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He’ll reply, “Advice? What kind of advice? ” (Every business owner or manager has free advice. When someone asks, they can’t resist.)

“I just wanted to ask you about where you think I can use my talent.”

Magic Four Hello him now (Do 1).

Switch 4 Off

“All of our hiring is done through HR. Here’s the web site where you can apply.”

Switch 4 On

“Thanks, I’ll do that. But first I want to talk to you directly. I’m not looking for an HR position.”

This slight tug of the rule-rope is a huge power play. The offeror instantly knows you’re not easily intimidated, understand that HR won’t get you hired, and want to work now.

You’re wedging yourself right in the center of the endless tug-of-war between HR’s interminable inertia and the hiring manager’s instant intentions.

The most successful managers interview whoever they want, take the flak for doing it, then walk candidates through HR once they’ve decided whom to hire.

The most successful recruiters don’t deal with HR because that’s not how placements are made.

If you haven’t done the Magic Four Hello yet, it’s probably because the offeror Magic-Foured you already!

Switch 5 Off

“We’re in a hiring freeze.”

Switch 5 On

“That’s what I was hoping. I wanted to discuss consolidating or outsourcing some activities and using the savings for your procurement budget.”

Offerors are very impressed by this. They know every hiring freeze has its share of ice crushers. If he thinks you’re one, he interviews instantly. (The words “procurement budget” echo throughout the jungle.)

Switch 6 Off

“Business is slow.”

Switch 6 On

“I have some ways we can speed it up! Sometimes just a small change can make a big difference. What have we got to lose by just talking about it?” (The words “procurement budget” echo throughtout the jungle.)

Note the “you and me against the problem” technique (Do 56).

It works because it checkmates the offeror. If business really is slow, the offeror will be very receptive. If it isn’t slow, why doesn’t he have time to interview?

Big psychological power.

Flipping these switches works just like I said.

A bright sign lights up that reads “Instant Interview!”

Do 69: Demonstrating the Instant You

Now that you see offerors only bite with an offer (hence the word offeror), let’s take your show on the road!

There’s nothing like having an offeror walking up to you.

Doing demos can be done these ways.

Do an In-House Demonstration

Find a product or service you’d like to demonstrate where offerors will watch. Go to an appliance store, an industrial supplier, a distributor, or a manufacturer’s representative.

Choose a high-end commercial item. Just pick a freezer, prefab building, or maintenance service.

Tell the highest manager that you’d like to publicize and demonstrate the product or service.

If the manager tells you she can’t make that decision (or any other excuse), just smile and say, “That’s fine. I understand. How do I reach your district manager?”

This gives the manager apoplexy. She either tells you she’ll check your request and call you tomorrow (count on it), or gives you the name and phone number of the district manager.

Let’s assume she tells you it’s fine, but they can only pay you a percentage of the sales from the product. This is usually the difference between the purchase price and the employee discount. However, you might also be hired as an employee to do this and be paid a draw (a fixed amount against your commission) or an hourly wage.

Then it’s a simple paperwork signup including filling out a W-9 (if an independent contractor) or a W-4 form (if an employee) with the HR department (Do 44). And you’ve got your deal.

It’s all very instant.

In some cases, the store even has the table, tablecloth, microphone, extension cords, and other items in the back because it’s done in-house demos before.

Since you’re there and loaded for bear, let any friendly manager instantly interview you too. Straight genie talk (Do