Is Any Requirement a Good Requirement?

by Jul 27, 2022Government Contracting, Latest News, Staffing

Marathon TS differentiates itself in the federal contracting market by offering a powerful staffing
capability that most others simply do not have. In fact, our ability to source talent rivals many
classic staffing companies; in most cases, we outperform them. This puts Marathon in the
enviable position of providing world-class technical solutions while also competing with
traditional staffing companies to fill requirements for agencies and contractors seeking cleared,
highly skilled technical people for their contracts.
Looking deeper, we differentiate our work even further by avoiding the common trap of most
staffing companies considering “any req a good req” and instead working only on those that have
a high probability of being filled.
In my business, there’s always a lot of pressure in to bring in requirements all the time. It takes a
lot of upfront training and personal discipline to accept and absorb that pressure and then set it
aside to focus on finding the very best requirements out there needing to be filled.
As a top producer at multiple companies and now at Marathon TS, I have honed a process of
qualifying requirements that has proven to be highly successful for me, my company, and our
clients.
When I first receive a requirement, I ask a series of questions to determine whether it has a high
probability of being filled. By separating out the high-fill-probability reqs from the others, I can
focus our finite resources on requests that will ultimately yield successful outcomes. I am very
cognizant of the fact that, when I agree to work a requirement, that I am committing company
resources and, therefore, need to be reasonably selective. In my experience, I should say “No” to
about 4 out of every 10 requirements that cross my inbox. They will just consume too much time
and resources. And, they will either never be filled, lead to an unprofitable result or, worse yet,
unhappy clients.
So, what are the questions I use to sort the good from the ugly?
The first answer I want is who controls the work for the project. In other words, will I be
working directly with the prime contractor? It is so much better to be working directly with the
team that is controlling the work–and the hiring decisions. I can more quickly understand the
specifics of the position, the details of the requirements, and the challenges to finding the right
candidates. I also can get much better feedback on the first applicants I send to the contractor.
So, this relationship is a priority for me as I assess any requirement.
The second question I ask: Are there other contractors working the same requirement? At times,
I have found that there are 20 or 30 companies competing to fill the same seat. That just makes
the effort untenable. There is an old saying: “if you want to catch fish, don’t go where all the

boats are.” That is very apropos when identifying high-fill-probability requirements. The less
competition, the better.
The third question is whether the requirement is funded. This is a no-brainer. If a requirement
isn’t funded, I am not going to support it unless there are strategic reasons to do so. One good
exception, for example, is if we have a teaming agreement with workshare responsibilities.
Finally, I want to understand how the prime is truly motivated to fill an empty seat. In particular,
I will dig around to find out if the prime is actually hoping to fill that requirement with their own
talent or if the government customer has expressed discontent because of the opening(s). If they
are seeking to hire their own talent no matter what, there’s no point in finding candidates for that
requirement. However, if they are getting pressure from their customer to fill the req, that
typically means they will be open to whomever can help bring the right person to the contract.
Of course, it is very difficult to walk away from a requirement. It takes real courage. If I do have
to say “No” to a client, I use that as a teaching moment. I try to help the entity see the reasons a
particular requirement will be difficult to fill. Sometimes, they are unaware of the challenges a
requirement may present. I also discuss ways the request could be recast to increase the
probability of it being filled. That might involve changing the rates or the required skill sets, the
location or opportunity for remote work, the level of clearance, or the labor category.
Of course, other people use different strategies and approaches to filling requirements. Many are
also successful. But I have supported numerous organizations with much different approaches to
delivering candidates, and my process has led to results that have proven to be both sustainable
and repeatable. Most important, my clients know I won’t overpromise and that we have the
demonstrated performances and the technical expertise to fill the challenging requirements we
accept. They know that if I say we will deliver, they can be quite confident that we will.

LinkedIn Post: Tips for New Recruiters from a Pro Salespeople from a Top
Producing Pro
Marathon TS differentiates itself in the federal contracting market by offering a powerful staffing
capability that most others simply do not have. In fact, our ability to source talent rivals many
classic staffing companies; in most cases, we outperform them. This puts Marathon in the
enviable position of providing world-class technical solutions while also competing with
traditional staffing companies to fill requirements for agencies and contractors seeking cleared,
highly skilled technical people for their contracts.
Looking deeper, Marathon TS differentiates its work even further by avoiding the common trap
of staffing companies considering “any req a good req” and instead working only on those that
have a high probability of being filled.
As a top producer at multiple companies and now at Marathon TS, Ted Marshall, VP of Business
Development at Marathon TS has honed a process of qualifying requirements that has proven to
be highly successful. It is one of many reasons Marathon TS achieved significant revenue growth

throughout the past three years. To learn more about his process, visit Marathon’s recent blog
[LINK].

Facebook: A Proven Strategy from a Professional Recruiter Top Producing
Salesperson
Marathon TS differentiates itself in the federal contracting market by offering a powerful staffing
capability that most others simply do not have. In fact, our ability to source talent rivals many
classic staffing companies; in most cases, we outperform them. This puts Marathon in the
enviable position of providing world-class technical solutions while also competing with
traditional staffing companies to fill requirements for agencies and contractors seeking cleared,
highly skilled technical people for their contracts.
Looking deeper, Marathon TS differentiates its work even further by avoiding the common trap
of staffing companies considering “any req a good req” and instead working only on those that
have a high probability of being filled.
As a top producer at multiple companies and now at Marathon TS, Ted Marshall, VP of Business
Development at Marathon TS has honed a process of qualifying requirements that has proven to
be highly successful. It is one of many reasons Marathon TS achieved significant revenue growth
throughout the past three years. To learn more about his process, visit Marathon’s recent blog
[LINK].

Written by Joe Urbano

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