An Employer cold call is not about getting a Yes. Now this statement might surprise you, but if you’re all about that yes, you’re going to set yourself up for disappointment.
What you need to focus on are these three things:
1. Creating awareness
You, your job service provider and jobseekers can't be the best-kept secret. So, you need to tell them, “hey there, my name is Megan and I'm from MatchWorks and this is what we do.” Because if they don't know about what you do, they're not going to hire from you. The more conversations you have, and awareness you spread about who you are, and what you do, the more opportunities you will create for your jobseekers.
2. Building Relationships
It's critical to be building relationships with these employers. What I did, when I made employer cold calls in the past, was connect with the employer on LinkedIn. I've still got employers on my LinkedIn right now that I used to do business with years ago. I built a relationship with them, I offered them value, and I stayed in touch. I said hello out of the blue, reminding them, “hey I'm here and this is what I do, I work in employment services, I help people into work, if you ever need that service, I've got it, with a pool of candidates ready to go. And guess what? It's for free and doesn't cost you anything and I could even offer you a cash incentive to hire some people from us!” Building relationships doesn't only have to be done through LinkedIn, but can be done via email, phone or face to face.
3. Gathering Information
Spend this time doing research. Who is who? How do they do their recruitment? Are they growing? Are they firing? Are they expanding? Have they worked with a disability employment provider before? Have they had a bad experience? It's great to understand where you stand when you're making those calls. Don’t make the phone call all about you, but ask good questions to find out about how you may be able to help them either now, or later on.
And finally, if they are hiring, a call should be about setting an appointment. Say, "Hey, I'm going to be in your area next week. I will drop by and say hello.” Or ask to send your jobseeker to see them. Set a job interview. If you can’t leave the office, get on skype or zoom. But if you’re camera shy, a phone call will do.
A cold call should be that simple. Don’t put the pressure on yourself for instant results. Work on the long-term gain. But don’t forget to always follow up, because that’s where the magic happens.
By Rana Kordahi
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