CONTENTS

• Researchers Tips (Chris Malcolm of deAnsa)
• Article One (Sales Motivation: How to Get Dialing – Part One, by Mark Whitby)
• Article Two (Recruitment Website Review – First Choice Staff by John Harrup)
• Don't Miss This (Free CV Search for all ukrecruiter subscribers - November 2005, Special Course Offer - Discussion Board)
• Statistics (Hitwise Top 10 Recruitment Sites)
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Feedback & Advertising Information

Visit http://www.careersinrecruitment.com for the latest recruitment industry jobs.

Researchers Tips by Chris Malcolm of deAnsa

Once a month we give a quick tip on managing a successful research project. 

Question 9 How important is record keeping? 

Everyone who starts a research project looking for that perfect candidate should always start with a plan of attack. That will, without a doubt, include a hit list of companies needing to be looked at. Before we know it we are into full swing and so focussed on each call that the little scrap of paper in front of us is fast filling with names, numbers and comments. This person said this and suggested that another may help, and on the chain of events goes until suddenly we realise that something has gone horribly wrong. How many years of experience did she say she had? And who worked at company “A” for three years? 

After every call where good information is gleaned stop and immediately make notes, on a fresh piece of paper. At least that way if a mistake is made you have a starting point to unravel the mess. In our office after every call, first notes are made, then referring to the notes a verbal report is made to another colleague, who not only enters the information on the computer but actually questions the caller as to the information and results. It sounds cumbersome but it is amazing how many errors are picked up at that stage, saving countless hours (and embarrassment) later. And let’s face it. Reporting to a colleague tends to stop a lot of Friday laziness, and guessing at answers to unasked questions. 

deAnsa is a research company for headhunters, executive search consultants and recruitment professionals who require target specific research to find the right candidates on a worldwide basis. They can be contacted on +44 (0) 7074 449 449 or by e-mail at enquiries@deansa.com. 

My Favourites will be back next week.  Why not submit your 3 favourite web sites. See the guidelines at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/articles.htm

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Article One: Sales Motivation: How to Get Dialing – Part One, by Mark Whitby

Over the next few months Mark Whitby will be sharing his knowledge and giving tips on sales techniques for recruiters.

Let’s face it. Canvassing is the part of our job that most recruiters hate. In fact, we’ll usually do almost anything to avoid it! And yet we all know that sales activity is critical to success in recruitment. So why do we tend to procrastinate when it comes to prospecting? 

Although we don’t like to admit it, the main thing that holds us back is fear. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of the unknown. The truth is that fear is a normal and healthy emotion. It’s good to be afraid in dangerous situations – it keeps us safe. However, sometimes we experience an exaggerated amount of fear that is inappropriate to the situation. Think about it – cold calling is not a life and death experience! 

It’s OK to feel a bit nervous about making cold calls. Any athlete will tell you that adrenaline can help you to perform at your peak! Besides, courage is about taking action in spite of fear. The key to getting yourself to take action is to change the way you FEEL about picking up the phone. In this series, we’ll cover fifteen tips to defeat call reluctance and get dialing!

1. Stop worrying about being perfect. We put so much pressure on ourselves to perform – no wonder we’re reluctant to pick up the phone. We’ve got performance anxiety! Take the pressure off yourself! As Woody Allan said, "80% of success is just showing up." Just by getting yourself to follow through and make your sales calls, you’re succeeded! If you mess up on the call, who cares? I’ve made over 10,000 sales calls and I still screw up sometimes. The most successful people are the ones who are willing to make mistakes. The only way you can not make mistakes is if you never take action – and that’s the path to ultimate failure.

2. Focus on finding the Ace of Spades. I want you to imagine that you have a list of 52 prospects to call. Now among those prospects, there are about 12 jacks, kings and queens – about 20% of them are people who don’t currently have a need, but are good prospects to stay in touch with. Most of the prospects you call are cards you can discard. Either they’re unlikely to ever have a need, or they just won’t give you the time of day. Who cares? There are probably about 4 aces – companies who have an immediate requirement you can help them with and who are willing to use your services. That’s only about 7.7% of the prospects in the deck, but if you keep looking they’re bound to turn up. And of the 4 aces, one of them – the ace of spades – is likely to become a repeat client who you really hit it off with and who gives you lots of business. Remember that you can’t expect to win business from everyone, and the fact is you don’t need to. All you need is a few people to say “yes” to make this process worthwhile.

3. Accept that most of the companies you call are not be ready to buy from you … yet. That's OK! The purpose of prospecting is not to close a sale, but to open a relationship. You’re building a database of warm prospects who might buy from you in the future. Write this down: - “No” now is not “No” forever. The first call is like sowing a seed. If you keep nurturing the seeds you’ve planted, you’re going to reap the rewards come harvest time. And remember, you only ever have to make one cold call. Because the next time you phone them it will be a warm call.

Mark Whitby is a consultant, coach, and trainer who helps UK recruiters to maximise their performance. For more information, call 0800 019 8899 or visit www.recruitmentcoach.com 

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Article Two: Recruitment Website Review – First Choice Staff by John Harrup

Website Address - www.skybluesolutions.com 

Company Background 
SkyBlue, part of Carillion PLC, have been trading for over a decade and have become specialists in the recruitment of construction, civil engineering, highways and business professionals. They now have 6 offices based throughout the United Kingdom stretching from Doncaster to London.

Creative Design
The SkyBlue website is bright and breezy with a good amount of white space coupled with strong colours drawing the eye to the important areas of the page. The style and colours of the site give the impression of a fun, yet corporate company and with colour coding for the different sections you always know exactly where you are. 

Ease of Use
Navigating the site is easy to do with the menu system remaining ever present throughout. The homepage simply directs you to the relevant places and with the inclusion of a latest vacancies column on the right hand menu you are quickly able to see what is new. 

Relevant Content
The SkyBlue website is certainly not lacking content and displays it in a fairly clear way. Large chunks of text are kept to a minimum and are instead replaced with manageable short, concise paragraphs.

Additional Services for Candidates and Clients
Apart from the usual current vacancy information job seekers get a host of helpful hints and tips on such things as interview technique and writing a better CV. They are also able to sign up to receive the latest relevant jobs direct to their inbox. The website gives employers all the information they need and offers the opportunity to email them with their requirements for quick placing. 

Summary
Overall, I feel the SkyBlue website acts as an excellent resource for both candidates and employers within the recruitment industry. Employers are given sufficient information to decide on whether or not they should contact SkyBlue and job seekers not only get a full job list with a simple to use search function but also get additional information. The site design and navigation also work well for the company and help portray a professional image. 

John Harrup is the Marketing Manager for G-Forces Web Management, a website design and software development company specialising in web based content management systems. You can contact him by email on john.harrup@gforces.co.uk or on 01622 609 707. To view all of G-Forces products and services go to www.gforces.co.uk.

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November 2005, Special Course Offer
Gavin Ingham's seminars in London and Manchester on 22nd and 23rd of November aim to eliminate cold calling procrastination in your teams right now.  For ukrecruiter readers the price is reduced for a full day to £197 (RRP £247) and the half day to £97 (RRP £127).  You also get a bonus copy of his book Objections! Objections! Objections! Call 0845 838 5958 to book your place and quote ukrec to get your discount..

UK Recruiter Discussion Forum - Are you using it? 
Don't forget to visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/forum. Current topics on the site include "Job Order Prioritising????", "Temp to Perm fees - Best place for Info?" and "Job Board Success Rates Survey". It is free to use the discussion board and you don't have to register to view messages. Visit the site; ask questions and share your knowledge

Statistics

Hitwise top 10 Recruitment Sites, week ending 5th November 2005
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the most popular, were www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk, www.jobsite.co.uk, www.monster.co.uk, www.reed.co.uk, www.totaljobs.com, www.jobs.nhs.uk, www.tesjobs.co.uk, www.passportcareers.co.uk, jobs.guardian.co.uk and www.eteach.com. For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk

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