If It Don’t Make Dollars, It Don’t Make Sense!
2026
–A Seven Part Series–
Part Four
by
Bob Marshall
April 7th, 2026
Part Four – Make Scintillating Presentations
In today’s market, information is everywhere—but clarity is rare. That’s why your ability to make a scintillating presentation is one of the highest-value skills you can develop as a recruiter.
Average recruiters send résumés.
Top billers tell compelling stories.
One of the most effective ways to do that is by using the FAB Formula—Feature, Accomplishment, Benefit.
Let’s break it down:
- Feature – What the candidate does or has done. Their role, scope, and responsibilities.
- Accomplishment – How well they’ve done it. This is where you quantify success with specific, concrete results.
- Benefit – Most important of all: how those accomplishments translate into value for the hiring company.
This is where most recruiters fall short. They describe… but they don’t connect the dots.
When you present a candidate, especially a true MPC (Most Placeable Candidate), your job is to answer the hiring manager’s unspoken question:
“What can this person do for me?”
If you answer that question clearly and convincingly, you avoid the dreaded “No Openings” response. You shift the conversation from availability to opportunity.
And here’s something even more powerful—when you use FAB correctly, you don’t just inform… you influence. You begin to feel excited about your candidate. And that enthusiasm carries through the phone.
As Cavett Robert once said:
“People are more moved by the depth of your conviction than by the height of your logic.”
FAB gives you both—but conviction is what closes deals.
A Quick Example:
Instead of saying:
“John is a VP of Data Center Operations with 15 years of experience…”
Try this:
“John currently leads data center operations for a 200MW portfolio (Feature), where he improved uptime to 99.999% and reduced operating costs by 18% over three years (Accomplishment). He could bring that same operational efficiency and cost discipline to your expansion plans (Benefit).”
That’s not a résumé—that’s a business case.
A Short Story:
Years ago, I was working on a search where the client insisted they had “no openings.” I presented an MPC anyway using a tight FAB structure. I didn’t just describe the candidate; I showed how he could increase revenue and reduce risk immediately.
There was a long pause at the other end of the phone.
Then the hiring manager said, “We weren’t planning to hire… but we need to meet this guy.”
That meeting turned into a placement.
That placement turned into a long-term client.
The difference? Not the candidate.
The presentation.
Master this, and you’ll separate yourself from 90% of recruiters in the marketplace.
Next week: Part Five – …And Make A lot of Them
Bob Marshall began his recruiting career over 45 years ago at MR in Reno, NV. In 1986 he established The Bob Marshall Group, International, where he has trained recruiters throughout the United States and also in the United Kingdom, Malta and Cyprus. With a dedication to executive recruiting, he continues to offer his proven training systems to individuals, firms, and private corporations both domestic and in select international territories. To learn more about his activities and descriptions of his products and services, contact him directly @770-898-5550/470-456-0386(cell); bob@themarshallplan.org; or visit his website @ www.TheMarshallPlan.org.
Bob Marshall
President
TBMG, International
247 Bryans Drive, Suite 100
McDonough, GA 30252-2513
770-898-5550
520-842-5550 (fax)