Tom Erb's presentation from ACSESS 2016 Conference

1. How to Build
and Market a
Killer Value
Proposition

2. 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

3. How do I
get out
of the
Commodity
Rat Race?

4. Step 1:
Refuse to Play!

5. 4 types of recruiting firms
Price Naïve
Non-
Participants
The
Powerless
Low Cost
Providers
Control
Price

6. What do these companies have in
common?

7. Step 2:
Adopt an Abundance
Mentality

8. Value
Proposition:
The unique value a
business offers to its
customers

9. 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?

10. Hint:
It’s NOT Quality!

11. 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

12. Service
Team
Industry
Specializatio
n
Awards/
Certifications
Testimonial
s
High
Profile
Clients

13. ! Identify your niche
! Use terms “Niche”,
“Specialize”, “Area of
Expertise”
! Get involved with the
industry
Industry
Specialization

14. ! Tenure
! Certification/Awards
! Industry Background
! Create team overview
for marketing and
website
Service
Team

15. ! Industrial/Healthcare/Payrolling
! Rapidly growing regional
company
! Executive tenure > 15 years
average
! Staff tenure > 10 years
! All staff are Certified Staffing
Service
Team

16. ! 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

17. Awards/
Certifications

18. ! 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

19. ! 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
Testimonial
s

20. 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

21. Create a
message that
gets results

22. 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.”

23. 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

24. Service
Team
Industry
Specializatio
n
Awards/
Certifications
Testimonial
s
High
Profile
Clients

25. 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.”

26. How do I get the
prospect to answer
the phone?

27. Display your Company Name
• Anonymous vs. Company Name
• The rest of the tips dependent on
company name
ABC Search
614-555-5555

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. Use Content Marketing
• Email Marketing, Blogs, Whitepapers, Webinars/
Seminars
THIS IS WHERE SALES IS GOING!

32. 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?

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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!”

36. 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

37. 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