Feeling stuck – Looking for advice on gaining new clients in industrial staffing.
That was a headline Wednesday morning on ASA Central.
The person who posed the question has run a successful LI staffing business for nearly a decade, and she had grown her company to 500 employees at their peak.
But now?
Things have changed. And she’s asking some fundamental questions:
How do you sell industrial staffing in this market? What’s worked for you in getting new industrial clients? Where do you recommend starting when leads have gone quiet? How do you stay motivated during the slower seasons?
Maybe I can help.
The current state of industrial staffing
Let’s start with the data. According to Staffing Industry Analysts, demand for light industrial staffing has fallen 19% since its peak in 2023.
And market penetration of temporary workers has declined to 1.59%, which is the lowest level since 2009.
To make life more challenging, the number of staffing companies in the US has increased by around 20% during the same time.
To recap: less demand + more competition = selling is hard!
So, what can you do?
I can hear my Dad saying, “Make more calls.”
Of course, that’s what Dad always said, whether the market was good or bad.
And he was not wrong. Increasing the volume of activity is one way to drive sales.
But in a market like this, it’s hard work filled with rejection, and to be blunt, it can feel demoralizing.
Beyond "Make More Calls"
Last month, we hosted a webinar with Tom Erb, Dan Mori, and Mark Winter, where we tried to answer the question “Can you create demand for staffing services?”
Short answer, yes!
But you can’t do it by selling staffing the way you’ve sold it in the past. To sell in a market like this, you need new strategies.
Here’s five ideas shared during our webinar:
1) Increase focus
Get more specialized in the clients you serve and the problems you solve. The narrower your focus, the easier it is to make your company stand out.
2) Solve problems—don’t sell staffing
Most staffing companies sell staffing…obvious, right? But what’s the real value you provide? It’s getting work done—faster, more reliably, and less expensively.
In a down market, employers don’t perceive the need for staffing, but they still have people-related problems to be solved. If you want to sell more, get employers to see staffing as a tool to solve those problems.
Show prospects how your services can:
- Reduce labor costs
- Increase productivity
- Improve efficiency
- Seize new business opportunities
- Upskill their workforce
- Better manage their business risks.
3) Move up the value chain
If you want to sell more, take responsibility for delivering more. This is where SOW work comes into play for professional staffing.
In industrial staffing, you might outsource specific functions, such as running a manufacturing line or managing the staffing function for your clients.
Or you might offer new services or provide new technology solutions that enable employers to better attract, manage, and retain their workers.
4) Go small
Most staffing companies focus on selling to middle market clients. Yet, most job creation happens in small businesses.
In a down market, you may find more opportunity (and less competition) going after small employers that typically don’t use staffing or only use a small volume of staffing services.
Your challenge is to show them the value (and affordability) of your services.
5) Differentiate your sales process
When your competitors sell, what do they say? Do they brag about offering better service, superior access to talent, and more experience?
Well, that’s what everyone does. And to the buyers of staffing services, it just sounds like a lot of noise.
One way to make your company stand out is to differentiate HOW you sell. Provide your prospects with a buying experience that is radically different from what they are used to.
When you change the buying process, you separate your company from the competition.
Keeping Yourself Motivated
Let’s wrap up this SMART IDEA with some advice I recall a sales trainer teaching me long ago.
He said that you need to look at every rejection as a win. Each one gets you closer to the sale.
If it takes 50 sales calls to land a client, and a client is worth $10,000, then every call you make, win or lose, is worth $200.
Get a rejection? $200!
Client hangs up on you? $200!
Get the meeting? $200!
Get the win…$10,000!
For me, the math side of selling is not enough to stay motivated. Personally, I don’t like selling at all.
But I love helping people. I love sharing ideas.
I don’t sell. I consult.
If you are in sales, you get to help people every day. On every call, you meet with people and discover their challenges. You bring them ideas. You provide advice.
Every day, you help people solve problems. You make people’s lives better.
What could be more motivating than that?
Need more ideas for selling in this market?
Check out the eBooks and on-demand webinars we offer:
eBooks
- The Secret to Skyrocketing Staffing Sales
- How to Master Social Selling
- What’s Working in Staffing Sales (survey results)
You can download these and many more at
https://www.haleymarketing.com/haley-resources/ebooks/
Webinars
- Demand Generation: Can you create demand for staffing?
- Staffing Sales Playbook: 7 Ways to Drive Results in 2024
- How to Use Automation to Crush Your Revenue Goals
You can watch these webinars on demand at
https://www.lunchwithhaley.com/category/webinars-on-demand/
At Haley Marketing, we’re committed to bringing you the sales, marketing, and recruiting ideas that you need. If you have a question, or a challenge, please reach out. We’re happy to help! |
