SHORT TAKES

Hire a headhunter now, and you may get a break on fees. Demand for executives fell 26% and 19% in the first and second quarters of 2002 respectively. Thus it may not be surprising that, in a recent poll by ExecuNet, 63% of search professionals reported that their firms have become more willing to negotiate fees with clients, and 92% have increased client contact over the past six months in an effort to retain and increase business.