(Editor’s Note: Welcome to Top Echelon’s series of blog posts regarding scripts for agency recruiters and executive search consultants. During these uncertain times, business development is paramount, as is the relationship that you have with your candidates, clients, and prospective clients. We invite you to also consider using our free training resources, which are listed at the end of this blog post.)
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In a previous blog post, I shared three marketing and business development scripts for recruiters . . . and I’m back with three more scripts for marketing and business development.
Keep in mind: different selling situations will call for different scripts. Recruiting scripts for cold calling clients aren’t 100% word-for-word. As a recruiter, it is important to have as many options (clubs) in your recruiting bag as possible. Master them all, so you will be prepared for any selling situation and have the ability to pull them out when that shot is needed.
Don’t forget, the goal is to achieve a large quantity of job orders coming in so you have the ability to continually “top grade” the work you have on your desk. Until you get a large number of “A” search assignments (job orders), keep marketing every day. That’s right—every day.
#1—MPC/”A” player approach
The MPC or “A” player approach has been used successfully for over 40 years. The simple reason: it works. The reason it works is because it’s a “proof statement” of your work. It’s proof that you know your market and know what you’re doing—going to the market with a true “A” player. The marketing approach sounds like this:
“Hi, Mr. Prospect, this is Jon Bartos with the Global Performance Group. We’re a firm specializing in finding ‘A’ players for the [industry name] marketplace. The reason for my call: I was doing a search for one of your [competitor’s name] and came across one of the top sales reps in your industry, and I thought of you.”
Feature—This killer was the top sales professional at one of their top competitors, producing over $5 million in revenue per year.
Achievement—He has personally brought in their top four largest accounts they have today.
Benefit—Which means that his next employer will not only get a big producer, but also a true producer who understands the value of what major accounts bring to an organization.
Close: “Does it make sense for you and this individual to sit down to explore the possibilities? Does Monday or Tuesday work better for you next week?”
#2—Combination approach
The combination approach is a combination of the vertical market approach and the “A” player approach. This is probably the most effective approach in the marketplace. It shares with the prospective client not only your insight into the vertical market you are in, but also backs it up with a proof statement—the “A” player you have. There is something significant about actually having the ability to “SHOW” a client your capabilities.
“Hi, Mr. Prospect, this is Jon Bartos from the Global Performance Group. Two reasons for the call. First, have you heard of us before? We work with many of your competitors in the industry focusing on the [industry name] marketplace. We have helped organizations such as [competitor names] grow over 30% per year in revenue and increase profits by over 40% by finding the critical talent they needed to achieve their goals. We have done this because we are in touch with the ‘A’ players in your marketplace on a daily basis. These are the individuals who are blind to job boards due to performing at high levels for your competitors and not looking for other positions.
“Which leads to my second reason for the call . . .
“I was doing a search for one of your [competitor’s name] and came across one of the top sales reps in the [industry name] market, and I thought of you.”
Feature—This killer was the top sales professional at one of their top competitors, producing over $5 million in revenue per year.
Achievement—He has personally brought in their top four largest accounts they have today.
Benefit—Which means that his next employer will not only get a big producer, but also a true producer who understands the value of what major accounts bring to an organization.
Close: “Does it make sense for you and this individual to sit down to explore the possibilities? Does Monday or Tuesday work better for you next week?”
#3—Job posting approach
Most recruiters are very familiar with searching and viewing the postings on the job aggregators (for example, Indeed and SimplyHired), as well as the main job boards. These postings can be great sources for marketing opportunities if the appropriate approach is utilized.
We don’t want to look like an ambulance-chasing attorney trying to make an extra buck. You have to be honest and upfront. It is most important to get the hiring manager’s name before the call. Calling into HR will do you little to no good. Get on LinkedIn or the company’s website and find out who the hiring manager is, then make the call as follows:
“Hi, Mr. Prospect, This is Jon Bartos from the Global Performance Group. We haven’t talked before, but I need your help. Do you have a second? Great! We work with many of your competitors and focus exclusively on [industry name]. Here’s where I need your help: I had an email sent to me about a position your organization posted for a [position name]. I recently concluded that same search for a competitor and have been working with a few ‘A’ players that may be exactly what you’re looking for now. If anything, it could certainly save you a significant amount of time in filling the position. Whom would I speak with at your organization to help you fill these openings?”
If you get any resistance, you can try this:
“I was just trying to call to make your job easier. It’s proven that ‘A’ players can be as much as 10 times more effective than ‘B’ players. As you can imagine, most of the ‘A’ players are invisible to your job ads due to fact they are not actively looking; they are happy and ‘knocking the cover off the ball’ with a competitor. The only real way to get hold of these impact players is through real relationships like I have with these individuals. Does it make sense to get a few of these ‘A’ players in the mix and explore the possibilities?”
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Jon Bartos, a guest writer for the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog, is a premier writer, speaker, and consultant on all aspects of personal performance, human capital, and the analytics behind them. In 2010, Bartos founded Revenue Performance Management, LLC. The RPM Dashboard System is a business intelligence tool used worldwide for metrics management for individual and team performance improvement. In 2012, Bartos achieved national certification in Hypnotherapy, furthering his interest in learning the dynamics behind what motivates others to achieve higher levels of success. Click here to visit Bartos’s website.