Cold Calling

Hello All,

I recenltly had a 3 hour interview for a Corporate Recruiting posiiton and I was asked about my cold calling techniques. I gave my strong example and the Manager was not too thrilled. I have dome cold calling for years and have had results.

Can anyome tell me where I can get a good resource on cold calling techniques.

Thanks,
Recruiting Guru
Ray Colby

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on June 23, 2008 at 12:34pm

Did the manager give you any ideas about what he was looking for?
We had a discussion over on Sourcers Unleashed on the subject of how to cold call passive candidates (those truly not looking/thinking about another job – until YOU come along) with job opportunities and one naysayer stated why she doesn’t think people respond to cold calls regarding job opportunities:
“That is also why recruiters don't get a lot of Yes's when they speak to individuals.. and especially immediately, in the first call, and ESPECIALLY WITH PEOPLE THEY DON'T KNOW.”

I respectfully and wholeheartedly disagree and maintain that people DO speak to total strangers, and many times on “first calls”. I believe much of the success to this lies in the caller’s attitude and skill. Here’s one example:

Wendy Weiss, a New York sales trainer who specializes in what she prefers to describe as “introductory” calling, bills herself as the Queen of Cold Calling. “Most people know how to talk on the phone to friends, but they don’t know how to get a perfect stranger’s attention on the telephone,” she says. “Selling is a very specific communication skill. The more skilled you are, the better your results will be.”

Younge worked with Weiss to construct a new strategy for contacting potential customers. Younge now uses cold calls to set appointments for introductory meetings, and she’s made a crucial mental shift: Rather than assuming that she’s interrupting or bothering prospects, Younge acts and speaks as though she’s helping them do their jobs better. “Even if they don’t hire us, it’s still in their best interest to know what’s going on in the marketplace and what their competitors are doing,” she says. “People pick up on that authority and confidence in my voice and conclude that they want to hear what I have to say.”

Read the whole interesting article on COLD CALLING here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Permalink Reply by Ray Colby on June 23, 2008 at 1:36pm

Thank you Maureen for your advice on cold calling. I read the article and there is definitely some good tips.

I will not beable to attend the Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati, Ohio but I am interested in any seminars in Detroit, MIchigan.

Sincerely,
Ray Colby

Permalink Reply by Loretta on June 24, 2008 at 5:17pm

Hi Ray,

Unfortunately, we all sound the same when cold calling. Everyone leaves the same message and the person you are cold calling has become bored with the calls. Can you blame them? I found that if you truly want to excel at what you do and make people notice your style....attend a Morgan Consulting seminar and you will impress your co-workers, management and the person on the other end of the phone.

Permalink Reply by Jeff Weidner on June 24, 2008 at 6:44pm

Cold calling candidates or cold calling for client from a business development perspective?

Permalink Reply by Ray Colby on June 25, 2008 at 9:38am

Thanks Loretta for you feedback. I am interested in learning more about the Morgan Consulting seminar. I am assume they have a website.

Ray

Permalink Reply by Ian Millar on June 25, 2008 at 11:07am

I'd be interested in any cold calling webinars or seminars happening near Denver.

Permalink Reply by Ian Millar on June 25, 2008 at 11:31am

Ray, I have a good book that I keep on hand called "Cold Calling Techniques" by Stephen Schiffman. It's written for sales people, but many of his techniques are useful for recruiting.

Also, when I'm calling a candidate or prospect, I want to know everything I can find about them first. So, if I can get specific info about someone I think I'd like to hire, then I have more qualifiers for asking questions. Second, if I don't have a specific person, I want to know everything I can about the company or that office. Internet research, then phone research.

So, when I call, I know many of the answers already before I ask the questions.

Permalink Reply by Ray Colby on June 25, 2008 at 12:42pm

Ian,

Thank you so much for your input and strategy. I will get this book by Stephen Schiffman.

Ray

Permalink Reply by Ian Millar on June 25, 2008 at 1:23pm

It's a good book, and has been helpful to me. I bought it at Kinkos 9 years ago, I think they still carry it.

Permalink Reply by Scott Godbey on June 25, 2008 at 2:45pm

Ray,

All cold calls follow the pattern of: who I am, what I do, and what I can do for you. There aren't any magic words that will automatically gain a positive response. For you cold calls to be more effective I would recommend:

- Taking a few minutes between each call to rehearse what you are going to say to this specific person (i.e., don't pitch and run) so you sound confident and sincere.

- Focusing on building a relationship versus achieving a specific result. If you have a true desire to add value with your call, the results will follow naturally.

Scott Godbey

Permalink Reply by Mac on June 25, 2008 at 6:09pm

1)Best way to answer any query is to be very confident about what you mentioned in the resume.
2)Never under estimate yourself under any kind of pressure from the interviewer.
3)Be firm whatever you want to say to convince the employer if you feel positive.

Permalink Reply by Scott Love on June 25, 2008 at 10:18pm

Hi, Ray. I have some free resources on my site that address this issue. No charge to download a lot of the tools on there, and they definitely will help you with this. One free tool is a flow chart of the recruit call, a cold call with a passive candidate. This tool breaks down this call and shows you specifically how to take the call from one part of it to the next. The link is www.recruitingmastery.com/freedownloads.html.

Regarding cold calling, it's how I built my search practice and how I have trained so many other people to do the same. Yes, it's possible, but you can't pitch a job without knowing why someone will move. This is the cold call that most recruiters make:

"Hi, Jim. How are you today? (mistake: everyone asks how they are, like SALES PEOPLE. When you start your call this way, the other person is already starting to put up walls to keep you out).
I'm with Headhunters R Us and I'd like to pitch a job to you so you can join a company you've never heard of, in a city you've never been to, so I can get a fee. Are you interested?"

Don't pitch the opportunity. Instead, engage the candidate to uncover motives to move. Look for pushes and pulls. Look for those things that will push a candidate out of their company and pull them to somewhere else. Then, you can start to present an opportunity in a way that draws them to you in an authentic relationship.

Good luck!
Scott Love