Cold calling for recruitment agencies: 5 techniques to win your mandates

Cold calling remains one of the most dreaded tasks for recruitment consultants. Fear of disturbing people, anxiety about getting past gatekeepers, weariness from rejections… Yet, in an increasingly competitive headhunting market, picking up the phone remains the ultimate weapon for securing exclusive mandates and growing your client portfolio.

And contrary to popular belief, 57% of C-level executives and B2B decision-makers prefer to be contacted by phone according to a RAIN Group study. The myth that “no one answers the phone anymore” should be buried for good.

How do you go from dreading the phone to loving it? Drawing on field experience from Lola, an independent recruiter, here’s how to transform your sales approach.

Cold calling: the numbers

Before diving into techniques, let’s look at what industry data tells us.

The phone drastically shortens the deal cycle. According to Greg Savage, a veteran and global recruitment authority, a mandate that takes 3 weeks to secure via email can be signed in 20 minutes over the phone. Top-performing recruiters (top 10%) spend an average of 2 to 3 hours per day on the phone — with both clients and candidates combined.

The “golden ratio” for recruitment agency BD:

• 10 real phone conversations = 1 client meeting
• 3-4 client meetings = 1 signed mandate
• 3-4 qualified mandates = 1 billed placement

In other words: 30 to 40 qualified conversations mathematically guarantee signing a mandate. That’s a revenue predictability metric you simply can’t get with email or InMails — their response rates are too inconsistent.

The phone also builds loyalty. Bullhorn’s annual GRID report (leader in recruitment CRM) shows that agencies that use the phone to maintain relationships — not just to sell — display a client retention rate (repeat business) that’s +20% higher.

1. Mindset: the “lottery ticket” theory

The main barrier to cold calling isn’t your script, but your mindset. Many recruiters start off on the wrong foot by thinking: “I’m going to bother them during their meeting.”

You need to shift your paradigm. You’re not a used car salesman — you’re solving a critical business problem. You save time and de-risk expensive hires.

As Lola points out, you need to realize that your call is a gift to the prospect:

I was given great advice: when you call someone, it’s to offer them a service that will probably save them a ton of time. Why are you apologizing? Because either way, it’s kind of like your contact just won the lottery since you’re calling them.

Lola Pillot

This shift in perspective radically transforms the energy you project on the phone. A consultant convinced of their value inspires confidence.

2. The direct approach: radical transparency

In the recruitment ecosystem, decision-makers are constantly being solicited. Workaround techniques or vague introductions no longer work and generate mistrust.

The method that converts best today is brutal honesty. Get straight to the point immediately.

The winning script:

Hello [Name], I’m going to be very transparent with you: I’m calling you as part of my business prospecting. Do you have 2 minutes or is this really a bad time?

This approach disarms your contact. By respecting their time, you position yourself no longer as a supplicant, but as a service professional confident in their value.

3. Handling rejection: the “immediate callback” rule

Handling objections is part of a consultant’s daily routine. But how do you avoid getting discouraged by a series of “No’s” or “We handle everything in-house”?

The fatal mistake is hanging up and letting doubt creep in, or taking a coffee break to “digest” the rejection. To maintain your rhythm and morale, you need to strike while the iron is hot.

When things aren’t going well, you have to call without thinking. But most importantly, once they’ve hung up and said no, you need to call someone else right away. You can’t wait, you can’t let it sink in, because otherwise it’s over, you’ll never call anyone again.

Lola Pillot

The numbers confirm this: according to Salesforce and The Brevet Group, it takes an average of 8 attempts to reach a prospect, but most salespeople give up after just 2 tries. HubSpot adds that 80% of sales require at least 5 follow-ups. Persistence isn’t an option, it’s a strategy.

In terms of timing, not all time slots are equal.

4. Defending your fees: price vs value

The prospect’s ultimate objection: “Your fees are too high” or “An agency costs too much”.

This is where your position as a partner consultant makes all the difference. Don’t fall into the trap of justifying your hourly rate or the time spent sourcing. A client doesn’t pay for your hours, they pay for your expertise, your talent pool and the security of their business.

Lola perfectly sums up this counter-argument:

Often the people I talk to tell me ‘Yes, it’s too expensive’. But actually I often reply: ‘But too expensive compared to who? Too expensive compared to what?’ And how do you value it in fact? It’s not a price problem, it’s more a value problem of what you put behind it.

Lola Pillot

By refocusing the discussion on the value created rather than the cost, you reposition your offer as a profitable investment, not an expense.

5. Organization via your ATS: the key to peace of mind

Improvisation is the enemy of cold calling. Stress decreases drastically when your calling session is prepared.

To be effective, your prospecting process must rely on a solid tool (ATS/CRM) that allows you to:

• Target: Create specific “hunting projects” (e.g., growing construction companies).
• Enrich: Have the right contacts and their direct numbers before the session.
• Contextualize: Know if the company is currently hiring to adapt your pitch.

The multi-channel approach: multiply your touchpoints

Phone alone is no longer enough. Decision-makers are on multiple channels, and your strategy should be too. A good ATS allows you to orchestrate a multi-channel sequence:

1. Before the call: Send a LinkedIn connection request with a personalized note. The prospect sees your name for the first time.
2. The call: “We connected on LinkedIn” — you’re no longer a complete stranger.
3. After the call: Recap email or LinkedIn message to anchor the conversation and make follow-up easier.
4. Smart follow-up: If no response, alternate channels (LinkedIn, email, phone) rather than hammering the same one.

This multi-channel orchestration significantly increases your response rates. A prospect who ignores you on the phone might respond to a well-targeted email — and vice versa.

It’s this upfront preparation, coupled with a powerful tool, that allows you to focus solely on the conversation and the human element during the call.

Salesforce data speaks volumes: teams using a dedicated CRM see their performance increase by up to +29%. The tool doesn’t make the recruiter, but it structures their workflow — and in cold calling, structure makes the difference between burnout and signing new mandates.

Ready to structure your prospecting?

Discover how Jarvi can help you organize your phone sessions and multiply your signed mandates.

Request a demo

Conclusion

Cold calling isn’t a chore, it’s an art to be mastered. By changing your mindset, adopting a transparent approach, maintaining momentum after rejections, defending the value of your fees, and relying on powerful tools, you’ll transform this dreaded activity into a mandate-signing machine for your firm.

The key? Start today. Prepare your prospect list, visualize your added value, and pick up that phone. Your next exclusive mandate is waiting for you.