EP 49 – You Can’t Automate Your Way to a Million-Pound Desk w/ Marc Burgess

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1% Better Recruitment Podcast

Charlie Kyriakou

69 episodes

6 days ago

Hello and welcome to the 1% better recruitment podcast, with your host, Charles Kyriakou. The goal of this podcast is to have a wide variety of people all within the recruitment sector that will add tremendous value to those who are either looking to get into recruitment, working within the industry, running their own business, or thinking about setting up their own company. I aim to make sure that after every episode, you leave 1% better off.

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Self-Improvement

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EP 49 – You Can’t Automate Your Way to a Million-Pound Desk w/ Marc Burgess

1% Better Recruitment Podcast

1 hour 6 minutes 48 seconds

3 months ago

EP 49 – You Can’t Automate Your Way to a Million-Pound Desk w/ Marc Burgess

What happens when automation takes over your BD — and you forget how to actually speak to people?
In this episode, I’m joined by Marc Burgess — contract recruitment leader, sales director at 4mation Partners, and fierce advocate for process, structure, and proper human connection in recruitment.
We dive into Marc’s no-BS take on lazy BD, automation culture, and why so many recruiters are losing deals they should be winning — all because they’re skipping steps and hiding behind tools.

From multi-million pound billings to war room training and $200K mistakes, this one is a masterclass in how to stop winging it and start operating like a pro.

We explore:
✅ Why “relationship-building” is more than just a buzzword
✅ The problem with ChatGPT content and over-automated outreach
✅ Marc’s 30/30/30 rule for consistent billings
✅ Sales call openers that actually work
✅ The importance of process — and the cost of skipping steps
✅ How to build a proper recruitment desk in 2025
✅ What lazy BD really looks like (and how to fix it)
✅ Why you should treat information like currency
✅ Brutal stories that will make you rethink your pipeline

If you’re a recruiter relying on LinkedIn messages and luck, this episode is your wake-up call.

⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 – Marc’s background and intro to contract recruitment
04:00 – The human factor vs. AI hype
09:00 – Automation, lazy BD & why most recruiters sound the same
14:00 – Sales call openers: permission-based vs. value-led
20:00 – Relationship-building: what it really means in 2025
26:00 – Face-to-face meetings, AI cheating & trust
33:00 – War room training, feedback loops & process breakdowns
40:00 – Marc’s 30/30/30 model for consistent performance
47:00 – Real-life mistakes that cost six figures
53:00 – Best practice vs. winging it — how to run a tight process
01:03:00 – Marc’s 1% Better tip: “You only get something if you give something first”

🔗 Connect with Marc Burgess
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burgessmarc/

🔗 Connect with Charles Kyriakou
LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/⁠⁠
TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou⁠⁠
Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-better-recruitment-podcast/id1775201502⁠⁠
YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@charleskyriakou⁠⁠
LinkedIn Newsletter: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7244346543967731712⁠⁠