scsep: implementing an effective employer outreach program that works – for employers and...

SCSEP: Implementing an Effective SCSEP: Implementing an Effective Employer Outreach Program That Employer Outreach Program That

Works – For Employers and Works – For Employers and ParticipantsParticipants

PART IIPART II

March 25, 2011 – 3pm ETMarch 25, 2011 – 3pm ET

SCSEP: Implementing an Effective Employer Outreach Program That Works – For Employers and ParticipantsSCSEP: Implementing an Effective Employer Outreach Program That Works – For Employers and Participants2

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PresentersPresenters

Presenters: Laura Connelly,

Founder, TalentResource Solutions

Moderator: Judith Gilbert, SCSEP

National Office


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The OutreachThe OutreachPresentationPresentation


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The Outreach PresentationThe Outreach Presentation

Getting past the gatekeeper

Developing call script

Closing questions

Voicemail messages


Receptionist ScriptReceptionist Script

Hi, this is Roberta Smith with [organization] here in [location]. Who am I speaking to? Hi, Susan. I hope that you can help me. Who is responsible for the customer service area now? David Jones? And what is his direct dial number? Does he have an executive assistant? What is her name? Emily? Thanks, Susan. Can you transfer me, please?

Be ready with 30 second commercial if asked for more details


Personal Administrative Personal Administrative Assistant ScriptAssistant Script

Hi Emily, this is Roberta Smith with [organization] here in [location]. I just spoke to Susan, and she said you would be able to help me. I was calling to speak with Mr. Jones about our services here at [organization]. We offer a complementary service that matches mature workers with local employers. A grant from the U.S. Department of Labor is paying for it so I’m not selling anything. I want Mr. Jones to know about this program so ABC Company can take advantage of it. Is he available? (If not,) when can you get me 5-10 minutes on his calendar? Thanks so much. I appreciate your help!


Getting Past the GatekeeperGetting Past the Gatekeeperby Phoneby Phone

If you get stuck at the gatekeeper: Call after hours or at lunch time

Ask for customer service or sales

– It may be easier to get a name from them

“What is the nature of your call?” I represent a non-profit organization; we offer a no-

fee employment service

I want to talk to him about our services

Recite your elevator pitch


In-Person ScriptIn-Person Script

I am here to see the person who (title, i.e. customer service reps) report to, or the person in charge of hiring. I only need 5 minutes of his or her time.

“What is the purpose of your visit?”Be ready with your elevator pitch

Avoid saying, “I want to drop off some information”

Not available? Leave only your business card

– Attempt to secure a future appointment

– Ask when the decision maker will be back in the office; suggest you stop back another time

– Mark your calendar


Goal of an Outreach CallGoal of an Outreach Call

Interview

Job order

OJE leading to placement

Host agency training assignment leading to placement

Opportunity to share information about your service, which will lead to a future employer relationship (call us first when you have a need, before you list elsewhere)

Referral to someone else in the company

Lead – other employers who may find value from the program (may I use your name when I call?)

Remember: Get SOMETHING from every call!


Opening StatementOpening Statement

Briefly introduce your services. Use a portion of your elevator pitch

I’m Roberta Smith. We offer services at no charge that match mature workers with local employers. A grant from the U.S. Department of Labor is already paying for it, so I’m not selling anything. I want you to know about our service so you can take advantage of it.

I’m Dave Roberts. We’re doing something new – we’re actively promoting the free service we offer!


PresentationPresentation

I represent a company called Mature Services. We provide job training and placement services for mature workers. Some of them have lost their jobs due to a variety of reasons such as the economic downturn, while others need to get back in the workforce to supplement their retirement. We prepare them for re-employment, which includes needed training, and serves as a resource as they look for work. This is all funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, so we can offer this service at no cost to you.


ClosingClosing

Ask a series of trial close questions along the way instead of waiting until the end

Be conversational Break the conversation into small pieces and ask

the employer’s opinion several times (soft close) Avoid a lengthy data dump Obtain employer’s buy-in at logical break points in

the conversation Don’t talk past the close – ask your closing

question and then be quiet ABC – Always Be Closing!


Closing QuestionsClosing Questions

I wanted to bring this individual to your attention. Would you be interested in interviewing her for a ____ position? Great, let me get some blocks of time when you are available and I can call or email you with a confirmed time (or have participant contact you to schedule an appointment).

What are your thoughts about our service? Does it sound like something that would be of value to you?

Does this person sound like someone who would add value to your team?

When would you like to see some of our candidates? What openings are you currently seeking to fill? Who should I be speaking to about this candidate?


Voicemail MessagesVoicemail Messages

Use a script, memorize it, be consistent Short and powerful – maximum 30 seconds State your name and phone number twice Provide the reason for your call Intrigue can increase the odds of a return call Track the number of callbacks before revising

script


Voicemail MessagesVoicemail Messages

Hi Jim, this is Natalie Johnson with [organization] at 123-456-7890. I was calling to introduce you to our service, which may help solve any hiring challenges you are facing, all at no cost to you. Please return my call. Again, this is Natalie Johnson with [organization] at 123-456-7890. Thank you!


On-the-Job Experience On-the-Job Experience (OJE) or Trial Employment(OJE) or Trial Employment


On-the-Job Experience (OJE)On-the-Job Experience (OJE)

Refer to Older Worker Bulletin 04-04. Highlights: Participant must have been in CSA 2 weeks or longer Public or private employer (not active host agency) Negotiated contract must stipulate skills, timelines, benchmarks.

Employer must agree to hire participant at the end of OJE unless performance is unsatisfactory.

Training based on IEP, follow-up required One OJE per participant per 12 month period Five OJEs per employer per job category per year No more than 40 hours per week Reimbursement: 1-4 weeks at 100%; 1-12 weeks at up to 50% Direct pay: 100% for up to 12 weeks Contract stipulates who is responsible for workers’ compensation Maintain copies of OJE in participant file and share with DOL upon

request


Trial Employment – WIIFM?Trial Employment – WIIFM?

Risk-free; try before you buy Evaluate employee performance for a few weeks No cost – nothing to lose Could gain a great employee! Person can be removed if it’s not working out

(need feedback for coaching purposes) Simple paperwork + signed timesheets Employer can be certain before making a hire Reduces turnoverNote: Employer agrees up front to hire participant at

the end of OJE if performance is acceptable


When to Offer Trial EmploymentWhen to Offer Trial Employment

During a job interview – have participant bring letter

To smaller companies (less than 100 employees)

To overcome objections after an interview

When participant is competing with others for the job

To kick-start a stalled hiring process

When an employer can’t make a decision

With call-in job orders


Employer QuestionsEmployer Questions

Tell me about the types of positions you have trouble filling. Where do you experience the most turnover? What challenges are you facing in hiring today? Tell me about the financial impact of turnover. Are there personality traits you find lacking in some of the

candidates you interview or hire? How long does it take you to train a new employee? Do you sometimes lose people after you’ve trained them,

before they actually become productive workers? Would it be helpful to be able to evaluate someone before

you hire them? What if you could evaluate someone at no cost for two

weeks, while you are training them?


Presenting Trial EmploymentPresenting Trial Employment

I have a suggestion that may be of value. What if you could evaluate someone at no cost for (two) weeks before you hired him? Might that help you to reduce turnover?

(Pause for reply)

Great, let me tell you what I have in mind.


Trial Employment ScriptTrial Employment Script

It sounds like your turnover rate is quite concerning to you. (or it sounds like you are concerned about hiring a mature worker). I can understand that. I have a suggestion that may be of value. What if you could evaluate someone at no cost to you for two weeks before you hired him? Might that help you to reduce turnover?

(Pause for reply)

Great, let me tell you what I have in mind. I want to offer you a no-cost two week trial employment option, where one of my enrollees will work for you for two weeks and receive on the job training from you. I will pay his salary at your established rate of pay, and I will also cover his workers comp during that time. Provided he successfully completes the training period, you agree to hire him. Here is a copy of his resume. What do you think? How quickly could he get started?


Overcoming Overcoming Prospect ConcernsProspect Concerns


Common ConcernsCommon Concerns

We aren’t hiring/We don’t have any openings. We have had to lay people off just to keep the doors open. We don’t have any openings for a customer service rep. We don’t work with agencies. People have to apply on their

own. You need to go through our website and submit an application

that way. If we have a need to fill any positions, we will call you. We have hundreds of people applying for every open position. When we do start hiring again, we will have plenty of people to

choose from. Health insurance is too expensive for seniors.


Responding to ConcernsResponding to Concerns

Clarify – Empathize – Pause – Respond – Close

Clarify – Paraphrase; let him re-state if needed Empathize – Put yourself in his shoes Pause – Gather your thoughts on how to respond Respond – Use your prepared response Close – What do you think? How does that

sound?


Not Hiring forNot Hiring forThat Job Title (MPE)That Job Title (MPE)

Clarify: So you are saying that there are no current openings for a cook?

Empathize: I’m sure that’s frustrating since it sounds like you could use the help.

Pause, then respond: I have many talented enrollees with a variety of skill sets that may be a good addition to your team.

Close: Are you hiring for other job titles where I may have enrollees who are qualified?


We Don’t Work with AgenciesWe Don’t Work with Agencies

Clarify: So you’re saying you don’t work with employment agencies? Empathize: I certainly understand that you may not have a budget for

that. Pause, then respond: We are not an employment agency, and there is

no fee for our services. We are a free service, paid for by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. It’s my job to help employers in our local community become aware of this free service, and to send you assessed and qualified applicants for any openings you may have. The employers I work with are grateful for this service, because it saves them the time of sifting through hundreds of resumes they may get from a job posting. I send them people who I have already assessed, that I know meet the qualifications. If you are interested, I can provide you with some names and phone numbers of other restaurants in the area who have hired our people.

Close: Would that help you be more comfortable with our services?


Apply to Our WebsiteApply to Our Website

Clarify: So you are saying that anyone who is interested needs to apply online?

Empathize: I certainly understand, that process works well for many of our employers.

Pause, then respond: I will insist that any of our qualified enrollees apply online. However, it probably makes sense for us to establish a system where you know which applicants came from our program. There are several opportunities for us to fund a portion (or all) of their salary during training that you may want to take advantage of, so I imagine you will want to know which applicants that applies to.

Close: Does that make sense?


Don’t Call Us; We’ll Call YouDon’t Call Us; We’ll Call You

Clarify: So you are saying you will call me if you have an interest in hearing about any of our enrollees for an opening?

Empathize: I appreciate that. I’m sure you are quite busy.

Pause, then respond: Would it be alright if I checked your website from time to time for any posted openings, and if I have an enrollee who may be a fit, I could give you a call? Perhaps if you are interested, we could talk more about all of our services at that time.

Close: Would that be alright?


We Have Hundreds of ApplicantsWe Have Hundreds of Applicants

Clarify: So you are saying that you have several open positions, and you are receiving hundreds of applicants for each position?

Empathize: Wow, that must take a tremendous amount of time to go through all of them. Is that your responsibility? How do you have time for that in addition to all of your other duties?

Pause, wait for answer, then respond: I have a suggestion. If you give me the exact details of what you are looking for, I could send you a short list of applicants that I have already assessed, who match the exact qualifications. Not only could I save you some time, but we could offer a two week trial employment at no cost to you, so you would know exactly what you were getting before you hired the person. If for some reason it didn’t work out, I could send you another person, or you could go back to your stack of resumes!

Close: What do you think, does that make sense?


Health Insurance Is TooHealth Insurance Is TooExpensive for SeniorsExpensive for Seniors

Clarify: So you are concerned that if you hired one of our enrollees, your costs would be higher due to higher health care costs for a mature worker?

Empathize: I can understand why that might be a concern for you. There has been a lot of publicity lately about the high cost of health care, hasn’t there.

Pause, then respond: However, I’m not sure as hiring managers, we can generalize. Health care expenses are so individualized. Did you know that there are currently five generations represented in today’s work force? Mature workers are generally known for their great work ethic and doing what it takes to get the job done, even if it means working longer hours. Each generation has its strengths, but again, it’s difficult to generalize.

Close: Knowing that, would you be willing to consider some of our enrollees for this opening?


Handling RejectionHandling Rejection

It’s not personal It’s probably unrelated to you and your services

– Company in bad financial situation and can’t hire

It’s a numbers game “Kiss a lot of frogs” Average person – 7 nos before a yes Don’t give up; don’t take it personally Stay focused on the value you offer employers Track your call-in job orders and celebrate delayed

success!


Tips and PointersTips and Pointers

Organization and follow-up yield more placements!

Create a written, weekly outreach plan including follow-up calls

Start outreach with easy calls to get your rhythm Use networking time wisely Expect to be successful – it’s all about attitude Adopt a consultative style; solve problems Smile! Your enthusiasm is contagious Relax and have fun

scsep: implementing an effective employer outreach program that works – for employers and...

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