The 5 Questions to Ask to Reduce Your Turndowns

Dear Barb:

In the past three months, we had several deals not close that we thought were a sure thing. When I reviewed each deal, I couldn’t pinpoint any one thing we were doing wrong. This has been frustrating for not only me but my recruiters. Is there anything you can advise that might help us avoid offer turndowns?

Thank you.

Steven Z.

Chicago, IL

Dear Steven:

There are several things you can do to dramatically reduce offer turndowns:

Ask every candidate to list the five things they would change about their current position if they were the boss. This reveals the real reason they are interviewing.
Ask your candidate where they most want to work, and market them to those companies. They will accept an offer if extended.
Cover counteroffers throughout your process, and always bring them back to the five things they would change if they were the boss. Most of those will still exist.
Send every candidate to more than one client.
Show the benefit to them of keeping you informed of their other interview activity.

Most importantly, start every conversation you have with your candidate with, “Has anything changed?” We have human beings on both sides of our sale and things change. It could be one of those changes that led to your offer turndowns.

Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS