There is a general consensus among big billers that telephone marketing is THE KEY to their success.
And I think most of us who have a few years of recruitment experience acknowledge that fact. So, why do I constantly read about “alternative” (read that as “easier”) approaches to marketing?
Does our continuing love affair with all things electrical and computer-driven really help us that much? Or is it because we managers and educators have forgotten how to correctly teach our business? I think it is a combination of all of the above.
So, with this in mind, let’s look at how to build an effective marketing campaign and make successful telephone marketing calls.
The human voice
Some years ago, I read in a promotional piece that IDC put together to discuss new phone systems that “voice communication is, and will continue to be, the most valuable part of the communication ecosystem, especially in the enterprise. With all the hype surrounding convergence, content, mobility, and multimodality, the single most powerful application that unifies and clarifies all forms of communications is the sound of the human voice.”
The introduction continued: “With its ability to add context through tonal subtleties, plus the ability to glean feedback in real time, voice has an advantage that is practically unbeatable when compared to other forms of communication. When communicating with family and friends, voice is the first choice and provides an intimate sense of connection that cannot be conveyed in an email or IM session. For example, voice can relay concern from a grandparent or express the joy of a newfound relationship that goes beyond the meaning of the words used in the conversation. The demands on resources and time also amplify the value of a voice conversation.”
In recruiting, the subtleties achievable in voice communication allow us to establish rapport. That is, our clients and our candidates must like us, believe us, trust us, and understand us. Once that happens, we can influence their behavior. But keep this in mind . . . you can’t establish rapport through keystrokes.
No matter how often you tweet or how many folks write on your Facebook wall, the human voice wins every time!
Why market
A free economic marketplace is constantly correcting itself. While some companies fail, other companies will rise to take their place. Some win. Some lose.
And so we market on a daily basis to “vector in” on the winners because they are the ones that need our placement services. And often, we find some of our best candidates among the losers—the companies that are downsizing, experiencing lay-offs, or simply going out of business.
In a sluggish economy where there are more companies failing, big billers might double or triple their marketing activity to find the few companies that are flourishing. But they continue to find them!
Now, we can’t call everyone in the world, so the big billers figured out that you need to set parameters around your specialty—to delimit your niche. Since, no matter how “marketing challenged” we are, most of us can make 25 marketing calls in one eight-hour workday.
Now just multiply it out: 25 connects per day = 125 per week = 500 per month = 1,500 per quarter.
So 1,500 becomes the magic number.
Once we determine those 1,500 client contacts, we want to recycle these folks four times per year. Then, based on the 4% placement rule, we will place with 4% of the 1,500 or make 60 placements per year. Multiply that 60 by an average fee of $10,000 and you have your $600,000 yearly desk. Multiply that 60 by an average fee of $20,000 and you now have your $1,200,000 yearly desk.
It’s all in the numbers.
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Bob Marshall of TBMG International, founder of The Marshall Plan, has an extensive background in the recruiting industry as a recruiter, manager, vice president, president, consultant, and trainer. In 2015, Bob is celebrating his 35th year in the recruitment business. Marshall can be reached at bob@themarshallplan.org or at 770.898.5550. His website is www.themarshallplan.org.