Tuesday Phone Sourcing Class Chat: Phone Fear

Good Morning Maureen,
I know that you are in many places at once on the web and it is hard to keep track of you LOL.

I am in need of your help once again.

Why all the debates on which is better direct phone sourcing or online sourcing?? Why all the panic and fear? I don't get this. I started your course on May 15, 2008and I am still having a bender every day playing the slots with the Automated phone directories. I am still having fun gathering all the names of certain departments and doing rough org charts of companies. I laugh my ass off when it takes me
a few hours to get a full dept profiled LOL.

What I read on these boards is personal panic, fear, lack of change, anxiety and other psychiatric personal afflictions. Is this my competition I am watching spend more time online arguing what is the best method to gather candidates and/or more business - direct phone sourcing or online research? If so then I have the market cornered - the Internet supports all p2p phone work bottomline!!

Why is all the energy given to the argument and debate?? Play the ATD slots and have fun wooooohooooo. Then move on to the other methods of direct sourcing. Having studied a number of martial arts disciplines before creating Jeet Kune Do the great Bruce Lee had this to say "Learn from all, absorb what is useful to you."

I am still on section one and having a whale of a time and trying my best to get you to the Great White North soon!.I would love to catch your Tuesday MagicMethod lunch classroom chat this week; we have a long weekend coming up.

Apprentice Sourcer
Shawn James Draisey
Search Specialist
Derby International Search

Dear Shawn: This is going to be the topic of discussion in the MagicMethod Classroom Chat tomorrow at noon (EST).
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing All Day Seminar in Miami, FL on September 4 at the Shane Center sponsored by Confisa International Group. Email bob@techtrak.com for registration form or call him at 513 899 9628. Seats are $325 and INCLUDE lunch AND a three month subscription to the seminal "Magic in the Method" telephone names sourcing course. Register early for a 10% discount!

Firecracker Sourcing

July 4 is Friday and we sourcers all know what that means – a great phone sourcing opportunity approaches. Customers “in the know” understand that getting their “holiday orders” in before the firecracker holiday will assure some red-hot names when they return to work on July 7.

Some of the behavior that fuels all this busyness in our industry is the simple fact that while the cats are away the mice do play! Sourcers understand that while others are away “merry-making”, opportunity abounds in the emptied halls of corporate America; they know that many people will take advantage of holidays like this one by turning the week before and the week after into full one or two week vacations.

Sourcers can expect VoiceMails to be stuffed with information fuller than a fireworks barge. “Hi, this is Joe Smith – I’ll be back in the office on July 14; in my absence if this is a quality issue call Pete Jones at xxx xxx xxxx and if this is a test issue call the Test Manager at Susan Wheeler at xxx xxx xxxx and if this is a delivery issue call my manager Mike Kincaid at xxx xxx xxxx and if all this fails call my Admin - she usually ALWAYS answers - at xxx xxx xxxx.”

VoiceMails can be the most revealing, rewarding things! Make sure you take the time to listen to them. And that’s the rub – it takes TIME – do you have the time to do this in your full-cycle busy recruiting life?

Regular receptionists may also be away during this time as well, replaced by lesser experienced gatekeepers so experienced sourcers adjust their approaches during promising times like these. A “temp” is very likely to confess to you that she is just that to explain her lack of knowledge/skill and many of them are more easily “influenced” – shall we say.

Lonely Security Guards can be not-too-pleased that they’re the only ones required to keep watch at this time of year over extremely valuable information (after all, what’s MORE valuable to a company than their employees? Really?) and some of their angst can be consoled in the simplest ways. You’d be surprised how many of them have access to corporate directories and if they don’t, how much is stored in their heads from long years of service? The human brain is a computer too, you know.

These are just a few of the many reasons holidays are so productive for sourcing – batten down your hatches, sourcers – we’re coming into one of the busiest seasons in our business! Customers, get your orders primed and delivered to your sourcers – many of them welcome this time-consuming work at this time of year (remember the Introvert theory?) It gives some of them a welcome excuse NOT to attend those holiday parties!
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If you want a fresh list of names to call on Monday when you return to work, give us a call! TechTrak will deliver a list of names to you, fresh and ready for you to call, as soon as you sit down at your desk! How hot is that?
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Do something today you don't think you can do.

Maureen Sharib
Telephone Name Sourcer/MagicMethod Trainer
513 899 9628
TechTrak.com, Inc.
maureen at namesourcer.com
http://www.techtrak.com
My NameSourcer blog.

“…technology had aided us in telling lies.”

Interesting discussion over on Indian Trainers Yahoo group about the effectiveness of “meetings” that touches on the ethics of lying.

Dear friends, Do u also face this :
I woke up this morning and went over my TO DO list which I prepared last night. After reworking on priorities, I sent some mails before 0900 hours and then had my breakfast to be free to make all important calls. I started making calls at 0930 hours. I have made 22 calls precisely and 100% people have said, 'sorry, i am in a meeting / middle of a discussion. can I call u later?' It is 1130 hours. No one has called back. I find that the entire country is in meetings. In meetings we decide what to do. If we keep identifying tasks, we surely need time to perform them. An 'organisational expert' had proved to a company that meetings in a month had cost them a very heavy amount which was NOT justified by the benefits accrued. Meetings are a good and effective way of executing tasks. BUT we need to look at the perspective of a client, a peer, a subordinate, a senior whose work is getting held up because of your inaccessibility. THINK. Are u disrupting work?

Read the whole fascinating string here. (You may need to join this Yahoo group to participate – no biggie – it’s a VERY GOOD GROUP!) Remember, check the string history at the bottom of the post – that’s where you’ll find all the replies!
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing All Day Seminar in Miami, FL on September 4 at the Shane Center sponsored by Confisa International Group. Email bob@techtrak.com for registration form or call him at 513 899 9628. Seats are $325 and INCLUDE lunch AND a three month subscription to the seminal "Magic in the Method" telephone names sourcing course. Register early for a 10% discount!

MagicMethod Classroom Chat Log TH, June 26, 2008

Best Remark of the Day "It costs less (offshore Internet sourcing) but of course, you get what you pay for (usually)." ~ Jamie Schwartz

Maureen Sharib
Today's (TH, June 26) subject is about an exciting discussion that's breaking out in hives over on ERE: Are Internet Generated Names inherently worth Less than Phone generated names due to the ease of generating them. And if so why aren't Internet Name Generators lowering their prices to be more competitive with offshore options? Jeff Weidner asks http://is.gd/GG5

Recruiting Animal
I don't see it as controversial as all. It's a no brainer

Maureen Sharib
You think it's a no brainer, Animal? The subject is about a discussion that's taking off over on ERE...

Recruiting Animal
I know the answer. If you go through an office today and the internet is generating names from last year. Well, which is more reliable Show's over. I answered the question!

Maureen Sharib
Do you think most of them rely on the Internet and the boards to source? Do we have anyone doing offshore sourcing present?

Read the whole chat here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing All Day Seminar in Miami, FL on September 4 at the Shane Center sponsored by Confisa International Group. Email bob@techtrak.com for registration form or call him at 513 899 9628. Seats are $325 and INCLUDE lunch AND a three month subscription to the seminal "Magic in the Method" telephone names sourcing course. Register early for a 10% discount!

How can telephone sourcing BEST co-exist w/ Internet research?

NEW LinkedIn question on the subject asks:
Telephone Research Vs. Internet Research - what would you recommend? What are the pros-cons and in what areas these work best? What is the best way they can co-exist? Would like to know your views on these tools of recruitment research.

See the many answers here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing All Day Seminar in Miami, FL on September 4 at the Shane Center sponsored by Confisa International Group. Email bob@techtrak.com for registration form or call him at 513 899 9628. Seats are $325 and INCLUDE lunch AND a three month subscription to the seminal "Magic in the Method" telephone names sourcing course. Register early for a 10% discount!

Scarifying Sourcing Stories

The Dummy Gatekeeper

As you all know, I am a strong proponent of calling into companies to gather information, particularly the employee name/title/contact info kind of information. You also know that I am an advocate of first going directly at the Gatekeeper and asking her for precisely the information that is being sought. The "trick" is in the asking - if you ask for ONE THING AT A TIME you are far more likely to achieve your goal than if you demand of her, "I need to know who all thirteen of your sales reps are on the West Coast," numerical information you divined from some unwitting soul on an earlier call into same company.

Although most Gatekeepers are way beyond the usual sets of intelligence most of us possess, occasionally, and I do mean occasionally, you'll get someone who truly lacks the knowledge you seek.

"Hello, Cindy, this is Maureen Sharib. May I speak with your Director of External Reporting?"

"I don't know who that is."

"Then can you connect me to your finance department?"

"I don't think we have one."

When this happens, you have to help this poor soul help you. Glancing quickly at my screen and the list of executives Hoovers provided to me when I set the job up, I note the CFO's name listed four slots down on the pecking order organizational chart.

"Can you transfer me to your Chief Financial Officer, John Garrison?"

"Oh - him! Sure, why didn't you say so?" she laughs. "One moment please!"

Now, it should be stated at this point that maybe I should wonder this same thing myself. There’s a reason I don’t give her a name right off the bat – I’m testing her to see at what level she’ll begin to give me information. See, some Gatekeepers aren’t “Gate Keepers” at all. They’re simply there to serve you in any fashion you desire. Believe it or not, this is true. When I encounter a Gatekeeper that gives me (or directs me to) a name that lies behind a title I ask for, usually I’ve hit paydirt. It’s not too far of a stretch to assume that she’ll give me anything I ask for!

(Quickly) “Cindy, before you transfer me, can you tell me, does he have an Administrative Assistant?”

“He has an Executive Assistant,” she reminds, beginning to sound suspiciously more informed than she did at first. “Her name is Marie Kovack - you want me to transfer you to her?”

“Yes, if you would Cindy, but before you do, IN CASE I GET DISCONNECTED, does Marie have a direct dial?”

“Yes, she does, you want it?”

Thinking I just told her I did and reverting back to my original suspicion as to her intelligence level, I purr, “Yes, Cindy, I do, if you don’ mind.”

She gives it to me and then she waits. I suggest, once again repeating the most beautiful sound in the world to her, her name, in an attempt to bee-charm the bee, “Cindy, can you look to see if there is anyone listed under Mr. Garrison?”

I hold my breath, ready for whatever she comes back with. This one could go either way.

She hesitates before announcing, sounding somewhat surprised, “Well yes, he has several people “under” him, by the looks of it!” she proudly proclaims.

“Oh, that’s helpful!” I reward. “Can you read off their titles to me?” I boldly go where not many dare.

She begins to read and the third one down, after the VP of Finance who appears to report to the Controller, is, miracle of miracles, wouldn’t you just know it, the Director of External Reporting!

“Bingo!” I cry, sounding as if she’s discovered something really important and letting her know I appreciate her skill as a Gatekeeper. “And what is that person’s name?” I ask, sounding in great admiration of her and like this whole thing is her idea.

“Joan Peterson,” Cindy immediately beams back, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I quickly type it into my silent keyboard, along with the title.

“And does Joan have a direct dial?” I ask, looking for as much information as I can press out of this ripe fruit.

“She does - you want it?” Cindy asks me again to my wonder.

She gives it to me; I thank her for her assistance and hang up.

“Next,” I think to myself as I dial the next target.

Mission (once again) accomplished.
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Like what you just read? MagicMethod is brimming with information like this and will show you the inside tips and techniques of true telephone names sourcers! Subscribe today here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon EST on the MagicMethod network here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing All Day Seminar in Miami, FL on September 4 at the Shane Center sponsored by Confisa International Group. Email bob@techtrak.com for registration form or call him at 513 899 9628. Seats are $325 and INCLUDE lunch AND a three month subscription to the seminal "Magic in the Method" telephone names sourcing course. Register early for a 10% discount!

Taboo

A taboo is a strong social prohibition (or ban) against words, objects, actions, discussions, or people that are considered undesirable by a group, culture, or society. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent. Some taboo activities or customs are prohibited under law and transgressions may lead to severe penalties. Other taboos result in embarrassment, shame and rudeness.

Last year I had a saucy little number of a discussion appear in my ASK Maureen group over on ERE that titillatingly titled itself "Illegal Sourcing". "Interesting," I thought. "We'll see where this one goes."

Alas, it was not to be. After a promising and riotous first post in which the author reported that he had spent four months working for two different recruiting firms that "taught employees how to ruse illegally for candidates" the string took a nosedive. It seems at both of these companies the heads of the firms, the "presidents", had both taught recruiters how to impersonate U.S. governmental officials in order to get very quick responses/source names from target companies. The author had left both firms because "their behavior was illegal and unethical".

It all sounded perfectly deliciously gossipy to me and just the perfect kind of discussion things can be learned from.

It wasn't 45 minutes later and an emphatic response came flying in that said, "It is illegal to impersonate anyone in the United States - it is considered fraud. This is based upon Federal AND State laws..." and the author went on to describe in detail reasons that included considerations of such things as identity theft, privacy laws and, always the whopper these days, "issues of Security of our Country". The author went on to mention importantly that a business domain name they owned had been "impersonated" and that "The D.A is currently working on this situation for me..."

Trying to put some damage control into what appeared to be headed towards one of those frightening and off-putting threads, I remarked that the first thing a sourcer should know is that it's illegal to impersonate a government official, and I further asked the original poster if anyone had pointed "this out to the heads of these firms and what was the response?"

The poor guy answered, telling us that he had informed one but that the rogue didn't care. He then contacted me a couple hours later asking me to take his response down, that he regretted his answer because after all, "that person's dealing with a District Attorney - all it takes is one person to make your life hell..."

A few other "Tsk, tsk, MY skirts are clean..." chimed in and it was enough to make this guy really uncomfortable. He sent me an email that same evening asking me to take the whole thread down because, in his words, "Few are going to admit they see illegal activities. And I put myself in an unpleasant situation. My kind of comments spark the wrong kind of interest. Thanks."

I did as he asked and took the whole thread down but as I did it I was reminded of a discussion we had recently on the Recruiting Animal's Radio Show. I bring this post to your attention once again as an example of a discussion that could have afforded meaningful and helpful information to a group but because of the way some people express themselves, conversations like this, that hold such promise, wither on the vine. Some people are intimidated against becoming a part of what could be a very valuable process.

I see this form of censorship as a virus running through our industry and I would like to see it stopped.

Are there "taboo" subjects in our industry nobody wants to talk about?
What are they?
Is intimidation a form of censorship?
Is it a healthy stance for the industry to tolerate?

"The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion." ~ Henry Steele Commager
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Like what you just read? MagicMethod is brimming with information like this and will show you the inside tips and techniques of true telephone names sourcers! Subscribe today here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon EST on the MagicMethod network here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing All Day Seminar in Miami, FL on September 4 at the Shane Center sponsored by Confisa International Group. Email bob@techtrak.com for registration form or call him at 513 899 9628. Seats are $325 and INCLUDE lunch AND a three month subscription to the seminal "Magic in the Method" telephone names sourcing course. Register early for a 10% discount!

And they wonder why it's so hard...

It's a dreary day in Georgetown, with rain lashing at the windows of the Marriott Conference Center...The air is dense with geekspeak spiced with a dash of federalese. There's talk about encryption and nonrepudiation, digital signatures and biometrics, and more acronyms than you'll find in a bowl of alphabet soup: PKI, VPN, CHAP, TACACS. All this for the DOD and the DOJ, the FAA and the OMB!

During the break, I do what you're supposed to do at conferences: I mingle. Seeing me approach, Philip, a curly-haired guy in the back row, looks anxious. I ask him where he works. He looks at my notepad and considers bolting for the door. "I, uh, am a contractor for the INS," he says reluctantly. "Cool!" I say. "What do you do?" Panic creeps into his voice, as if an image of his credentials being shredded flashes before his eyes. "Uh, I work with biometric [censored], encrypting [censored] for [censored]," he replies. "But you can't use that."

There's a guy in a striped sweater and glasses in the front row who looks brave. I lean over. "Hi!" I say, trying not to sound like I'm grilling an Al Qaeda operative. "What are you working on?" He looks at me as if I've just asked for the PIN to his Cayman Islands bank account. "Army. Comanche helicopters. It's classified."

Read the whole thing here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing All Day Seminar in Miami, FL on September 4 at the Shane Center sponsored by Confisa International Group. Email bob@techtrak.com for registration form or call him at 513 899 9628.

Seats are $325 and INCLUDE lunch AND a three month subscription to the seminal "Magic in the Method" telephone names sourcing course. Register early for a 10% discount!

Value: Internet vs Telephone Sourced Names

Fun (and somewhat flawed, somewhat fabulous) discussion started by Jeff Weidner over on ERE about the cost of name generation.

"I would say the reason that you haven't seen phone sourcing offered from over seas is that if someone tries cold calling into a company and you can't understand them they won't get too far." ~ Tim Esse Recruiter, Apple Computer

Read it here: How low can the cost of a name get?
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing All Day Seminar in Miami, FL on September 4 at the Shane Center sponsored by Confisa International Group. Email bob@techtrak.com for registration form or call him at 513 899 9628.

Seats are $325 and INCLUDE lunch AND a three month subscription to the seminal "Magic in the Method" telephone names sourcing course. Register early for a 10% discount!

Today is FREE Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat Day

Today (Thurs, June 26) is the day for the regularly scheduled MagicMethod FREE Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat! At noon (EST), come to the network and look for the grey chat space in the middle of the MAIN PAGE.

“Our job (in life) is not to straighten each other out, but to help each other up.” ~ Neva Cole

See you in class at noon!
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing All Day Seminar in Miami, FL on September 4 at the Shane Center sponsored by Confisa International Group. Email bob@techtrak.com for registration form or call him at 513 899 9628.

Seats are $325 and INCLUDE lunch AND a three month subscription to the seminal "Magic in the Method" telephone names sourcing course. Register early for a 10% discount!

This is what happens when oil spirals

Many of you didn't experience the nightmare scenario prime interest rates (Prime of 20% in 1980!) went through(discount rate at 14% in 1981) as a result of the 1970s Oil Embargo.

When the Fed concludes a two-day meeting on Wednesday, it is widely expected that the central bank will express more concerns about inflation and in that way signal that rate increases could be on the way.

The last thing the central bank wants is a repeat of the 1970s, when successive oil price shocks did trigger a wage-price spiral that sent inflation soaring and was only subdued when the Fed under Paul Volcker pushed interest rates to levels not seen since the Civil War. Read whole article here.

Buy real estate.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.

Laid off? Now's the time to strike out on your own

As large companies steadily cut costs to enhance the bottom line, employees will be let go. Of course the employees who find themselves in the downsizing net are unhappy. Usually their first reactions are feelings of betrayal, loss of confidence and cynicism about whether the company ever really cared about them. Some people wallow in despair when told their services are no longer needed; others pick themselves up, brush themselves off and push toward an entrepreneurial life.

A guy whom I will call Jim was one such person. I met him a couple of years ago. Just before his 40th birthday, Jim experienced what he called the fourth and final encounter with being let go because of department shutdowns and budget tightening. Jim had been head of the public relations department and said that he knew it was time to start his own public relations business.

Read more here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.

Emerging Money Discussion on Sourcing Rates

There's a discussion that's picking up steam over on ERE about sourcer rates - this information isn't usually easy to come by so I thought some of you might want to have a look here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Loud Noises and Sourcing Terror

Are you a victim?
On June 5, 2008 in the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat one of the participants remarked, “Let's say ... you've found some names and numbers via one of your tips or from Linked In or something. Now it's time to actually call the person. Sometimes - I freeze in just calling a candidate at a competitor's business.”

I then asked this person, “… I see - why do you freeze? That's the REAL question.”

To which this person explained that he felt he was always walking on egg shells when cold calling companies as a result of his company receiving threatening notes from lawyers regarding the activity.

“STOP calling our people or we’ll sue!”

In other words, this sourcer/recruiter had become gun-shy because of the (probably unwarranted) actions of others.

What is gun-shy in our business (sourcing)?

The Internet describes the terminology as:
1. Timid: extremely cautious, timid, or wary of taking risks
2. Afraid of loud noise, such as that of gunfire.

Both of these definitions might be applied to our business but I believe #2 comes before #1. First it’s the loud noise (and how we react to it) that sets our sourcing career course. We have two choices - we either shrink or rise to the challenges.

Somewhere in the chain of command in that Class Chat the indomitable Recruiting Animal piped in with one of his not-too-subtle complaints about my teaching methodology, offering advice by saying, “…but usually she tells you to just brush off your fears.”

The statement kind of took me by surprise and then I realized it does appear simple-minded. It is one of the core components to the advice I give but I would add to Animal’s observation by asserting that it’s not such a simple thing to “brush” off your fears. Sometimes you have to take off the coat they ride into each and every battle with you on. When you peel off the layers and layers of armor most of us carry around on a daily basis and lay it outside the door and stand, naked, in front of the mirror of ourselves, we are confronted with the reality of who we are. It’s not until we can do that without trembling can we even begin to reach the heights of which we are all capable.

I can’t do that.

Maybe it’s one of the reasons I’m always the first to tell everyone else how to do things, just like I’m doing here. But I’m working on things so there’s still hope. Maybe some day I can more fully take my own advice. But until then this is my way of working things out so please be patient with me.

Going back to the juxtaposition that I think the definition of “gun-shy” has in our industry, I believe there are numbers of people who feel threatened by the processes names sourcing brings to the table. Some of them, those with unmitigated gall to use the laws of the land as they see fit, send threatening letters, say nasty things, make negative inferences, judge, point and pillory our profession all because they have agendas.

What’s an agenda?

An agenda can be a positive thing – it can express “a program of things to be done or considered,” as one online definition puts it. It can encourage direction and fulfillment. It can also be an ugly, hidden and small-minded thing, expressed in negative statements and attitudes, as in:

“Names sourcers charge a fraction of what I charge for a placement – they’re going to put me out of business!” No we’re not, we want NOTHING to do with the refining process that you third party recruiters bring to the table – all we’re doing is providing the raw material – it’s up to you, and your prowess, to make things happen.

“Names sourcers are able to locate people inside our company so recruiters might call them and offer them other opportunities? We’re going to do whatever it takes (including bending the rules of engagement) to stop them!” This isn’t the answer. Instead of encouraging (and ordering) your legal staffs to send threatening letters where there has been no foul, bolster your workforces with fair wages, attractive benefits, talented management and challenging work. Look inward here, not outward. Pay as much attention to what’s going on inside your own four walls as you do outside.

“Names sourcing is a nefarious process engaged in by questionable characters.” No, it’s not and we’re not. Admittedly, the cloak and dagger persona that some organizations choose to attach to it doesn’t help but over time, they’ll eventually get the fact that names sourcers are a rarefied and fine bunch – an inquisitive body most of whom, like in other industries, seek to do good in the world. Don’t let those who want you to drink this nefarious Kool-Aid impact your organization – it’s the Kiss of Death in the competitive arena.

Some of whom spout this last assertion may be individuals in your own organizations who offer you this small plastic cup so that they themselves don’t have to names source, especially phone source! Don’t let them get away with it – either help them reach a new understanding by offering them training on the subject (yes, there is terrific training out here on the subject that will remove the mystery and their fear!) or by relieving them overall of the responsibility. Maybe there’s another place in your organizations where they might better serve. You can’t put a square peg into a round hole.

IF you want great names sourcers in a hurry, offer great remuneration. There are very few activities beyond names sourcing you can add to your organization that will produce more valuable results. Recognize and embrace this - this will go some way towards overcoming some of the reluctance your folks may feel toward the process but recognize this: It is no absolute assurance. A great names sourcer will show himself, eventually. It may take longer but he can’t help but expose himself – he’s like a shark that must swim to breathe. And like a shark, if you put blood in the water, he’ll show himself sooner.

"Internal doubt is not a pleasant condition, but an external air of certainty is absurd." ~ Voltaire
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

All Things Sourcing

There are TWO sourcing networks that are focused exclusively on sourcing. The first one is called SourcerGuild and you may join it here. Membership in the network consists of both Internet sourcers and Telephone sourcers and some folks interested in connecting with them. The focus in the group is on all things sourcing. Don't miss Chief JobMachine CyberSleuth and founder Shally Steckerl's FREE one hour Classroom Chat on Internet Sourcing at noon EST on Tuesday, July 22! This is a repeat performance by-demand from Shally's first May 22 appearance on the MagicMethod network - July's event is sure to be red-hot exciting!

The second group is called MagicMethod and its focus is on Telephone sourcing. Membership also includes some Internet sourcers who are interested in taking things to the next level using the telephone, Telephone sourcers who are doing just that and, again, folks looking to connect with sourcers. Beginning back in May we've been having Phone Sourcing Classroom Chats at noon (EST) on the network in the chat section - they've become wildly popular and are jam-packed full of phone sourcing information. You may read the dozen-plus past Classroom Chat Logs on the network - they're listed in the "Blog Posts" section and they're called "MagicTalk" - look for the yellow bubbles. Join the MagicMethod network here.

BOTH groups have a profile section where members fill in their information so if your organization is looking for top notch sourcers with top notch training, look in there!
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

How to Contact ANYONE

“I believe that success can be measured in the number of uncomfortable conversations you’re willing to have. I felt that if I could help students overcome the fear rejection with cold-calling and cold e-mail, it would serve them forever,” Ferriss said. “It’s easy to sell yourself short, but when you see classmates getting responses from people like [former president] George Bush, the CEOs of Disney, Comcast, Google, and HP, and dozens of other impossible-to-reach people, it forces you to reconsider your self-set limitations.” Ferriss lectures to the students of “High-Tech Entrepreneurship” each semester about creating a startup and designing the ideal lifestyle.
Whole discussion here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Home buying practices adjust to high gas prices

In his hunt for a new home, Demetrius Stroud crunched the numbers to find out that, with gas prices climbing, moving near an Amtrak station is the best thing for his wallet. Stroud was looking in Elk Grove., Calif. — about 85 miles away from his job in the San Francisco Bay Area — because homes there are more affordable. But with gas at $4.50 and a car that gets about 22 miles per gallon, Stroud would be pumping $560 a month into his tank. So instead he made an offer on a home near the train station in Davis, which will shave $160 off his commuting costs.

"I wouldn't even be able to consider doing it without that Amtrak possibility," said Stroud, 45, who also telecommutes one day a week to his job in software quality assurance.

Stroud's choice represents a fundamental shift in the way more Americans are approaching home buying in this era of ballooning gas prices. Real estate agents, transportation officials and industry surveys indicate that home buyers are placing more importance on cutting their gas bills and commute times than they have since the oil shocks of the 1970s.

Whole story here. Site has a GAS COST CALCULATOR that will show you if your commute is worth it.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat Log Thursday, June 19, 2008

Best Student Remark of the Day
"k shorter is sweeter thanks." ~ Gladys Vivar

Ryan Haire
when you are trying to find finance people is it best to ask to go to the director to finance and roll down from there?

Maureen Sharib
I go to the Exec Asst to the CFO and roll down from THERE. She usually tells me stuff

Maureen Sharib
what kind of finance people?

Ryan Haire
Staff Accountants

Recruiting Animal
Since we're talking about it how would you source a financial analyst?

Maureen Sharib
financial analysts also are going to fall under the CFO

Maureen Sharib
I would find some names in that particular dept - call in and talk to them OR talk to their administrative assistant and use the names I found in an attempt to sound like “friendly fire”.

Maureen Sharib
Someone asked last week about a step-by-step sourcing program

Ryan Haire
I like the idea of talking about a step by step sourcing plan too- it would be good to know other people approach a search

Melanie L
But, I want to learn more. I am great at cold calling, no fear. if i can past the receptionist, assitants, etc...i am in

Susan Kang Nam
I'm interested in learning more about Phone Sourcing.. step by step ..

Gladys Vivar
Maureen, what do you say to the CFO secretary? Gladys

Maureen Sharib
I tell her my name, I tell her the name of the receptionist who transferred me, I repeat HER name back at her (all this creates a low level sense of familiarity - that friendly fire I referred to above) and then I ask her for the information I seek. How do you get past the gatekeeper, Melanie?

Whole MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Chat Log here.

What your dog can teach you about your business

What's the advantage of having a dog-friendly office?
•Helps in recruiting employees.
•Helps in retaining employees.
•Makes it easier to stay late.
•Creates connections.
•Makes everyone happier.

Moreover, there's a lot that you — as a businessperson — can learn about what it takes to be a success from your friendly canine. Let me share some of the traits dogs excel at that can help you build your business:
•Loyalty.
•Patience.
•Acceptance.
•Perseverance.
•Be grateful.

•Get a dog. Woof!
Whole article here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Text-message ruling could change corporate policies

Most employees know their bosses are usually within their rights snooping on workers' e-mail, but text messaging has been in murkier territory.

A federal appeals court sought to clarify matters in a ruling Wednesday by distinguishing between electronic communication that employers store on their servers, or pay someone to store, and communication they contract out for.

Employers must have either a warrant or the employee's permission to see messages that aren't stored by the employer or by someone the employer pays for storage, the court said.

The ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, hailed by digital privacy advocates, could create new administrative hurdles for companies to clear before handing out wireless devices.


Employers may now need to use more concrete language in their privacy policies and make sure they explicitly assert access to text-messages as well as e-mail, to encompass communications that aren't under their physical control. To spare lengthy court battles later, written agreements covering employees' work-issued cell phones, for example, probably should say employers have the right to see all e-mail and text messages their workers send with the devices. Whole story here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat is TODAY!

Today (Thursday) at noon EST is the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat. Go here to participate.
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“The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” ~ Eden Phillpotts

5 Jobs Immune to Recession

Worried about layoffs? Here are 5 jobs immune to recession
With a souring economy and rising food and gas prices, workers worry about layoffs. But what if you worked in an industry immune from economic downturns?
According to Sophia Koropeckyj, senior economist at Moody's Economy.com in West Chester, Pa., industries that may keep workers out of the unemployment office include health care, education, environment, security and energy. See the list here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat Log Thursday, June 12, 2008

Maureen Sharib Hi Cora - your issue is on the board today - did everyone read Cora's dilemma listed in the “Blog Posts” section of this site?- the post about Configuration Managers. Cora wants to know how to find Configuration Managers w/ certain experience - Cora - can you tell us what's happened so far?

Cora Player
the skillset must have is harvest and openmake- two different technologies that work together to automate builds. very niche- found someone about a month ago and he backed out. client wants 100% travel- haven't found anyone in surrounding states - fuel is becoming excuse for those I've most recently spoken to. anyway, i have names of companies that use openmake and figure that's a good start for names sourcing- i need guidance on next step for calling into those targets

Maureen Sharib
If they use OpenMake will they also be using Harvest?

Cora Player
great question, not necessarily, the other choice i have is harvest plus perl scripting and a little openmake. i need to find companies that use harvest too

Maureen Sharib
"...skillset must have is harvest and openmake- two different technologies that work together to automate builds" Don't you need BOTH?

Cora Player
yes, so i would really be playing a numbers game - not sure how to id companies that use BOTH technologies

To read the whole MagicMethod Classroom Chat log go here.
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Like what you just read? MagicMethod is brimming with information like this and will show you the inside tips and techniques of true telephone names sourcers! Subscribe today here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Many Tech Workers Would Accept Pay Cut To Telecommute

Nearly 40% of U.S. information technology workers would accept a reduced salary to have the ability to telecommute, a Dice Holding survey revealed Tuesday.

In a poll of more than 1,500 IT workers, 37% of respondents said they would be willing to take "slightly less" pay to telecommute full time. The survey defined "slightly less" as up to a 10% reduction in salary.

This is only 1% higher than respondents who said they wouldn't take a pay cut. But other surveys suggest that offering the ability to work from home can be a good way to attract and retain talented workers.

Whole story here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Thursday Noon EST MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Class Chat - Looking for Configuration Managers

On June 11, 2008 at 8:27 AM, Cora Player wrote:
Hi Maureen,
I'm working a request for a client that needs a very niche skill set. I'm aware of several companies that might have viable candidates because they use the same combination of technology.

My question for you, and I think this would be a great discussion topic: What is the next step in this process? Do you have more luck calling into a customer service number rather than a main number? I've been working this blasted thing since March. Client will not compromise on skill set and they are requiring 100% travel, at least to start. Finally got the manager to agree remote work would be a possibility since fuel prices are affecting rates.

I'm looking for a Harvest/Openmake Configuration Manager for a company in PA. Shally Steckerl led me to a list of Openmake companies, but I'm just not sure how to get to those CMs in an ethical manner. I had a consultant from ComputerAssociates locked in and he backed out on me last minute. :(
Thanks!!!
Cora

We'll discuss Cora's dilemma in the second half of the Thursday, June 12 MagicMethod Classroom Chat. The first half of class will continue Tuesday's excited discussion on the controversial cease and desist subject.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Web site offers insiders' look at major employers

Ever wonder whether you'd be better off working some place else?

A new Web site called Glassdoor.com is trying to make it easier to find out by compiling free snapshots of the current salaries paid by hundreds of major employers, along with reviews anonymously written by current and past workers. Read the whole article here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

The Rotisserie

If you want to hear how an experienced sourcer interviews (grills) a customer about a job order, listen to the 1p.m. sourcing segment of The Recruiting Animal Radio Show here.

If you like what you hear MagicMethod is brimming with information like this and will show you the inside tips and techniques of true telephone names sourcers! Subscribe today here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat Log June 10, 2008

Best MagicMethod Student Remark of the Day
“Any human emotion you can think of has a place in commerce. Especially lust, vanity, and desire.” ~ Steve Delaney

Maureen Sharib
Is the Fino here? He's the one who brought the dilemma we're going to address today. The thorny issue of what to do when you're told to STOP calling into a particular target to recruit their people or source their people! Anyone have this happen?

Dan Harris
Ha, Yep lots!

Maureen Sharib
Hi Fino. You brought something important up - you said (in your note to me) that you were recruiting MULTIPLE people out of a company at a time - I can see where THAT activity could be problematic and COULD release a stream of defense from a company...anyone else see this?

Dan Harris
has anyone else ever got a letter? cease/desist?

Steve Delaney
Certainly Microsoft would not agree to such threats

Dan Harris
hahah if its ever going really bad? I think there is always someone else to talk to

Maureen Sharib
You think Microsoft would ignore threats like that Steve?

Steve Delaney
I don't think they let it stand in the way of getting what they are after.

To read Tuesday, June 10's whole exciting MagicMethod Classroom Chat Log go here.
******
Like what you just read? MagicMethod is brimming with information like this and will show you the inside tips and techniques of true telephone names sourcers! Subscribe today here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Cease and Desist Class Discussion TODAY at noon EST

I went to Google in preparation for today's MagicMethod classroom chat expecting to find a lot more on this subject of “cease and desist” than I found –I thought others would be eager to share their horror stories about receiving scary, off-putting letters like Fino experienced, some-of-whose arguably real and malicious intent is to squelch competition but alas, there appears to be a dearth of (maybe a reluctance to report?) harassment instances like this online. What I did find was that this issue (cease-and-desist) was more commonly attached to Non-Compete Agreements, including Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality (A/K/A “restrictive covenants”) with the “letters” being addressed more commonly to the supposed errant employee (with whom a legal relationship exists)in question.

The take-away, for me is that many actions like these border on the ludicrous and some of these events represent near-desperate attempts by companies and/or individuals to disregard the rights of employees under the smoke and mirror guise of unfair competition.

HOWEVER, Fino reported: "...if we hired too many people away from any one company..." The "too many people" part of his report deserves discussion and hopefully we'll be able to discuss this today in the classroom chat.

The following excerpt is from Module I of the "Magic In the Method" telephone names sourcing course:
In general, if you’re not acting purposely and maliciously to destroy a competitor, you are free to source into your competitors for good employees. My favor falls on the side of our industry practices in the name of free enterprise. I am well aware that corporate has some grievances that are well-founded and deserve attention. Corporations can be harmed by losing key employees to competitors. Most importantly, they stand to lose trade secrets which strikes at the very heart of their existence, and curiously, in my opinion, at the very heart of free enterprise. At first glance, we’d all like to believe it has nothing to do with us. But does it? It seems to me the issue lies with our intentions. It’s hard to find any guidelines for hiring a competitor’s employees out there. Basically, the following is my brief interpretation of the subject - it just seems like common sense to me. I am not an attorney, nor do I have any aspirations (or hope ever) to be one. It’s an admirable profession, far beyond my capabilities. A very good guiding principle for hiring a competitor’s employees should be:
“Any employee is not entitled to use or disclose the former employer's trade secrets, and the new employer is not entitled to use the employee as a conduit to gain the benefit of the former employer's secrets.”In other words:
DO NOT hire a competitor’s employees if your intention is to put the competitor out of business.
DO hire a competitor’s employees if your intention is to gain good employees.
Restrictive Covenants
Be aware of them. Be also aware that they may be fair or unfair. See your state laws for applicability. A little learning on this subject can be dangerous! Trade secrets need to be protected regardless of what law applies.
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I did find some interesting reading this morning on the subject and I thought you all might be interested in brushing up on some of it before "class"! Let's not forget all the Yadda Yadda about me NOT being an attorney and the fact that the opinions I present here and in "class" are mine and NOT to be taken/acted upon without the advice of a real-live fire-breathing attorney.

Cease and Desist Letters – How Legal? ERE discussion

What can be protected? Generally speaking only something that can be considered proprietary, a secret, a special application, a unique strategy, a mailing list, not general business practices. Thus for example, without specialized training and a unique application a secretary cannot be restrained from being a secretary in another office by a non-compete clause. However if the secretary handled sensitive information and had unique contact with secret sources, and specialized training it may be possible to restrain the secretary from working in the same industry for a brief time period to prevent damaging disclosure of confidential information.Other additional efforts would have to exist, such as the business exerting efforts to protect this information and thus treating it as confidential, laying the groundwork for such a claim to be made and the non-compete being enforced. Finally the area and time period is narrowly construed with time being two years or less, and distance unless its an industry issue being quite narrow, a few miles, ten at the most.So what’s the point? When narrowly applied to a specific situation for legitimate reasons as intended by the statutes, it provides reasonable protection to the employer who must share his secrets with his employees. When issued merely to restrict competition and remove the opportunity for an employee to gain work elsewhere, it is deemed a restraint of trade and seldom enforced. This argument here.

Non-Compete Agreements, including Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality (A/K/A “restrictive covenants”) here.

Enforcing Noncompetition Agreements here.

Guide to assessing & responding to cease and desist letters here.

They want your (Internet) “Cease and Desist” letters!
Do you know your online rights? Have you received a letter asking you to remove information from a Web site or to stop engaging in an activity? Are you concerned about liability for information that someone else posted to your online forum? If so, this site is for you. Chilling Effects is a joint project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and clinics at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center, Stanford Law School's Center for Internet & Society, Boalt Hall's Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic, and other law schools across the country.

SampleCease and Desist Letter

To attend today's MagicMethod Classroom Chat go here at noon (eastern standard time), sign in and then click on "Main". Look for the grey "chat" field in the middle of the page - that's where it happens!

Like what you just read? MagicMethod is brimming with information like this and will show you the inside tips and techniques of true telephone names sourcers! Subscribe today here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

"STOP calling my people!"

Discussion taking place tomorrow, Tuesday, June 10 on the MagicMethod network at noon, EST. This class chat will be on the thorny issue of what to do when you're told to STOP calling into a particular target. If anyone would like to lead this discussion let me know!
Hi Maureen,
I have worked mostly for CRO's (Contract Research Organizations) while hiring Clinical Research Associates (CRA's). I worked at a major CRO for 3.5 years. I was aware that this CRO would track emails and if any competitor would try to contact their people - they could eventually block that person from being able to email into this CRO. As well ... if we hired too many people away from any one company ... it usually got up to the CEO or President of that company. Their President would usually call our President ... and then eventually ... we might even see some sort of legal document threatening to sue our company - if we kept hiring their people away from them. Because of all this stuff - it is sometimes tough trying to cold call into a competitor to see if any of their people might be interested in talking about the opportunities I am presenting. Does this make sense? ~Fino
******
Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

“Why am I afraid to tell you who I really am?”

Leadership and Sexual Orientation
...for a class at the Harvard Business School taught by Bill George, author of the book, “True North” and the former chief executive of Medtronic...this case study is the first at Harvard to take a look at sexual orientation and leadership...far broader implications than the issue of sexual orientation. "The color of our skin and our genders are obvious, but many of us have hidden differences,” he said. And in using this case, he said he wanted students to ask themselves the question, “Why am I afraid to tell you who I really am?”

“In any organization, there will be people with these kinds of intolerant and illegitimate feelings, so you can’t be surprised when people behave this way,” he said. “You do your best to enact policies, which can affect behavior if not what is in people’s hearts. After a while, if people behave in a tolerant way, they may start to think in a tolerant way.” Whole article here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Heroes Among Us

When You Weren’t Looking, They Were Working by Ben Stein, lawyer, writer, actor and economist

A few days ago, I came across a draft of a memoir my father was working on before he entered immortality in 1999. After reading it carefully, I realized that I knew almost everything in it except for one huge thing: how hard his work — his “business,” as one might say, for it surely kept him “busy” — had been for a number of years in middle age.

He never, and I mean never, talked about making money, and he always seemed to have enough of it for a middle-class or maybe upper-middle-class lifestyle. So, frankly, I just assumed that he was having a good time down at his office and was secure and happy in his work.

His memoir told a different tale. There were arguments and power struggles at the Committee for Economic Development, where he was research director. (It was and is an organization of high-ranking business people who put out papers on social and economic issues. My father, for about 20 years starting in the mid-1940s, was the author of many of these papers.) Yes, my father was able to socialize with the heads of the major corporations in America and live on an expense account the way they did, but it was always clear who was the boss. Yes, he got to fly first class, but it was always a struggle to be shown some respect by certain of his colleagues and he often considered quitting. Whole story here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Economy Loses Jobs for Fifth Straight Month

The economy lost 49,000 nonfarm jobs in May, the fifth
straight month of contraction in payrolls, according to the Labor Department. Analysts had expected a loss of 60,000 jobs. The unemployment rate jumped to 5.5 percent from 5 percent in April. Whole story here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.
******
Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar - Cincinnati, OH June 24!

Don't Miss Maureen Sharib in Cincinnati on June 24!

Maureen will be presenting a full day of her MagicMethod telephone names sourcing training at the Greater Cincinnati Human Resource Association (GCHRA) on Tuesday, June 24 at the Baldwin Center near downtown Cincinnati.

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Price: $225 GCHRA members Non-members $275.00
Location: Baldwin Center/655 Eden Park Drive/Cincinnati, OH
Deadline to Register: Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The riveting 25 minute real-time telephone sourcing video will be shown!

The "Magic in the Method" is the only-of-its-kind telephone names sourcing training available today for persons interested in the little-understood practice of telephone names sourcing. Simply put, telephone names sourcing is the finding of people who hold specific titles (usually) within specific organizations (usually) so that you, as a recruiter, may contact them and offer them your opportunity. It’s the killer starter application (or should be!) for most of your searches!

Greater Cincinnati HR Association
4100 Executive Park Dr.
Suite 16
Cincinnati, OH 45241
phone: 513.554.4747
fax: 513.563.9743
email: gchracincinnati at aol.com

To make reservations to this event contact Suzy Hoffman at the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association at 513 554 4747.

May 21, 2008
Good Morning Maureen,
I am spending time with Module 1 and Telephone Directories. I am looking at logging in 75 hours of practice to get this discipline down. I have been in the office early today and called 3 companies before they opened to gather the bounty of names spilled by the automated system. LOL, I am now able to title identify the raw names
and/or begin to build an org chart for these companies. I am amazed!!!!! Everyone in the search industry needs to be beating a path to your door to take this course.
SD

To read Tuesday's MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat Log go here.

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat Log June 5, 2008

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat Thursday, July 5, 2008
Best Student Remark of the Day
"...I'm a professional Maureen. I don't let it show in the music." ~ Recruiting Animal

Maureen Sharib
Hi Animal, what do you want to be called today?

Recruiting Animal
Batman

Maureen Sharib
I posted a lesson about Body Language down below in "Blog Posts" - anyone read it? It's about how our body language COMES THROUGH the telephone - anyone believe this?

Recruiting Animal
I don't agree. How am I sitting now Maureen? Can you tell? Or am I standing?

Fino Alaniz
i had a gal tell me once that she had all of her direct reports in some sort of customer support role --- keep a mirror by their phone. she wanted them to smile when talking to customers.

Maureen Sharib
You KNOW what I mean Animal - how we "sound" comes through and how we sound can be directly impacted by how we're sitting, standing, feeling etc. I think smiles come through - anyone else?

To read the whole chat go here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Body Language and the Phone

The following is one of the lessons from Module VI of the seminal "Magic In the Method" phone sourcing course.

Body Language is just as important for those of us who work on the phone as it is for those who work in-person. Don’t believe it? Continue reading.

Here are some GOOD things to do:

1) Hold yourself upright when you’re on the phone. Think of how you'd hold yourself if you were the most confident person in the world. Be the most confident person in the world!

2) Move slowly. Gesture slowly. Speak slowly. Blink - slowly. This communicates comfort and confidence to yourself, and that’s what matters here.

3) Pause often. Only respond if you choose to. Remember, you don't need to react or respond to anything that you don't want to. An experienced and defensive Gatekeeper will often try to push you off balance, utilizing that famous “the best defense is a good offense” theory. Don't fall for it. Stay cool, and pause if you need to in order to keep your composure. Breathe.

Here are some BAD things - avoid doing them!

1) Talking too fast or too much. This communicates that you're nervous and sketchy (unless you're telling a really interesting story, or you have integrated fast talking into your personality in an interesting way, of course). How many of us have done THAT?

2) Nervous gestures, laughs, ticks, etc. I've heard sourcers who laugh nervously after just about everything they say. This is the DEATH of communication - it instantly communicates insecurity.

3) Breaking eye contact. "What?" you’re thinking. “On the phone?” Yes, imagine yourself looking at her. You need to maintain eye contact until SHE breaks it. This establishes at an unconscious level that you're not afraid and will help you maintain your composure. Someday, it’s going to come into use as we’ll be able to “see” the person we’re talking to!

I also recommend that you study the body language and composure of some of the world's most famous “leading men”. There’s a lot of material to be learned there!

“I speak two languages, Body and English.” ~ Mae West

Like what you just read? MagicMethod is brimming with information like this and will show you the inside tips and techniques of true telephone names sourcers! Subscribe today here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the MagicMethod network here.
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

TODAY, Thursday, June 5 is Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat

TODAY, Thursday, June 5 is Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat at noon (EST) on the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing network.

www.magicmethod.ning.com

When you get to the network, click on Main page and look for grey chat box in middle of the page - that's where it happens - online! There is NO number to call.

See you in class!
******
"Where your talents and the needs of the world cross lies your calling. " ~ Aristotle

Maureen Sharib
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat Log June 3, 2008

MagicMethod Classroom Chat Tuesday, June 3, 2008 Noon – 1p.m. (EST)
Best Student Remark of the Day
“I think we serve as advocates for employees. Companies make blanket headcount decisions on an excel spreadsheet. We at least offer the employees a chance at a different opportunity.” ~ Ryan Haire
******
Maureen Sharib
There are many ways of generating names sourcing business - the first thing though you have to do is get it across to them what IS names sourcing - believe it or not - very few people KNOW or have even heard of it! Things start slowly - nothing happens overnight in this biz!

Fino Alaniz
Hey Maureen -- pls tell us more about Names Sourcing. I'm not sure I know what it is?

Recruiting Animal
Maureen, what planet is this guy on? Wasn't he here last week?

Maureen Sharib
Fino - have you read the preceding ten or so chat logs? There is alot of info on the subject in those! Can anyone answer Fino?

Recruiting Animal
Names Sourcing is a form of what Shally calls Social Engineering

Maureen Sharib
Names sourcing is the finding of people who hold specific titles, doing specific job functions, inside specific companies. We TELEPHONE source them because there are a minute number of people online compared to the general population. We telephone sourcers believe the only way to get to the greater and more potent numbers is by telephone sourcing. It is a form of social engineering - how do you feel abt that Animal?

To read the whole chat log go here.
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Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

Building Your Names Sourcing Business

My telephone names sourcing business has grown mostly by word of mouth. I know it sounds corny and slow but it's true - time passes very quickly but if you start with one, then a couple customers, soon that couple will be a few; before you know it that few will have multiplied like rabbits!

But where do you get that first customer?

In my early days, I accumulated a list of email addresses (this in 1996 - before everyone became so SPAM sensitive) and emailed them a short message – something like:

“Need help finding GREAT candidates (who nobody’s seen before) for your hard-to-fill positions? My name is Maureen Sharib and I’m a Names Sourcer – I will “source” names for you out of specific companies for specific titles on a per name cost basis – my service can save you 80% on traditional recruiting costs. Call me TODAY!”

Something short, something succinct, something true. Don't forget your call to action: "Call me today!" has worked for me. Make sure you give them ALL your contact information – make it extremely easy for them to reach you. Then, when you send them out, make sure you’re able to be reached! Answer your phone on the second or third ring when they call. Don’t rely on your Answering Machine to net you great new customers – it can’t and it won't.

If I were starting out, I’d do it again - spam accusers be damned! Email is very effective and it works - people don’t mind receiving email on something they’re interested in something that can help them, that can bring real dollars to their bottom lines.

I have a base of customers, some of whom I hear from weekly, some I hear from monthly, some I hear from once a year. That’s okay – I try to make new friends and, as the old saw goes, “Keep the old; one is silver and the other’s gold!” I'm thinking about doing some business development work for the third time in a dozen years - any of you out there interested in doing this?

Staying in touch with ALL your customers is extremely important and admittedly, it's an area I fall short on. I keep swearing to myself I'll create some type of contact list for reguilar contact - maybe something that lists recent completed searches to give folks an idea what's hot on my boiler-plate but I never seem to get around to it. When I look at the body of work I generate for different customers I realize there are industry trends in it that might be of interest to my customers. I know I have to buckle down to this challenge - I ask myself what stops me?

I’ve recently invested in having my website drawn over - and I'll be creating a newsletter list that subscribers can "opt in" to at the site. In addition I hope to be able to pull together all my different "groups" into one so I might stop running hither and yon trying to keep pace with all that's going on in the Sourceosphere these days! I'm looking forward to the new formatting and I hope you'll watch for it and join.

I strongly believe in paying it forward and I encourage any of you interested in growing your businesses to get involved in community groups - there is a hungry audience out there very interested in learning about what you do. There is much to be gained by active exposure on the Internet - again, don't forget to make it easy for them to get in contact with you should they like what you have to say! I recently wrote a piece, Get a Group, Get a Blog, Get a Website! and you can read the ERE string here.

Customer mix? In the early days it was mostly third party, nowadays it’s about ½ -2/3 corporate staffingand the remainder third party. I think this is a result of names sourcing coming more to the attention of HR department heads and internal recruiters in general. Not that names sourcing (at least the telephone names sourcing we do) will ever become mainstream but I’m not going to say never!

However you start, the important thing to generate new business is to just get started. This is one way – if you have one that worked for you send it to me and I will include it in future lessons!

“Begin - to begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished.” ~ Ausonius
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Like what you just read? MagicMethod is brimming with information like this and will show you the inside tips and techniques of true telephone names sourcers! Subscribe today here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing classroom chat today - we'll be talking about this subject!
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat TODAY

TODAY, Tuesday, June 3 is Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat at noon (EST) on the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing network.

When you get to the network, click on Main page and look for grey chat box in middle of the page - that's where it happens - online! There is NO number to call.

See you in class!
******
Attend the MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Seminar in Cincinnati on June 24 sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. Email gchracincinnati@aol.com for registration form or call Suzy Hoffman at 513 554 4747.