26 Years in Recruitment, What Actually Works in BD? | Toby Babb (EP 83)
What actually changes in recruitment business development… and what stays the same after 26 years in the industry?
In this episode, I’m joined by Toby Babb, founder of Harrington Starr, who has spent over two decades building recruitment businesses, developing teams, and evolving his approach to business development.
Toby has seen recruitment through multiple cycles, from the early days of heavy outbound calling and mail shots to today’s world of LinkedIn, content, and multi-channel outreach. That gives him a grounded perspective on what has genuinely changed, and more importantly, what still works.
Topics Discussed:
✅ What 26 years in recruitment teaches you about business development
✅ Old school vs modern BD, what’s changed and what hasn’t
✅ Why doing the basics well still wins in recruitment
✅ The importance of consistency, activity, and follow-up
✅ Why most recruiters overcomplicate business development
✅ Multi-channel outreach, calls, email, LinkedIn, and content
✅ The shift from transactional to relationship-based recruiting
✅ Using content, events, and podcasts to build a personal brand
✅ Why building a brand creates inbound opportunities
✅ The role of curiosity in better client conversations
✅ KPIs, performance, and what actually drives results
✅ Toby’s 1 Percent Better advice for recruiters
⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro and episode context
02:00 – Toby’s 26 years in recruitment
06:00 – How BD has changed over time
12:00 – What still works in recruitment
18:00 – Doing the basics well
26:00 – Why recruiters overcomplicate BD
34:00 – Multi-channel outreach strategies
42:00 – Relationships vs transactional recruiting
50:00 – Building a brand through content and podcasts
58:00 – KPIs, performance, and consistency
01:05:00 – Toby’s 1 Percent Better tip
🐋 Podcast Sponsor – SourceWhale
This episode is sponsored by SourceWhale, the multi-channel outreach platform I personally use and recommend to recruiters and founders.
SourceWhale helps you combine email, LinkedIn, calls, and tasks into one structured, consistent BD workflow, without relying on spray-and-pray automation.
👉 Book a demo here:
https://sourcewhale.com/book-demo/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=&utm_term=charles_kyriakou&utm_content=book_a_demo
Mention The 1 Percent Better Recruitment Podcast or my name, Charles Kyriakou, when you book.
🔗 Connect with Toby Babb
💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toby-babb-32704411/
🔗 Connect with Charles Kyriakou
💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/
📲 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou
🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46LjJfw
📰 LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7244346543967731712/
🌐 Website: https://www.inf1nitelearning.com/
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