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March 07, 2023

5 Offer & Sell Best Practices


Recruiters face numerous challenges during the offer and sell process, but many can be prevented with proper planning. Here are five high-impact offer and sell best practices to incorporate into your recruitment strategy.

1. Craft a Narrative Around Benefits Packages

Learn what individual candidates are looking for from an employer and appeal to their priorities by telling a story with the company’s benefits packages. Ask candidates what considerations are most influential in their decision-making process and find available benefits that align with those considerations. Then, create a narrative around the packages that speaks to their priorities.

2. Know Available Offer Tradeoffs

Know available offer tradeoffs that candidates will accept in place of particular benefits – especially base salary – and adjust messaging to entice them. Some examples include:

  • • 64% of candidates would accept a lower salary to work fully remotely
  • • 63% of candidates would accept a lower salary for unlimited PTO
  • • 50% of candidates would accept a lower salary to have flexible work schedules

3. Immerse Candidates in Company Culture

Use the offer and sell process to embed candidates in the company culture, demonstrate values, and give candidates an opportunity to envision themselves there. Here are a few ways your peers are already doing this:

  • • A professional services firm schedules a surprise offer acceptance call that all employees are invited to join.
  • • A paper goods company provides visiting candidates a car service with drivers who show them around the area.
  • • A hardware retail company offers 360° tours of their locations to show candidates where they would work.

 

4. Use Time Strategically

Gear the entire recruiting process toward closing candidates by communicating key information early, following up consistently, and facilitating candidate connections.

  • • Communicate Early: Lay the foundation for success in the screening call by providing key details about your company and its values.
  • • Follow Up Quickly: Follow up with candidates within a week of each stage, and between stages check in to diagnose and address and red flags they noted.
  • • Arrange Conversations Strategically: Set up conversations between candidates and potential managers who can speak to role expectations and career advancement opportunities.

 

5. Prepare for Obstacles

Develop an awareness for common challenges encountered during the offer and sell process and proactively create a plan to mitigate goals.

Ask candidates about their must-haves and dealbreakers early in the recruiting process to help foresee possible challenges.

  • Understand their priorities by asking what they would do if presented with a counteroffer for a higher salary, greater responsibility, or title change.
  • Compare benefits packages to those of competitors to predict where candidate concerns could arise and to help shape offer messaging.

Share these insights with your team.

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