Matt Abbasfard’s Post

“Where did you get my phone number??” No one likes getting cold calls. I make cold calls and 99% of the time I don’t like getting them. But asking where I got your number from? I’m in sales. That’s my job. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to get someone’s phone number. And many of them are free. Odds are you work at a company with a sales team, and a high percentage of them are cold calling people. Some of those calls result in deals, which keep the lights on and pay your salary. So next time you get a cold call you don’t want, just say “not interested.” Or hang up. We don’t care. But don’t ask where I got your number from, because now you know 😊

Anyone interested in recruiting? I had the privelege of being interviewed by the incredible Dandan Zhu at DG Recruit and Recruiter Prep about my experience as a recruiter. Recruiting’s a career that has quite literally changed my life. It’s also a career that most likely people know little to nothing about. Give it a listen, and of course, give Dandan a follow. 👇🏻

Companies who hire top talent all do one thing right. They give candidates what they ask for. What does that mean? Glad you asked. Real Example 1: Candiate interviewes with Company A and Company B. Likes both. Says from the first interview “I won’t move for less than $160k.” Company A offers $150k. Company B offers $160k. Guess who got him? Real Example 2: Candiate isn’t looking but loves this product and falls in love. Come offer time she says she has 5 weeks PTO, her partner has 5 weeks PTO, they travel, and that’s important to her. Company ups their 3 weeks to 5 weeks and she says thanks and signs. Example 3: Rock star sales candidate is interviewing then closes a monster deal at his current company. Wants to leave but doesn’t want to leave a fat check on the table. Asks the new company if he can start in 8 weeks so he can get paid on it. New company gives him a nice sign on and a higher base to make up for it. He signs and starts in 2 weeks. Sure, have a cool product. Have new tech. Interview quickly. Give snacks and have 138 dogs in the office. All that stuff is important. But I work with some great companies who check those boxes and don’t give candidates what they ask for. And guess what? Someone else does. Standard offers get standard candidates. Great offers get great candidates.

Would you take a counter offer? 🤔 I lost a candidate to a counter offer the other day. Not the end of the world, these things happen, but this one was noteworthy. When he and I first connected he said he’d been at his company for a while and was looking because he was underpaid and undervalued. Fast forward and I got him two offers with two cool tech companies. Both were for $145k + some equity. He chose his favorite, signed, and that was that. He was particularly excited and easy to work with. He ended up sharing his current company was paying him $105k flat. That’s a hell of a raise. Two days later he emails saying he’s rescinding his acceptance because his current company gave him an even bigger raise. I was floored. What do you think? Should he have stayed?

I get a lot of different reactions when I tell people I'm a recruiter. Most common - "Like, for the army??" Nope. Also common - "Oh wow so you help people get jobs??" Also no. I help COMPANIES fill positions. Big difference. Need a new job? Odds are I don't have the right job for you. Also common - "It must be so satisfying to help people get jobs! Do you love that?" Again, no. I disappoint far more people than I help (story of my life) with feedback like "Sorry, unfortunately they won't be moving forward, I wish I had better news!" That being said, I do occasionally place someone in a life changing job and they're SUPER excited. That makes my day. Mariana is one of those people. My client fell in love with her immediately. The job wasn't exactly smooth sailing though. There were ups and downs and some pretty significant changes in the company not long after she started. I thought she would be PISSED! Her reaction was the opposite. She was grateful, excited, and dug in and learned a ton. Fast forward a few years and she just accepted a new position and threw me a little shout out on LinkedIn. We're friends on Instagram and talk all the time. Her cousin may even give me some travel tips for my upcoming Rio trip. Mariana, and candidates like Mariana, are why I do this. Plus it doesn't hurt to make a good living while working from home in my sweatpants :-)

❓Job offers with an acceptance deadline? 💥 Sometimes called “exploding offers.” I have mixed feelings on this one. On Thursday my client made an offer to our candidate. He completed 4 interviews and did a technical assessment. He said he had another final interview and we were his first choice, but he wanted until Monday to think it over. I told him we have two other candidates we’re considering, he was also our first choice, and in order to be respectful of them we need a decision by Friday. Here’s the benefits info, 401k, PTO, and all your questions answered. Friday came and went and he didn’t take my calls. He emailed me late Friday night, said he was sick, and asked again to wait until Monday. He got another offer and wanted to think about it. I said no. You have all the information and this is what we agreed on. We all decided to pass. ... Did we make the right decision? I strongly believe that after 2 weeks and four interviews you know if it’s right for you. I don’t pressure candidates into accepting, I’m not selling used cars. That being said, the market is hot and we have a lot of talented people in process. Some of them are itching to say yes. What would you have done here?

I'm a few days early, but since it's her birthday I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge Lauren Formby. Lauren is the epitome of a strong, independent woman. Her drive, motivation, and leadership are unparalleled. Lauren never complains, never says anything negative, and always has time to help someone new or someone in need, regardless of whether it will benefit her. She is a true champion for women and a role model for young women everywhere. Happy birthday, Lauren - and thank you for being you! #thatCClife #CCsuccess #womensday2021 CyberCoders

Congrats to my 3 candidates who started their new positions today! And an extra big congrats to my candidate who started his position in Australia - that was a first :-)

Sales people - do you ever discount your fee? Whole books have been written on overcoming that objection and building value. That’s another post for another time. Story time inspired by Mike Anderson. I was trying to break into a new industry and got a C level Exec on the phone. I sent him a candidate he knew well and hired at his previous company. It was a slam dunk - he went over his budget to hire her. I couldn’t believe my luck. He called after, thanked me for my hard work, then said he‘d like a discount becaus he’s known this woman for a decade. I could have fought him. I could have built value. I could have put my foot down. He would have paid my fee. Instead, I volunteered to give him a big discount if he agreed to continue using me to fill his open positions. He agreed. Fast forward 18 months and this week I made my 48th and 49th placement at his company. They’re far and away my best client. I love working with them and I like to think the feeling is mutual. Could I have fought him and gotten my full fee? Could they still have ended up being a great client? Could he have agreed to work with me then blown me off after the discount? Absolutely. Every situation is different, but I’ve found that if I work with integrity results follow.

Shout out to my 5 candidates who started their new jobs this week! 🎉 If we’re going to be home all day we might as well be doing something we love. #thatCClife #CCSuccess