Executive Recruiting;

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When recruiting top people, don't make the common mistake of assuming you can clinch the deal by adding a few thousand dollars to your offer. Money doesn't talk nearly as loudly as it used to, notes Peter K. Lemke, president of EFL Associates, an executive-search firm in Overland Park, Kans. More important may be factors such as club memberships, or help in relocation. The trick is to figure out what the candidate really wants -- the "dealmaker."

Lemke advises that you approach the candidate as you would an important new customer, taking care to "read the buying signals." That means finding out everything you can about a candidate -- from the ages of his kids to the work status of his spouse. Then be prepared to respond. "You can't afford to be rigid, not when you're trying to hire talented people," he says. "If you can't put the horse in the barn, someone else will."