Warming Up Your Contract Staffing Cold Calls

With email and social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.), there are plenty of ways to reach clients these days. However, many recruiters find that nothing works quite as well as the old fashioned phone call.

Volumes have been written on how to make cold calls and how to motivate yourself to make them, but we haven’t seen much that helps recruiters who are specifically trying to make contract placements. So here a few tips to get your contract staffing cold calls started in the right direction.

1. Make Sure You Are Talking to the

Right Person.

It used to be that recruiters always went to hiring managers for contract job orders. That appears to be changing as contractors become a more constant fixture at many companies, which are building blended workforce models around them as part of a long-term business strategy.

Many companies, especially larger organizations, are putting the Human Resources Department (HR) in charge of ALL talent acquisition, including contracting. This includes approving vendors for contract job orders, so you won’t get far without HR at these companies.

2. Be a Problem Solver.

You have probably heard that you should listen more than you talk during a cold call. That goes double for contract staffing cold calls. Find out what obstacles the companies are encountering and then recommend contract staffing to solve those problems when it makes sense.

DETERMINE IF THERE IS A NEED FOR CONTRACTORS:

Do you have a special project or critical deadline?

Do you have a backlog you can’t address due to budget issues?

Are you concerned about potential tax risks associated with 1099 independent contractors (ICs)?

Do you want to evaluate a candidate’s skills prior to offering direct?

3. Not All Calls Have to be Cold.

Remember, 80% of a recruiters’ contract staffing business comes from their existing direct hire clients. Are all of your clients aware of your contract staffing services? If not, it may be time to catch up.

Contract staffing is also a great way to address a client’s fear of a direct hire commitment. If they are unsure of a candidate, you can allow them to try the person on a contract-to-direct basis. They can then evaluate the candidate’s skills and knowledge on the job.

4. Follow up.

If you have marketing materials dedicated to your contract staffing services, now is the time to use them. You can mail or email them to your prospects to remind them about your discussion and what you can provide them.

Looking for more tips for getting started with contract staffing? Let us help! Request our Quick Start Guide here.

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