TempWorks' Sales Presence in Staffing Associations

The snow is melting in Minneapolis and the temperature is heating up. The same can be said about the interest from prospects in the different services and products that TempWorks can provide.

Despite recent trends in the economy, TempWorks certainly isn't short of business opportunities thus far in '09. After a a surge the past few weeks in the stock market and a good report from housing and banking it seems as if things may be turning around.

The sales force at TempWorks has been extremely busy and there have been numerous calls and demonstrations scheduled for new products to bring new prospective customers to the next level. All of our divisions are running on all cylinders as there is an equal distribution in people looking for software, payroll processing, and payroll funding.

The past few weeks the sales force at TempWorks has been busy with various different activities related to the staffing industry. A few weeks ago TempWorks had three people attend the SI Review's Executive Forum. Despite the low number of projected attendees, there was quite the turn out down in Miami. A common theme this year is to reduce the amount of expense on trade shows and conferences. A report on Las Vegas stated that they are around record lows for conferences this year.

Two members from the sales force also attended a local event here in Minnesota. I was personally in attendance for a presentation put on by the MNRSA (Minnesota Recruiting and Staffing Association). There they had Terry Petra, a well known and successful staffing leader in Minnesota, discuss "Strategies and Techniques for Prospering in 2009"

I enjoyed the presentation because he highlighted some of the things I mentioned in previous posts. Terry spent ample time discussing the need to connect and establish good relationships with your clients and work toward helping them expand your business. He also spent a great deal of time discussing strategies for sales reps and recruiters in order to gain more prospects and business. He mentioned the important rule of not relying on emails when trying to connect to a customer contact, and the importance of knowing who you are calling in order to make a more educated phone call. Those are all relatively simple concepts, but are seldom thought about and discussed.

My favorite part about the presentation was the idea that I try to push forward that Terry seemed to agree with... There ARE opportunities out there. One example Terry used is a large company in the Twin Cities went on a 'hiring freeze' yet still have job postings on their website. There ARE opportunities out there, from a sales perspective you need to be able to bring and deliver the added value in order to capture those opportunities and prosper in these times.

Are you paying attention to the needs and wants of your customers?

Where are your current leads coming from? What is your close percentage? Are you even generating leads with the current state of the economy? If you aren't finding new companies and new sales then maybe you should look to your current clients for help.

We all know that the almighty referral is a powerful tool for any company. A referral is even more important to sales reps. A referral is one of the best tools a sales rep can use to generate new business. If you can get a name from a current clients that means you are doing your job as a company. A referral is a pat on the back from your customer base letting you know that you are either providing the excellent quality of service you promised, or your product has met and exceeded expectations.

In today's economic conditions those referrals could lead to a great piece of new business for your firm, it could help you reach your quota, and it could lead to even more referrals. You hear on the news everyday that the economy is terrible, that the markets are at the lowest point in x number of years, and that unemployment is on the rise. In times like these, one of the most important assests to an organization is its customer base. If you have satisfied customers you can get two things; one is the continuous revenue due to loyalty and the relationship you built, and the other is referrals to potential customers who are new to your business.

In order to generate that continuous revenue and referrals you have to look at how you are treating your clients and that you are addressing their needs. Do you make calls to your contacts asking if they need anything else, or if they are being taken care of? How are your relationships with your contacts? Do they know you and feel comfortable speaking with you? Pay attention to the needs and wants of your customers. Try and deliver the best that you can and the better off you will be. Create a "wow" effect with your personality. Help your prospects and customers feel comfortable with you and feel as if they are making the right decision.

By adding that "wow" factor into your sales efforts you will enhance customer satisfaction, generate more sales and this leads to increased profits. The "wow" factor will create more orders from your current customer base and they will talk up your products/services to people that are interested. Following through on your word and your promises is crucial in developing a good relationship with your customers. If they have trust in you and what was discussed in the sales process, they will have enough trust in your company to recommend you to other people.

As you read this you may think to yourself that this is obvious and is well known. Customer service is a preconceived notion in doing business... How you set yourself apart is by providing GREAT customer service. If you can figure out how to deliver a memorable sales experience, then you are one step closer to creating a stream of referrals to keep pushing your products/services.

Important!!: All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.

How are your sales doing in 2009?

So far in 2009 it seems like you can't turn the corner without hearing the word recession. Perhaps your sales aren't quite as high as you would like them to be, or close to where they were this time last year? I can assure you that you're not the only one. However, it is very important to understand that opportunities are still abound even in an economic downturn.

Today as I am typing the Dow dropped another 300 points to below 7,000, but as you hear from every financial analyst, it is important not to panic. I was out running errands this weekend and couldn't believe the amount of people spending money. As a drove past a shopping mall I was surprised to see a packed parking lot at huge retaliers like Macy's, Best Buy, and Target. I even had to wait for a table trying to get a quick lunch. The reason I bring this up is the idea that the economy is indicating that times are tough, but there is always someone out there needing/wanting/willing to spend money.

At TempWorks it's no different. From a sales perspective we have had a very steady increase in the number of prospects over January and February. Our payroll processing, payroll funding, and software divisions are all staying busy. The trend as of late seems to be smaller firms are out there spending money. Whether they are looking to improve their interal processes via software, or looking to outsource their payroll to eliminate administrative overhead; we haven't been short on prospects so far in 2009. We have had some of our larger prospects put the project on hold due to the economic uncertainty, but for the most part conversations keep continuing.

I am not saying that everyone else is experiencing smooth sailing with thier organizations, but if you focus on the right items you can keep gaining sales in tough times. Certainly for TempWorks our success has stemmed from creating extra value to our customers and prospects. We continue to develop and expand on all of our product lines to demonstrate the value and need our services will bring. Although our clients are spending money with us, we are able to effectively show them the return on investment they should see. I am hearing many people worrying about the next sale they will get or how they really need that big sale. This is the incorrect mindset.

If your sales are lagging focus on how your customer will be able to improve their business with your product, not how you will be able to improve your business with the sale. Whether you sell staffing software or sell ballpoint pens your product has value, help your customers realize what that is and how they will benefit from it and you will be better off. What are you doing to create value? What can your customer expect in return if they decide to do business with you? Don't panic. Don't worry about your next big sale. You already know your job is to contribute to the economic growth of your organization, but in order to make sales you need to know how your products and services will contribute to the growth of your customers organization.

Any thoughts or comments on this issue? I would love to hear some feedback.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone,

Thank you for being one of the first people to stop by and hear my thoughts. With my first post I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself and explain why I am starting this blog.

My name is Casey Kraus and I am a Regional Sales Manager for TempWorks Software. TempWorks Software is a company that provides various solutions and products for companies mainly in the staffing industry. We provide a wide variety of products from applicant tracking, contact management, and payroll software to online applications and online timekeeping. On top of that we provide additional services like payroll processing and payroll funding. If you are unfamiliar with TempWorks Software please visit our website at http://www.tempworks.com/

The reason for this blog is to post my thoughts and ideas from a sales perspective as it directly relates to the staffing industry and TempWorks. Through my travels and conversations with various people in the staffing industry I have been able to not only see how vendors in the staffing industry adapt and change to the needs and wants of staffing and recruiting firms, but also how different elements affect the operations of the firms we are trying to service.

I hope I can provide some insight and some ideas on what is going on within the staffing industry, within TempWorks, vendor relations throughout the industry, and how they all relate to each other.