Client Telephone Approach

[Chrisdog]

Hello to everybody!
As I have been working in this sector for a while (care recruitment agencies) and I was fed up with illegal things done by some of them, I have decided to give it a try.
I am asking for an advice regarding the approach, the situation is this:
I know a Care Home that has big staffing problems and they urgently need at least 3/4 employees. I have 3 possible recruits for them with a little bit of experience.
What is the best approach to convince the manager? Should I go for the fact that I know they've got problems? Because I know I cannot say things about reputation or related to it due to the fact that the company is relatively new.
Thank you all

 

[Ashley_Price]

Sorry, are you asking whether you should make the care home aware that they having staffing issues?

 

[Chrisdog]

Sorry, are you asking whether you should make the care home aware that they having staffing issues?

I know they have staff issues from a few employees. I wonder if this a roght approac, saying that I know they have this issue, being under staff.

 

[Ashley_Price]

No, I don't believe this is the right way to go about it.

By all means say something generic along those lines: "We are aware homes in your area are having staffing issues" (at the end of the day, I should think it would be a very rare home that didn't have problems), but I wouldn't state it as a fact the specific home has issues.

You should never be negative about a prospective customer's business practices.

 

[Chrisdog]

No, I don't believe this is the right way to go about it.

By all means say something generic along those lines: "We are aware homes in your area are having staffing issues" (at the end of the day, I should think it would be a very rare home that didn't have problems), but I wouldn't state it as a fact the specific home has issues.

You should never be negative about a prospective customer's business practices.

Most of them have problems but they have bigger problems lately as 4 out of 8 permanent members of staff decided to leave. Anyway, thank you for you advice, but I have made the call before reading it and I went for the fact that we have been collaborating when I was working for a different company. He said straight forward - not interested...dissapointing first call!

 

[Ashley_Price]

Did he say "Not interested" before you told him you knew he had staffing problems?

 

[Chrisdog]

I did not had the chance to say about staffing problems. I said something with the effect of " I know you and your business because I was recruting for another agency you used to work with and due to a good relation that we had with you I want to keep you as a client". After that I said that my company offers permanent and temporary recruitment, and he said - not interested.

 

[ethical PR]

He must have thought it was a strange call. You call him saying you want to keep him as a client - when you never had him as a client - the agency you used to work for did. No wonder he said he wasn't interested.

Surely if you have worked in recruitment managing client accounts, you should know how to approach potential clients?

 

[Chrisdog]

He must have thought it was a strange call. You call him saying you want to keep him as a client - when you never had him as a client - the agency you used to work for did. No wonder he said he wasn't interested.

Surely if you have worked in recruitment managing client accounts, you should know how to approach potential clients?

Maybe you are right. I was working in this field not aproaching clients but recruting people. Esspecially foreigners and I was dealing with their documents, trainings and transport. I know it may be very difficult but I said to myself I will give it a try.

 

[NickGrogan]

You want to improve recruitment and so you lied to a potential client on your first call?

Great start.

 

[Scott@KarmaContent]

With the greatest of respect to the OP, if you're asking these sorts of questions, you're not ready to set up on your own as a recruiter.

As I have been working in this sector for a while (care recruitment agencies)

I what capacity have you been working in this sector?

 

[Chrisdog]

You want to improve recruitment and so you lied to a potential client on your first call?

Great start.

Why do think I lied him? Not telling him that I know from 2 employees/ future former employees, does not mean I lied to him.

 

[Chrisdog]

With the greatest of respect to the OP, if you're asking these sorts of questions, you're not ready to set up on your own as a recruiter.



I what capacity have you been working in this sector?

I have been working for another agency recruting people from different countries especially because I can speak 2 foreign language fluently. I am in contact with many possible candidates and as well with those that I have recruited and they are willing to reffer me to friends, acquaintances, etc. When comes to dealing with Clients, somebody else was "the voice" of the agency but I thought that I can learn how to approach them and in this sector most of the agencies have got problems when it comes to recruitment.

 

[NickGrogan]

" I know you and your business because I was recruting for another agency you used to work with and due to a good relation that we had with you I want to keep you as a client".

"Why do think I lied him?"

1) You weren't recruiting for another company, you were sourcing candidates. It's not the same thing as you're finding out.
2) The other company had a good relationship, you didn't.
3) You want to keep him as a client, but he was never your client.

So there's 3 lies to start with.

Also most recruitment contracts will have non solicitation causes, and poaching clients is illegal

Preventing-exemployees-from-poaching-your-customers/

Given that you're only approaching the client and candidates because of your previous employment they'd probably have a reasonable case.

 

[Chrisdog]

1) You weren't recruiting for another company, you were sourcing candidates. It's not the same thing as you're finding out.
2) The other company had a good relationship, you didn't.
3) You want to keep him as a client, but he was never your client.

So there's 3 lies to start with.

Also most recruitment contracts will have non solicitation causes, and poaching clients is

Given that you're only approaching the client and candidates because of your previous employment they'd probably have a reasonable case.

1. Then it was my mistake thinking that sourcing candidates for another comany, preparing their documents and arranging their training to go to work for this client is recruitment.
2. 3/4 employees that the client had from the agency were sourced by me. And 3. He was really happy with them.
I said something with this effect because actually I said to him about collaboration. If you analyze every single word that does not mean that my intention was to lie him. It was a way to phrase my intention/my idea and to approach him. You dont have to look now for the exact definition of "client" just to prove that I have lied him. I repeat, this was not my intention.
And about poaching clients, I know exactly what was written in my contract and if now I am allowed to do that, so I am not doing something illegal, I am not into this kind of things.

 

[Chrisdog]

Thank you for your time but I asked for some help or ideas about how can I approach or improve this thing. I don't want to analyse if I was recruting or sourcing for another company, etc.I have said something what that effect, not necessarily exactly those words and I have done that without any intention of lying him/ fooling or anything like this. A friend with a few years of sales experience advised me and I thought this seems alright.

 

[NickGrogan]

1) You should know what recruitment is before opening a recruitment company. What you've described isn't recruitment.
2) You were part of the service provided by another company. If you had a good personal relationship, you wouldn't have to pitch your business as you did.
3) You want to keep him as a client, but he was never your client. - you haven't addressed this.

You asked for help and advice and that's what you got. Just because you may not like it, doesn't make it wrong.

fyi I have worked in recruitment for many years, with clients like Sony, EA - Electronic Arts, Rockstar Games, leading recruitment companies, banks, etc.

 

[Chrisdog]

I am not dreaming of becoming a big company or with big clients like you have said.
The company that I have worked for was actually my brothers and we were collaborating, he was the image and the voice of the company and I was the man behind the curtains, finding recruits, advertising, etc. Due to some personal issues, he decided to move on without me, allowing me to go on my own and use some contacts in this field.
In my area, in this field, the situation is like this:
1. Care homes takes staff from dodgy agencies and many times their English level is below conversational and they've got trainings done on paper/unfortunately sometimes fake certificates.
2. A few small to medium agencies take advantage of the foreigners (most of them have no idea about rights, entitlements, etc) and deduct illegal money from their wages ( register them as SE and deducting for accountant, airport transfer, rent - usually bigger than a normal rate) and nothing is stated in their contract.
Having in mind this things I thought that build my own way into this sector by recruiting staff that comply with certain requirements, doing their trainings as it should be, being fair to them and helping them as much as I can, and as well with the clients. In a few words - as business should be in my opinion.
Maybe I have no idea about approaching clients or negotiating but I know I am in contact with many possible candidates and as far as I have noticed in care sector, they have big problems when it comes to staff.

 

[NickGrogan]

Having candidates is a good start, but only half the business.

You need to look at what care homes actually want and are prepared to pay for. Without that you won't be helping anyone.

 

[Chrisdog]

Some of them they want cheap solutions without thinking about repercussions. I am not aiming for big care homes, more like small to medium care homes. Thats why I am doing some research and I am looking to build my knowledge regarding approaching them.

 

[NickGrogan]

The small/medium ones are likely to have the tightest budgets and therefore look for the cheapest staff and cheapest recruiters. Not necessarily the ideal market.

Larger ones may be harder to approach initially, but more receptive to what you're trying to offer.

I'd suggest you try and get a job as a front line recruiter before going out on your own, from what you've written you have a lot to learn before you are ready to go it alone.

 

[Chrisdog]

Probably you are right about small ones and tight budget. I think there should be some of them that think about it on long-term - cheap solution, staff with language difficulties, unexperienced, etc - more likely to have incidents, and we are talking about elderly people. I was thinking about getting a job and I will head that way, but in the mean time I've got nothing to lose if I try to learn and to approach potential clients. Thanks very much for your time!