How to be a Headhunter - Part 3 - Turning "No" into "Yes"

By learning to turn a no into a yes, you’re learning to create influence and impact, which is a formidable leadership skill.

Here are the 5 key areas:

1. Why should you focus on turning a “no” into a “yes”

2. How to assume a mentorship position

3. How to tap into the dreams and drivers of a candidate

4. How to set up your pitch document and fine-tune your phone script

5. Top 11 pitch closing techniques

6. The rule of 5

Always let this principle guide you: “treat candidates like family”.

• This allows you to promote your company’s brand, as well as your own.

• Be the one who sets the bar of professionalism, politeness, friendliness and organization, in any setting.

• Make the candidate feel like you’re on a journey together.

Why you should turn a 'No into a Yes'? There are 2 reasons for that:

First, in light of the psychological traits of a top performer, it makes sense that they would say no: they are engaged, dedicated, committed, and value their time. If you’re trying to schedule a 2-hour visit that’s not part of their agenda, they might go to the point of hanging up on you - do not take that personally! You have to engage with them.

Second, consider the market equity perspective: in order for your business to grow, you need to hire people who are going to increase your organization’s market equity, which tends to raise stock prices, too. Top performers will be higher in rank than your organization in terms of market equity, so when they’re offered a job, their immediate response will be no because they see it as a step back. Remember: if you want to grow your business, you need to grow your leadership, so be ready to punch above your weight to be able to have a sustainable business model and competitive edge.

What does the process look like:

1. Kick-off search mandate

2. Friends and family referrals

3. Source top performers, directly

4. Phone screening

5. First interview

6. Second interview

7. Offer and salary negotiation

8. Hiring

9. Onboarding

You have 3 choices of attitudes to maximize your impact on your candidate:

1. The recruiter: This person is not personable at all, they are focused on qualifying or disqualifying the candidate, their relationship with the candidate does not last beyond the hiring mandate and a lot of candidates who interact with this type may have a negative experience;

2. The Coach: This person is there to guide and encourage candidates through the process. They’re much more personable, and the relationship can last beyond the hiring mandate. They are really trying to make a contribution to the candidate’s career;

3. The mentor: the most powerful of the 3, they really seek to professionally develop the candidate and provide psychological insights of the candidate to help them unlock their potential. They give them real advice that’s not related to the job. They create the most influence on the candidate because they generate the highest level of trust.

How would the 3 personalities approach the same candidate (candidate example: great profile but has held 3 jobs in 3 years)

1. The recruiter: Identifies that the candidate will be disqualified, and thinks their job is done. They work to exit the interview as quickly as possible. The candidate has a negative experience, and it can have a negative and damaging effect on the entire company.

2. The coach: Recognizes that the candidate is not a good fit for the position but thinks about how they can make a contribution to their career, so they tell the candidate: “This isn’t my place, but you’re a bit too jumpy. As an HR officer, we want to see you settle in and experience the full strategic cycle (3-5 years)”. They have a better impact and a good relationship with candidates.

3. The mentor: They ask the candidate “What is driving you to make these moves? Are you looking for something on the outside, thinking that the next role may be better? What are your unconscious drivers?” They’re showing that they care about the candidate and that they want to see them succeed. They’re giving their own time to contribute to the success of the candidate.

Try to stay away from being transactional with candidates because it will create a backlash, when you can make a contribution, it’s an investment that will yield a return in spades.

Try to paint a picture of how to help the candidate achieve their dream and be who they want to become.

You have to be sincere, authentic, and have integrity. If your role genuinely does not help them achieve their dream, help them disqualify it.

It’s about understanding who the candidate wants to become, and if the role you’re offering will be a catalyst for their development, then you want to be a little extra pushy.

Never sell the job to your candidate because you will lose if their current place of employment gives them a raise. In order not to be vulnerable to the counter-offer, you have to speak to the larger drivers

Here are 15 common drivers associated with a job change, which are important to understand which candidate is the best fit, then turn their no’s into yesses:

1. Sense of adventure: Looking for unique challenges, and exotic roles. Don’t offer them stable, predictable jobs (this is a very interesting candidate);

2. Ambition: Looking to move up in ranks. Offer them a promotion from their current position (If you don’t keep promoting them, they will quit and possibly go to the competition);

1. A desire for impact: Looking to make changes. Provide them with the autonomy and support to create changes;

1. Retirement coaster: Looking for a risk-free position before they retire. Don’t offer risky positions (not an attractive candidate);

1. Risk aversion and stability: Looking for a stable, risk-free job, and not interested in salary changes. Do not offer them a volatile and risky job (in contrast with the adventurer);

1. Visionary: Looking to be in the future and joining a company that is redefining the way things are done. Offer them the opportunity to be cutting-edge (may take risks to be at the forefront of the industry)

2. Fear-based: This applies to many candidates; they’re focused on not getting fired and are focused on job security and a guaranteed pension. Don’t offer them a job with high volatility (will not join smaller companies and start-ups, preferring larger corporations that are not vulnerable to market vacillations).

1. Capability-driven candidates: Focused on what they need to develop in their experience. Offer them a position that gives them the opportunity to develop their skills and capabilities (great candidate, but any role that slows their development will not interest them);

1. Prestige VIP: Looking to be the highest paid, having the flashiest cars. Offer them a job while focusing on the power, influence and prestige it brings (good candidate if you want to expand to new markets or make a splash);

2. Growth mindset individual: Focused on the top line. While offering them a job, speak to the vision and expected growth trajectory (If the leadership is making decisions that are threatening the growth of the company, they will quit);

3. Underappreciated candidates: Feel underappreciated or underpaid. It’s not hard to turn their no’s into yesses (be mindful because they may actually be underperformers);

4. Cash-driven candidates: Want an increase in salary at any cost, they don’t mind hostile work environments and they have a high tolerance for conflict. Offer them a high salary (this candidate is very dangerous, but it may work out very well because, as they want to make more money, they will help you make more money);

1. Love and passion candidates: Feel a deep sense of purpose and meaning to their job. Address them by highlighting what your company will do to help them develop, who they will be training with, etc. (Great candidates)

1. Entrepreneur: Like being with challenging brands and small innovative teams and enjoy open organizational structures where they can be involved in all departments. When you address them, remember that they want to be involved in all aspects of the business and enjoy a bit of volatility (this candidate will eventually leave and start their own business);

1. Innovator: wants to create new products, and new services and wants to come up with new ways to create value. They would want to work in companies that support new ideas and approaches where they would be able to drive their innovation (If the company holds back their innovation or process, they will most likely quit and will not stick around).

There are many drivers, don’t get overwhelmed by them. When a candidate is short or rude with you, when they hang up on you, it has nothing to do with you.

Senior candidates can deal with legitimate crises. You may call in the middle of that crisis, distracting them, and they have a blow at you. Don’t take it personally, and approach them again. If they go over the top, it may be an indication that they don’t have the right communication skills and are not professional.

Matching drivers with roles, and how to approach candidates based on drivers:

• Head of Retail (characteristics: risk-aversion, stability, high salary, ambition) match: ambition and risk-aversion driven candidates;

• Chief Digital Officer for a start-up (characteristics: challenger brand and disruptive) match: entrepreneur, visionary, passionate, and innovator candidates;

• Head of Audit for an accountancy firm (characteristics: anger, salary, risk-aversion and stability) match: underappreciated candidates;

• Family company CEO (characteristics: desire for impact, growth mindset, ambition, especially with strong chairperson) match: ambitious and visionary candidates.

What would happen if we mismatched the drivers?

• When the drivers don’t match, even if a candidate is excited, you have to drop that person because you’ll be replacing them within a year.

• Head of Retail- mismatch: entrepreneur (too confined), innovator (rate of change is too slow for them), adventurer candidates (too predictable)

• Chief Digital Officer for a start-up - mismatch: fear-based and risk aversion (may have health consequences of being in such a volatile environment), retirement coaster, cash-driven candidates

• Head of Audit for an accountancy firm - mismatch: Entrepreneur and innovator (environment is a culture clash for them), innovator, ambitious candidates (they cannot grow much in that role);

• Family company CEO - mismatch: Prestige VIP (culture clash), retirement coaster (will kill the business, we need to be competitive, and they are not fit)

Identify what is driving a candidate, and develop a pitch document or company USP form and keep it in front of you (should include your company’s capsule-lined description and show what separates your company from the competition, the business case, the company vision, net revenue, net profit, total staff, asset size, and other KPI. Remember, a top performer will lose respect for you if they sense you do not know your company inside out.

After filling your company USP, analyze it:

1. If you are a large company, with a long history and stable presence, it would be a large platform that allows fear-based candidates to drive their careers;

2. If you can deliver a diversified career path for a candidate (frequent promotions work in different cities, or different parts of the organization, while being an employer for life) it would be attractive for ambitious types, wishing to be a CEO.

3. If you are a leader in digital banking, someone who’s capability-driven would be interested.

4. If you have the number one leadership development and training program in the industry, the capable candidate would be a good fit.

5. Once you develop the USP and highlight the top 3 attractive points, you can understand what the employee value proposition is, and you can then write the scripts.

Key points to remember:

• Always start the email by saying that your message is unsolicited and that you’ve never met before;

• Say that you want to network with the person, so it doesn’t look like you’re poaching them;

• Laying down one of the key reasons someone would be interested in the job (one of the most stable banks in the world, thousands of branches and employees )

• The company is currently creating a new strategy, looking for an ambitious leader looking to define the future (of the sector) and is investing heavily in its people;

• “While you’re happy where you are and not currently looking” (they may be looking, but you want the candidate to remain calm and not agitated)

• “I thought you may know someone who fits the position. Of course, if you were interested, it would be our pleasure to entertain your candidacy, please feel free to call me (add phone number or email)”

You want to come to the table with a huge amount of energy and be excited like you’re the best in the world at your job. Lift yourself up, lift your eyebrows, and it’s even better to stand. Start off with introducing yourself, and what you do, and maintain the air that you are one of the best in the world at your job – it will come across in your voice, and remember: You’re not selling a job, you’re selling a dream, and you’re selling the becoming of a person. Make sure to get your top-performing candidate intrigued and excited by having a mysterious edge.

• Ascertain that you’ve got the right person

• Ascertain that they’re able to speak in confidence

• If they’re not able to speak, call later, but if they are, do not ask them how they’re doing! Go into the pitch:

Tell them you’ve been following their work and you are impressed. “I just wanted to tell you how much your peers respect you and I wanted to say congratulations on what a great job you have done”. [stop, they would say thank you] [continue] “The reason why I’m calling you is that we’re recruiting for a head of corporate banking for a global bank, we have 4,600 branches, 215,000 staff, we can offer a phenomenal global career path, and we have one of the world’s best leadership development plan. We are building up our digital capabilities and we would love for you to join our team (you would have highlighted the top USP of bank and employee value proposition in a succinct pitch).

They may say they love the organization and always wanted to work there, and that seals it. But the recruiter’s actual job starts when the candidate says no; when you turn a no into a yes, you are creating value.

11 closes which will turn 80% of no’s into yesses and the rule of 5, which, with the 11 closes, allows you to win candidates over almost every time.

Suitable to be used when the candidate says that it’s not the right time for them because the market is bad.

• Sometimes you might find that the most successful candidates are just ones who are making their moves at exactly the right time, meaning that they’re coming into a role at the bottom of the market and trading when the market is at the top and riding the wave (always agree with them, but invite them to look at it as a stock trend and detect events).

• Tell them that they want to have 4-5 points on their CV that highlight that they came into a team and drove productivity up by 300-500%, making them a shoo-in for a job as a CEO. This is authentic and sincere career advice that will help them create value and wealth and have a successful career.

Suitable to be used when the candidate says thank you, will think about it, do their analysis and research and come back to you.

DO NOT LET THEM GO AND THINK ABOUT IT because their brains will amplify the risks, so focus on meeting with the candidate.

“I get it, but it’s just like wondering who has the best hamburger in town: we can get a spreadsheet and do the analysis of menus and ingredients, but the only way you can really tell is to go down to that restaurant and sink your teeth into that burger. Isn’t that right? (Yes, sure) so let’s schedule a time to meet and discuss why this is the right move for you.

“When you look at what makes a CEO’s career, it’s their ability to take the heat of the battle, they step into the middle of the conflict zone and lead the team out of that disaster. Who’s the most famous PM of the UK? Sir Winston Churchill. Why do we know him? Because he was PM during WWII. In everybody’s career, there’s a moment that’s a career-maker; this is yours!

Suitable to be used when your company is in trouble, and the candidate says they looked it up and do not want to join a struggling company.

This is your moment as a recruiter to come in and create impact and rise up

This is also an amazing opportunity because when you have a burning platform, the board will give you carte blanche to fire whoever you want and make all the changes you want.”

Suitable to be used with candidates who despite the salary increase say that they’re not interested.

• Answer “I get it, the best things in life are not bought, but the thing is that money isn’t really about money at all. Through money, the wealthy get to enjoy security, and top health and education. You would be able to create a comfortable nest egg for your future and your loved ones. You owe it to your loved ones to explore this a little further.”

• You’re reminding the candidate that they’re one of the main breadwinners of the family and they need to think of them, so they should open up their perspective and come back to the table. Schedule a time to have coffee with them and turn their no into a yes.

Suitable to be used with candidates who love their job and are so engaged, and successful where they are that they don’t want to talk to a recruiter.

• “I’m so glad to hear you’re doing well, that’s fantastic. I know it may seem counter-intuitive, but that’s exactly why you need to look at this. In real estate, if you own a shopping mall, when it’s 100% leased, that’s when it will trade at its premium. You do not want to sell your assets at a discount. Your career is like your investments.”

• If the candidate is having a great run, remind them that times will change and that it’s always a good idea to explore.

Suitable to be used with candidates who have anxiety, and fear about making the job move.

“I understand. It’s never the right time to break up:

• What you’re feeling has to do with the way our brains are made: the oldest part is called the reptilian brain, which is where we feel anger and you get to fight or flight response, then we created the mammalian brain, and last we develop the neo-cortex.

• The neocortex is where your imagination is, where your vision sits, and it’s what allows you to see yourself in the future.

• When you’re looking at a job change, these 2 parts of the brain are completely at odds with each other: the neo-cortex is pulling you into the future, while the reptilian brain is saying don’t make unnecessary changes.

• When you look at great business people, what do we say? They’re visionaries, that’s because they’re allowing their neo-cortex to drive them.

• If you’re free, I will be by your office (date + time). We can have some coffee, and explore what the next few steps of your career might look like.”

Suitable to be used when candidates say no, flat out.

• “I totally understand and respect your decision. When I’m making big decisions I apply this interesting process from Benjamin Franklin, who was the first millionaire in the US. He said that one of the reasons why he got rich was the way he made decisions; he applied a balance sheet approach to any decision he made, where he listed the pros and cons, and whichever side won, he would go for.”

That’s where you apply the job search process: so for this job search decision on the balance sheet: what are the pros? (You would have already created your client’s ISP form, and will have many more pros than they could have cons; your candidate will struggle to find 3, and you can easily counter).

End with “Why don’t you come in and have coffee? We can talk about where your career is going and what are some things that would make you even more successful.”

Suitable to be used with candidates who have not taken a long-term vision of their career and have made their decision just based on where they want to be in the next 1-3 years.

“You mentioned that 5 years from now, you want to be running your own business. Moving from a larger company to a smaller one will give you exposure to all departments, and that’s the kind of exposure that you need if you want to become an entrepreneur. So if you want to look at your end game, which is to start your own business in 5 years, this role is the right natural step for you and will help fulfil your vision. Why don’t you come in (date + time) because it’s not about where you will be in the next 12 months, but where you will be in the next 5/10 years.”

This close is about being a mentor, caring about your candidate, and making sure they take their life and their career in the right direction.”

Suitable to be used with candidates who are passive and not actively looking for a job.

“I get it, you’re not looking for a job, and you’re happy where you are. But if I were you, from a networking perspective, it makes a lot of sense to meet these people, they’re big decision-makers. Who knows? Maybe a few years down the line, you’ll need an investor. Here’s an opportunity for you to grow your network. I will tell them that you’re not interested in the job and they’ll wish you great success.”

Preface that, And then when they come to meet with you, if there’s chemistry there, you’ll most likely be able to turn their no into a yes.

Suitable to be used with candidates when something negative has happened to the company (lawsuit, fraud case) and the candidate refuses to move forward.

“I get it. I was even thinking about it last night, and I was making spaghetti sauce and spilling some sauce down the crack between the stove and the cupboard.

That space is the worst, right? And then I had to pull the stove out and found that there was sauce down the entire side of the cupboard and even some dirt back there. I pulled the stove out and I cleaned under it, the sides, everything, it took me about 40 minutes, but in the end, my stove was the cleanest it’s been in the past 10 years. If I hadn’t spilt anything, everything would have accumulated and would have still been there.

The company is the same! Because of it, they’ve been forced to upgrade all their practices; this is one of the defining moments, and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to this company and that’s why you need to take a closer look at this opportunity.”

Work your candidate through that thought process and show them that these negative things helped the company improve a lot, and that’s why it’s one of the best companies to work for.

Save the best for last: It’s one of the most effective, most powerful closes:

• When the candidate is on the fence, and they tell you they’ll get back to you, what they’re really saying is “I want to stop talking about it”, so say: “I really understand, I like to sleep on things. Just before I let you go, just remind me what was it that really attracted you to this job? What did you feel was a perfect fit for you, in this job?”

• This initiates the reverse close. You need to close your mouth at this point, and take very detailed notes because the candidate will do the work and close themselves! They’ll tell you all that you need to do to close them in the next meeting you’ll have.

When you identify a top performer, pitch them the job 5 times, 5 different ways.

• You have to keep in mind that top performers are going to say no to you because they’re committed, loyal, and not looking for a job. They might be short with you and hang up on you, so make a note of yourself, and in your calendar, label the 5 calls.

• Why? At the end of the day, they may be speaking with their partner or friends and will tell them somebody called them about a job, but they’re not interested in it. The friend would say “Well what was the job?” When they answer that they didn’t even ask, the friend will tell them: “Why not? What if it was an amazing job?”

• After the 4th attempt, they will tell themselves “Maybe I should pick up”, and that’s when the door is open for you to come in, and you might even be told, “Why don’t we have lunch”.

• Remember: It’s better to make 5 calls to the top 5 candidates, totalling 25 calls, rather than make 25 calls to 25 under-performers.

You’re now armed with tools to turn no’s into yesses. Remember that, good candidates will say no and bad candidates are more likely to say yes, quicker.

Make it your mantra that your job starts when the candidate says no. In this course, we looked at why we want to turn no’s into yesses, how to set up your pitches and scripts, 11 closes, and the rule of 5.