Analyze the Situation, Focus on What They're Thinking
You know what you want: a meeting with the hiring authority. The best way to accomplish that is to focus on them and what they're thinking. Prospective employers are, in fact, potential buyers (of your services). When you ask for a few minutes of their time, you are also asking them to make a buying decision. The cost? Their valuable time.
Let's look at your approach in terms of:
- Questions: Theirs (unspoken)
- Answers: Yours
A. Because you're making him aware of his problem or need and your possible solution.
Q. What is his problem or need?
A. You have researched your target companies and know something about their needs. Your approach could also be based on some reasonable assumptions: They want to make and save money, look good, etc. By listening carefully, you'll learn more about what they want.
Q. How can you help him resolve this difficulty?
A. Having solved similar problems, you are confident that you have the relevant knowledge, ability, and experience to help them if you have sufficient information.
Q. Why should he trust you?
A. You're demonstrating your knowledge and integrity.
Q. Why should he agree to meet you?
A. Because there may be something in it for him: The benefits outweigh the costs. He sees this meeting as a good investment of his time. How Can You Accomplish Your Objective?
What You Must Do
- Get his attention
Arouse his curiosity
Build that curiosity into genuine interest?
- Make him aware of a problem or need (if necessary)
You must perceive the other person as someone with a need
You can help meet that need
- Present possible benefits to him
Solutions you may be able to provide
Your accomplishments provide evidence
- Close for an appointment: Get a commitment of time.
Your marketing plan asks: How can you reach them? That means not only connecting physically but also getting their attention, whether you're using a referral or calling "cold."
Example: You've had 11 years of experience with automatic teller machines. The company you're calling, Out-of-Order ATM, manufactures ATMs. There's no advertised opening. But business seems to be thriving-you've seen Out-of-Order ATMs all over the place. So you think it's safe to assume that, even though they're not actively recruiting, they have unmet needs.
Ms. Pin, the VP for sales, is busy at her desk, surrounded by papers and reports. She's preparing for a regional sales meeting on Friday. Sales are not as strong as they had planned, but she's hoping that their new virtual banking ATMs will really start to move this next quarter.
Like anyone else you might call, Ms. Pin is immersed in her own world - her thoughts, hopes, and anxieties. It's the same ''harrier of preoccupation''? - a kind of cocoon or layer of absorption, that separates each of us from the rest of the world.
If you want her to listen to you, you must break through that barrier. Because the phone, unlike the mail, commands attention, it can be an extremely effective instrument for getting through that barrier. But not for long!
You must say something that will so whet her appetite, arouse her curiosity, and stimulate her interest that she will, and you have only a few seconds to do it!
