time slots left. That kind of scarcity increases perceived value. It positions you as a high level leader, not a desperate one. Now, the last step is follow up to step five, follow up with a system. This is where the real recruiting happens. The meeting is the door.

What you do after the meeting is what builds trust. Send a thank you text the same day. Drop a handwritten note. If you really wanna stand out, schedule a follow-up call in 30 days. If they mentioned a pain point, reference it when you check back in. Most recruiters let the relationship die after one good meeting. You've got to nurture the heck out of it. And listen, here's a pro move I coach my clients on.

Turn the trip itself into a positioning tool. Say this in your outreach. I'll only be in town for a short time, and I'm meeting with a handful of leaders I respect you. Were one of the first people I thought of. You just made them feel chosen. And when someone feels chosen, they lean in even if they can't meet, follow up. Anyway. Say, I totally understand. Let's make it happen. Next time I'm in town.

You're keeping the door open, you're showing consistency, and most of all, you're showing leadership. So here's my challenge to you.

The next time you're traveling, don't treat it like just another work trip. Treat it like a recruiting sprint. Build the list, send intentional outreach, stack your day with smart conversations and follow up like it actually matters. Because it does. This is how you dominate a market, even if you're only in town for 72 hours. Alright, that's all I've got for you today. Go put this to work and let me know how it goes. We'll catch you back here soon on the next recruiting conversations.

Want more recruiting conversations? You can register for my weekly email@fourcrecruiting.com. If you need help creating your own unique recruiting system, you can book a time with me@bookrichardnow.com. I.