Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Seattle 2.0, and imported to GeekWire as part of our acquisition of Seattle 2.0 and its archival content. For more background, see this post.
By Matt Hulett
We all know that the job market is soft. We’ve all read the posts concerning layoffs from both small to large companies. In these times, there is typically a large surge of recruiters that end up contacting companies that are still hiring. I continue to be an optimist. I believe that this is a great time to start a new company. If there are new hires at a startup company, the company is going to really scrutinize each and every employee. I used to hear stories of companies fighting over the hottest Java developers as late as a couple of months ago. In some cases, hiring developers without having a specific role for the individual because it was so hard to find good talent. Now, for most startups the bar is to service specific initiatives over the next couple of years (heck, to survive).
Given all of this, I continue to get barraged by recruiters with a pace that is accelerating every week. While I must admit I have some opinions about recruiters, I also have a tremendous amount of respect for the profession and the individuals, some of whom I consider my friends.
Here are some tips to recruiters that should help you when approaching startups:
1. Don’t send blind emails – the most successful salespeople typically do their homework before they contact a CEO. It is important to spend time reading the “about us” section, press releases, etc. on the companies site to which you are offering your services. That should be the bare minimum. If you don’t spend the time doing this, your close rate with a company will be a lot lower.
2. Come to a company with solutions – it is much better to approach a company after you’ve looked at the company’s own job board and have thought through both their business needs as well as the specific qualifications that the company is looking for. If you have specific candidates that can be sent over as part of an introduction call , this will greatly increase your chances in closing business.
3. Cut your prices – from a company perspective, we understand that you have to run a business. We all get that. But, I can’t see how you are going to get any new business if you are charging 30% of annual compensation as your starting rate.
4. Build a relationship – there is a lost art in the technology space around building relationships. People are not actually robots. We like to buy goods and services from “people” that we actually like. I would highly recommend that recruiters reach out to companies and start to build long-term, meaningful relationships. Try having a conversation with an entrepreneur versus wanting to quickly sign a consulting agreement. Buy us lunch. Listen to us. Take the time. For example, I know many recruiters that have built relationships with companies and have become the de-facto standard with those entrepreneurs that has lasted for many, many years.
5. Track your customers (and potential customers) – if you show that you are actively thinking about all of the businesses that you are managing, we’ll (the startup entrepreneur) have a higher affinity toward you. I would recommend something simple like setting up Google Alerts for each of the companies that you are following. For instance, if you see that a competitor to one of your companies is expanding their sales force, why not ask your customer if there is a need to combat this action? Add value by adding your strategic consultation to your customers.
This is a great time to build relationships with entrepreneurs. We’re all thinking about the type of people and teams that can get us through tough times. Recruiters can be a great help and can act as your “talent consigliere.”
