ProTalk: Not Another Prospecting Article
By Rick Welling and David Dawson, USAREC, Doctrine Division
July 21, 2015
What’s In It For Me?
Prospecting is to recruiting what gasoline is to an engine. The more you do (have), the further you can go.
We form new relationships with potential Future Soldiers through prospecting activities. Our doctrine views prospecting as the foundation of recruiting. In fact, prospecting is so critical to the recruiting mission, that it is worth doing poorly until you can do it right.
Improving your prospecting skills is akin to sharpening your weapon marksmanship. It takes the same personal commitment.
This article offers insight on reinforcing your commitment to recruiting and improving your skills.
We hope you find a nugget or two of useful information and share your feedback on the ProNet Forum.
Consistency Counts – Prospect or Die
Prospect or die is a serious lead-in, or as we used to say, a “ho-hum crasher.” No, we don’t kill anyone for inadequate prospecting. But, according to validated feedback from thousands of recruiting center visits, inadequate prospecting is the major cause of mission shortfalls.
Improving your prospecting efforts and blending this function into your battle rhythm improves prospecting skills and yields results.
Begin With the End in Mind
Set up a weekly plan, schedule time, method, and location for daily prospecting. Seasoned recruiters instinctively know when, how, and where to prospect. Seasoned recruiters conduct an analysis of their previous plans; reviewing attempts to contact rates and total appointments made to determine the best prospecting methods, locations, and times. Whether you are a seasoned or new recruiter, you should adjust your prospecting plan to achieve the best contact ratio.
Back in the day… The ramblings of an old recruiter
My first station commander forced us to do at least four hours of telephone prospecting or make two appointments per day, whichever came first. We couldn’t leave for the day until we made two appointments. I hated it, loathed it, but in retrospect, rote prospecting made me a better prospector.
Soon I began to incorporate prospecting into everything I did. I would save the appointments I made to get out of spending four hours on the phone. I started enjoying recruiting after accidently learning how to control my own destiny.
While my peers were “dialing for dollars”, I would be at the video arcade or the mall with my target market playing video games, prospecting, and making appointments.
Subliminal Constraints to Prospecting
Do we create a reluctance toward prospecting by placing too much emphasis on prospecting? For instance, during telephone prospecting we say, “Turn off the Internet. Turn off your email. Turn off your smartphone. Focus your time and energy on prospecting.” This guidance might make prospecting appear to be harder than it is.
Prospecting is important to you, your team, and the Army. Prospecting is one of the continuous “lines of effort” that our recruiting doctrine emphasizes. But rather than forcing focus, we should blend prospecting into our daily operations. You should do whatever it takes to make prospecting second nature.
Tales from the Crypt
When I was young, I wanted to be a high profile detective, investigating the facts, finding clues, and solving cases. That lifestyle appealed to me, probably because I grew up watching Cannon, Matlock, and Hawaii Five-O.
I learned how to use recruiting as a way to satisfy my detective spirit. Prospecting was the function that provided the means to find my man or woman, but instead of arresting them, I solved my case by enlisting or commissioning them into the Army.
Here’s what I would do to lighten the burden of prospecting and turn it into something I enjoyed most: I started each week creating my prospecting plan by identifying about 15 - 20 leads I wanted to contact that week. My appointments made to conduct ratio was good, mostly 1 - 1 or 1 - 2, because I would schedule appointments for the same day that I made them, giving my prospects little time to change their minds.
Before making calls, I spent time gathering as much information as I could about my leads. I knew their birthdays, girlfriends, hobbies, grades, places of employment, parents’ names, brothers/sisters, sports teams, etc., before contacting each of them. Knowing as much as I could about each lead helped turn contacts into appointments, which is the one true objective of prospecting.
There is no better challenge then the hunt. Turn prospecting into a hunt and you will get more enjoyment out of it.
Use Every Method Available
Prospecting helps establish new relationships, and starting new relationships through appointments with young adults capable of becoming Soldiers is our ultimate goal.
There are many ways to prospect: telephonic, social media, and face-to-face. All are effective. It is your responsibility to become proficient in executing each method, but finding your niche approach will help you achieve the objective more often with greater efficiency.
You need to focus most of your time and energy on the approach works best for you -what is most effective and efficient. If you are great at communicating by phone, focus on that method. However, that does not mean never using social media or face-to-face prospecting, or shying away from the myriad of other methods for gaining exposure. You should include and be proficient in all of these tools in your arsenal.
Make a list of all of prospecting methods. Plan the time required and ROI for each.
You might commit to attending one table day a week at a college with the expectation of acquiring two prospects from each event. This would be a face-to-face prospecting event. Recruiters have proven to be very efficient and effective using this method.
Measure these results by focusing on what generates the greatest return on your investment of time. Prospects may have an opinion on how they prefer to be approached. You should not exclude any method. Think about the last time someone approached you and how it made you feel. Better yet, ask your Future Soldiers what worked best for them.
Write Scripts (Guides)
USAREC Manual 3-01, Recruiter Handbook provides several proven scripts and guides addressing the most common areas of prospecting, such as the introduction and how to overcome obstacles.
Two things often cause poor results. The first is not spending enough time prospecting. The other is ineffective prospecting. Most of the time, getting an appointment comes down to not only what you say to the lead, but how you say it.
Practice makes perfect. You must develop your own scripts to ensure a natural flow of conversation. Personalized scripts developed over time and through practical experience are the best, because they are your words, not a canned response.
Begin with USAREC Manual 3-01, Appendix B. Modify the guides to match your style and pace.
Even seasoned recruiters use guides. When you write down what you want to say, your preparation for the conversation will escalate.You will come across as prepared, being interested in the prospect’s plans, and as an intelligent source of information for the prospect.
“But wait!” you say. “I am a professional. I can’t sound like I am using a script!” We hear you loud and clear. You cannot afford to sound like someone reading from a script.
First recognize that you are already using a guide. The words you use when prospecting and during Army Interviews are chosen because they become comfortable to you through rehearsal by memorizing them, not because you are reading them.
Your effectiveness improves by carefully choosing the words you use, understanding what works, what doesn’t work, and how to adjust your delivery. Over time, this approach allows you to experiment with different word choices, using the most effective guide in any given situation.
Read the guides in Appendix B of USAREC Manual 3-01, Recruiter Handbook. Write guides for each of the prospecting methods you use. Write down the most common obstacles you encounter. Then write your responses to those obstacles.
USAREC Manual 3-01 provides a few of the more common obstacles. Take this opportunity to re-familiarize yourself with them. Rehearse them. Rehearse with other recruiters and with your spouse or your kids. They will appreciate you for involving them in your work-life, and they will tell you if you sound convincing or need work. Use the recording app on your smartphone to record yourself and conduct a self-critique. Memorize the best language, replacing ineffective scripts.
Focus on the Outcome
The outcome of prospecting is nothing less than an appointment. There is no pressure to create a relationship at this stage, just get the appointment. Resist the urge to slip into presentation mode – chances are you will not get a commitment to join the Army over the telephone or in a face-to-face setting during your prospecting activity.
There is no list to make, no plan to write at this point. Just know that a successful outcome at this time is always an appointment. It does not matter how much you liked them or how much they liked you. If you did not schedule an appointment, you did not reach your objective.
Cold-Calling Takes Courage
You have already proven your warrior courage many times in more difficult and austere situations. You can call upon that courage when it comes to cold calling. This is important method to have in your repertoire of recruiting tools, one that you build your competency by picking up the phone, contacting a lead, using your guides, and making an appointment.
Develop Relationships Over Time
Even when using these ideas, you are still going to hear “No.” - maybe a lot. There are ways to combat the self-doubt that may occur from negative results. Read the ProTalk article “The Challenge of Self-Doubt” to learn more. Previous articles “Relationships over time with Center of Influence (COI)” and “Very Important Person (VIP)” are valuable. The consistent and unrelenting pursuit of your dream applicants is part of a longer-term plan for success, not a quick fix.
Consistency means that these COI/VIP or prospects hear from you frequently through a variety sources including phonecalls, birthday and anniversary cards, letters, newspaper and web clippings, unannounced visits with a box of donuts and coffee, delivery of personal presentation items (PPI), and timely messages on social media sites. These are a few of the proven ways to build and sustain relationships with people who have influence in your market.
Some of the best relationships will take time to develop. Consistent development of relationships will open opportunities over time. This approach proves to your market that you are not going to disappear, that you are invested and truly interested in working with them, and that you are a professional who takes action. These are just some of the attributes that people look for in recruiters and partners. Capture your market by partnering with the local community.
Write a development plan. What will you do to create value for your dream Future Soldiers, COIs, or VIPs even before they decide to set an appointment with you? How often will you call? How often will they receive something from you? What will they receive? What will it say about you? How will it create trust? Once planned, execute with vigor. The payoff is potentially massive, feeding your prospecting efforts through referrals.
Conclusion
Recruiters form new relationships with potential Future Soldiers through their prospecting activities. Use the guidance and suggestion in USAREC Manual 3-01 Recruiter Handbook. Share your own tried and true techniques and the successful prospecting stories of fellow recruiters. Mastering the art and science of prospecting builds your confidence and has a positive effect on recruiting and the Army.
By Rick Welling and David Dawson, USAREC, Doctrine Division
July 21, 2015
What’s In It For Me?
Prospecting is to recruiting what gasoline is to an engine. The more you do (have), the further you can go.
We form new relationships with potential Future Soldiers through prospecting activities. Our doctrine views prospecting as the foundation of recruiting. In fact, prospecting is so critical to the recruiting mission, that it is worth doing poorly until you can do it right.
Improving your prospecting skills is akin to sharpening your weapon marksmanship. It takes the same personal commitment.
This article offers insight on reinforcing your commitment to recruiting and improving your skills.
We hope you find a nugget or two of useful information and share your feedback on the ProNet Forum.
Consistency Counts – Prospect or Die
Prospect or die is a serious lead-in, or as we used to say, a “ho-hum crasher.” No, we don’t kill anyone for inadequate prospecting. But, according to validated feedback from thousands of recruiting center visits, inadequate prospecting is the major cause of mission shortfalls.
Improving your prospecting efforts and blending this function into your battle rhythm improves prospecting skills and yields results.
Begin With the End in Mind
Set up a weekly plan, schedule time, method, and location for daily prospecting. Seasoned recruiters instinctively know when, how, and where to prospect. Seasoned recruiters conduct an analysis of their previous plans; reviewing attempts to contact rates and total appointments made to determine the best prospecting methods, locations, and times. Whether you are a seasoned or new recruiter, you should adjust your prospecting plan to achieve the best contact ratio.
Back in the day… The ramblings of an old recruiter
My first station commander forced us to do at least four hours of telephone prospecting or make two appointments per day, whichever came first. We couldn’t leave for the day until we made two appointments. I hated it, loathed it, but in retrospect, rote prospecting made me a better prospector.
Soon I began to incorporate prospecting into everything I did. I would save the appointments I made to get out of spending four hours on the phone. I started enjoying recruiting after accidently learning how to control my own destiny.
While my peers were “dialing for dollars”, I would be at the video arcade or the mall with my target market playing video games, prospecting, and making appointments.
Subliminal Constraints to Prospecting
Do we create a reluctance toward prospecting by placing too much emphasis on prospecting? For instance, during telephone prospecting we say, “Turn off the Internet. Turn off your email. Turn off your smartphone. Focus your time and energy on prospecting.” This guidance might make prospecting appear to be harder than it is.
Prospecting is important to you, your team, and the Army. Prospecting is one of the continuous “lines of effort” that our recruiting doctrine emphasizes. But rather than forcing focus, we should blend prospecting into our daily operations. You should do whatever it takes to make prospecting second nature.
Tales from the Crypt
When I was young, I wanted to be a high profile detective, investigating the facts, finding clues, and solving cases. That lifestyle appealed to me, probably because I grew up watching Cannon, Matlock, and Hawaii Five-O.
I learned how to use recruiting as a way to satisfy my detective spirit. Prospecting was the function that provided the means to find my man or woman, but instead of arresting them, I solved my case by enlisting or commissioning them into the Army.
Here’s what I would do to lighten the burden of prospecting and turn it into something I enjoyed most: I started each week creating my prospecting plan by identifying about 15 - 20 leads I wanted to contact that week. My appointments made to conduct ratio was good, mostly 1 - 1 or 1 - 2, because I would schedule appointments for the same day that I made them, giving my prospects little time to change their minds.
Before making calls, I spent time gathering as much information as I could about my leads. I knew their birthdays, girlfriends, hobbies, grades, places of employment, parents’ names, brothers/sisters, sports teams, etc., before contacting each of them. Knowing as much as I could about each lead helped turn contacts into appointments, which is the one true objective of prospecting.
There is no better challenge then the hunt. Turn prospecting into a hunt and you will get more enjoyment out of it.
Use Every Method Available
Prospecting helps establish new relationships, and starting new relationships through appointments with young adults capable of becoming Soldiers is our ultimate goal.
There are many ways to prospect: telephonic, social media, and face-to-face. All are effective. It is your responsibility to become proficient in executing each method, but finding your niche approach will help you achieve the objective more often with greater efficiency.
You need to focus most of your time and energy on the approach works best for you -what is most effective and efficient. If you are great at communicating by phone, focus on that method. However, that does not mean never using social media or face-to-face prospecting, or shying away from the myriad of other methods for gaining exposure. You should include and be proficient in all of these tools in your arsenal.
Make a list of all of prospecting methods. Plan the time required and ROI for each.
You might commit to attending one table day a week at a college with the expectation of acquiring two prospects from each event. This would be a face-to-face prospecting event. Recruiters have proven to be very efficient and effective using this method.
Measure these results by focusing on what generates the greatest return on your investment of time. Prospects may have an opinion on how they prefer to be approached. You should not exclude any method. Think about the last time someone approached you and how it made you feel. Better yet, ask your Future Soldiers what worked best for them.
Write Scripts (Guides)
USAREC Manual 3-01, Recruiter Handbook provides several proven scripts and guides addressing the most common areas of prospecting, such as the introduction and how to overcome obstacles.
Two things often cause poor results. The first is not spending enough time prospecting. The other is ineffective prospecting. Most of the time, getting an appointment comes down to not only what you say to the lead, but how you say it.
Practice makes perfect. You must develop your own scripts to ensure a natural flow of conversation. Personalized scripts developed over time and through practical experience are the best, because they are your words, not a canned response.
Begin with USAREC Manual 3-01, Appendix B. Modify the guides to match your style and pace.
Even seasoned recruiters use guides. When you write down what you want to say, your preparation for the conversation will escalate.You will come across as prepared, being interested in the prospect’s plans, and as an intelligent source of information for the prospect.
“But wait!” you say. “I am a professional. I can’t sound like I am using a script!” We hear you loud and clear. You cannot afford to sound like someone reading from a script.
First recognize that you are already using a guide. The words you use when prospecting and during Army Interviews are chosen because they become comfortable to you through rehearsal by memorizing them, not because you are reading them.
Your effectiveness improves by carefully choosing the words you use, understanding what works, what doesn’t work, and how to adjust your delivery. Over time, this approach allows you to experiment with different word choices, using the most effective guide in any given situation.
Read the guides in Appendix B of USAREC Manual 3-01, Recruiter Handbook. Write guides for each of the prospecting methods you use. Write down the most common obstacles you encounter. Then write your responses to those obstacles.
USAREC Manual 3-01 provides a few of the more common obstacles. Take this opportunity to re-familiarize yourself with them. Rehearse them. Rehearse with other recruiters and with your spouse or your kids. They will appreciate you for involving them in your work-life, and they will tell you if you sound convincing or need work. Use the recording app on your smartphone to record yourself and conduct a self-critique. Memorize the best language, replacing ineffective scripts.
Focus on the Outcome
The outcome of prospecting is nothing less than an appointment. There is no pressure to create a relationship at this stage, just get the appointment. Resist the urge to slip into presentation mode – chances are you will not get a commitment to join the Army over the telephone or in a face-to-face setting during your prospecting activity.
There is no list to make, no plan to write at this point. Just know that a successful outcome at this time is always an appointment. It does not matter how much you liked them or how much they liked you. If you did not schedule an appointment, you did not reach your objective.
Cold-Calling Takes Courage
You have already proven your warrior courage many times in more difficult and austere situations. You can call upon that courage when it comes to cold calling. This is important method to have in your repertoire of recruiting tools, one that you build your competency by picking up the phone, contacting a lead, using your guides, and making an appointment.
Develop Relationships Over Time
Even when using these ideas, you are still going to hear “No.” - maybe a lot. There are ways to combat the self-doubt that may occur from negative results. Read the ProTalk article “The Challenge of Self-Doubt” to learn more. Previous articles “Relationships over time with Center of Influence (COI)” and “Very Important Person (VIP)” are valuable. The consistent and unrelenting pursuit of your dream applicants is part of a longer-term plan for success, not a quick fix.
Consistency means that these COI/VIP or prospects hear from you frequently through a variety sources including phonecalls, birthday and anniversary cards, letters, newspaper and web clippings, unannounced visits with a box of donuts and coffee, delivery of personal presentation items (PPI), and timely messages on social media sites. These are a few of the proven ways to build and sustain relationships with people who have influence in your market.
Some of the best relationships will take time to develop. Consistent development of relationships will open opportunities over time. This approach proves to your market that you are not going to disappear, that you are invested and truly interested in working with them, and that you are a professional who takes action. These are just some of the attributes that people look for in recruiters and partners. Capture your market by partnering with the local community.
Write a development plan. What will you do to create value for your dream Future Soldiers, COIs, or VIPs even before they decide to set an appointment with you? How often will you call? How often will they receive something from you? What will they receive? What will it say about you? How will it create trust? Once planned, execute with vigor. The payoff is potentially massive, feeding your prospecting efforts through referrals.
Conclusion
Recruiters form new relationships with potential Future Soldiers through their prospecting activities. Use the guidance and suggestion in USAREC Manual 3-01 Recruiter Handbook. Share your own tried and true techniques and the successful prospecting stories of fellow recruiters. Mastering the art and science of prospecting builds your confidence and has a positive effect on recruiting and the Army.