As the industry-wide driver shortage continues to loom large, attracting, hiring, and retaining drivers has become incredibly important, and much of this responsibility rests on the shoulders of CDL driver recruiters. Instead of approaching this responsibility from a purely HR standpoint, recruiters are looking elsewhere for inspiration, and they have found it in sales.
With drivers now considered as ‘leads’ in a ‘sales funnel’, recruiters can nurture these contacts, create lasting relationships, and focus on long-term retention.
Recruiting managers can introduce a sales-focused recruiting mentality to their team by:
-
Monitoring and tracking conversations with drivers. Save what you learn in a CRM platform to make it easy to go back and use this data later.
-
Identifying trends in these conversations. This insight into why drivers are saying no or what is turning them away is the foundation of your new recruiting strategy.
-
Building a compelling ‘sales pitch’ around these issues. Highlight what makes your company different than your competitors based on this research you’ve compiled.
While introducing any type of new process or workflow to a team can be difficult, ensuring your recruiters have the resources to be successful is what creates long-term success. This means:
-
Understanding the different steps of the sales process and preparing your team accordingly.
-
Investing in the right tools and technology to move drivers through your new recruiting process, such as an Applicant Tracking System and a CRM platform.
-
Implementing a structured onboarding and training program to ensure both new and tenured recruiters are comfortable with these new processes.
Download the latest ebook!
For more information on bringing a sales-focused mentality to your recruiting team, check out our newest ebook, “Recruiting IS Sales: Hire More Drivers by Training Recruiters in Sales.” Co-authored by Chad Hendricks, host of the “Recruit and Retain: Trucking Edition” podcast and Vice President of Brand Outcomes, the ebook features actionable ways recruiting managers can introduce sales strategies and thought processes to recruiters.
Stay up to date on CDL trucking trends! Be sure to check out the DriverReach blog for other relevant articles and head over to our webinars page for an up-to-date list of upcoming events and on-demand recordings.
