How to make an authentic connection every time you call
Nobody likes getting a cold call, and frankly nobody wants to make a cold call either.
We live in a world where quantity can be valued more than quality, but our team firmly believes in making authentic connections and we have built our recruiting software around this very concept.
Our colleague Jennifer wrote the following blog on best practices for connecting with candidates on LinkedIn, and with the new release of our Click-to-Dial feature, we thought we’d revive these thoughtful tips with more ways to connect with your VIPs.
In today’s error of mass messaging via LinkedIn Recruiter, how do you get a potential candidate to open your message…blog.loxo.co
Cold calling is a big part of a recruiter or account executive’s day and our integrated Call Queue with Click-to-Dial was built so that our users could spend less time calling, and more time connecting.
A great rule of thumb when cold calling top talent or key hiring managers is to expect the unexpected.
As you plan your day and schedule your calls (…err connections) this fall, level up with the following tips.
5 Tips to Warm Up Your Cold Calling Efforts
1. Change your “always be closing” mantra into “always be connecting”
If you are in sales, you can’t help but think about your bottom line. We get it. Whether we like to admit it or not, the recruiting profession is a numbers game and your livelihood depends on the number of quality connections you make.
But don’t forget about “quality” when you are meeting your “quantity” quotas. Even if you are using a script to remain consistent and include important details, building a genuine interest in and listening to your connection will impact the value you bring to your candidate or client. Understanding their motivations, and being just as enthusiastic about their “no,” will lead you to a “yes,” down the road.
If you are making an authentic connection every time, you will talk to a lot of people that end up not being a good fit for a role — regardless of how perfect their resume seemed initially. This is not a waste of time if you are connecting because those candidates are great fits for opportunities down the road.
Remember your conversations, take copious notes, bring up those details in your future WARM calls. Remember, if you are always connecting, you will surely continue to close as well.
2. Spend more time planning
Create a targeted list of candidates and contacts, then group your calls together. If you are recruiting, build your list of top candidates and group them by job req, location, skill set or the like. If you are an account executive, group your calls by industry, which skill sets those companies hire for, or a region.
Why does this matter? If you talk about the same opportunity or candidate over and over again, you become more comfortable with your information and what you have to offer. This also means you can spend more time asking meaningful questions and actually getting to know a human versus their LinkedIn profile.
It goes back to the old adage, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. A well thought out call list for tomorrow, means more authentic connections, better productivity and a stronger bottom line. Always.
3. Know your connection before you call them
LinkedIn has forever changed your capacity to connect with people outside of your immediate network. You can request a connection to someone and send a short introduction with your value props, before you ever even talk with them.
Need something else to talk about? You can learn all about your connection’s interests and passions just by spending a few more minutes reading about their background. Now when you call, you can connect on a personal and professional level. For tips on connecting via LinkedIn, see Jennifer’s blog above.
4. Become a consultant on your first call
You might be a recruiter or an account executive, but knowing the ins and outs of your industry will set you apart from someone who is following the status quo. To be the best (read: and make the most money), you should know more than your scripts, your job reqs and your most placable candidates.
Become the go-to on your market’s top companies. Know and be able to explain hiring statistics for your industry. Be able to confidently pass along advice on how to win in an interview. Be a thought leader on team building and navigating professional relationships. If your candidates and clients think of you as the market expert, and not just someone who pitches them on a job every month or so; they will go to you for advice, updates, and you will most definitely be their first call when they are ready to move or hire.
5. Leave a voicemail and follow up
Whether or not this seems obvious, you would be surprised how many recruiters hang up the phone when they hear a voice recording. It’s almost as if you’re back in junior high school calling your crush, until you realize they might actually pick up the phone, which seems like the appropriate time to then slam the phone down and prevent a conversation from ever happening. Not cool.
One — leave a voicemail and two — follow up. Find a tool that allows you to pre-record voicemails so that you don’t even have to think about this or spend extra time doing it. Introduce yourself and your value prop, leave a number, move on.
Some of the best sales people in the world are winners because they relentlessly do one thing differently. They follow up. And the good news? When you follow up, your second call will be a bit warmer than the first.
Perhaps this goes without saying but… don’t be annoying. Be polite, professional and grateful for your connection’s time. 8o percent of sales are closed after the seventh touch point. That’s right, you might make seven authentic connections with one person before they are even willing to work with you! Keep on, keepin’ on.
If making cold calls still stresses you out, perhaps the big picture will provide some comfort. Our world wouldn’t be what it is today if sales teams didn’t pick up the phone and introduce themselves and their products or services.
Your value prop? You are in-the-know on some killer opportunities that are considered dream jobs for many. If you don’t make the first call and continue to build trust with your connections before you present an opportunity, everyone could be missing out.
You are a very important person in the hiring equation and while recruiting is a numbers game, making authentic connections separates you from anyone just going through the motions.
Have more tips on connecting? Help your recruiting industry peers level-up. Tweet with us @lox_o or email support@loxo.co to learn more.