Posted on Sep 28, 2016
If you don't perform well as a recruiter, is a negative review that results in you going back to infantry, detrimental to career progression?
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This question is for Infantrymen that have served as recruiters during the individual mission time frame. I have been told before that if you had not performed well as a recruiter that a negative recruiting review resulting in you going back to the infantry would not be as detrimental to career progression? Meaning not a great salesman to meet the quota. Short story individual mission is coming back and on last year of detailed assignment and wondering what consequences could come of this. The last two years I have made the equivalent of the quota before being implemented but I know I'm not a great recruiter.
Infantry
79R: Recruiter
11B: Infantryman
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 9
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While I was recruiting and since I have been in the Army I have never seen a detailed recruiter sent back to their MOS other than for disciplinary reasons. If you are a detailed recruiter and not meeting your mission you are counseled, conduct low producer training, get a RT assigned to you, etc. When your three years are complete you are sent back to your MOS and your NCOERs will reflect your performance as a recruiter.
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SFC Joseph Murphy
When I was a recruiter we we're on individual missions. First lets be real the "mission" it's a "quota" and was treated as one. You did everything yourself. Phone calls, make appointments, school visits, getting phone numbers of a high school classes. Looking up all the phone numbers, police checks and addresses Ect.. We would help each other as much as we could. But you couldn't go home until you made 3, 4 or 5 appointments, based on monthly numbers. Then have to keep working on short falls. If your behind for the month, quarter or year.. I saw several recruiters not finish the 36 month tour of duty. Some for discipline, weight, shaddy recruiter habbits and so on. And with those individuals, their behavior or conduct would be reflected in there numbers. Meaning they felt the pressure, and took chances. Was it worth it? Hell no. And their NCOER reflected it. Some bullet points like, failed to make mission, failed to be team player, (very important with individual missions), failed to pre qualify applicant, (seen a guy go to meps with a glass eye, not mine thankfully). Why was that a big deal? A few reasons, One, waste of resources. Resources is not just money, in fact the biggest resource for a recruiter on individual mission is TIME and the loss of TIME, Time you can't get that back.
On the flip side, you could get a great NCOER. Made mission in a extremely competitive market or developed referral program increased numbers by 200%. If you we're short on numbers you got Counseled, Low Producer Training and work with a RT. Those have been around for quit awhile, which is good they can help. But the reality is numbers, and our mission would be broken down into category needs as well. It was very competitive and you had multiple competitors to deal with in getting a contract. You had colleges, job, parents and friends to compete with. Not just with other services, who offer great programs to, but also other Army Components. Other Regular Army Stations, (other than a high school kid), Army Reserve Units and National Guard Units.
So with all this said what do you do?
Or if your worried about being relieved of duty or a bad NCOER. Make your numbers. Or at least put a pair boots in the Army every month. And that can be easier said then done. How do you do this on individual missions? Will you probably love being in the Army so let people see that. Don't worry about failing, I never met anyone in the Army who wanted to fail at anything. Another important fact is that you believe in what you're doing. Prospects can see this when you talk to them. In person or on the phone. Do you really believe that the Army can help them and meet their goals.
The training we got at school has proven it works. Never stop prospecting,
go to a movie, grocery store or gym you're prospecting. Never stop prospecting. Never lie to get a contract. You may get this one, but that person will be home on leave someday, on the phone or e-mail. And their experience will be sharred with their famil and friends. Or more importantly if their a recent high school grad the people at their school. Teachers, coaches and guidance counselor. But your straight and honest meet their needs and goals
You will get those important rewards
and referrals. One time i had this guy who wanted to in the infantry. Not a big deal, but he was color blind. At that time if you were color blind you couldn't go infantry. Thats all he wanted. Tried painting a picture of him in another mos but infantry was it. So i walked him over to the Marine recruiting office because i knew he could qualify infantry for them. But i was honest. The next day he walked back in our office with Two, friends said they could trust me and all Three enlisted. He thought the Marine recruiters would just tell him what he wanted to hear. I guess the bottom line
Is be yourself, show people how much you love the Army. Use all the tools the Army gives you. Never stop prospecting.
Be honest, work at building relationships in the schools and communities. Do your own After Action Reviews. ASK and get referrals. Show prospects you care about them more than you need them as a number. Thats just what worked for me. And i was in a liberal state and town where military was your last opition. And i wrote 70 contracts in Three years. And was the top recruiter in my battalion 1 year and in the top 3 the other Two years. And 1/4 were referrals. Good luck and you'll do Great. Your already being proactive
Positioning yourself for success.
On the flip side, you could get a great NCOER. Made mission in a extremely competitive market or developed referral program increased numbers by 200%. If you we're short on numbers you got Counseled, Low Producer Training and work with a RT. Those have been around for quit awhile, which is good they can help. But the reality is numbers, and our mission would be broken down into category needs as well. It was very competitive and you had multiple competitors to deal with in getting a contract. You had colleges, job, parents and friends to compete with. Not just with other services, who offer great programs to, but also other Army Components. Other Regular Army Stations, (other than a high school kid), Army Reserve Units and National Guard Units.
So with all this said what do you do?
Or if your worried about being relieved of duty or a bad NCOER. Make your numbers. Or at least put a pair boots in the Army every month. And that can be easier said then done. How do you do this on individual missions? Will you probably love being in the Army so let people see that. Don't worry about failing, I never met anyone in the Army who wanted to fail at anything. Another important fact is that you believe in what you're doing. Prospects can see this when you talk to them. In person or on the phone. Do you really believe that the Army can help them and meet their goals.
The training we got at school has proven it works. Never stop prospecting,
go to a movie, grocery store or gym you're prospecting. Never stop prospecting. Never lie to get a contract. You may get this one, but that person will be home on leave someday, on the phone or e-mail. And their experience will be sharred with their famil and friends. Or more importantly if their a recent high school grad the people at their school. Teachers, coaches and guidance counselor. But your straight and honest meet their needs and goals
You will get those important rewards
and referrals. One time i had this guy who wanted to in the infantry. Not a big deal, but he was color blind. At that time if you were color blind you couldn't go infantry. Thats all he wanted. Tried painting a picture of him in another mos but infantry was it. So i walked him over to the Marine recruiting office because i knew he could qualify infantry for them. But i was honest. The next day he walked back in our office with Two, friends said they could trust me and all Three enlisted. He thought the Marine recruiters would just tell him what he wanted to hear. I guess the bottom line
Is be yourself, show people how much you love the Army. Use all the tools the Army gives you. Never stop prospecting.
Be honest, work at building relationships in the schools and communities. Do your own After Action Reviews. ASK and get referrals. Show prospects you care about them more than you need them as a number. Thats just what worked for me. And i was in a liberal state and town where military was your last opition. And i wrote 70 contracts in Three years. And was the top recruiter in my battalion 1 year and in the top 3 the other Two years. And 1/4 were referrals. Good luck and you'll do Great. Your already being proactive
Positioning yourself for success.
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First of all, just like with everything else in USAREC, it goes full circle. When we tested the "Team Recruiting Concept" (AKA The Marauder Project) in 3rd Bde in 2007, and eventually it went USAREC wide, I predicted that it would eventually fail and it would come full circle back to individual missions. With that said, on to your question. You are 2 years into your 3 year detailed tour. You are not going on the New Recruiter Program. The NRP was supposedly the means to track a new recruiter's development on a max 9 month probationary basis to train them and determine if they had the ability to be effective recruiters. They were not rated while on the NRP. If they failed, they were sent back to their MOS without any adverse repercussion. However, rarely was anyone ever sent back because they were a "poor salesman". There are no salesmen in recruiting. There are Non Commissioned Officers who can effectively communicate and motivate others, with a mission first work ethic, and a positive attitude. You are still a team even with an individual mission, so as long as you pull your weight and do the right things, you can still make mission. With Team Recruiting, you may never have had to develop the communication skills (you can call them sales skills if you want) to conduct interviews, handle objections, and close for a commitment. Better start working on that, and it begins with confidence in yourself. You are not going to get sent back to the Infantry with only a year unless it is disciplinary. Your NCOER will reflect your overall performance, not just the numbers you put in. So, if you do all the right things, you will be fine and you will get a decent NCOER, whether you make mission every month or not.
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SSG Nat Dillenback
This sounds alot better than in my day. When I went recruiting school our curriculum was "Professional Sales" (if I find the books I would post the civilian version that we bought it from) and the only measure of success in the field was the "nut". Three hour drive to Regional Command so they could watch you cold call Jehovah's Witnesses' until 2100 then three hours home to get up at 0300 to drive some pothead to MEPS. I spent more time sleeping in my car than in my bed. To boot, I watched my peers get promoted and my diminished, previously exemplary NCOER kept me form being competetive for years.
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SSG (Join to see)
Sounds like my COC is lying to us about it.we had a meeting with our 1sg saying the recruiting CG it's coming back and verified us in how we should have a 1.5 write rate. I have had the same consesous from my buddies that was tagged in this assignment in different recruiting brigades that they have no clue what I'm talking about.
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