David Searns | Co-CEO
I’m writing this post as I’m flying to the NJSA Staffing conference.
Tomorrow (which, as you are reading this, was two days ago!), I’m presenting 10x Sales Acceleration: How staffing companies can reimagine their sales process.
If you happen to be in Illinois or Wisconsin, I’ll be presenting this again next week at the Midwest Staffing Conference—join me in Chicago!
If you can’t get to either of these conferences, I’ll be presenting this talk as our May Lunch with Haley webinar, on Thursday, May 9. You can grab a seat at https://www.lunchwithhaley.com.
Now, back to my trip…
On the way to the airport, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, “Beyond a Million,” which is an awesome show for people looking to scale their businesses.
The show’s guest was Anik Singal, who made his first $1 million in online marketing while still in college (he was making so much money his dad thought he had to be dealing drugs!).
Over the past 20 years, Anik generated more than $300 million in online sales, and he currently operates a digital publishing business that produces more than $20 million a year. Not bad!
During the podcast, Anik said “if you get one thing out of this show, it’s this:
"YOUR OFFER IS EVERYTHING.”
So, how does this apply to staffing?
A great offer means that you do not have to have the perfect sales funnel. You don’t need to A/B test ads and landing pages. You don’t need 20 more automation sequences. And you do not need to make 200 more cold calls.
A great offer is so compelling that people have to say yes.
A great offer is irresistible!
On the podcast, Anik gave an example. He said, “If I offered $300,000 Lamborghinis for $10,000, I’d sell them all day.”
Before you scoff at this statement, consider what Anik means.
He’s not suggesting that you can sell a $300K car for $10K; he’s stating that if someone PERCEIVES the value of what you offer as $300K and your price is $10K, that’s too good to pass up.
When you sell staffing services…or sell a prospect on giving you 30 minutes of their time to talk about your services (which is your real first sale), you need an offer that sounds SO GOOD that people can’t say no.
Simply put, to sell more, you need irresistible offers.
How about your company? What is your offer?
For most staffing companies, the sales offer is little more than “I can sell you staffing services!”
Or “I can find you a great candidate.”
Now, maybe you are promising to find better quality talent, fill job orders faster, provide a higher level of service, or a better service experience.
But are you offering anything irresistible?
An irresistible offer needs to have several characteristics:
- High perceived value (ideally 10x the cost)
- Believability (it seems realistic)
- Credibility (from a trustworthy source)
- Emotional connection (a likable seller)
And it needs to be the right offer for the recipient. What’s irresistible to a CEO is not the same as what is irresistible to an HR manager or a plant supervisor.
Is there an irresistible offer that works in staffing?
Yes…if you are creative.
If you are just selling staffing or recruiting services—or a better version of staffing and recruiting—to someone who is already a buyer of staffing and recruiting, you won’t find anything irresistible.
To make your offer compelling, let’s borrow from the world of infomercials using a principle called “value stacking.”
Surely, you have seen a commercial for a product that ends with “But wait, there’s more!”
You know, you buy the knives, and you get the bonus steak knives, the cookbook, the sharpening stone, etc.
When these infomercials present their pricing, they show you the retail value of the knives + the value of bonus steak knives + the value of the cookbook, and then the sharpening stone.
When they finally bring out the price, it is a fraction of the total value—and they split it into four easy payments of $29.95!
Viola! An irresistible offer!
How could you use this in your sales?
Look at all the things you do when you make a placement:
- You place job ads.
- You use your resume database access to source talent.
- You direct recruit.
- You review resumes.
- You conduct phone screens.
- You have in-person or video interviews.
- You complete reference checks.
- You test skills.
- You complete background checks.
- You weed out anyone who is not a good fit.
- You do arrival calls.
- First-day check-ins.
- End-of-week performance verifications.
- Quarterly business reviews.
- And more…
All of these things have a value.
You need to define that value. Then, add up the total (this is your value stack).
Once you’ve done the math, you can show people how your services cost a fraction of the value you deliver.
You might even look at new pricing models, particularly for direct hire, that make your fees seem smaller, just like those four easy payments of $29.95.
But wait, there’s more! If you need to provide even more value, look for “extras” you can throw in—things that have high perceived value but a low cost to you.
Maybe you include a custom onboarding program. Complimentary skills training. A benchmark assessment of the client’s current staff. A training course on maximizing the value of temporary staff.
This is where you need to be creative.
What additional services would your clients value?
What information or training products could you give away? How about software tools, like a new mobile app, that you could provide for free?
All these extras also have value. While you may not be giving away $300K exotic cars, you can use your value stack to provide prospects with a more compelling reason to buy your services.
And for the right buyers, that will be very irresistible! |
