So you have an interview coming up with the branch manager of a staffing firm, and you want to be their salesperson. You are a good cold-caller, you hav a firm grasp of your industry (tech, accounting, healthcare, office), and you can point to a record of beating sales quotas, even in the tough times.
Actually, if you have all of those things, you're a shoe-in, so you can skip this advice, but if you are lacking in some areas of your resume, or if you've had some slow years and are looking to break a slump, here's a surefire way to impress your hopefully future boss.
Go to the Library.
Companies have big databases with thousands of contacts for hiring managers that you will be able to call when you are hired, but those databases are often inaccurate, old, never truly complete. Promotions, new jobs, and new hires change the make-up of a company, and you're often left dialing old phone numbers and talking to people that don't have any business for you and wonder why you're calling.
So go to the library, and create your own list to call. Yes, you may be doing some duplicate work, but creating a cold-call list of local companies is something that so few people do these days, you will stand out and also get yourself prepared for your first couple weeks. Cold-calls to gather information are a great way to warm up on the phone, and the first secret of cold-calling is having a good list of numbers to call.
Here are your resources:
1) Top Lists: Every library has a local Top List from the Business Journal on hand. Request this from the reference desk, and copy out relevant lists like Top Public Firms, Top Private Firms, Top Tech Firms, and Top Accounting Firms. For greater specialization, consider pulling out lists of Lawyers, PR Firms, and Advertising Agencies. While their needs are smaller, the profit margins for these companies is often higher.
2) Manufacturer Lists: each State has a list of registered Manufacturers which gives you great information about sales volume, industry type, and number of employees. The listing is also broken out by city, which means if you can get a cluster of businesses in the same place, you can make it a habit to visit three clients in the time it normally takes to drive to one.
3) Ask the Librarian: Every state has different resources, so make friends with the reference librarian, and see what she can help you find. From local magazines to listings of key executives, librarians can be very helpful.
4) Online Databases: Ownership of a library card gives your certain access privileges to online databases, which often work just as well as Hoover's and the ABI lists. InfoUSA and similar companies with names like Dataseek and Bizlistings are usually a good bet. **Bonus - you can access these from your home computer.
When you build your list, keep it simple. I used to use a paper notepad and go through the calls, checking off the important ones and throwing away the bad information. This may not work if you have a company that demands you put every little thing into their tracking system, but if that's the case, you can sometimes get office staff to enter it for you.
When the interview comes, pull out your resources and show the hiring manager how you are prepared to hit the ground running. This strategy works because it shows the hiring manager that you are prepared to work from day one, and you don't need any coddling.
And who knows - if you're good at it, you ought to get some business from your work.
