Mark Whitby

The 3 Ways to Differentiate Yourself from the Competition

By Mark Whitby

Most recruiters are desperate for new business right now, which means clients are inundated with calls. As a result, they're becoming more resistant and less receptive to marketing calls. In order to survive and thrive in the current climate, you need to find ways to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Your goal is for the client to perceive you as the recruiter of choice within your market niche. I believe you have three chances to achieve that goal.

1. Short Term -- Make a Positive Impression on the First Call

The first opportunity to differentiate is the very first time you contact a prospect. Whether your initial communication is a phone call, letter or email, this is your one and only chance to make a positive first impression.

2. Medium Term -- Build Rapport by Following-up on a Consistent Basis

The second opportunity to differentiate is the way you follow up. After the first contact, every subsequent communication is a follow up.

Having an effective process for following up with your clients and prospects consistently is even more important than having a great call opening. It's more difficult to differentiate yourself in the first call because you can be the best sales person in the world, but if you are the twentieth person who has called them that day, they may not be in the most receptive frame of mind!

However, here is the "hidden" opportunity: 99 percent of sales people and recruiters are poor at following up. And the follow up is the key to building a relationship. People buy from people they know, like and trust. Especially in a client driven market, they are going to choose the person or the company they have a relationship with. So if you are better at following up, you are going to build a better relationship.

In addition, if you rely on the first contact, you only have one chance to distinguish yourselves from your competitors. But by following up consistently, you have multiple, ongoing opportunities to differentiate.

3. Longer Term -- Develop a Relationship by Delivering Exceptional Service

The third opportunity to differentiate and that is in the service delivery. This is probably our most important chance to differentiate when the client says "yes" and gives you an opportunity to fill a job. Now you can differentiate in several ways:

• Your professionalism when writing the job order
• How rapidly you respond with relevant candidates
• The value that you add to the client's hiring process -- e.g. the advice, expertise and market knowledge that you bring to bear
• How confident and competent you are at managing the entire placements process
• How much the client enjoys the experience of working with you
• Most importantly -- by getting results and filling the job!

Next week, we're going to go into detail about how to open the call in a way that creates an impact and leads to a productive conversation. In the meantime, remember that even if the first call doesn't go as well as you would have liked, don't give up! You still have many more chances to differentiate.

© 2009 Mark Whitby, All rights reserved.

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