The Perfect Fit

New STL Search: Senior Creative Researcher/Strategist

Overview:
Our St. Louis client is seeking a Senior Creative Research Strategist to help take a unique, well established and growing Marketing Research Agency to the next level. Candidates should have at least eight years of strategic advertising experience in either agency Creative or Account Planning (the ideal candidate would have both) or with a research agency specializing in research for marketing or advertising.

Creative Research Strategists are the achievers of insight and facilitators of alignment. Creatively-trained problem solvers,  strategic writers, creative thinkers.  Creative Strategists are responsible for research design, execution, analysis and deliverables for all projects. They develop and optimize research processes, identify and curate research tools and always seek ways to enhance offerings. With both Clients and Respondents, Creative Strategists approach every element of their work with empathy and energy.
Strategists should be capable of accountability for decisions related to design, execution analysis and deliverables on their projects.

All candidates should be willing and able to travel (up to 33% at times, including international travel); be self-motivators that need little supervision and who can handle the demands of the workflow.

Who is the Client?
Our Client is a St. Louis based marketing research agency, founded in 1998 which has evolved to have only large, loyal global clients. They are comprised of (among other roles) creative strategists – people with advertising agency creative, planning and/or research backgrounds, as well as senior level client-side marketing experience, who specialize in:

Recruitment Strategies For Employee Retention

Recruitment strategies for employee retention became an important part of a conversation during a recent lunch, with a Partner/President of a new Client prospect. We had an engaging conversation about each of our businesses and what we each thought was the secret of our success. I appreciate a company principal  who’s willing to open up and have a candid conversation about what’s going well and of course, what’s not. That’s the basis of a strong, successful working relationship!

Later, I sent a note to thank this person for their time and to let them know how much I appreciated hearing what’s going on in their business. I was surprised and thrilled, when I received the response, “I really appreciate your thoughtful approach and desire to match agencies and people for the long-term—that’s not something other people in your industry are talking about.”

I was shocked to hear that, because I assumed that every recruiter would talk about how long their candidates stayed with their clients. I’ve always considered retention to be one of the most critical metrics to measure how well a recruiter performs. I know that my Clients agree with that!

Executive Search is an expensive proposition. The best ways to judge a recruiter’s value is by a) Do they consistently succeed with the search and b) How long do those candidates stay with that Company? Are they consistently promoted into more responsible or productive positions? If the recruiter consistently

Now Hiring, STL Client; Design Director, In-House Creative Leader

We're happy to have once again been hired by one of our regions premier brands for this in-house Design leadership opportunity.  They are feeling a sense of urgency and are interested in interviewing candidates as soon as possible.

General Description:
The key objective of this role is to ensure continuing design excellence – strategic and operational - in brand development across a growing portfolio. This means planning organizing and implementing consistent design principles and production processes to ensure that designs meet all brand consumer and production guardrails and objectives, both internally and externally.  

We’re looking for an experienced design leader to grow our team, while also continuing to be an individual contributor. Be responsible for consistent brand development strategy across diverse, yet “synergistic” elements. You’ll be able to build both great products and a great team.

As Design Director, you’ll provide mentorship and support to the other designers and project team members in your office with one-on-ones and reviews. You’ll also be responsible for presentation of design strategies and resulting executions to internal and external stakeholders, as needed.

Responsibilities will Include:
• Develop innovative concepts, create compelling design solutions and follow through to final delivery, on a wide variety of B2B and B2C marketing projects
• Collaborate with business partners, other directors, designers, copywriters, editors and developers to create unique, compelling, break-through work

Consultative Recruiting Expertise Adds Value

Consultative recruiting expertise adds value when an experienced recruiter meets with a company’s CEO, President, COO or other executive leader, to discuss how that company can accelerate growth. Consultative recruiting is essential for succession planning searches, or confidential searches or any search where a company needs a strategic leader, much more than a “worker”. Are you thinking about creating an “in-house creative capability”, for the first time?

Consultative recruiting is the difference when it comes to making strategic hires that have significant and long term impact on a business. Consultative recruiting is very different from “filling a job opening”, where one simply lines up a Company’s specific needs with a Candidate’s specific skills and experience. The time spent is directly proportionate to the value added.

This is a far cry from posting a job to ZipRecruiter, Indeed or some other niche job board and “hoping for the best”. Recruiters used to call that “Post and Pray”! The premier candidates never even look at job boards. If you try it a couple of times, it’s immediately crystal clear how inefficient it is. You’re lucky if even 15% of respondents are even remotely qualified for the role. Full employment makes hiring even more difficult!

Consultative Recruiting makes all the difference between hiring a “worker” and a committed, caring and ambitious contributor/leader. The worker simply works, the leader contributes and then influences their colleagues to contribute too. They search out additional ways to contribute. Working is easy, leading and consistently truly contributing is not. (Boutique or Specialty Firms have additional value!)

New Search: STL Media Client SaaS Enterprise Sales Manager

General Description:
We’re hiring high performing sales professionals to help us scale our St. Louis Client’s SaaS business in the enterprise space.  Our founders are proven entrepreneurs and customers love our products.  The Enterprise Sales Manager will drive recurring SaaS services revenue via both strategic channel partners and enterprise ‘Fortune 2000’ brands.  

This role is accountable for the creation, development and implementation of the entire sales process lifecycle, which includes (but is not limited to) pipeline development, prospecting, and close ratio metrics. It’s imperative to have an attitude and willingness to build our channel partnership program from the ground up. Approximately 50% of your leads will come from Inbound with approximately 50% of your leads being self-generated.

Principal Responsibilities:
• Build and execute a sales plan based on ABM principles and consultative selling techniques.
• Meet and exceed quarterly and annual sales revenue goals
• Identify key growth opportunities/ initiatives and build and execute a plan around such initiatives (Channel and Enterprise)
• Provide accurate sales forecasts; consistently meet both budget and committed revenue goals.
• Attend shows and other networking opportunities, as designated by management

Marketing Executive Search or Executive Placement or Executive Headhunter? Call Us Whatever You Like . . .

Marketing executive search, executive headhunter or executive placement? Call us what you will . . . But call, because recruiters succeed! Why (or How) do recruiters succeed when the actual Employers when the actual employer can have so much trouble doing the same thing?  The answer is simple . . . Time.

Retained Recruiters are able to spend the time necessary to identify, recruit and hire the top performers in any specialty, at any level and at any place . . .  staying focused and engaged until the search is successfully completed. Employers can’t afford to spend the real amount of time required, even if they have dedicated recruiters on staff.

I’ll also say right now, that a major difference between a contingent executive recruiter and a retained one, is the ability to spend more time, because the retained recruiter is already being compensated. For the purposes of this article, highlighting recruiting success, please understand I’m talking about retained recruiters like Bishop Partners.

The contingent recruiter has to race to get the resume in front of the employer faster, before another recruiter or even the Employer’s own posting identifies a candidate! They simply cannot spend the time necessary to actually develop a relationship with a candidate and understand that candidate’s career vision, values and goals.

Taking the time for that understanding is one of the most critical reasons retained recruiters succeed. (I’m proud to be able to say that Bishop Partners has achieved 100% success with retained searches, over the past 14 years.)

Retained recruiters are able to spend the time necessary, with the Employer/Client to gain a full understanding of that Client’s own vision, values, goals and most important, culture. Recruiters should know and understand the Client’s org chart and/or reporting structure. Knowing the supervisor (or VP) that a candidate reports to will make a difference. I try to get to know a Client’s culture and the job so well, that during some conversations with candidates, I inevitably say “we” . . . rather than “they”.

Digital Media Recruiting: Digital Strategist, Digital Project Manager, Digital Media Director

For at least the last four years, every search we’ve conducted has had “digital media” components.
Digital Media has become the ubiquitous element in advertising and marketing communications. Very little communication happens anymore, without the strategic digital element. While the value of those digital elements continues to grow, so does the demand for skilled digital workers. The experienced experts in every digital specialty are very difficult to hire. Those with the most expertise and experience are fully employed and not actively looking for a new opportunity.

Bishop Partners has over 17 years’ experience as marketing and advertising recruiting and consulting specialists. Over the past five years, that specialty has grown to include digital media. Here are some of the titles of the (specifically) digital media searches we’ve recently completed.

Client Success Manager

Content Strategist/Writer

Sr. Digital Strategist

Digital Media Campaign Analyst-Strategist (three hires)

Social Media Campaign Manager (two hires)

Sr. Digital Media Campaign Manager

Digital Project Manager

VP, Social Media Strategy

Digital media nomenclature and titles are rapidly changing.  New specialized skills are needed as new technologies, tactics and metrics are developed. As digital media grows, so does the need for new expertise.  It’s very difficult for many; many privately held companies to keep pace.  How about your Company?

Bishop Partners routinely consults with CEOs, Partners and Owners of privately held companies to help them identify and prioritize their need to evolve, catch up or even “get started”, to take advantage of the possibilities and efficiencies, of digital marketing communication.

Some of the statistics identifying companies who actually admit that their lack of digital experience is restricting revenue growth is surprising, if not stunning.  Yet, they’re unsure how to take a first step or develop a digital practice expertise, that adds real value (i.e. revenue) for their company.

Social media is taking on a life of its own.  It’s everywhere.  You can look around at any moment and see someone staring at his or her phone or other device.  It’s no longer a matter of “if” a company should get involved, but how.  Whether a B2B service or manufacturer, your customers can (will) be reached by creating a content marketing strategy based on the classic lead generation funnel.  Content engagement is starting to dominate, because it works.  Even better, it can be measured, analyzed and optimized for “real” ROI.

If you’re worried about your company’s next step(s) with digital media, please get in touch.  We can help.

17 Years and Still Loving My Work!

June 30 is my birthday and July 1 is the 17th Anniversary of the founding of Bishop Partners! I hear 17 and it shocks me . . . in a good way! It also makes a terrific time to reflect on what’s happened so far . . . and give thanks.

I’m proud and feel lucky to have a career that’s evolved in such a positive way. I consider myself lucky to have really had multiple jobs in my career, photojournalist to commercial photographer, to Agency Operations and now Executive Recruiting and Consulting.  I’m having fun while continuing to grow and learning new things (both professionally and personally). I’m proud of the work I’ve been able to do with professional organizations, whether on a Board as a Founder or simply as a contributing member.

I consider myself lucky to be working in the community I’ve always been so passionate about, marketing and advertising. I’ve made lifelong friends and continue to meet new people who have become close friends. I’m proud of the work I’ve been able to do with professional organizations, whether on a Board as a Founder or simply as a contributing member. I’m proud of the longevity of my career, precisely because it continues to allow me to learn and make new friends . . . what could possibly be better?

Well, I also love helping my clients build their businesses and my candidates grow in their careers . . . that could be better . . . or maybe it’s just all tied up! It’s extremely rewarding that those clients and candidates trust me enough to allow me to have so much impact on their careers and their lives! It’s humbling and thrilling at the same time. I’m a very lucky guy.

I’m also very lucky and very thankful that Barbara, the love of my life and I have been married for over 30 years and she continues to support me through all of the ups and downs of life!

Those are some of the reasons why I’m continuing to do what I do and can’t wait to reflect on the 18th . . . Thank you for your time and for reading this! I’m a very lucky guy!

Now Hiring in STL, Sr. Creative Visual Content Designer 18061

We've started interviewing for this role, for our St. Louis digital media/agency client.

Overview:
As a Sr. Visual Content Strategist (ACD, Sr. AD or Designer), you'll be harnessing your creativity, passion and forward-focused visions to produce engaging visual content and campaigns for our national clients. This person will manage a team, mentor our creative staff, deliver award-winning work, and sell creative vision to our client stakeholders.

You’ll have an aptitude for adaptation and ability to understand what engages an audience regardless of industry or communications channel. In addition to content creation and management, you’ll also spend time building relationships with clients and targeting your strategizing efforts to best account for brand characteristics, goals, initiatives and budget. You’ll have a collaborative mindset and willingness to ensure success amongst fellow team members and clients.

Communication skills: You communicate visually and can express your ideas with skill and grace whether standing at a whiteboard, drawing on a napkin, or presenting on screen. You see visual design as a language and can explain what your design decisions are meant to communicate. 

Collaboration: You demonstrate a strong, collaborative ethos and have the ability to inspire and facilitate collaboration with others. 


Prototyping skills: You understand that building proofs of concept and iterating helps you and others explore fail and learn quickly. You work at varying levels of fidelity and are always interested in trying new tools and methods.

FutureHire is NOW!

Today’s “agencies” are already radically different than even two years ago. We knew there was an inevitable tidal wave of digital marketing’s and data’s growth and influence. Digital data is better understood and ever more deeply relied on. Digital marketing through targeting based on data insights, has become ubiquitous. Two years ago, we thought “digital marketing” had arrived . . . we were wrong. Two years from now, I’ll look back at this post and wonder, “what the hell was I thinking?” The future is here now, and moving very fast!

Those “agencies” who are unwilling or unable to change (relying solely on creative), adapt or hire the talent that understands how and why data must be utilized for their clients’ benefit, are disappearing.  There will be continuing, ever more complex challenges (or opportunities), innovations and data insights to be explored and utilized for our clients’ benefit. Keeping up with consultancies deep pockets, talent acquisition goals and innovation is dissolving the holding company model.

Talent is the missing link to success for agencies and brands. Who do you hire who understands what data is available, where to find it and most importantly, what to do with it? You can step in line with every other agency or brand that’s trying to hire the same experienced pros, for the same reasons. Demand is driving compensation and benefits higher. Candidates are scarce and ever more “picky”. They want more than a job, they want a life! How do you as a owner, CEO, COO or President find the talent you need in a timely way?

Experienced, top achieving talent is hard to hire. The experienced, brilliant data analysts, strategists and planners are not looking at job boards. If they’re not happily employed, most know where to go for better compensation, career growth, benefits and perks. Many contact recruiters, who they know and have a specialty in their niche.

I’ve been in the same marketing, advertising and now digital media niche for years. I’m proud of the trusted reputation earned by consistently adding value and succeeding for both our clients and our candidates. We always have a file of “Most Placeable Candidates” across virtually every skill set and experience level out there. Some of the titles didn’t even exist two years ago.