Profiling-It’s a good thing in Recruiting!

I had only been recruiting for a couple of months when I was at Dallas MEPS with my seventh enlistment (obviously happy about that!).  Everything was going good until the Guidance Counselor called me over to his desk and asked me to sit down…uh oh. 

I complied because of two things; he was the “King of MEPS” and besides that, I respected him as a very wise and experienced Recruiter.  SFC Chavez then began to tell me that he had noticed that every enlistment that I had been bringing to MEPS had to have a waiver to get into the Guard. He also told me something that I already knew, because of that, a lot of hard work went into getting these applicants qualified to enlist.  Then he said something that helped me become a very successful Recruiter, “Sergeant Malone, recruiting will be a lot easier for you if you start hanging around a better class of people.  There are applicants out there that do not need waivers.”  Thinking about what he said caused me to decide that I had to change how I was doing business because I did want to make my job easier!  The question was how to do that. 

Prospecting is a function of three things; finding people interested in what I had to offer, finding people qualified and most important…finding people interested and qualified to join the Guard?    Who are they?  Where are they?  How will I recognize them?  What will cause them to want to talk to me about joining the Guard?  A simple technique given to me by a sales professional (and mentor) helped me to answer those questions, enabling me to become a better Recruiter and making my job a lot easier.  Please let me share this technique with you.  Build a Prospect Profile! 

What’s a Prospect Profile?  Simply defined, a Prospect Profile (some call them a “Strawman”) is the “ideal” prospect having the best personal characteristics, qualifications and motivation for enlisting in the Guard.  Using this definition, I then built a description of this “ideal” prospect enabling me to focus my prospecting efforts on those that were more qualified and open to being interested in enlisting.  In fact, I eventually built a profile for each of my markets.   

Telling you what you need to do is not good enough.  Let me show you how to make a profile by showing you an example of one that I recently developed for a GED Prospect:    

Target Market Profile:  GED Prospect 

Date of Profile: 10 September 2007 

Age:  20-21 

Physical:  Medium Height/Medium Weight; No physical problems 

Prior Service:  None 

Law Violations:  None or only minor traffic with all tickets paid 

Education Status:  Ready to take GED Test or Just Got GED 

Marital Status:  Single (not divorced) with supportive fiancé 

Dependents:  None 

Family Background:  Middle Class, supportive with military influencers 

Employment Status:  Works at low paying job 

Interests:  Hunting, fishing, reading 

Characteristics:  Ambitious, goal oriented, nice person, has sense of humor, patriotic 

Where To Prospect For:  GED Training Center, Low paying job sites, employment office, POC/COIs at GED Training Center 

Need Status (Known or Unknown):  Unknown but looking 

Goals:  Education or Skill Training 

Needs:  Primary-Money; Secondary-Education Benefits, Other-Skill Training 

Approach Lines:  “Congratulations on getting your GED.  That is quite an accomplishment.  What do you want to do now?”  

These Profiles are really easy to develop and are extremely helpful in enabling the Recruiter to focus on the best and specific prospecting techniques and tactics that will cause the prospect to be interested in an appointment.  Additionally, the profile helps the Recruiter to identify and focus prospecting efforts on the most effective methods and likely places where these prospects will be found.   

Will you always find the “perfect” prospect, qualified and interested in joining our Team using a profile?  No, but you will sure find more of them and if they are “close” to the ideal…well…you only have to decide whether to take them to MEPS on Monday or Tuesday.  Let me assure the skeptical Recruiter, and most of you are, this technique helps keep the Recruiter from wasting time on prospects that are not qualified or are hard to get qualified and enlisted.  We all know that absolutely the worst waste of time, besides being depressing, is driving back from MEPS with a disqualified applicant in the GCar!   

Not being interested in enlisting is another matter.  We will talk about how to establish that interest using another simple but effective technique in a posting to this BLOG coming soon.   

Concluding…no question about it, the Recruiter that builds a profile for each of the target markets will be more productive because profiling will also help the Recruiter develop specific prospecting plans for each market.  Needless to say, I highly recommend that a profile be developed for each target market.  It helped me and I know it will help you. 

Now, Let’s all move out smartly and make some good things happen. 

Bill Malone

Assuming Will Get You Thrown Into The Rail!

So often when I go to train Recruiters I hear experienced RRNCOs who have been recruiting two to three years, say they are burned out and they blame this “flame out” for their reason for not being on mission.  Usually, as I have said before, burn out is not the reason that these Recruiters are not making mission.  What I have often identified as the real problem is that the Recruiter quits asking the prospect questions that will help the Recruiter identify the “real” needs and wants of the prospect.  Instead, thinking that they “know everything”, these well meaning Recruiters make assumptions about what they think the prospect wants rather than let the prospect tell them what they want.  This, of course, turns off the prospect and they walk out leaving the Recruiter wondering what did they do wrong!

 

Let me share with you a little story that my Recruiting and Retention Sergeant Major friend from Pennsylvania, SGM Tim Elder, sent me that sadly expresses the dangers of assuming.  After reading this short but touching story you will always remember that as Recruiters…we don’t assume anything.

In 1986, SGT Geramiah K. Johanson (name slightly changed to protect his family) had graduated from PEC as a new Recruiter and decided to take leave in Kenya.  On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so SGT Johanson approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant’s foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, SFC Johanson worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. SGT Johanson stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away.

 

SGT Johanson never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.
 

Twenty years later, now SFC Johanson was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenage son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where SFC Johanson and his son  were standing. The large bull elephant stared at SFC Johanson, lifted its front foot off the ground, and then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring intensely at SFC Johanson.
 
Remembering the encounter in 1986, SFC Johanson couldn’t help wondering if this was the same elephant.  Summoning up his courage, SFC Johanson climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of SFC Johanson’s legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly. 

Probably wasn’t the same elephant.

From this sad story you can see the mistake that a Recruiter can make by assuming!  We should all thank SGM Elder for sharing this “touching” story with us…a little weird but applicable.

Now, let’s all move out smartly and make some good things happen.

Bill Malone 

Getting to First Base by Building Rapport

Recruiters who have attended my training know that the Recruiting Solution Process (RSP) Presentation is a 10 phased process, lasting about an hour, which begins with pre-approach planning and ends with the closing phase.  They also know that:

• Each phase has a set of skills that must be learned and practiced if consistent success is to be achieved
• In each phase the Recruiter is the one asking the questions and being sure to stay in control of the presentation
• Each phase must be followed in sequence except in rare circumstances such as when a prospect walks into the office wanting to join right then. (And I don’t need to tell you to be careful here do I?)
• Each phase is connected or “interlocked” and has a transition phrase that moves the presentation into the next phase making for a “casually” smooth and seamless presentation to the prospect
• Each phase has a pre-closing objective that the Recruiter must identify before moving into the next phase
• Each phase is focused on the prospect
• The Recruiter must ASK THEM TO ENLIST!

Now that we have reviewed some of the principles, let’s discuss Phase III: Establishing Rapport.  However, before we get into the discussion we must remember that the purpose of this phase is to:

• Set up a non-threatening environment to put the prospect (and the Recruiter) at ease
• Eliminate or reduce the prospect’s defensive posture (Drop the shields)
• Enable setting the presentation agenda and getting permission to ask questions
• Start the process of building a trusting and mutually respectful relationship
• Setup transitioning into the Discovery Phase of the presentation

For Recruiters that are experienced or have learned and developed excellent people skills, establishing rapport is an easy thing for them to do.  However, for most of us introverted folks this phase can be excruciatingly painful and awkward as a five legged cat if we don’t have a plan and rehearse how to do this.  I am one of those people, so I developed a plan and as everyone knows-I believe in planning and rehearsal (old Special Forces habit).

 

My plan not only helped me achieve this Phase’s objectives but also helped enable me to achieve the objectives of down-line phases.  Using this plan put me at ease, the prospect at ease and very often was the critical element that helped me get the enlistment.  The plan?…AFIRMM!  As a military professional is should be no surprise to you that my plan is based on a memory mnemonic.  Unlike many others though, this one is not long, is easy to remember and serves as a foundation for the entire presentation.  Here is how it works.

 A:  Set the Agenda-After greeting the prospect (another skillset), the Recruiter begins the rapport phase by casually setting the agenda for the presentation.  This is a prepared and much rehearsed part of the presentation skills that lets the prospect know what is going to happen, what is going to be discussed and ends with asking for permission to ask questions.  My agenda actually includes a reference to enlisting them into the Army National Guard—subliminal insertion-“…and Mr. Prospect if the benefits I present are what you believe will satisfy your goals and you consider them of high value then I would like you to consider joining our Team.  May I ask you a few questions?”  

F:  Ask about their Family.  Almost everyone loves to talk about their family and the Recruiter can find so much information here such as economic strata, family support, etc.  Not only will this help them put them at ease but it will get them talking and that is what you want to do.  “So, Mr. Prospect tell me a little about you family…What does your Dad do for a living?” This is just an example of one of the many questions about the family I will ask.  These questions (and their answers) will tell me if the prospect is going to need education money(or not), has parental support or is looking to “get out of town and away from Mom and Dad”.  Again,  it will tell me if their parents or significant other are supportive and gives me an idea of strategy for dealing with the parent or significant other.  I also frequently discover the prospect’s motivation in this area.

 

I:  What is the Prospect’s Interests. Here I am seeking out what they are really interested in…what are their goals, their dreams, and where do they want to go in life.  This is the really fun part of this phase and can help you discover their primary and secondary motivators (some amateurs call these “hot buttons”).

 

R: What does the Prospect do for Recreation.  Asking what the prospect likes to do for “fun” opens the prospect up more because people like to talk about fun things.  The Recruiter can also get “insight” as to what MOSs might be appealing to the prospect.  For example, if the prospect is an avid hunter or loves to fish the prospect might be open to being in the infantry or cavalry.  If she likes to volunteer at the hospital then the Recruiter would be crazy not to mention the great medical skill training the Guard offers.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your prospect says, “I love to play video games, especially Combat II.”  Get in the G-Car young man because you are fixin’ to be a real live infantryman!

 

M:  Are there any present or former Military members in their family.  I am amazed at the number of Recruiters that don’t seek this information out from their prospects.  In the vast majority of circumstances where a family member is serving or has served successfully in any branch of the military (even their Grandparents and/or Uncles), there is a much greater propensity for the prospect to enlist and they will normally have a higher parental approval level for the prospect enlisting.  It is even better when they have a brother or sister that has served in the Army or the Army National Guard!  The prospect actually comes to the presentation with  a predisposition for enlisting!  The Recruiter will miss this and may lose the enlistment if they don’t ask about the family military experience.  (Note: In the professional Recruiting field these are called influencers.) 

 M:  What is the prospect’s Motivation.  This is nothing but beautiful!  You end this phase by actually asking questions such as: “So, Mr. Prospect I have enjoyed finding out about you but there is really one thing more I want to ask before we talk about who I am and the Guard…(Dramatic Pause here and look thoughtful)…What is motivating you to consider enlisting in the Guard?”  Wait!  They will tell you!  If they don’t then ask “Please tell me, if you would,(…Dramatic Pause here…) what most interests you in the military?” Get them to say something! 

Yes, your objective is to enlist the qualified prospect into the Guard but I find it much easier and more satisfying for both me and the prospect when they enlist themselves!  This plan, AFIRMM, developed, practiced and rehearsed is a great tool for not only building rapport and trust but enables the Recruiter to easily transition into the next phase of the presentation; The Discovery Phase: Probing for needs through Gap Analysis.

 

Use it.  It works—no more awkwardness trying to talk about sports, the weather or other subjects not focused on the enlistment process.  I believe that this will help make your job easier  because I know it is easier when you know what you are doing and have a plan for doing it!

 

Now, let’s all move out smartly and make some good things happen.

 

Bill Malone

Operation “Get My Money”

National Guard Bureau has issued SMOM07-171 on August 15 with a special Recruiter Incentive Program Kicker.  This program offers an additional RIP to RRNCOs qualifed to receive RIP of $1,000 to $5,000 for 4 to 10 enlistments during the period 1 August to 30 September.  Very often RRNCOs fail to realize the success they could have had due to failure to prepare a plan for “how to do it”.  The below is a sample plan that the RRNCO can use, modify or add to.  The important thing is that this is a plan!  Copy it and put it to work by you getting to work.  This incentive is too great for the qualified RRNCO to pass up!

Operation “Get My Money” 

Situation:  The Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Force is decisively engaged in the mission of recruiting outstanding young people to be part of the defense of this great nation and to provide assistance to our state and our neighbors during natural disasters.  It is so imperative that the ARNG attain and maintain the end strength of the force expected by the American public that from time to time NGB will offer incentives to heighten RRNCO performance and to reward RRNCO performance.  Strength Maintenance Operations Message (SMOM) 07-171 does that by offering the Recruiter Incentive Program Kicker.  This message offers graduated incentive payments for excellence by providing a monetary reward to RIP qualified RRNCOs during the period of 1 August through 30 September, 2007 of:

·          $1,000 for 4 enlistments

·          $2,000 for 6 enlistments

·          $3,000 for 8 enlistments

·          $5,000 for 10 enlistments

I am RIP qualified, eligible according to SMOM 07-171 and will participate in this incentive program. 

Mission:  During the period 1 Aug-30 Sep I will take aggressive and specific actions to achieve 10 qualified enlistments. 

Execution:             

Intent:  Develop and Execute critical tasks to achieve 10 enlistments in  qualifying period          

Key Tasks:

 ·          Inform family to get support for increased work effort

·          Develop Time and Activity Management Plan

·          Set Daily and Weekly Activity Performance Objectives and Standards for Prospecting, Appointments and MEPS Processors

·          Develop and Execute Intensive Prospecting Plan

·          Coordinate additional or needed resources from NCOIC 

End State:  End incentive period with 10 enlistments to qualify for RRNCO Incentive Program, Level 4, to receive $5,000 award to pay bills, take family on well deserved vacation, buy Christmas for my family, save money for retirement, provide support for my mom, brother, sister, etc. 

a. Concept of the Operation:

a.      Meet with family, explain the RIP Kicker program, present and explain my plan telling them the time and activities that will be necessary to achieve the level 4 award and what support that I will need from them during this period.

b.      Time and Activity Management Plan:

Monday-Friday: Priority of Activities

a.      0530-0700 Prospecting:

b.      0700-0900 Appointments/Packet Preparation/Admin

c.       0900-1200 Appointments/Prospecting

d.      1100-1230 Lunchroom Displays/Lunch/Prospecting

e.      1230-1700 Appointments/Prospecting/Processing

f.        1700-1730 Dinner/Prospecting

g.      1730-2030 Appointments/ Prospecting/Processing

Saturday: Priority of Activities

a.      0800-UTC Appointments/Prospecting/Processingc.      

Activity Performance Standards:

a.        10 Qualified Contacts per Day

b.        2 Appointments per day

c.         2 MEPS Processors per week

d.        10 mailouts per day

e.        10 phone calls with prospects per day

f.          One school visit each day (School in Session) and one presentation per week

g.        Daily visit to Unemployment Office, GED Training Center, Colleged.     

Prospecting Plan:

1.    Priority of Market:

a.      High School Senior (When School is in Session)

b.      June Graduates

c.       GED grads and pending grads

d.      Underemployed

e.   Prior Service

2.   High School Seniors:

1.  Engage GRAs:  Meet with RAs on Monday of each week and assign lead mission-5 qualified leads weekly-Report on Friday

2.  Conduct 5 face to face meetings at School and 5 phone to phone meetings per day

3.      Contact High School Points of Contact daily

4.      Leave cards, brochures and flyers at all primary gathering places for Seniors at high school

5.      Conduct 3 Lunchroom Displays per week at three priority schools

3.  June Graduates

1.      Contact June Grads by telephone using ASVAB list, last year’s directory or school list

2.      Engage GRAs:  Meet with RAs on Monday of each week and assign lead mission-5 qualified leads weekly-Report on Friday

3.      Survey workers at fast food restaurants, auto and tire shops, convenience stores, etc. to find June grads working at low paying jobs

4.      Go to unemployment office looking for June Grads, leave brochures, cards and flyers

5.      Set up Table Top Display in Student Center of College or Junior College once each week.

4.  GED Grads:      

1.    Go to GED Training Center to leave cards, brochures and flyers

2.      Set up Table Top Display at GED Training Center once each week

3.      Leave cards, brochures and flyers at GED testing centers

4.      Contact GED Training Center POC for referrals

5.      Engage GRAs:  Meet with RAs on Monday of each week and assign lead mission-5 qualified leads weekly-Report on Friday           

5. Underemployed:

1.   Go to Unemployment office each morning prior to 0830 to leave cards, brochures and flyers

2   Contact POCs for possible referrals (Leave RPIs with POCs)

3.   Engage GRAs:  Meet with RAs on Monday of each week and assign lead mission-5 qualified leads weekly-Report on Friday                       

4.  Survey fast food restaurants, restaurants, large shopping facilities (Wal- Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc), auto and tire shops, etc. for low-paid  wage earners

5.  Leave cards, brochures and flyers at convenience stores, pawn shops, sporting goods stores, large shopping facilities, all government offices (health offices, WIC offices, Courthouses, Law Enforcement Centers, etc.)

6.        Prior Service:

1.  Engage GRAs:  Meet with RAs on Monday of each week and assign lead mission-5 qualified leads weekly-Report on Friday

2.  Contact Unit Readiness NCO for names, addresses and telephone  numbers of all unit members discharged in last year.

3.      Leave cards, brochures and flyers at Unemployment office, sporting  goods stores, convenience stores, auto and tire shops, etc.

4.  Contact Unemployment Office Veteran’s Representative for list of all  active files of Veterans looking for jobs5. Work IRR list and unit member referrals (call unit member and ask for referrals)  

b.  Coordinating Instructions:

a.  Priority of Efforts to be prospects that will not require major or significant work to process.

b. Check ARISS daily for new leads and contact them immediately/within 24 hours.

c. Prepare Road Map For Success Presentation for each prospect.

d. Conduct Presentations to High School Seniors/Juniors and any student/child that is currently living at home with parents with parents present

e.  Ensure that all brochures, flyers, etc. have my name and telephone number

f.   Change telephone-answering message to be friendlier and less military

g.  Conduct all prospecting, except for schools (soft sell) in Class B uniform (Take uniforms to cleaners ASAP). 

4.  Admin and Logistics:   

a.  Coordinate request for ADSW support with NCOIC   

b.  Coordinate additional advertising with NCOIC 

c.  Request additional specific RPI support requirements for each priority market from NCOIC  

d. Coordinate refreshments for GRAs for each Monday meeting. 

e.  Acquire prizes for GRAs, POCs and Unit Members with most leads each week. 

5.  Command and Signal:  NA       

OFFICIAL                                                           Will Gettum

                                                                          SFC, ARNG

Good luck to all and remember not only is the National Guard Bureau counting on you but so are the people of this great nation and your communities.

Bill Malone

Malone’s Rule

After a prospect has made a decision to enlist, the RRNCO has 72 hours from that hour to put the applicant in the Army National Guard or probability of enlistment will begin to drop dramatically.

     Working as a RRNCO I quickly found out that after I made my enlistment presentation and closed the prospect on a decision to enlist I had 72 hours to put that applicant into the Guard or my probability of getting that enlistment would diminish rapidly. No, no one told me this but I developed this rule after a number of painful experiences with no shows. 

     What happens in the presentation (some call it the interview) is that the prospect makes a commitment to enlist based on emotional factors that are related to the expectations that enlisting will satisfy his/her particular needs and wants.  The applicant will then rationalize, to those that he/she trusts such as friends and family, why they decided to enlist.  Sometimes rather than support the great decision that the applicant has made, these people will give them numerous reasons, albeit mostly uninformed, why they should not enlist.  I like to say that sometimes they are “talking louder than we are”.  Here is another reason why “influencers” (yes, find out who they are) should be included in the decision making phase, so that they are informed also.

     The rule, besides helping me get the enlistment, helped create in me a sense of urgency and intensity of action that helped focus me on my applicant as well as focused the applicant on the importance of what we were doing which also served to reduce “no shows”.  If you don’t know already, the ability to focus is a critical skill the RRNCO must develop to become a successful recruiter.

     This rule was so helpful to me that after I became a NCOIC I imposed this rule on my team.  It became one of the important factors that contributed to our Team’s success for the next five years and helped make us the top team in the state (over 100% mission every year) and one of the top ranked teams in the nation for those five years!

     It works!…even with MEPS’s 72 hour rule.

Now, let’s all move out smartly and make some good things happen.

 

Bill Malone

No, it is not all about the numbers!

By Bill Malone

     “If you talk to as many people as you can every day you will be successful. It’s about the numbers!”  That’s what “they” said and it sounded reasonable to me so that is what I proceeded to do.  Needless to say I presented the Guard to anybody that would listen that I thought was remotely qualified and althougth I got lots of practice on my presentation and closing skills, a lot of “yeses” but few enlistments. I quickly learned the value of pre-screening, discovering that I was spending a lot of time with prospects but not the right prospects!  It was fortunate that along the way I was able to enlist some good soldiers into the Guard but I was working 28 hours a day to make my mission.  I quickly came to the conclusion that, “they”, had left out the word “qualified” or maybe in my enthusiasm for doing my job I did what Recruiters sometimes do…hear what I wanted to hear.   Sheer exhaustion caused me to pause and reflect on my experiences and here are just some conclusions I came to about prospects:

• If the prospect walks unannounced into my office wanting to enlist them probably are looking at serious jail time, recently got a possession charge, suffered a serious illness or some other insurmountable obstacle that would cause me to waste too much time trying to get them qualified. 

Getting someone qualified to join is okay but making someone qualified will get you in deep trouble! Remember this rule always “The good prospects are not going to come to you until you go to them!”   

• The thicker the prospect’s packet the less likely they are going to get into the Guard. 

Trust me when I say that it is much easier to process high quality than low quality!  Less problems, less paper work, less worry!  That is why the high school market is better to work; easier to see who is qualified and who is not…high school applicant packets are thin.

• Prospects that did not return my phone calls, emails or respond to repeated attempts were not prospects and were wasting my time. 

No question that persistence pays off but there comes a time to cut the cord and that was usually after my fifth attempt. 

• If they kept giving me the “run around” on a decision then I knew I was wasting my time, worse, I was allowing them  to waste my time. 

These are the prospects that will “no show” you and usually resulted from a poor presentation and/or poor closing. 

• Having more than two interviews with the prospect spelled trouble and usually a waste of time.

The longer that it took me to get them to say yes the less likely they were to join so anything over two meetings I considered a waste of my time unless they called me!       

     Now, seeing as many people as you can is important but like I learned, it was the quality of people that I saw and the efficiency of my prospecting activities that made me a successful RRNCO.  I also found that working the lower quality market was so time consuming (gathering paperwork, court documents, etc.) that it was seldom worth the effort.  Besides, we know that bad people make for bad soldiers.

     To help me focus on seeking out a higher quality prospect I created a “straw man” for each of my markets.  Want to know what a “straw man” is and how it works?  Look for “Straw Man” post coming soon!  Until then…

Let’s all move out smartly and make some good things happen!

Do they ‘hafta’ like me?

By Bill Malone 

 

     Over and over I have had sales experts tell me that it’s important to my success as a Recruiter that my prospects like me or they won’t enlist.  Well, I think that is a lotta bunk because some of you out there are probably like me, not the most likeable person you have ever met, especially if not on mission.  Yet, I have enlisted a lot of great young people into the Army National Guard despite this supposed handicap.  So how did I do it?  

     You professional Recruiters know that it is not about like as much as it is about respect.  I really don’t care if they like me or not (okay, so I do a little, but just a little), what I really want my prospects to do is trust me.  That trust is only gained through building respect and more importantly, mutual respect.  My prospects came to trust me by knowing that I cared about who they were and what they wanted, not what I wanted.  These are some of the things that I knew about my prospects when they sat down to talk to me:

 

-They are very knowledgeable and I knew that the vast majority of them had already checked the Guard out on the internet and probably checked me out too. They had chosen the Guard first and then they had chosen me!  About the only reason for a qualified person to not enlist was if I failed to build trust and provide for their needs and wants.

 

-Early into our conversation they knew that I was there to help them make a decision, not make it for them, not force them into it, not sell them…. but help them.

 

-They know that there is a war going on and it’s not any secret that the Guard is a big part of it yet they are still there wanting to talk to me!  The war is not a factor for many but it may be for their parents (we will talk about how to deal positively with this in later postings).

 

-They expected me to know what I was doing and hence, they respected my knowledge of the features and benefits, the qualification requirements and how they could use all of this to better themselves.  The prospect will not trust a rank amateur who isn’t prepared.

 

     One more time, you are not there to be “liked” because plenty of people might like you but walk out of your office saying “really nice guy (woman) but dumber than a box of rocks” or “all he wants to do is enlist me.”  So, remember that you are there to first build and maintain a mutual respect and through that, the trust by your prospect. This mutual respect and trust can only be gained by thorough preparation and a genuine desire to help your prospects achieve their goals.  You don’t have to be liked so you Recruiters with no sense of humor can still be highly successful.

     Now, let’s all move out smartly and make some good things happen.

What am I doing at the WIC office!

By Bill Malone 

While prospecting and looking for places to leave my RPDs (Remote Prospecting Devices i.e. brochures), I stumbled into the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Program office and asked if I could put up a flyer and leave some brochures.  I didn’t expect and was surprised at the responses that I soon started receiving  from single mothers who began calling and asking about what the Guard had to offer.  Not only did I begin to enlist them but developed a whole new market for the Guard at my station, “The Single Mother” market.   

This really helped solve a problem for me. I was working in a rural area, supporting a Cavalry Troop and the closest dual gender unit to me was over seventy miles away.  As a new Recruiter I quickly discovered that few parents would let their seventeen to eighteen year old son, not to mention their daughter drive seventy miles to this unit alone in the family  car or even their car if they had one.   So my market was really cut in half.  You can imagine my surprise then when I found out that these single mothers would readily drive to that unit to take advantage of the benefits offered such as the extra money, the skill training and educational benefits.  The bonus to the deal was that soon there was a carpool and I was able to include some high school girls into the unit by having them ride with the “Single Mothers”.  More enlistments then had my high school enlistees carpooling together.  What a deal! 

What I discovered about the “Single Mother” market was that these ladies know what they want but before discovering the Guard, their problem was finding it.  Many of them found that enlisting in the Guard was perfect for them.  They looked at the time away from home and their children as an obstacle but saw the benefits so great that this often enabled them to overcame this obstacle.  To them the Guard is packed with benefits that appeal to their needs and wants  such as an improved work environment, extra money as well as educational benefits to gain skills that they can make a living at and other benefits that were especially important to them such as insurance.  Over and over I heard “I am tired of being a waitress” or “working at $%*-mart” just wasn’t cutting it.  The critical focus in this market is to finding out where they are, what they want and when they are willing to do it. Don’t be surprised if they say yes but want to delay shipping as long as possible.  Why? Most often it is because they need to make arrangements for their children and whether they tell you or not, they know they have to get physically prepared; RSP is perfect for them! Another thing about this market to remember is that you had better “know your stuff” and be prepared to give a lot of detail because they are going to ask you for it. 

There were also some other unexpected benefits like when one lady called and asked if this was the Guard Recruiter and finding this out, said she had read my brochure at the WIC office and her husband wanted to talk to me.  Then I heard, “Honey, this is a guy from the Guard Recruiting Office and you need to talk to him”. I did and she helped me enlist him!   The WIC office, a good place to go to develop a market that needs our benefits  and another example of creative prospecting. 

Getting on the Super Highway!

By Bill Malone  

I was teaching a recruiting seminar recently and while I was on a short break I was approached by a Recruiter who, after a little small talk, told me that he was not doing well in recruiting.  In fact, he said he was five enlistments behind on his assigned mission and wanted to know what I could suggest that might help him. 

Looking for symptoms

That’s a big question because we know that in all likelihood there is very often more than one factor that will effect marginal production.  However, it’s been my experience that usually the problem of low production is due to lack of or poor prospecting for appointments or poor presentation and closing skills of the Recruiter.  So, I started asking questions about his prospecting and following that, I asked about his closing ratios, all of which seemed to be okay based on what he told me.

More Diagnosis Needed

On the next break I asked the Recruiter some questions about his market and he told me that he was a Recruiter supporting an Infantry unit in a small rural community.  After a few more questions I found that the Recruiter was quite proud that all of his enlistments were either High School Juniors or Seniors.  Therein was the problem!  This Recruiter is a SLR!

Analyzing the Cause for Failure

The professional Recruiter, to ensure successful production, will work all the market segments that are available.  Quite often, whether recruiting in a rural or metro market, many Recruiters will become “SLRs”.  A “SLR” or “Single Lane Recruiter” is a Recruiter who works primarily one market such as the High School Market or the Under-employed market.  Most of the time, the reason is this market may be the only one the Recruiter is “comfortable” working in or has developed the skills for.   Also, the Recruiter might be working a particular market because it is “easy”.   Or, sometimes a Recruiter may not be taking advantage of the demographics by working in areas where the demographics are larger and more productive. However, in some if not most communities, to find the outstanding and qualified people to serve our great nation, the successful Recruiter must work all the markets or at least the markets that are available and productive.  The Recruiter will need to develop the skills that are particular to each market as well as learn the prospecting and marketing techniques that are unique to each market.  For example, the most helpful prospecting source for the GED prospect is the GED education training centers that are usually affiliated with a college or community college. 

Working on the Solution

Expanding to other markets takes development and research time.  Additionally, in preparing to “open up” new markets the Recruiter must first answer questions critical to the process such as:

-What different prospecting and presentation skill sets must be learned for each unique market?

-What markets are available or likely to provide success (For example, not all communities have a college or a high concentration of Prior Service prospects)?

-What is the type of support and resources are going to be needed to develop each of these different markets?

-How can these markets be developed without a reduction in current mission production?

-How long will it take to develop each of the markets selected?

Recommendations

What was recommended to the Recruiter was: 

-To first develop a plan that includes market research as well as the who, what, where, when, why and how the markets are going to be expanded.  The Army’s 5-Paragraph Order format is ideal for this

-Ensure that the Recruiter’s supervisor is aware of what the Recruiter is trying to do

-Enlist the support and experience of the Recruiter’s supervisor in helping train the Recruiter to exploit new markets

-Gather the resources to support the market development plan (such as brochures and market specific RPIs)

-Spend time with Recruiters that have developed the skills and techniques to be successful in the markets identified for expansion

-Research, study and develop the prospecting and presentation skills for the different markets

-Work on developing one new target market at a time (while, of course, not sending away any prospects from the other markets during the process)

-Exercise patience in market development as developing a new market is difficult, and will not always be immediately successful despite best efforts

-Develop a time management plan to provide the time necessary to develop new markets

-Begin immediately

Conclusion

This is a lot to do and the Recruiter appeared to be a little overwhelmed but I assured him that all this could be done if the Recruiter developed a good plan and was careful to allocate the time, while still continuing his mission production activities.  I am happy to report that the Recruiter is being successful in expanding his markets and is “catching up” on his mission.  He has left that one lane highway and moved onto the Super Highway! 

Yes, I know that sometimes the best learning is not accomplished sitting in a classroom but it is here that all of us can sure learn the directions that we need to go based on the knowledge acquired. 

Now, let’s all move out smartly and make some good things happen.