Julia Weeks
There are so many different paths to approach sales in the staffing world. We no longer have to rely on rolodex and phones, but we also have a vast amount of other resources to help us get in front of potential clients.
In spite of the many different resources we have available to us, there are three things that still remain to be the key ingredients to a successful sales team in the industry.
1. Pick up the phone
No matter how helpful other resources are, the telephone is still our most valuable resource. Social media, email, and bulk emails are still excellent resources, but if your sales team is not constantly on the phones, you will not succeed.
A sales team, no matter the industry, cannot sit around and wait for clients to email or call them. As we all know, this is a sure fire way to fail in sales.
Yes, you must take advantage of all resources when reaching out to clients, but if you are not spending most of your time on the phone, you will lose a lot of existing and potential business.
Call potential clients. Try to get them in a real, live conversation and build a relationship with them. Verbal conversations will go a lot further when building relationships versus other forms of communications.
Likewise, call your existing clients. Check in with your clients on a monthly basis to check for customer satisfaction and any upcoming recruiting needs. Schedule reminders in your calendar once a month to call and touch base with your clients.
When you are taking the time to call and verbally communicate with clients, you are more apt to see new and repeat business from them.
2. Stay visible
When it comes to earning and maintaining a client’s business, you have to work hard at staying in front of those clients constantly in order for them to remember you.
When you are not calling potential and existing clients at least once a month to touch base, you will not be the one they think of when they have recruiting needs.
Keep in constant communication with clients by phone, social media, and emails. Don’t only reach out and ask for business, but make sure you are reaching out for other reasons. Perhaps you noticed an article online that was applicable to your client’s business. Use this opportunity to send your client a quick email with the article link, stating that you thought they might find it interesting.
Likewise, pick up the phone or send an email to your client around the holidays, to let them know that you wish them a happy holiday.
If your client is local, be sure to schedule face-to-face visits with your client. Meeting for a cup of coffee, lunch, or just dropping by the office to say hello will go a long way. Never underestimate face-to-face interaction when building and maintaining client relationships.
It’s important to stay visible to your clients as a caring and valuable colleague. When the time comes for your client to start hiring, the most visible recruiter will be the first one contacted.
3. Go after fillable jobs
Out of all of the things that will make a sales rep successful in the staffing industry, this is one of the top items.
Is your sales team going after fillable jobs? If your team is constantly receiving jobs that are never filled, but take hours of time in candidate searches, quality submissions that are turned down by the client, or general lack of client response, then you need to seriously take a look at the types of jobs and clientele your sales reps are going after.
Perhaps you have clients who are constantly searching for talent with specific skills that are rare to find. Think of solutions for your clients. Is training a possibility? If your client is not willing to make any adjustments in requirements, perhaps it’s time for you to consider the ROI of keeping your well compensated team on the search for this type of position. Sometimes, it’s simply time to stop beating a dead horse into the ground and move on to opportunities that you have a better chance of filling and being successful.
Make sure your sales reps are going after jobs that you are able to fill. If you have a history of not being able to fill certain positions, that’s a good sign that it’s time for you to look at other options and steer your team in a different direction.
When your sales team is bringing in fillable jobs, you have a better chance at being successful and growing your business.
What are some other things that sales reps should be sure to do in the staffing industry? Please share your suggestions below.
Image: Jakub Jirsak/BigStock.com
Josh Tolan
