Let’s chat about the boogeyman, shall we? You know, the ONE THING that always seems to get recruiters weeping and wailing. Not to mention copious frothing at the mouth and, of course, the gnashing of teeth.
And don’t forget the clutching of pearls.
It’s also the ONE THING that almost every digital marketer who sells to recruiters uses as leverage to move their product.
The dreaded COLD CALL.
Fair warning before we go further: I first wrote this in a flash of inspiration, soaked in a few beers and a shot of Don Julio, in an Austin airport bar back in late 2019. It originally lived in our Facebook group, the Headhunter & Executive Recruiter Community, the #HERC. The spirit holds up. So does the tequila logic.
It’s the one debate I see over and over again, and it’s one that recruiters seem to have this “either-or” belief about. It’s driven by two warring factions in the recruiting space.
On one side you have recruiters (many of whom suck at cold-calling, let’s be real) who are sick of feeling like nothing more than a glorified telemarketer. And because they don’t do enough of what they suck at, their desk is always in a precarious balance between feast and famine, and they’re looking for an easy way out.
That’s why the headline “Never cold-call again!” is so effective at getting digital marketers those sweet, sweet juicy clicks.
On the other side of the battlefield, you have the old dawgs (and some new) who are resistant to change. Through luck or innate ability they’ve developed real skill connecting with people over the phone. It’s been the source of their success, and because many carry that stiff-middle-finger mentality toward anything they see as trendy nonsense, they’ll tell you that unless you’re cold-calling, you’re wasting your time.
They're both wrong. But not for the reasons you think.
I won’t over-generalize, and of course there are exceptions, but I’ll say this. The people who don’t want to cold-call are usually seeking an easy solution, a quick fix, and they often think cold-calling is beneath them. The people who think cold-calling is the only game in town have found a successful streak, but they often don’t want to add to their game, or think it’s beneath them to do anything but.
There’s a 100% pride component on both sides.
But there’s a lot of common ground if people step back and think strategically, and are willing to step out of their comfort zones. Cold calling on its own isn’t optimal. But neither is living in your email. And neither is pushing out copious amounts of content and expecting prospects to call you out of the blue.
It’s one tool in a system. Unfortunately it’s been made such a boogeyman by some, and such a rallying cry by others, that people don’t see the forest for the trees.
Hunting and Farming
That’s what it comes down to. Two power moves. And here’s the part most people miss: they aren’t rivals. They’re partners.
Your long game. Pushing out content and using advertising platforms to expand your reach dramatically. Ignore this and it gets harder and harder for you as the world digitizes. Sorry, long march of history and all. You'll get leads. But prospects will rarely get off their butt and call you out of the blue.
Your short game. All the outbound means of getting sales meetings with potential buyers. That means, yes, cold-calling (should be warm-calling, but let's not quibble), LinkedIn messaging, email, video, even direct mail. This is what pays the bills while your authority compounds.
Hunt Before You Farm
They’re all great, and they all have pluses and minuses. But realize that cold-calling is one tool. If everyone is cold-calling and you sound like everyone else (and let’s be real, most do), it’s not a good tool.
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
You’ve heard that one. Here’s the flip side. Funny thing, I used to get junk mail all the time, but not nearly as much now. So when I do open a piece, it’s actually far more effective than it ever used to be. I pay attention now, when I wouldn’t have ten years ago.
Notice how it’s not the tool. It’s the use of it, juxtaposed against what your competitors are doing. Or more to the point, not doing. Or doing poorly.
That’s why this old-school-versus-new-school debate is so overplayed and hyped. Much like the old East Coast versus West Coast beef back in the day, which was never really a beef to begin with until it got used to sell Biggie and Tupac records. (I was always a Tupac guy myself.)
It’s not old school versus new school. It’s not work smart not hard. And it’s certainly not work hard not smart.
Why Not Do Both?
If you’re like a lot of recruiters who use shitty scripts and basically call to ask for orders, you’re not going to get far, and it’s going to get progressively harder. Conversely, if you’re a content wiz who never makes an outbound call (and doesn’t use that content as a prospecting tool), you won’t get far either.
And here’s the trap. If you’re successful at one thing, don’t let it become the trap that keeps you from evolving and moving ahead of the times. It’s an insidious one. Most people can’t see it when they’re caught in it.
So think of hunting and farming as power moves. Both done every single day. Your farming, if it’s effective, and most isn’t, makes your hunting easier. Your hunting, if it’s effective, and most isn’t, gives you the runway to expend the extra calories you need to farm and build for the future.
Start Thinking of Your Practice as an Ecosystem
Think strategically, and don’t be a soldier for any one cause, because you will lose in the end.
Don’t get in the trenches with the carpenters fighting over whether hammers are old school or new school or whatever. If you see a nail, hammer it. But don’t forget all the other tools in the belt are useful too.
Stay out of the trenches. Move into the unknown, where your comfort zone ends and things start to get real.
Think strategically, and up your game in all areas. That’s how you’ll thrive in the new economy.