VADs are attracting talent away from broadliners - recruiter

Robertson Sumner director says opportunity to specialise and higher salaries are proving attractive lures for candidates

Salaries and career opportunities are two of the reasons talent is moving from broadliners to VADs, according to data collected by Robertson Sumner.

The recruiter stated that 78 per cent of the roles it placed with distributors last year were with VADs, with 40 per cent of those candidates moving from broadliners.

Calum Lyle, director at Robertson Sumner, told CRN that this trend is continuing into 2019, as so far this year it has placed 13 candidates with VADs, compared with only three with broadliners.

He explained that the trend is being driven by candidates seeking to specialise in areas where they see natural career growth.

"People aren't interested in just selling anymore," he said.

"Because it is such a candidate-short market, when people are looking to move there has to be a real reason for them to move.

"Candidates see the demand for specialist roles and are interested in pursuing that, as they can see their career going down a natural path rather than just being a generalist."

Salaries and benefits packages on offer from VADs are also proving alluring to candidates, Lyle added.

He said that although distribution has traditionally been the lowest-paying area of the channel, VADs are offering packages that blow this "penny-pinching" reputation out of the water.

Five of the 13 candidates that Robertson Sumner has placed with VADs so far this year are on packages of over £100,000, the recruiter explained.

"The VADs we recruit for are the ones who have led with the shift to be able to pay an external salesperson six figures," he said.

Lyle also warned that broadliners need to implement a strategy if they find themselves losing talent or failing to attract the right skillset to their company, otherwise they may find themselves in the same unenviable position as shuttered disties Steljes, Entatech and Beta.

"That trend has been down to companies losing their best people or struggling to attract the right types of people - I can see a lot of distributors struggling," he said.

"For broadliners, it is important to understand what is happening and have a strategy around that.

"For example, headhunt from specific distributors or make a conscious decision to make the financial advantages or benefits more attractive.

"They need to have a real strategy in place to attract these people who will help push them forward."