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 How can I gain a prosprective clients attention...
Author:IT Recruiter
Date:Thursday, 5th Jun 2008 15:45
Views:1,621 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

When he gets 20 calls a day from agencies?

I have spoken to one of the sales managersat this organisation, I need to speak with the IT manager.

The sales manager was sympathetic but said that due to the volume of recruiters calling he is not taking any calls at all!!

HELP!!

Thanks

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Graham White
Date:Thursday, 5th Jun 2008 16:13
Views:227 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

IT Recruiter,

Why do you want to talk to him?

If you have a candidate that you wish to introduce, speak to the candidate, get permission and send the IT Manager a letter profiling the candidate. If it is a good candidate and the IT Manager needs someone like him/her they willl give you a call I'm sure.

Works often for me.

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Phil
Date:Thursday, 5th Jun 2008 16:42
Views:219 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

I normally lie through my teeth to get through the person I need to - Say your a family member or something... (works every time for me).

You need to be extra shrewd, confident and humble when you get through to the person you need, plus you need to do as much as you can to get past the little deception, so you can start speaking about your candidate(s) straight away.

Its risky and it takes practice, but I cant recall the last time it didnt work for me.

TIP: If you lie to get through, and when you get through, the client flips, make sure you have not told them your name, this way, if the client is ticked off, you can pretend to be one of your cometitors, meaning the client will be annoyed with your competitor, not you.


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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Bootlace
Date:Friday, 6th Jun 2008 08:39
Views:222 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

- Find out their name and use it
- When asked who you are just say your first name "It's Peter" - that way it implies you know them.
- Call at lunchtime or before 9 or after 5.30 to avoid gatekeepers
- Ask for the post room and when put through say "I'm sorry, I was after so & so" and ask to be put through.
- Ask people what his direct line number is.
- Call an office of the company abroad and say you've been trying to get hold of so & so urgently in the UK but can't get through & ask for his mobile number.

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Bob
Date:Friday, 6th Jun 2008 09:57
Views:235 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

I particularly like the one where I pretend to be calling from a trade magazine or something along those lines in order ot gather names or get through to the right person

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Flash
Date:Friday, 6th Jun 2008 11:29
Views:201 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

Always a good tip, make your voice sound very fed up when you call and ask to be put through, and give away as little info as possible, they generally won't challenge you if you sound like your going to be a pain in the backside and this works for me most of the time. Also call very early or very late to avoid the gatekeepers.

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Liz
Date:Friday, 6th Jun 2008 15:25
Views:251 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

I love the postroom one Bootlace - think I'll be using that.

If asked why I'm calling I always just say 's/he knows me' in a slightly annoyed voice and it generally works. If challenged I just say I've called before, don't they remember...

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Doug
Date:Monday, 9th Jun 2008 14:36
Views:285 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

Get through to your POC on the back of trying to get a reference for someone who used to work there..

The best way to prevent the GK from giving you the default answer of "all our references go through HR" is to tell the GK quite pointedly that if you dont actually speak to your POC in the next five minutes, the candidate wont get the job (make sure you sound angry).... Most GKs (except the complete beaches) dont want to be the reason why an ex colleaague wouldnt get the job so put you through...

Another one, which works some of the time is to just say your surname is the same surname of the person your trying to get through to... Works with some of the younger GK's, the old moody ones though are wiser.


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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Me
Date:Monday, 9th Jun 2008 15:27
Views:215 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

Bootlace has it in one; all the correct protocall and should generally work. Although i find the same as Flash, act annoyed and grumpy, be short and sharp, always works. If all else fails you can try and sweetalk your way in, i just call back in as many different accents as i can, they never guess.

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:annashawassociates
Date:Tuesday, 10th Jun 2008 16:25
Views:247 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

Replying to what Phil wrote and few others on this forum: "I normally lie through my teeth to get through the person I need to - Say your a family member or something... (works every time for me).

You need to be extra shrewd, confident and humble when you get through to the person you need, plus you need to do as much as you can to get past the little deception, so you can start speaking about your candidate(s) straight away.

Its risky and it takes practice, but I cant recall the last time it didnt work for me.

TIP: If you lie to get through, and when you get through, the client flips, make sure you have not told them your name, this way, if the client is ticked off, you can pretend to be one of your cometitors, meaning the client will be annoyed with your competitor, not you."

I run a marketing agency, but started in recruitment quite a few years ago - running the marketing department in one of the agencies. Frankly, it makes me sick reading these kind of comments. This is what gives marketing and telemarketing such a bad odour!!!! What - integrity never counts in this industry any more?! I have a team of telemarketers working on different assignments and we get results without lying through the teeth!!!

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Phil
Date:Tuesday, 10th Jun 2008 17:30
Views:219 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

AnnaShawAssocitaes

You sound like a glorified resourcer to me - had a look at your website, and you do the things I would get my resourcers to do - soft selling, Database cleansing, popluating a database etc etc - I pay mine £6 an hour... I reckon you charge more....

The original poster asked for advice about a very tough client to break into and the advice I (and everyone else given gave) was based on experience, not ideolgy - Specifically, the original poster asked how to break a tough client. Typically, these are the people who are the ones that were going to make money out of, and, as it always is the case are the hardest to get through to.

The conventional methonds that I expect you employ do get results but with the hard to hit parts of the market, I reckon (like all resourcers) you would struggle - this is why you reasourcers get paid £12k, and why consultants get paid 100k a year.

If you are that naive to think that when people like me call difficult to crack clients, we operate in a cowboyish "happy-go-lucky" way, you really are dense and you should abandon your resourcer business - I am wildly intuitive when it comes to my business, yes, I am playfull, yes I am agressive, yes I lie through my teeth but do you know what - it works and it works well, time and time again -

I wish it was more black and white, and by just being nice to people, trying hard and being professional you can suceed... realistically its not like that, especially in recruitment my dea, which is why we get paid so much ££ because its a slog, a fight and hard work... and sometimes, we have to lie through our teeth... .


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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:IT Recruiter
Date:Tuesday, 10th Jun 2008 17:35
Views:243 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

I have to also say I was hoping for something more inventive than 'tell lies'.

That is not the way my agency works and it is frowned upon here.

Thanks anyway, and if you are one of the 20 other agencies calling....... good luck to you!

IT Recruiter.

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Me
Date:Tuesday, 10th Jun 2008 22:05
Views:242 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

In reply to annashawassociates

I do understand the point you raise, and i do feel that some of the above posts, including my own; are on the very edge of acceptableness on cold calling strategies. As outlined by a few in here there are some very solid and basic techniques that can be implemented to ensure a very high chance of reaching the decision maker.
Never the less, that’s not to say that other methods cant be tried. As you well know having worked in the industry yourself, its fantastically frustrating hitting a brick wall every time you reach the same gate keeper on reception who will never have any intention of putting you through, and will inevitably fobb you off with a generic e-mail which is always automatically deleted after a day anyway. Worse still in this case you reach the decision maker who is again very un-receptive because of all the rubbish they receive all day every day: at this point of course you would be failing due to your own incompetence’s and lack of understandings of client needs and wants and where you fit in, if you cant get that bit right then you will of course need to re-think your whole approach .
In any case, I have full sympathy for the IT recruiter who started this threat and would never begrudge anyone passing out advice, ‘on the edge’ or otherwise.

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Flash
Date:Wednesday, 11th Jun 2008 09:10
Views:226 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

What could be more inventive than lies, IT Recruiter?

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Jacko
Date:Wednesday, 11th Jun 2008 10:50
Views:223 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109


If you tell a big lie to get through you better be very, very good (which no offence if you're asking this question on here you're probably not yet) You will need know exactly what you're talking about and have something worth saying right off the bat. Decison makers want you off the phone anyway - catching you in blatant fib gives them the perfect excuse to shitcan you and many will be genuinely offended. This being said If you have tried everything else and still no dice then maybe you should lie - the competition will.

Look at it this way, if you work in IT rec then you have at some point lied if only by ommission. Maybe you implied you know the decision maker personally, are returning their call or said that they would know what it's regarding when they wouldn't. It could be any one of a hundred things but you've done it on a small scale already. Ethics aren't the real question here you're comfort levels with the size of porky and handeling the fall out if confronted in the lie are.

Try everything else first, be honest and direct using this approach tought (here) by Warren Kemp although I've heard variations by IT rec specific trainers such as Gavin Ingham et al.

Session 7 from Warren Kemps sales training 'getting past the gatekeeper' - although the rest aren't bad either.
http://www.futuraconsultants.com/podcast_download.php

No lies. just a solid, basic understanding of the process coupled with an assumptive, direct approach.

Ironically the decision makers with the rockweilers for Pa's can often turn out to be pushovers once you actually get through to them - that's why they have the rockweilers.

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Me
Date:Wednesday, 11th Jun 2008 11:53
Views:261 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

Hope this helps:
http://www.gaviningham.com/2007/09/21/cold-calling-tips-for-getting-through-to-the-decision-maker/

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:annashawassociates
Date:Wednesday, 11th Jun 2008 15:39
Views:219 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

Hi,

There are some good points on Gavin Ingham site recommended by 'Me' above, but all this is especially needed to be backed by experience of continuos calling (telemarketing or telesales, however you prefer to call it) - as then you are 'fluent' on the phone and can handle any situation arising. A lot of the times our clients try telemarketing themselves and they might not be good at this, their gifting/talent may be in a different area, like sourcing and interviewing candidates, fast response, presentation to the client or even client handling, etc, other things to telemarketing. Telemarketing takes a lot of perserverance and patience. It can be very frustrating at times, but you need to look positive and see it as a challenge (that works if you see challenges as something great to accomplish and get over!) Sometimes it's better to have someone else do it rather than yourself, especially if you are good at a different kind of job. When we work with recruiters we see it as a cooperation. We as telemarketers, need to be good enough to get vacancies in, but this is only a part, the rest is up to the recruiter to get candidates in and place them to stay and that can be a real challenge! So I say BRAVO to those who have a good conversion rate!

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Me
Date:Wednesday, 11th Jun 2008 17:19
Views:222 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

I do agree with you on this line, as i too feel that conversational skills are vital in not only gaining access to business but also in portraying yourself as a company, generally as a first point, success ways heavily on the telesales person. I suppose it all comes down to hammering the phone, keeping a professional attitude to it all, and most importantly staying hard nosed. Its too easy to get aggravated by the whole thing, again at this point i would forgive anyone being inventive in there approach. I don’t pretend to know everything and there is always something else to learn. All i can say is i wish the IT recruiter good luck, stick at it and keep your head up,,, hell i now have accounts with clients i first contacted over a year ago :)

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Justin
Date:Thursday, 12th Jun 2008 09:29
Views:221 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

There are many, many other ways of getting through to a decision maker. If you are smart you will be different, and that will get you through.

If you can find an employee of your contact on a database register them and it gives you a perfect legitimate reason to call asking for a reference.

Drop in at the clients premises with a cv and ask to speak to them.

Create an industry focused questionnaire which will benefit your client.

Find out if your client goes to any networking events, if so go to them too.

Spend 6 weeks dropping off a newspaper and a croisant for your contact on the same day each week. Each week enclose ONE piece of information regarding a specific candidate, piece of industry news etc.

Cold calling is incredibly important, but it is hardly the only way to get in touch with someone. I have had success using all of the above methods with different sectors and types of clients. Be imaginative and it will set you apart from all the robots.

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:IT Recruiter
Date:Thursday, 12th Jun 2008 09:53
Views:234 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

Thanks Justin,

Those are some good ideas, do they work often?

IT Recruiter

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 Re: How can I gain a prosprective clients attentio
Author:Justin
Date:Thursday, 12th Jun 2008 10:09
Views:198 (excluding Digests and RSS feeds)
Category:Other
URL:http://web.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum/Forum/read.php?i=100109

ITRecruiter

Nothing works all the time. That's why you need as many different tactics as you can get your hands on.

I targeted 20 key clients that I wasn't working with for the newspaper tactic, and at the end of 6 weeks I had vacancies from 2.

I then proceeded to make a lot of fees from one of those people for a very low advertising cost and some leg work.

I also got several others on board later on in the year following a mix of other bits and pieces.

Don't be afriad to be a bit different. One of the best sales people I know used to slip into every conversation that he had size 12 feet. I couldn't get my head around it but everyone he spoke to remembered him.

If your guy is getting 20 calls a day that all sound the same you need to be the person he remembers, this means you need to stand out, both in terms of your approach and the level of service you offer.

If you do get through you need to remember that you have only got over the first hurdle, and getting your first fee from him is only the third. Really succesful consultants cultivate a stable of contacts that give them 3 or 4 good fillable vacancies a year.

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