I received quite a few emails and comments from last week’s blog (August 4th “Tough Love on Temporary Staffing Cold Calling Practices”). This is certainly an area of passion, opinions and familiarity for a number of agencies and clients and I thank all who shared their experiences and comments. Looks like many are primed for change.

The viewpoints over cold calling vary greatly depending on whether you’re the one calling or being called. For some it’s a necessity of business and to others it’s become a nuisance. Unfortunately, the parties at opposite ends of this spectrum are the ones who have the potential to become business partners and in essence, need each other.

Although there are other strategies for agencies to use in reaching out to potential clients, my focus here is on the calling strategies currently practiced and moving toward more effective methods for all concerned. The reality of the situation does place the burden to find a better way on the one dialing the phone, since they’re initiating contact without invitation. Working from this point, the call must immediately be:

* Genuine
* Brief and to the point
* Value adding
* Professional

When any of these basic elements are missing from the caller’s opening statements, a potential client is going to lose focus and interest rather quickly, if not instantly. Realize too, especially in this market, cold calling by staffing agencies has ramped up to an all time high and turned desk phones into  frenemies (friend/enemy). HR and managers are becoming less and less tolerant because of the sheer volume and redundancy by staffing agencies.

Agency reps calling must know their audience. They must be able to directly relate with human resource professionals and managers answering these calls. Consider your level of insight and understanding in this area and, if necessary, expand your knowledge. Sharpened company budgets have sharpened how organizations are defining “value for service”. Bars have been reset all over the place and will stay there. You must know what HR and company managers who oversee staffing for their organizations are looking for now, and that includes how you’re approaching them with your initial contact.

As I discuss this topic and build on my presentation from last week, it’s essential to know what not to do on a cold call about temporary staffing, so here’s my list. These tactics are turning potential clients off and sending them up, up and away (often permanently). Avoid them at all costs.

1. Call too often. (If a prospective client says “No Thank You”, then don’t keep calling them. If they say it’s OK to keep them on your list and check in periodically, be respectful and don’t stalk, especially with voicemail messages. Periodically to me, means once every four to six months. If a potential client doesn’t call you back, they’re not interested. It’s best to then just mail your business card to them as a final reminder and move on. Hounding makes your agency look 1) too aggressive, 2) desperate for business and 3) inconsiderate.  None of this will attract a client.)

2. Leave a voice mail message with only your  first name, no last name and no company name. (This is extremely unprofessional. Any business to business call warrants that you leave your full name and company name. This isn’t about a play date. It’s business. When you leave only “This is Susie” it’s going to be viewed as either terribly unsavvy or a ploy. Neither work in a good way.)

3. Name drop, as if referred. (Don’t’ use another employee’s name, especially a more senior employee’s name (i.e., Mr. Smith, CFO) and say something like “I was referred to you by Mr. Smith” or “I was speaking with Mr. Smith’s office and they told me to call you.”. Often, the “referring employee” is simply transferring the call within the company to someone more appropriate to handle it. The situation should not be made to sound otherwise.)

4. Not accepting a “No Thank You”. (If a client has said they’re not interested, accept the answer with professionalism and don’t call others in the department in search of an open door. When it’s discovered, it causes ill will. If you’re getting turned down, it means you have to rethink your approach and go with something more effective what will get this client’s attention in the right way.)

5. The Wonderful World of . . . (Many agency reps that cold call, make a presentation that comes across as . . . “Look at me, look at my agency. We’re wonderful. Hire us. We’re wonderful. Meet with me. We’re wonderful. You’re going to love us. We’re wonderful.”

OK, I’m exaggerating to make a point. It has to be about what an agency can do for a client and not about the agency saying how wonderful they are. Make the call about the client. When you demonstrate that you can do that, you improve your chances that the client will continue listening and become interested. Prove your agency is adept at making a presentation and you’ll instill more confidence in what you have to offer. Poor presentations and cold calls plant seeds of uncertainty. )

6. Communicating in a way that’s just not real. (Despite having made the same pitch hundreds and hundreds of times it needs to sound natural and sincere, not like a radio commercial, scripted or patronizing. Clients want the initial call to be brief, but they also want an authentic discussion. Launching the call with “Hi, (fill in name), how’s your day going today?” is a real show stopper. Clients are busy and want to get to the reason for a call.)

7. Pitching to established clients as if they’re a new “lead”. (I can’t stress this one enough. Talk about a big “DIS”! When I’ve been an agency’s client for years and get a call out of the blue by someone at the same agency who’d love to tell me about their agency and what they can offer me, it’s really bad form. I understand that it’s a “mere administrative slip up”, but those lists need to be checked, scrubbed, polished and sealed with a kiss before they’re given out as “leads”. An agency can’t be too careful in this area. It’s not only a turn off, it makes the agency look disorganized since one department doesn’t’ check with another. If this is happening, it’s time to rework the internal system.)

8. Expect a “sale”. (A cold call is an opportunity to make an introduction to a potential client. Expecting a “sale” or to “sign and send” temporary employees to a client is missing the mark entirely. This is about building a relationship as a business partner. Potential clients need to know what your agency is about and why it will be an effective staffing resource. An agency must demonstrate that they have a skilled ability to understand their client companies and their unique needs. The fundamentals must be in place before any agency can begin to talk about how they can deliver for a client. In other words, “How can you offer solutions when you don’t even know what my problems are?”

I frequently hear agencies say “We now your industry”. I would add caution to that point because it can spell ‘One size fits all”. As a client, that’s just the start. I want to hear that an agency treats each of their client companies as unique. That uniqueness is what makes a company successful and they pride themselves for it. What works at one company in my industry, may not work as well at my company. I don’t want to be lumped in with “my industry”. I get a little twitchy when an agency touts that statement too much. It might mean they’re not going to pay attention to the details about my individual company and specific needs. Highlight that while you “know an industry very well”, it’s only a beginning point since every company has distinctions and particular needs of its own, which you pay close attention to.)

9. Not being prepared to answer questions with proficiency. (I feel it’s fair game to ask questions during a cold call. Any agency statements need solid back up with examples. The agency rep calling must be very knowledgeable about their agency and offerings with a clear ability to hold discussions off the script, should questions be asked.

Some typical questions I’ll ask during a cold call are: “Why are your temp candidates the best?”, “Can you share some details about why your testing is more thorough?”, “Exactly what makes you one of the top agencies covering my industry?”, or “ You say your clients are all the most prestigious companies in my industry, can you name a few?”. These are just typical questions to routine claims being made by cold callers. Clear, meaningful and detailed answers will carry weight.

One of the most popular statements by agency cold callers is that “We’re different than the rest.” When I hear that, I like to ask why and frequently the answer just isn’t well supported or significant. Weak answers to a client’s questions do more harm than good and quickly discredit the strength of the agency. Anyone calling a client must be well prepared and knowledgeable.)

10. “Wanting something” and not offering something. (One of the root problems with a cold call is that the person phoning is “wanting something” from the potential client. For one thing, make the call easy for the listener. It’s the caller’s job to do the work, not the listener. Next, provide a gain for the listener to engage their attention and create interest. Agencies possess a wealth of knowledge, but many don’t use it to their advantage. They don’t share their knowledge with clients. Clients continually seek information. This has been, is and will always be a huge opportunity to open new doors, and deepen existing client relationships. It transports the agency from “order filler” to valued resource. Give serious thought to this area and develop some informational based strategies.)