David Searns | Co-CEO
The challenges of selling to HR
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, HR professionals are essential to selling staffing.
And if you’ve been in the industry more than 15 minutes, you know HR can be hard to win over.
In my experience, there are two types of HR managers:
1) Strategic HR leaders.
HR professionals who view their role as essential to driving the culture and performance.
These are people who:
- Recognize the critical importance of having the right staffing partners
- Are committed to working with staffing agencies to improve quality
- Realize that there is a correlation between price and productivity
- Understand that staffing can be a tool to better control labor expenses
2) Everyone else…the HR administrators.
These are the people you probably deal with most often. They’re the people focused on dotting the “I’s” and crossing the “T’s.” They’re the price buyers who have little tolerance of the promises made by staffing sales reps.
So, why are there so few of the first and so many of the second?
Let’s look at the psychological triggers that influence HR managers. They have a lot to do with understanding what works…and what doesn’t in your sales approach.
The psychology behind HR managers' decisions 1. Risk aversion and loss aversion
HR managers often prioritize minimizing risk over maximizing gain. They are accountable for hiring decisions and prefer solutions that are safe and proven.
As the old expression goes:
“No one gets fired for hiring IBM.”
But HR managers DO get fired for bringing in the wrong staffing partner. 2. Social proof and authority
HR managers are often influenced by the actions and endorsements of peers. They want to know that others have successfully used your services. (Did I mention that they are risk averse???)
Tip: Testimonials, case studies, and recognition from industry leaders make your firm feel like a safe bet.
3.Cognitive overload
Overwhelm is the word of the day…maybe the decade. HR managers are not immune to this trend, and they are inundated with an abundance of information.
All that information can lead to decision paralysis. If you want an HR managers to reach a decision faster, provide clear, concise, and relevant information.
4. Reciprocity
Before asking HR for anything, give them a reason to feel like they owe you. Provide value early and often in your sales process.
The more value you deliver (not associated with a sales pitch), the more people will feel a sense of obligation to reciprocate.
Why do HR managers really reach out to staffing firms?
Sure, they have an open job to be filled. But that's only part of the story. Often, something deeper is going on.
A project. A deadline. A fire that needs to be put out.
A gut-level fear their current agency can’t get the job done.
A sense that there’s a better way—but they haven’t figured it out yet.
Want more sales leads? Then you need to understand the psychology behind them.
The more you understand the rationale behind the sales inquiry…the more inquiries you’ll be able to generate. Because your sales leads aren’t born from your email blast (or a cold call)—they’re born from stress, ambition, uncertainty, and timing.
Let’s decode the psychology behind sales leads as well as marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) in staffing, then look at the smartest ways you can create more of them.
5 Triggers that make HR Managers act
So, what are the root causes of a sales lead?
In staffing, the most common drivers of sales leads fall into four categories: NEED: An immediate requirement for talent—somebody left, someone’s scaling, or the project just got greenlit.
PAIN: There’s a problem. Turnover. Underperformance. Burnout. Maybe they’ve tried to fix it—but it’s not working. Maybe the current staffing agencies aren’t meeting program goals.
OPPORTUNITY: There’s potential for growth, and HR has been tasked with getting the talent needed. A big contract. An expansion. A new line of business. They need the team to match.
CHANGE OR TRANSITION: New HR leadership. A reorg. A merger. Budget shifts. These shake-ups force new evaluations—and new partners.
AWAKENING: There’s a problem, pain, or opportunity for improvement that HR was unaware of—or they may have been unaware of the magnitude of the problem (e.g., the cost and impact of turnover or the potential for resolving no call/no show issues). Through marketing or the efforts of a skilled salesperson, the issue was brought to light…and HR sees (and agrees with) the need to fix it.
These are the hot-button moments when HR leaders start looking for a solution fast. If you can identify these situations early, you get to the front of the line. You become the trusted advisor.
But not all leads start hot…
MQLs: when HR managers start paying attention
MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads) live in the gray zone. They’re not sales leads, they are door openers and conversation starters. MQLs aren’t buying yet—but they’re thinking, browsing, or poking around the edges of a problem.
Here’s what triggers a Marketing Qualified Lead: INFORMATION SEEKING: They’re Googling “2025 hiring trends” or downloading your salary guide. They’re learning.
EXPLORATION OF SOLUTIONS: They’re aware of a problem or inefficiency and want to see what’s out there. They’re researching…and Googling (or using ChatGPT) to find information.
VALIDATION OR JUSTIFICATION: They need data or case studies to back up a pitch to their boss. Your content can become their ammo.
PASSIVE CURIOSITY: They saw a post (or an ad) on LinkedIn and clicked. No immediate agenda—just curiosity.
MARKETING OFFERS: They’re drawn in by the bait—a free planning tool, webinar, “insider” report, or and incentive to purchase (a deal!).
The goal with MQLs? Nurture until they tip into a sales conversation. But first, you need to get them in the funnel. That’s where your sources come in.
Where leads come from: real-world sources that fill your pipeline
Let’s shift from why leads happen to where they come from. Here’s a ranked breakdown of both classic and underutilized sales lead sources—tailored to staffing firms targeting HR.
Warm referrals
Still the king of lead sources. Trusted intros convert faster and at a higher rate.
Leverage:
- Current clients
- Partners (payroll firms, HR tech vendors)
- Past placements who became HR managers.
Targeted outbound
Use a Dream 100-style list and create an integrated direct marketing campaign. Personalize your outreach via email, phone, LinkedIn—and don’t forget old-school mail or even drop offs.
Multi-channel, multi-step integrated direct marketing provides a systematic process for triggering sales leads from people who don’t know they need you yet.
Content-driven inbound
Build an MQL machine. Publish hiring guides, salary reports, and success stories. The key to content marketing is to provide information that does one of more of the following:
- Offers original insights
- Saves time by summarizing information
- Provides local market or industry specific data
- Is fun and easy to consume
Once you create consumable content, you have to get people to find it.
You can:
- Email it to clients and prospects
- Share it on LinkedIn
- Optimize it for SEO
- Promote it with paid ads
- Build distribution channels through trade associations and referral partners.
And consider gating your best pieces for lead capture.
LinkedIn social selling
Comment, connect, and converse. Create, curate, and share content.
Use LinkedIn to build your personal brand through regular sharing, authenticity, and consistently offering value.
Use Sales Navigator or LinkedIn Recruiter to target HR pros by company size, industry, or region.
To maximize your impact, make LinkedIn a team sport. Have all your salespeople and recruiters share your content (and implement their own social selling strategies) to cast a wider net.
Events (online and IRL)
Education brings in MQLs. It also builds instant credibility.
Live events build trust—especially when you speak or host (think: local HR roundtables or SHRM mixers).
The key to live events is to offer real value. And with HR, the more you address the big, scary things that keep HR managers up at night, the bigger your audience will be.
Hint: the best presentation topics are usually about staffing…and least not directly about staffing! Paid ads (but strategic)
Use LinkedIn Ads and Google Search for laser-targeted campaigns. Promote lead magnets and retarget visitors. Don’t expect instant sales—use it to spark MQLs that mature. Direct mail (and drop offs)
Yup, old school is the new school. They’re a LOT less crowded than email, and you can virtually guarantee a 100% open rate (with the right planning!).
Send something clever and useful—a checklist, calculator, or lumpy mail item. High curiosity = high open rate. High utility = high response. A few uncommon sales lead sources
- Former candidates who are now HR.
- Public job posts hinting at scaling needs.
- Review sites flagging hiring pain.
- Press releases announcing expansions or funding.
- Churned clients with new leadership.
The best staffing firms use multiple lead gen strategies tandem. Sales leads come from pressure points. MQLs come from education and curiosity. You want both flowing.
Know the drivers, act on the signals.
The HR buyer’s journey isn’t random—it’s emotional, situational, and surprisingly predictable.
You’re not just selling staffing—you’re offering relief from pressure, a path to progress, and a partner who “gets it.”
By addressing their need for safety, control, and reducing chaos in their lives, and then simplifying information and offering value upfront, you position your staffing firm as a trusted partner.
And until they trust you, they won’t buy from you!
Want to dive deeper into your lead generation strategy? Let's talk! |
