You’re Only in Town for 72 Hours? Here’s How to Maximize Every Recruiting Moment

If you’ve ever traveled for a leadership meeting or a branch visit and found yourself thinking, “I should’ve made more of that trip,” this episode is for you. I’m breaking down the five-step playbook I coach to leaders who want to turn quick trips into serious recruiting momentum.

When you're only in town for 24, 48, or 72 hours, it's easy to let opportunity slip by. But with the right system in place, you can walk away with conversations that move the needle—and position you as a leader worth following.

Episode Breakdown

[00:00] Introduction – Why most leaders miss recruiting opportunities when they travel.
[01:00] The Lazy Recruiter Trap – Just showing up without a recruiting plan is costing you big.
[01:30] Presence Is Power – Being face-to-face in a digital world gives you a massive edge.
[02:00] Step 1: Build a Hit List – Use data to identify the right people and sort them into three key buckets:

 - Warm relationships

 - Ideal profile leads

 - Old conversations worth rekindling
[02:30] Step 2: Personalize the Outreach – Lead with affirmation and specificity. No templates.
[03:00] Step 3: Remove the Tension – Use one simple line to eliminate pressure and increase the yes rate.
[03:30] Step 4: Stack Meetings Like a Pro – Optimize your schedule, tighten your drive time, and create scarcity.
[04:30] Step 5: Follow Up with a System – The meeting opens the door. Follow-up builds trust.
[05:30] Bonus Move: Use the Trip as Positioning – Make people feel chosen, even if they can't meet this time.
[06:00] Final Challenge – Don’t treat it like a work trip—treat it like a recruiting sprint.

Key Takeaways

• A Trip Without a Plan Is a Missed Opportunity – Go in with a strategy, not vague intentions.

• Target the Right People – Use a segmented, intentional list to prioritize conversations.

• Affirm First, Recruit Later – Lead with value. Make it about relationship, not the ask.

• Create Efficiency and Scarcity – Stack your meetings, lock your schedule, and own your time.

• Follow-Up Is Where You Win – Thank-you notes, personalized check-ins, and consistent touches build the relationship.

Next time you travel, treat it like a recruiting sprint. Make the list. Send the outreach. Stack the day. Follow up with purpose. This is how you dominate a market—even if you’re only in town for 72 hours.

Want help putting this system in place? Subscribe to my weekly email at 4crecruiting.com or book a session with me at bookrichardnow.com. Let’s make your next trip count.

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
So the big question is this, how dorecruiting leaders like us who have
12 to 15 other job responsibilitieswin at this game of recruiting?
How do we build a system that allowsus to recruit effectively in a minimal
amount of time while motivatingrecruits towards meaningful change?
That is the question, and thispodcast will give you the answers.

(00:21):
My name is Richard Mulligan, andwelcome to Recruiting Conversations.
Hey everybody.
Welcome back to Recruiting Conversations.
It's your host, Richard Milligan,and I've got a good one for you.
Today we're talking about somethingthat's come up so many times in
coaching calls, and if you travel foryour role, this one's gonna hit home.

(00:46):
So picture this, you're headinginto a market for a few days.
Maybe it's a leadershipmeeting, maybe it's a branch
visit, maybe it's a conference.
The first thing you think is say, uh,dang, I've only got 48 hours in town.
How can I make the most of this?
From a recruiting standpoint, ifyou've ever said that, or worse,
if you've ever not said that,and just let the opportunity

(01:07):
slip by this episode is for you.
Let me start by calling out what mostpeople don't do well when they travel.
They book the flight, grab the rental car,put a couple things on the calendar, and
maybe they think about recruiting maybe.
They go to a dinner, shake some hands,and then two months later they look

(01:27):
back and go, man, I should have metwith so and so while I was there.
That is lazy Recruiting and lazyrecruiting is always expensive.
See, here's the thing.
Being in market gives youa competitive advantage.
People are more willing to meetwhen you're physically there.
You're more memorable face to face, andin this noisy digital world, presence

(01:48):
is power, but if you're going tocapitalize on it, you need a strategy.
Not a plan, not a vague idea, a strategy.
So let me walk you through thefive part playbook I coach to.
When a recruiting leader is heading intoa market with a short window, whether
it's 24 hours or three days, I. Stepone, you need to build a hit list, and

(02:10):
I don't mean a random list of names,I mean a targeted data-driven list.
Use your data provider.
Pull the names of 20 to 30 peoplewho fit your recruiting avatar,
people who are in the right rolewith the right production history,
who have the right kind of tenure.
Then , and this is key, I'llbreak them into three buckets.
Bucket one is high priority,warm relationships.

(02:33):
These are people you've alreadyhad a conversation with.
Maybe a follow up, stalled out.
Maybe it's been a while sinceyou've talked, you know, but
there's already some rapport there.
Bucket two is called leadswho Match Your Ideal Profile.
These are people you haven't spoken withyet, but they're in the sweet spot and
bucket three past convos that fizzled out.

(02:54):
You're gonna rekindle a few of those too.
Maybe the timing was off last time.
Doesn't matter.
You're back now, and that createsa second shot at the relationship.
Once you've built the list, youmove to step two, the outreach.
Now, here's where mostrecruiters get it wrong.
They send a generic message,uh, Hey, I'm in town.
Wanna grab coffee?

(03:14):
And it just screams template.
No one's biting on that anymore.
You've gotta lead withaffirmation and personalization.
Say something like, I'm going tobe in Dallas next week, and I was
hoping to meet with you face to face.
I followed your production this year,and I've gotta say, I'm impressed.
You're someone I'd like toknow better, regardless of
whether we ever work together.

(03:36):
You see the difference there?
It's authentic, it's specific,and it's not about closing a deal.
It's about building a relationship.
Now let's move to step three.
Remove the tension.
This is a relationship buildingplay, not a recruiting conversation.
So include a line like this.
This wouldn't be a recruitingmeeting, just two professionals
connecting in the same market.

(03:57):
No strings.
That one sentence alone, itis open hundreds of doors.
For leaders I coach.
It works because it lowers the guard.
People don't want to be pitched, butthey do want to be seen, heard, valued.
And most of them don't get thatfrom their current leadership.
Once someone says yes,you move to step four.
Stack your meetings like a pro.

(04:18):
You're not in town to floataround and hope things happen.
Block your time in 45 minute increments.
Anchor your day around oneor two spots, maybe a coffee
shop, maybe a coworking space.
Keep your drive time tight.
One of my coaching clients recently landednine recruiting conversations in just
two and a half days in a market he didn'teven live in, and that wasn't by accident.

(04:39):
That was by strategy.
He prepped ahead.
He followed up quickly, andhe booked conversations.
And don't be afraid to say, Ionly have two time slots left.
That kind of scarcityincreases perceived value.
It positions you as a high levelleader, not a desperate one.
Now, the last step is follow up tostep five, follow up with a system.

(05:00):
This is where the real recruiting happens.
The meeting is the door.
What you do after themeeting is what builds trust.
Send a thank you text the same day.
Drop a handwritten note.
If you really wanna stand out,schedule a follow-up call in 30 days.
If they mentioned a pain point,reference it when you check back in.
Most recruiters let the relationshipdie after one good meeting.

(05:24):
You've got to nurture the heck out of it.
And listen, here's a promove I coach my clients on.
Turn the trip itselfinto a positioning tool.
Say this in your outreach.
I'll only be in town for a shorttime, and I'm meeting with a
handful of leaders I respect you.
Were one of the first people I thought of.
You just made them feel chosen.
And when someone feels chosen, they leanin even if they can't meet, follow up.

(05:49):
Anyway.
Say, I totally understand.
Let's make it happen.
Next time I'm in town.
You're keeping the door open, you'reshowing consistency, and most of
all, you're showing leadership.
So here's my challenge to you.
The next time you're traveling, don'ttreat it like just another work trip.
Treat it like a recruiting sprint.
Build the list, send intentional outreach,stack your day with smart conversations

(06:12):
and follow up like it actually matters.
Because it does.
This is how you dominate a market, evenif you're only in town for 72 hours.
Alright, that's allI've got for you today.
Go put this to work andlet me know how it goes.
We'll catch you back here soon onthe next recruiting conversations.
Want more recruiting conversations?
You can register for my [e-mail].

(06:36):
If you need help creating your ownunique recruiting system, you can book
a time with [e-mail].
I.