The Inflow Puzzle: How Do You Reach Status Holders Effectively?

From waiting for referrals to actively seeking the right people – and why that changed a lot

The strength of our first period is that we had an intensive collaboration with Podium24, in which someone was also specifically assigned to our trajectory. That helped enormously in the beginning, because someone actively selected and went looking for suitable candidates. 

The Collaboration Changes

After a few years, this changed. Our regular contact person at Podium24 left and there was no comparable position to replace him. People still came to us, via consultants from the social services and via the AZC, but the inflow was too low to be able to function properly. 

Our whole concept was that you could form a team of employees and trainees together, so if there were too few trainees everything became more difficult, so this was a big problem.

The Discovery: Direct Marketing Works

Out of sheer necessity, we started actively searching ourselves. In the beginning, through more active contact with the AZC, and that helped. But in the end, the breakthrough turned out to be somewhere else: online marketing. We made advertisements via Google Ads and Facebook Ads in the languages that are widely spoken by our target group. And guess what: it worked!

But the results were immediately visible. People who came to us themselves because they had been sitting still for far too long and wanted to take a step. They were often motivated and fitted in well with what we offered. Instead of waiting for a consultant to think someone was 'ready' for our trajectory, we spoke to people who wanted to take that step themselves.

The Trial Period: A Game Changer

One of our smartest decisions was to introduce a 2-month trial period. At first, it felt like a lack of trust – why not just give people a chance?

Experience taught us otherwise. About 25% of the people stopped during the trial period. That seems a lot, but it saved everyone frustration later.

Some people discovered that the hospitality industry was not their thing after all. Others had underestimated the intensity. Still others had personal circumstances that required priority. The trial period allowed us to signal early whether there was a good match.

The Different Profiles

What we learned was that 'status holders' are a much more diverse group than we initially thought. Our trainees came from Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Palestine, Russia, Ukraine and many more countries.

Some were highly educated – doctors, engineers, lawyers. Others could barely read and write. One came straight from the asylum seekers’ centre, the other had lived in the Netherlands for years but had never had a job.

This diversity made our program richer, but also more complex. A one-size-fits-all approach simply did not work.

From Shortage to Surplus

The ironic end of our story: in 2023, we suddenly had the opposite problem. Too many candidates, too few places. People who had to wait because we were full. 

We went from coaching 8 people at a time to 18. We were happy with the growth, but it also brought new challenges in planning, coaching and team dynamics.

What We Have Learned

1. Take control of your own inflow Waiting for referrals makes you dependent on the priorities and capacity of others. Direct marketing to your target audience gives you much more control.

2. Invest in personal relationships Our best periods were when we had permanent contacts at our partners. Reorganizations and personnel changes affect you directly.

3. A trial period is not distrust, but realism It's better to discover early that something doesn't fit than to invest months in someone who isn't happy with it.

4. Diversity is strength, but requires customization The rich backgrounds of our target audience was one of our greatest assets, but it meant we had to be flexible in our approach.

The Human Side

The best thing about direct marketing was that people made the choice to come to us themselves. That created positive dynamics.

There was a trainee from Iran and he was in the AZC. He found us via Facebook and just walked in one afternoon. “I want to work, I want to learn, when can I start?” 

Another trainee came from Russia and was looking for a place where she could feel useful while learning Dutch. She found us through Google and stayed for two years.

These were not 'cases' that had to be placed somewhere. These were people who wanted to take their future into their own hands.

In the next blog we will dive deeper into what happens once you have these motivated people inside: how do you actually guide status holders effectively? And what is the difference between good intentions and real impact?