Question: I just completed a 3-part blog series emailed and recruiting strategies from search one to close and confirmed through Constant Contact that a number of directors and VPs opened the entire series.  I have them receiving all blogs from my new series started yesterday.  I am now looking for possible next steps in my communication with this particular segmented group of blog subscribers.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  – Al, Las Vegas

Answer: What I would do is call the people who opened the emails, but not as a sales call.  I would say, “Hey Al, Mike Gionta.  We had noticed you had read the blog publications and we are always looking for insights on different articles and ideas that would help you in your business.  As somebody who has read the last month’s worth of posts and thought I would get your insights.  What did you think of the articles?”

They will give you some feedback.  Then ask, what other topics would they like to see.  You are probably writing around the different topics of talent acquisition and hopefully they bring up something around the challenge of hiring or developing talent, and I would say, does this problem occur in your hiring now? And take it from there.  Start off as a market research question and then you can evolve into a couple questions that are a little bit leading into finding and identifying if they have anything that you can help them with now.

If it does not go any further from there, simply say, “Thank you for your feedback.  I am going to incorporate your ideas into some of our future articles. As a search firm we also help people, like yourself, find and uncover fantastic talent.  I would love for our firm to be able to help you in the process of talent acquisition, and I just want to know from you, Al, what do I need to do to earn the right to help you build your team?”

The call starts off as market research, it stays in inquiry, and it stays highly consultative.  You avoid the commodity question of do you need any help filling any openings?  Do not ever use the word openings, requisitions, or assignments.  That will take this consultative call that you have developed and it will put in all the triggers for commodity recruiter from their subconscious to their conscious, just like when you go to a retail store.  We are triggered by, can I help you? To trigger to say, no, I am just looking.