What Law Enforcement Can Learn From The Sales Industry
The sales industry and law enforcement recruiting seem like vastly different fields, but both have a lot in common when it comes to finding and attracting the right people for their teams. Here are a few key lessons that law enforcement recruiting can learn from the sales industry:
Use a Candidate Relationship Management (CRM)
In sales, customer relationship management (CRM) software is used to track and manage customer interactions and make the sales process more efficient. Similarly, in law enforcement recruiting, using a CRM system can help recruiters keep track of potential candidates and their interactions with them. This can help recruiters prioritize outreach efforts and create a more personalized candidate experience, thus setting them apart from other law enforcement departments.
Spend Money to Attract the People You Need
Sales departments understand that a marketing budget is a must for attracting the right people and law enforcement departments are starting to realize this too. When current recruiting activities aren't attracting the sworn and non-sworn staffing the department needs, then it's time to establish a marketing budget specifically for attracting new sworn and non-sworn candidates. With the idea of meeting new candidates where they are, this usually means spending your candidate marketing budgets on social media marketing, Google search and display, and programmatic marketing. Money invested in candidate marketing can result in significant hires which lower overtime pay, improve morale, and increase retention.
Being Persistent
Sales professionals understand the importance of being systematically persistent to close a sale. Similarly, recruiters must be persistent in identifying, prioritizing, and following up with potential candidates. This can be difficult to do with spreadsheets, making a law enforcement specific CRM a necessity. An organized and throughout follow up system creates the optimal candidate experience better, making the department stand out and results in more hires.
Emphasize Your Department's Benefits
Salespeople know that they need to sell the benefits of their products, not just their features. Likewise, recruiters need to communicate the benefits of the job, career growth opportunities, and the agency culture to potential candidates. By highlighting the benefits of joining the department, recruiters can appeal to candidates' values and motivations and differentiate their agency from others.
Your Hiring Process is a Sales Tool
In a competitive job market, sales departments understand that a company's hiring process can be a powerful sales tool. By creating a positive, continuous, and engaging hiring experience, your department can attract top talent and create a strong employer brand. The job posting, holding virtual recruitment events, maintaining an active candidate follow-up process, application process, interview experience, and ultimately, the job offer all contribute to building a positive perception of your department's culture and values. This makes it more likely for candidates to choose and recommend your department over other competing departments in the area
Conclusion
Law enforcement recruiting can learn a lot from the sales industry by incorporating a CRM system, allocating money to candidate marketing, being persistent, emphasizing the benefits of the job, and creating an impressive hiring process. By utilizing these sales strategies, agencies can find the best candidates for their agencies and build strong, long-lasting relationships with them. If your department is interested in a law enforcement-specific CRM, or any recruiting services, reach out to Scott Cooper at All-Star Talent. 916-412-9530 OR scott@allstartalent.us
