WholeWideWorld (Phone) Sourcing

There are two types of sourcers.

One type generally finds people online; they use the social networking sites and online search techniques to locate potential candidates.  

The other type of sourcer relies on strong communication skills to quickly identify and breech a company’s fortressing Gatekeeper and the company’s phone system; once inside this type of sourcer generally has their way with just about anyone they happen to get on the telephone.

These are called PHONE sourcers.

Because the most objections a caller is likely to encounter happens at the front desk (the main number) of a company, below are a few scripts you can use when a Gatekeeper balks.

These scripts are from the Scripticals series of The Magic In the Method phone sourcing training we provide as part of our phone sourcing certification.

1. Gatekeeper says, “Who are you?” or “Why do you need this information?”

Right? You’ve been asked that like – how many thousand times? Do you know WHY you’ve been asked that? You’re asked that because – wait for it – you’re not telling her your name when you call. You’re not removing the mystery. You’re making her wonder who she’s talking to. When she starts to wonder about things she starts to wonder about other things like:

2. Gatekeeper says, “Why do you need this information?”

A long time ago an old seasoned recruiter told me, when I asked him how was I supposed to get the information he was asking me to fetch, “Just tell them the truth.”

I looked at him like he had three heads and most assuredly told him, “That’ll never work!” and for many years went about my phone sourcing like I knew best and one day I hit a Gatekeeper who got the better of me and for one reason or another I just wasn’t strong enough to surmount her and I blurted:

“I’m helping a recruiter fill an xyz position. I want to speak with him to see if he may know anyone looking for a position like this.”

“Oh,” she said, and without another moment’s hesitation, “One moment please,” and put me through. I didn’t even have time to cat-paw the usual information I do out of Gatekeepers – extension numbers, manager names, other co-workers in the department, occasional emails these days – and before I could catch my breath there I was – waiting on a ringing line thinking to myself, “Well, I’ll be damned. It works.” 

And that’s what I say these days – on the rare occasions I’m asked. The truth.

I say “rare occasions” and I mean that. The most important thing when making a phone sourcing call is the set-up – those first few words out of your mouth to the Gatekeeper. If they’re not correct – if they don’t “sound” right to her – you may as well go home.

REMOVE THE MYSTERY

Tell her your name and repeat her name if she said it when she answered.

That’s all you have to say!

Say more (like where you’re calling from or why you’re calling) and you sound like a babbling idiot to most Gatekeepers and they’ll be impatient with you.

1. Gatekeeper asks, “Where are you calling from?”
   This one’s trickier and it’ll get lobbed at you occasionally regardless if you’ve told her your name or not. My first (and best) answer to this one is “Cincinnati.” Remember, people are looking for answers and many times ANY answer will do. You’ll be surprised how often telling a Gatekeeper what city you’re calling from satisfies her thirst for knowledge.
2. Gatekeeper states, “I’ll take your name and number and have him call you back.”
   Very occasionally I get this and I just give her my name (I leave the spelling to her which she invariably usually gets wrong) and a number I never answer (I don’t want anybody calling me back – I’m a sourcer not a recruiter!) and go on about my business of finding another way in. I never argue/remonstrate with Gatekeepers – you can’t win every battle in this world. There’s just no sense in it and there’s always another way in! I find the back door channels and start calling into the company directly – which is not a bad way to go about phone sourcing from the get-go.
   
   Maybe someday I’ll write about that.
   
   By scripting responses to common Gatekeeper concerns, a hesitant phone sourcer will have a lot more confidence dialing that combination of ten digits that yield such enormous results and won’t feel so much trepidation toward Gatekeepers.

Having the ability to call into any chosen company and own the roadway into the inner sanctums of those companies removes the reliance sourcers and recruiters have today on having to pay expensive tolls and highway tariffs to platforms like LinkedIn Recruiter. 

Sourcing from the wholewideworld rather than the worldwideweb gives phone sourcers and their recruiting brethren access to a candidate that is many times stronger than the several-times-filtered candidates the web produces. You have to be bold, though, and go where most sourcers dare not.

Have fun phone sourcing everyone.

It's a lot of fun!

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Thanks for reading my post.
I train people how to use the telephone.
Call me.
Maureen 513 646 7306

Join me on Friday February 19 at 10a.m.EST talking about my favorite thing - phone sourcing on Blab! https://bit.ly/1RJ367N

I'm speaking in Toronto April 20-21 on PHONE SOURCING at the TopTalent Summit! My presentation is called Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - so if you're any of those things about phone sourcing - come out and meet me!

I haven't been to Canada since I was a kid so I'm excited. I'd love to meet you - if you want to attend the conference use my promotional code MaureenSharib - you'll get a $300 discount per delegate!

Maureen Sharib - Phone Sleuther

www.TechTrak.com