A reader asks;
We are looking to add a career center to our organization and not sure which direction to go in terms of a hosted or software. We like the idea of a fully hosted service. We have spoken to both JobTarget and Boxwood Technology over the last week and although they both have comprehensive offerings, we are looking for a company that will also provide full marketing and sales support. Both companies say they offer this service but neither will guarantee or commit to a specific number of hours or calls per week, month etc. and how they will decide to sell for our organization is very vague.
I have a few questions:
1. Are you familiar with any company that provides this type of service? (either hosted or as a separate service if we had our own software)?
2. If not, you had mentioned in one of you post-outsorced sales reps-how would you recommend an organization to specifically find an outsources sales rep or service? Do you know any companies that specialize in these types of sales people or know any individuals?
MY answer;
There are no job board software providers who will really help you market your site to employers. Companies like Jobtarget do have some marketing tips and tools and do offer services like One-Click which you can list your job board on as part of a certain niche and their sales reps may refer a job posting or two your way from time to time. But they are no substitute for a full time sales effort. There are “Sales Outsourcing” services online that you can hire to call on employers. The cost if these services can vary widely so its important to do your research and find the right fit.
Marketing/selling your site really takes a concerted effort. In my opinion outsourcing it to someone else is not the proper way to go. You can do a lot with online advertising to replace a person and if you bootstrap there are better ways to spread the word.
