Q: My company keeps increasing the number of sales calls I’m required to make each week. I’m spinning the dial, and doing drop by calls, but I’m having a lot of trouble getting people to meet with me. Any suggestions?

A: Before you sell, put yourself in the buyer’s shoes.  I’ve had a few recent experiences being on the other side of the sales process–as the buyer, not the seller. The view over here isn’t very pretty, and I think my experience will help you with your sales challenges.  I also have some great lessons that I learned which I will share with you too.
 
Spin the dial. Spin. Spin. Spin. 

Most companies measure sales people on their actions: how many calls did they make; how many drop-offs; number of contacts; etc. The theory is that if the sales person is doing the “basics”, the sales will follow.

Stop.  Consider the other side of the sales process for a minute–consider the person to whom you are trying to make a sale.  Notice I said person, not company.  Even in B2B, people make the decisions and are the prospects to whom we sell. 

Do unto others. Would you really like it if someone called you eight times and left eight messages?  Imagine if you went on a first date and were called over and over again following the date.  In my opinion, that borders on stalking or harassment.  If I didn’t ask for you to call, and I don’t take your call, and you call over and over, what do you really think my opinion is of you? Hint–it probably isn’t favorable.

This scenario just happened to me.  One sales person called me once per week for the past eight weeks.  Oh, I know, persistence pays off.  It takes 17 tries to make a sale.  Blah. Blah. Blah.  I didn’t ask for the call.  It is not scheduled on my calendar, so it is likely not a convenient time for me to take the call.  Plus, I have a fabulous gatekeeper who isn’t letting that call through anyway.  Much of the time, especially after three or four calls, my receptionist knows it’s a sales call and doesn’t even try to connect it.  You’re going straight to voicemail jail buddy!

So the call never made it though. Guess what happened next? Yup, the drop by call! This sales person decided to stop by uninvited, unscheduled with gift in hand.  You know the routine.  Donuts. Chocolates. Treats.  The way to a man’s heart may be his stomach, but it isn’t the way to a sale.  I don’t even eat donuts.  I didn’t take your call.  I’m not going to meet with you if you happen to stop by.  And now I’m “obligated” to say thank you for a gift from someone with whom I have no relationship?  Have you succeeded?  I’ll drop you an email to say thank you because I really don’t want to be rude, but I don’t feel thrilled.  I feel cornered!

Despite all this, I actually did schedule a meeting with this guy. I know–how crazy is that?!  But the truth is, I’m in the market for what he is selling (and I would have called his firm anyway without the barrage of calls and donuts). There are, however, many competitors that I am also interviewing. Unfortunately, this sales person doesn’t even realize that he is starting below the line. My impression is not at all favorable, and I have real concerns that if this company’s sales process is intrusive, the company may not have a strong service culture and the service I receive will be poor as well. 

I’ll let you know how the meeting goes in a future post. But this leads me to another scenario related to this process. The reason I’ve agreed to even meet with this sales rep…

“But I’ll cut my price.”

I happen to be the person responsible for the technology and infrastructure at Haley Marketing.  Recently one of our contracts came up for renewal. Not being very happy with the service we have been receiving, I started shopping for alternatives.

The rep from our current provider has been requesting meetings, calling and emailing me.  I’ve openly said that we are not happy with the service, and we will not sign another contract until we are certain the service issues have been resolved. I even documented the service issues and outages for our vendor.

Her response? “But, I’ll cut my price. I can give you everything you are getting and more for less money than you are spending now.”

Hello? Are you listening? My objection was not the price. My objection was the service. This is a business critical service and when it fails, our company feels real pain. I would even consider paying more if the service was worthy of it (but don’t tell that sales guy I’m meeting with next week!).

Lessons Learned.

1. People don’t like to be harassed. Yes, you might have the best people, the best jobs, the best service, the best price, but if you can’t respect me, I can’t give you the time you want to get your message through.  What should you do?  Well, there are a lot of ways to non-intrusively get my attention.  Asking for a meeting would be the easiest. (Ok, I probably will still say no.)  So, ask to add me to your email list and promise to provide real value (and then do it!).  Don’t forget to remind me that I can opt-out, no questions asked, at any time.  No go?  How about adding me to your LinkedIn network or following me on Twitter. 
2. 50 donut holes does not equal one connection. There are people who like being bribed with food and trinkets. I’m not one. I’m a C-level manager with Type A personality. Know your audience! You’d get farther with me by dropping off a whitepaper that says why the service you provide is so important to a business like mine. Provide some value along with some proof (e.g., testimonials, statistics, etc.), so I can’t resist talking with you.
3. Cutting price does not equal good service. Maybe I’m an anomaly, but I equate better service with higher price. That is not to say I want to pay more, but it does say I believe you get what you pay for. If you are so willing to cut price, then something has to give. It sounds like my service isn’t going to be top-notch. I’m willing to pay a fair price for value–most people are. If your price isn’t fair, drop it. If it is, stand by it and prove the value.

If you want more ideas for better ways to get appointments, start by taking a minute to put yourself into your client’s shoes.  Better yet, ask your current clients what you could really do that would be worth their time.  And don’t forget to call Haley Marketing. We can help you find easier and more effective ways to get your foot in the door!

Found a really cool tool on YouTube. Check us out!

Need help getting your staffing firm to the top of search results? Our SEO services can help get you there. Give us a call today!

People Plus’ Why Staffing Now Door Openers campaign focuses on educating non-users of staffing on how to strategically use staffing to lower costs, decrease risks, and increase workforce flexibility.  It is a 13 week direct mail blitz that uses a combination of postcards, fold over cards, personal letters, drop offs, and follow up calls to educate prospects.  People Plus is in the beginning stages of this marketing program, however they have already seen results, including receiving incoming communication from prospects that have never taken their calls before.

Below is one of the post cards from this campaign.

Email me at mfaso@haleymarketing.com If you’d like to discuss ways to educate your prospects on how they can benefit from the strategic use of staffing.

It is no secret that social media is a hot topic right now. From a business standpoint, you know that social media can be a powerful tool for marketing and recruiting.

But what about your candidates? Do they realize the effect that  social media is having on their job search efforts?

Most employers will at least do a Google search of anyone they are interested in hiring. What they find can be damaging to a job search and a career.

Make sure that you are conducting these same search before sending a candidate out on an interview. Remember, they are representing your firm and this is just another way to manage your brand online.

The following article has some great tips for how employers are using social media, and how to clean-up any “digital dirt” that you may have.

Digital “dirt” can haunt your job search

Last week I listened in on our first guest webinar in our Lunch with Haley series.  The topic was Cybermarketing, and it was hosted by Mark Berger, an Internet sourcing guru.  I learned a ton of great info, but I wanted to bring to your attention three free resources that you may not be using to post jobs (that I did not know about prior to the call).

1. MySpace – I know what you’re thinking…with all the Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook buzz, MySpace seems to have taken a back seat.  And isn’t this site meant to be a free-for-all for teens?  Think again.  Did you know that the average age of a MySpace user is 35 years old and that there are 120 million users, and climbing?  You can “post an ad” on MySpace classified and expect a ton of hits.  Berger put it this way, “You’re crazy if your don’t post an ad to MySpace.”
2. GoogleBase – Google Base is a free Google service that helps you publish virtually any kind of information, such as job postings.  Your item will fall into one of several categories based on its content. This category determines which Google property will display your item.  You can submit one job at a time or upload several at a time from a spreadsheet.  Users can sort by location, zip code, company, job function, etc.
3. CraigsList.org – Again you’re thinking, isn’t craigslist for selling old furniture or finding an apartment?  To my surprise, the website is another great place to post a job (notice it is .org and not .com).  Berger explained that this site produced more hits than Monster and a little less than Career Builder for a job that he posted to all three sites.

Haley Marketing is very proud to announce that more than 500 staffing firms have downloaded our Marketing Best Practices Guide.  Get your copy today!

When the going gets tough…the tough do not pull back on marketing!  Why? If you’d like some proof of the importance of marketing aggressively, check out this article from the Wharton School. 

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

With corporate managers under enormous pressure to control costs and maintain liquidity in the current credit crisis, advertising budgets often appear to be a dispensable luxury in the struggle to survive. Executives who succumb to that temptation, however, put the long-term future of their companies at risk, according to Wharton faculty and advertising experts.

“The first reaction is to cut, cut, cut, and advertising is one of the first things to go,” says Wharton marketing professor Peter Fader, adding that as companies slash advertising in a downturn, they leave empty space in consumers’ minds for aggressive marketers to make strong inroads. Today’s economy “provides an unusual opportunity to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd,” says Fader, “but it takes a lot of courage and convincing to get senior management on board with that.”

Research shows that companies that consistently advertise even during recessions perform better in the long run. A McGraw-Hill Research study looking at 600 companies from 1980 to 1985 found that those businesses which chose to maintain or raise their level of advertising expenditures during the 1981 and 1982 recession had significantly higher sales after the economy recovered. Specifically, companies that advertised aggressively during the recession had sales 256% higher than those that did not continue to advertise.

While marketing can’t change the realities of the current economy, it can make an immediate, positive impact on your business today and an even bigger in the months and years to come. 

Want more specific ideas?  Call 1-888-696-2900, and we will provide a free consultation for your firm.

Ever read any of Dan Kennedy’s NO B.S. books? If not, check them out. Dan’s not big on management theory (to put it mildly), just practical, no b.s. advice that entrepeneurs need to hear.

In NO B.S. Direct Marketing, Dan (who by the way is one of the most successful marketers on the planet), made a fascinating observation.  Here’s a quote from the book:

“You are not in the  (fill in the blank)   business,
you are in the business of marketing (fill in the blank again)  services.”

So how should you interpret this? Simple. As a staffing executive, your most important role is not to provide great staffing services; your role is to figure out how to create a market for your services.  

You might disagree with this observation, but consider this reality: great service does not differentiate your firm, and it will not create new opportunities for you. Your clients expect great service.

Your job is to figure out how to be different. To figure out who to target, what to sell, how to price your services, how to package your services, and how to deliver your services. Your job is to determine how to best position your firm, and then how to most effectively communicate your differentiation to your clients and prospects. Your job is to be a strategic marketer first and a staffing professional second.

It’s no small challenge. But the first step is to stop focusing on being in the staffing business, and start focusing on being a great marketer of staffing services.

I had a great conversation today with Eric Gregg, CEO of the Inavero Institute for Service Research.  Eric’s firm conducted a major study of staffing buyers to uncover some of the reasons why and how employers buy staffing services.

Among the findings was that those employers who were involved in multiple relationship-building activities (monthly contact, site visits, etc.) were significantly more likely to recommend their primary staffing firm.  In fact the “average willingness to recommend” increased by more than 50% as the number of contact points per month increased from 1 to 4.  (Download the report summary)

So what does this mean for you?  Great service is not enough! You need multiple channels of communication to nurture relationships, including calls, site visits, email and direct mail. Ideally, these communications will reinforce your value proposition, educate, add value, and help you nurture relationships. 

Hey, that exactly what we help staffing companies do!