How to Build

and Market a

Killer Value

Proposition

How did we get here?

! Many buyers are more price conscious

!  Increased role of Procurement and HR

! Companies utilize recruiting and staffing

differently

! Vendor Management Systems and Master

Vendor Programs

!  Increased Competition

! Lack of discernible differences among

recruiting firms

How do I

get out

of the

Commodity

Rat Race?

Step 1:

Refuse to Play!

4 types of recruiting firms

Price Naïve Non-Participants

The Powerless

Low Cost Providers

Control

Price

What do these companies have in common?

Step 2:

Adopt an Abundance

Mentality

Value

Proposition:

The unique value a

business offers to its

customers

What is your Value Proposition?

•  Who am I competing with? What

are their strengths and

weaknesses?

•  What makes us different/better? Is

it quantifiable?

•  What gives us credibility?

•  What’s important to the client?

•  How can I clearly state this in

10-15 seconds?

Hint:

It’s NOT Quality!

5 Steps to Creating your Killer Value Proposition

Identify your Differentiators

Determine the benefit (value) to your client

Create a quantifiable

value proposition

Determine how to market

Commit to the message

Service Team

Industry Specializatio

n

Awards/ Certifications

Testimonials

High Profile Clients

! Identify your niche

! Use terms “Niche”,

“Specialize”, “Area of

Expertise”

! Get involved with the

industry

Industry Specialization

! Tenure

! Certification/Awards

! Industry Background

! Create team overview

for marketing and

website

Service Team

! Industrial/Healthcare/Payrolling

! Rapidly growing regional

company

! Executive tenure > 15 years

average

! Staff tenure > 10 years

! All staff are Certified Staffing

Professionals

Service Team

! Quickest way to quickly

establish credibility

! Be industry-specific for

greater impact

! List clients:

! On your website

! In marketing materials

! In cold calls and voice mails

High Profile Clients

Awards/ Certifications

!  Office/Light Industrial Staffing

!  The #1 Best Staffing Company to Work for in the United States

!  The #1 Best Place to Work in both Atlanta and Reno

! Multi-year Inavero Best of Staffing Client Award Winner

! Multi-year Inavero Best of Staffing Talent Award Winner

!  Prominently displayed on their website and marketing materials

Awards/ Certification

! Have the client be specific

! One to two sentences

! Use the client’s name, title, and

company

! Ask for LinkedIn

Recommendation

! Categorize by industry or

specialization

! Use in everything

Testimonials

Differentiator vs. Customer Value

Differentiator Value to Client

Niche Industry Specialization I am partnering with an expert in the space with a comprehensive network of industry contacts

Impressive Client Portfolio I am not the guinea pig. If these companies trust them with their talent needs, why wouldn’t I

Strong Testimonials

I can see evidence that they are a good, reputable company to work with. That makes me more confident that I’m making the right choice and minimizing my risk

Create a message that

gets results

What’s wrong with this voicemail message?

“Hi Mrs. Smith, my name is Tom Erb. I work for Acme Search, which is a recruiting firm here in Columbus. I noticed that you have several positions posted on Indeed and wanted to see if we could help. Please give me a call at 614-372-5888. I look forward to hearing from you.”

What’s wrong with this voicemail message?

!  It sounds like every other sales message

!  There is no compelling “call to action”

! No credibility building

!  Phone number at end and rushed through

!  It’s generic

!  It’s boring

Service Team

Industry Specializatio

n

Awards/ Certifications

Testimonials

High Profile Clients

A Different Message

“Hi Mrs. Smith, this is Tom Erb, 614-372-5888. My company

Acme Staffing specializes in software developers for the retail

clothing industry, including clients like Best Buy, Lululemon,

and The Gap just to name a few. We recently completed a major

recruiting project with The Gap and they stated it was the best

experience they ever had with a recruiting firm. I’d like to have a

brief discussion to see if you could benefit from that same level

of service. I will call you tomorrow between 3 and 5 pm to

discuss further. I look forward to speaking with you.”

How do I get the prospect to answer the phone?

Display your Company Name

•  Anonymous vs. Company Name

•  The rest of the tips dependent on

company name

ABC Search

614-555-5555

Send them a letter (or two, or three)

•  24% decline in Postal Volume past 10 years

•  Competition has shifted away from direct mail

•  Creates brand awareness and builds credibility

•  Be creative – stay away from mass mail look

Prep them with an email

•  Builds credibility, brand and name recognition

•  The best times to email prospects are 8 am and 3 pm

•  Email marketing has a 2x higher ROI than cold calling,

networking, or trade shows

Optimize your LinkedIn profile

•  Your LinkedIn Profile is a credibility reinforcement

•  Should be used as a marketing tool, not a resume

•  Increase in likelihood your LinkedIn profile will get

viewed if you include a photo: 11x

Use Content Marketing •  Email Marketing, Blogs, Whitepapers, Webinars/

Seminars

THIS IS WHERE SALES IS GOING!

2% 3% 5% 10%

80%

1st Contact 2nd Contact 3rd Contact 4th Contact 5-12 Contacts 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

How many contacts to make a sale?

2% 3% 5% 10%

80%

1st Contact 2nd Contact 3rd Contact 4th Contact 5-12 Contacts 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

How many contacts to make a sale?

Most sales people give up after the

2nd or 3rd call

Suspect/Prospect Contact Schedule

Wk 1 •  Value Prop Mailing

Wk 2 •  Value Prop Email/ Intro Voice Mail/ Follow Up Email

Wk 3 •  Follow up Voice Mail

Wk 4 •  Follow up Email

Wk 5 •  Follow up Voice Mail

Wk 6 •  Content Email

Wk 7 •  Follow up Voice Mail

Wk 8 •  Content Email

Wk 9 •  Content Voice Mail

Wk 10 •  “Backing off” Email

Results!

“A GIANT woohoo…in the last week, I’ve signed

contracts with BOTH {Company A} AND {Company

B}…both success stories from the sales process…

beginning with the mailer. There are a lot more

success stories that have happened and that are in

process…but I thought these well worth

mentioning!”

Marketing your Value Proposition

! Be consistent

! Be unwavering

! Use multiple sales and marketing avenues

! Website

! Marketing Materials

! Phone Call and Voice Mail Scripts

! Proposals

! Presentations

5 Steps to Creating your Killer Value Proposition

Identify your Differentiators

Determine the benefit (value) to your client

Create a quantifiable

value proposition

Determine how to market

Commit to the message