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own experience about the challenges they might face in accomplishing their aims. In this case, the company was successful with customers in an old structured industry, but this industry was not growing and they needed to open up new markets. Because I believe strongly in giving value before asking for value, I went over several cases where I had seen this before and simply offered some ideas about how others had handled it.

The process started at the end of May and I came on board at the start of November. That’s about the standard six-month sales cycle for high-value products.

Finally, I accepted the advice and assistance of an executive recruiter friend of mine, who offered an idea. He made an executive search database open to me where I could look for contacts in the industry this company was in. I found several good contacts. As a small “market research firm” (not a lie at all!), I asked them an interesting question about the use of this company’s technology and got some responses. I provided this to the firm as an additional and useful contact.

I found out the difference that attitude makes. It is not about being arrogant; it is about being able to see the other person better because you are confident enough to forget yourself.

➤ The Key to Chelsea’s Success

The key to securing the interview was networking into each company and then following through with a competitive analysis. As a guerrilla, Chelsea focused on the needs that employers weren’t aware they had.

■ SUMMARY

When I decided I wanted to be a headhunter, I didn’t understand that not having direct sales experience was a detriment. At 25 years old and a whole 3 years’ work experience, I thought I was “hot stuff.” Interview after interview, the search firms in town couldn’t see what I saw in myself and why I wouldn’t take no for an answer. In my mind, I was simply failing to articulate my value correctly. In the end, the owner of the first firm actually turned me down 12 times over 3 months. I just kept thinking of reasons to get back together and reiterate why he should hire me. Thirteen was my lucky number.

Chelsea, Allan, and Tom profited from leveraging a suite of tactics and weapons to precisely target employers and climb above the “background noise” of a supposedly lifeless market.

Which tactics will you use? Experiment—be bold—let your real personality and passion shine through, and remember “no” just means, “Not today.”

GUERRILLA INTELLIGENCE

In Case of Emergency, Break Glass

Harry Joiner

I was unemployed and broke during the last recession. I had been laid off from my job at a software company, and with a wife, 4 kids, and a pricey mortgage—things were pretty stressful. Panic attacks were a daily occurrence. Whatever you’re going through right now, I can relate.

Looking for a job when you’re unemployed is tough. I’m not sure where I heard this statistic, but you should be prepared to spend 1 month looking for a job for every $20,000 of base salary. So, a $100K job could take 6 months to land.

During that 6 months, hiring managers always seem to migrate from one set of concerns about the candidate to another. The migration looks something like this:

Month 1 to 3: The hiring manager wonders to himself “If you’re so good at what you do, why did your company fire you?”

Month 3 to 5: “If you’re so good at what you do, why are you still looking for a job?”

Month 6 and longer: “What’s wrong with you?”

During my own job search, I reached month 4 and realized that I was going to hit month 7 or 8 without any problem. So I printed up some business cards, slapped up a web site, and started telling everyone that I was a “business development consultant.”

One small problem: hiring managers began to see me as an unleadable entrepreneur who would be too much of a maverick to bring on to their sales teams. All hiring managers want someone who will plug-and-play right into their organization—someone who can lead and be led. One hiring manager told me that he would interview me only