Legal recruiters looking to increase their client base often try everything under the sun to avoid the dreaded cold call. But the reality is that cold calling is still the foundation of the recruiter business and if you want to make sales,that’s where you need to start. But how can we make the cold call a little less intimidating and a lot warmer?  Let’stake a look at a few suggestions:

1. The first thing legal recruiters should do before they make their cold call, is identify the problem they are going to solve. That’s easy right? These firms need talent and you’ve got lots of that.  But that’s only their general problem. Try to get specific. What type of talent does this particular firm need? And we’re not just talking about hard skills and experience, we could be talking about “softer” qualities, such as leaders or team players or problem solvers.  Legal recruiters should take the time to find out the problems of the companies on their list and when they call -- how they can solve that problem should be one of the first things they communicate.
2. Reorient your thinking about why you are cold calling this company. While it is ultimately your goal to make a sell, the first call you make to the company should be about communicating that you understand their problem and know how to solve it.  The first call should also be about getting information from the company, such as which problems they think they need solved, because the reality is that the problem of attracting and keeping quality talent might not be on their priority list.
3. Make sure that you don’t go into presentation mode with the person on the other end of the line. The cold call will only be warm when legal recruiters make sure that they engage the person in a natural conversation about their needs and how the recruiter can help them fulfill those needs.