I found this article in a recent Selling Power Newsletter that piqued my interest. After reading it, I found that the author touches on some very good points to remember when making an offer to a candidate. It is a very short read and well worth the time. The author, Craig Silverman gives these 5 reasons you will get a no:
- Need – If your message isn’t compelling enough, they won’t feel the need to make a change.
- Motivation – You have to understand what motivates the candidate before you offer the position. Once you find out, build it into your offer.
- Compensation – Most salespeople don’t want to make a lateral move but tend to be open about telling you what dollar amount they want before accepting your offer.
- Trust – The candidates start forming opinions about trust in three different areas, the interviewer, the company and the industry.
- Urgency – Qualifying candidates to find out their levels of urgency is necessary because if they aren’t ready to make a change, it’s going to be hard to convince them to make one or don’t make them jump through hoops if you take too long, they may find something else by the time you’re through with your hiring process.
Urgency is extremely important. We have seen numerous hiring companies miss out on strong candidates because they were unwilling to adjust their schedule to keep the process moving along. We have posted on this topic several times but it needs to be mentioned again. Chances are if you have identified a strong candidate so has another hiring company. You may have other important tasks at hand, but don’t assume the candidate will wait for you.
I would like to add one of my own points to the above list:
- Format – How does the candidate prefer to have the offer presented? Adapt how you deliver it depending on their communication style, motivations and rewards. Understanding this preference and then adapting to it can give you a leg up on other offers that they may be entertaining.
For example, if the candidate is personable, talkative and engaging, I would recommend making the offer in person. We know of a company that emailed an offer out to a candidate who was people-oriented. The hiring manager didn’t even call to tell him they would like to extend him an offer, nor did the hiring manager follow-up to see if he had any questions. Needless to say, the candidate turned the offer down due primarily to the lack of personal interaction at the offer stage.