Cold calling in recruitment is still the most effective way to reach out to new leads and get appointments. Learn how you can do it as effectively as possible.
Although many of you might think that cold calling is long gone, you will be surprised to hear that there are still many recruiters who regularly apply this strategy. Yes, employee recruitment has become easier than ever with networks like LinkedIn, but there is still room for recruitment cold calls. This practice is especially important for new recruiters as many of them start their career with no clients. In other cases, cold calling is what happens when sales slow down.
If you have decided to incorporate cold calling into your strategy, you should have an effective plan in place in order to be successful. If you fail to make a good first impression, then you might lose the best talent on the market.
Here are some steps you can take to step up your cold calling game in a professional and effective way.
What Should Every Recruiter Do Before the Cold Call?
The purpose of your call.
As a recruiter, you should know what’s the purpose of your call and what is it that you’re trying to accomplish. Is your objective to present a candidate? Or is to fill a vacancy?
Use a script.
If it’s of any help, you can use a script to guide you throughout the cold calling process. The script might lead to a better structure of your conversation and help you achieve your goal. The more cold calls you make, the less you’ll have to rely on a script. In no time, you’ll be able to improvise around it.
Do proper research.
What’s more, you should always conduct proper research of the person you’ll be talking to or the company. If it’s a person you’ll be communicating with, you should learn their background and interests and put your best effort to find a common ground. If you’re calling a company, it’ll be useful to put your investigative skills on and find out everything that’s worth knowing. This might include discovering the company’s values, getting an insight into the current situation of the company, and getting a clear idea of the nature of their services.
Present a few candidates.
It would be beneficial to know whether the company has any open job positions. If so, be ready to present them with a few candidates that you know will be a great asset to the company. Knowing therefore in advance what the company is looking for would always give you an edge. Stay up-to-date with their social media posts, their website, and even the local newspaper.
Keep an open mind.
Last but not the least, always begin your cold calling with an open mind and a positive approach. You’re a knowledgeable recruiter who is going to succeed at each call.
What Should Every Recruiter Do During the Cold Call?
Have a great opener.
Your most time-consuming task will probably be developing a good opening sentence. A good opening sentence can inspire others to respond in a positive way. You’ll have around 60 seconds to make an impression and persuade your co-speaker to work with you. A single sentence will give your co-speaker a reason to move toward or away from collaborating with you. In communication, you should strive to use the right words and sentences at the right time. This can inspire and intrigue the people you’re communicating with.
What are some good opening sentences? You can start by saying: “I’m calling in response to your need for a front-end developer. I have a very suitable candidate who I think will be a great asset to your company.” Or, you can say: “I reviewed your profile and noticed that you were on the lookout for an experienced content marketer and I believe I have the ideal candidate for you and your company”.
The art of the brag.
Have you ever heard about the art of the brag? It’s a subtle and effective way of selling yourself (or your company) without turning off those you’re trying to impress. However, you should avoid overdoing it or embellishing your accomplishments. Instead, you should be yourself, present your achievements in an engaging way, and let the conversation flow naturally.
Stop talking.
After you’ve delivered your introduction and stated the reason for cold calling, it’s time to stop talking. You’ve piqued their interest and now it’s their turn to engage. Expect to be asked a few questions and be prepared beforehand to respond. You can easily manage the questions if you do thorough research of the company/individual before the call.
Be engaging.
To keep the discussion going, you should put an effort to create an engaging conversation. As we’ve mentioned before, read up beforehand on the main subjects being discussed and be as concise in your speaking as possible. Demonstrating some knowledge can enable you to chat about any topic without appearing uninformed.
How Should a Recruiter End the Cold Call?
The idea of a cold call is to give your prospect enough information to intrigue him so that he’ll want to hear more from you in an upcoming meeting. Don’t make the mistake of trying to close the sale during the cold call. Instead, your goal should be to schedule an appointment with the prospect. The meeting can be face-to-face, or it may be a virtual meeting or a lengthier phone call.
The second impression is always as important as the first one. So if you told someone you’ll contact them soon, do so. If you promised to send them further information about a candidate, do it quickly.
People and good communication are what recruitment is all about.
Do you have any more tips? Please share them in the comments section below.
Additional Reading: Top Benefits Of Networking For Recruiters
