I had a great meeting today with a prospective client. We were talking about corporate branding, the challenges of multi-divisional marketing, social media marketing, staffing website development, and most importantly, the unique challenges of selling technical and professional staffing.

During our meeting, our conversation turned to the topic of cold calling, and the person I was speaking with had one of the best observations I’ve ever heard about cold calling:

“The more aggressively an industry cold calls, the more you can tell that they are selling a commodity.”  

I couldn’t agree more. When you have something remarkable to offer (whether it’s an exceptional service, outstanding content or unique expertise), it’s pretty easy to get people to come to you. So rather than invest in another sales person to spin the dial, why not invest a little more in creating something remarkable?

David just shared a great article with me on why staffing companies should forget about cold calling as a sales tactic.  I know I have personally talked with many staffing firms who list cold calling as their only sales/marketing tactic.  It makes me cringe more than a Red Sox fan hearing the name Bucky Dent.  (BTW, Yanks 13 Red Sox 6, ahhh ha ha ha)

So I wanted to pass along the link to this article that was written from an HR professional’s perspective.  I’ll just warn you ahead of time…it’s not pretty.  Those who can’t handle criticism should not click this link.  However, if you truly care about the reputation and future success of your firm, this is a must read!

http://www.catherinepistole.com/blog/tough-love-on-temporary-staffing-cold-calling-practices/