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Cold-Calling is Dead.
Use the Power of Mystery


When it comes to sales, a live call is the only way to dispel concerns, treat objections, and eventually make a sale.

In this regard, the executive search industry is no different than any other service business.

The challenge for any sales team is to reach well-targeted prospects in a socially acceptable and responsible way — i.e. without being a bloody inconvenience.

Statistics show texting and emailing both generate significantly higher response rates than cold-calling.

We all need to T.A.L.K. to people. In our case, we need to talk to HR and recruitment managers. How to get to this point?

Create an interesting mystery.

Send your (well-targeted) prospect a personal email or text (with prior permission!) that will spark their interest with some brief, punchy “hook” about the topic of your purported follow-up call or Zoom meeting.

Inform… but don’t give it all away in your first email. Leave some unsaid. Keep the “reveal” for the call. Ask for an appointment to demonstrate why the “hook” benefits their business. This is the mystery. People love mystery stories.

Stay tuned for our next post on best practices in this regard.