Case Study – James Bates

NOTICE: The text below has been edited for brevity and readability and is not a direct transcript of the video.

Filip Vandamme: Hello again James, nice to see you again. I hope you're doing good.

James Bates: Thank you Philip, I appreciate you having me. It's always a pleasure, and I'm happy to be here for you today. Thanks, man.

Filip: We are actually having these talks with actual users to show our new members how actual people are working with our platform. So thanks for joining me.

James: My pleasure.

Filip: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how did you come to use Agency Leads?

James: You bet. So I've been in the IT staffing world since 1998. I've had my own companies since 2003, several of them between then and now. I'm not quite sure or I don't recollect again how I came across you guys, but it's been a wonderful and favorable experience to have the platform not only for myself but to share with my team members as well. So it's been absolutely wonderful. It provides us opportunities in finding new leads, and again, it's a numbers game, right? You've got to play the numbers game in the Staffing world. But yeah, so far so good. I've really enjoyed the opportunity. You've been wonderful to work with, very responsive, and we certainly enjoy having you as a partner to us.

Filip: Well, thank you James, thank you for the compliment. Can you tell us a little bit how you are integrating the platform into your daily working schedule?

James: Yeah, so everybody's a little bit different, depending on the day and what we have going on. I think we all try to get in there and look and see what's new. Some of us tailor our searches for specific geographical locations or specific skill sets. We can also tailor that whether we're looking for contract, contract for hire, or permanent placement roles. But it is part of every day. We do get in there; we have several team members that utilize it as well. We all get in there every day and try to make some inroads with new companies and new opportunities, right?

Filip: Well, it is important indeed. Also for new members that join us to know that the keyword for success with the platform is actually Outreach and daily use of the platform is the first thing. But how do you keep track and how do you organize your Outreach?

James: For me personally, I use the email portion, right? And we also have access to phone numbers and that kind of thing, but I will send emails and then I create a folder under Agency Leads in my inbox for the companies that I'm reaching out to. Then if I get a response, I move them over to my client side and take the communication from there. Everybody's a little bit different; that's just how it works for me and how I like to keep it organized. That way, I know when I need to follow up with folks. It still sits in my Agency Leads folder, then that tells me I've not got a response back yet. So I can go back in a few days later, a week later, and send follow-up emails, right?

Filip: Good to know, also again for new members, is that we have a tool that's integrated into the software, which is the Outreach list where people can actually keep lists of contacts that they are having interactions with. So yeah, that's a good thing. But when you have contact with your prospects and your clients, do you have like objections and how do you overcome them?

James: I wouldn't necessarily say objections. I think challenges is probably a better term to use. Every client that we work with is going to have different challenges, whether it's negotiating terms of the MSA or how they like to hire or their hiring process. But that's not a concern of Agency Leads or the use of Agency Leads. It doesn't stem from that. But as far as making sure that you're doing things daily, you're doing the right activities to be productive, part of my day always includes Agency Leads. I think in order to be effective, you've got to have some time carved out within your day to go out and Prospect and to have that Outreach to prospective clients, right?

Filip: And what kind of success did you have so far with the platform?

James: We've had varying successes. We've had three or four companies that have lined up with us and aligned themselves with us. And again, it's a numbers game. So when you have opportunities that you're talking to potential clients about, you've got candidates, or you can reverse market, right? Say, "Hey, I see that you're looking for XYZ." That's an opportunity to try and reverse market, reverse sell a candidate into a client that's got a lead. And I do that a lot actually. That's one thing I do go in there and try to do. I've got a list of candidates and resumes that I am currently talking with and folks that may have projects coming to an end, may have a contract coming to an end, or their full-time employment is coming to an end, they've been riffed. So I'll go out to Agency Leads and cater that search to a certain market or certain geographical location and find those skill sets and see if there's opportunities that I can reverse market folks to, right?

Filip: Different approaches are very important indeed.

James:: Absolutely, yeah.

Filip: In terms of best practices, would you have some advice for our new members?

James: Sure. I would say in terms of best practices is to keep it real and keep it personal. I don't like crafting one email and then sending that same exact email out to every potential lead. I like to try and be personal in my approach, individual reach out to folks based on what they're looking for. And it's the same approach that I would take with candidates. If I've got opportunities for multiple candidates, I don't like just to send out one mass email. I like to be personal in my approach. So, but that works for me, right? Everybody's a little different and how they like to do things. But for me, that best practice is one that has paid dividends and the one that I'll continue to stay with going forward.

Filip: Perfect. I'm not going to take more of your time, James. Thanks a lot for joining us again, and we will certainly stay in touch to talk about all the success you have with Agency Leads. Thanks again.

James: Yeah, thank you very much, Philip. And just a final shout out to anyone that is considering the platform. I just want to say hats off to you and your team. You guys are a first-class act. Your response times, your customer service, it's outstanding. And I certainly wouldn't be saying this just to say it because I'm on record here, but I truly believe that your response times are phenomenal and you guys do a great job over there. And we're certainly pleased to partner with you all.

Filip: James, thanks a lot. And well, Agency Leads is there to serve, to help. That's what we're doing, that's our bread and butter. Thanks again and talk to you again soon.

James: Yeah, thanks, Phil. Have a wonderful day.

Filip: You too. Bye-bye.

James: Bye