How to Cold Call as a Personal Sales Executive

If you don’t think cold calling works in 2017, stop reading this article and get back to email. Cold calling still works BIG. Here’s why and how to make an effective cold call in staffing…

Depending on the industry you work for, cold calling will be more effective than others. For example, the industry I serve, Telecommunications, is made up of Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers ​​who are not afraid of human contact and conversation on the phone. This is how we grew up and this was the preferred method in the business world in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.

…Look at your industry and understand your target audience.

For cold calls to work, you have to believe that you will do it. You can’t have a shadow of a doubt in your mind before you pick up that phone. Get your mindset right and convince yourself that this will work.

What is the best way to open your call? Here is my pitch…

“Hi Peter, (never use Mr.’s last name), makes him seem subservient from the start. My name is x, with x company and our core competency is x,x,x. We work with x companies within our industry to help Can I be a resource to you from time to time?

That’s all! So SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP. I don’t care if there’s 20 seconds of awkward silence, awkward silence is good! I see and hear so many personal sales executives ramble on and talk about opportunities. Listen and listen more.

Let’s discuss my tone above. The first name sets a level playing field. Posture and positioning are critical in sales (read any Seth Godin book), especially in the recruiting and staffing business. Sharing core competency and customers immediately establishes relevance and credibility. This is also critical because most people’s attention span today is 1-2 seconds.

The word “qualified” says a lot. Hiring managers need quality. If you simply say we secure the resources, then you don’t separate yourself from other recruiters. If you dispute your “quality” claim, this is when you have it! Share success stories. Share what other customers tell you. This is powerful.

I use projects and direct contracting to make sure you understand that we cover both sides of the business and that we can be flexible with your business needs. Hiring managers love choice and flexibility.

My final question, “Can I be a resource to you from time to time?” It has been my ace up the sleeve. Very unthreatening and doesn’t make you look desperate. It makes the hiring manager think proactively, and if he’s smart, he’ll take it into account in case he needs it in the near future.