Q: How should I approach new prospects about my staffing services?
A: Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all approach to staffing sales. Some people will respond to the phone, others to email, and others to the mail or even drop bys (my least favorite prospecting technique that’s used in the industry).
The key is not really deciding which tool to use, but determining what to say. When you walk in the door selling staffing services to an employer, you’re already following dozens (or even hundreds) of other sales people who already made the same pitch. And the person you’re calling probably already has a vendor they like.
So what can you do?
Don’t do what everyone else does!
For starters, have a real conversation starter. Have an article, eBook, whitepaper or some other engaging information to share. Make sure that whatever you are sharing is VERY relevant to the person you are contacting. Given them something of real value–not a sales pitch. Offer ideas that help them solve a problem. Share a practical case study. Provide a how-to video or eBook. The key is to make sure that whatever you’re sharing will be interesting to the recipient.
Once you’ve shared something of value, try to have a real conversation about the prospect’s business issues. Forget staffing at first. Focus on the issues the prospect is having in his/her company. Ideally, you can discuss the subject matter of whatever information you shared.
At the same time, you have to be respectful of the recipient’s time. Schedule appointments when you can. If you are cold calling, be honest about why you are calling, what you hope to accomplish on the call, and most importantly, why a few minutes of the prospects time will be worthwhile (from the prospect’s perspective). On your calls, make sure you’ve already prepared consultative questions that position you as an expert and not another staffing vendor. For example, it would be better to ask about issues with employee retention or upcoming project deadlines, or other issues that matter to your clients than to ask about their hiring or staffing needs.
Unfortunately, I can’t conduct a full sales training session in just one blog post, but if you’re looking for more ideas, download our marketing guide and check out our on-demand webinar on sales lead generation. You can find both at: https://www.haleymarketing.com/freeresources
I hope you find this information helpful! And if you have any questions about how to sell more staffing, I’d be happy to talk with you! Just give me a call at 888.696.2900.
David Searns