i just opened a warehouse temporary staffing agency and we are having a hard time landing clients for our workers to work for can someone give me some secrets or tell me what we should do to improve this

How funny you should ask that.

I need someone. Can you just send them over?

I used to be part owner of a temporary staffing agency. Prior to that I worked for a short time at two agencies. I did staffing assignments at one, and marketing at another.

We just made up some flyers and business cards, and went door to door introducing ourselves to potential clients. We signed up a lot of clients that way. It was exhausting, but it really paid off.

Going door to door worked better for us than making phone calls. People didn't like the phone calls, but they liked the goodies we dropped off with the flyers. I guess I forgot to mention that part. Along with the flyers and business cards we had some pens printed with our company name and phone number. We also had some note pads imprinted with the same info.

In one of my previous lives, I too did this. Def. door to door, flyers, and pens. One of the people I worked with was pretty involved in the local chamber of commerce too, good contacts there.
Have fun!

That's a good one. They have lots of functions where you can mingle and meet potential clients.

yes i am involved with the local chamber but it just doesnt seem to be paying off guess i will print up some more flyers tonight and go to staples and get some goodies and hit the pavement from warehouse to warehouse

yes i can send them over however you need to be in phoenix and thanks a million for the advice

I don't know about Phoenix specifically, but I can tell you that in general the warehouse is a face-to-face selling environment. So you'll have to work the phones and then get out to the docks before you'll start getting any sales.

Also, temp staffing is not typically done much in the warehouse. However, Temp-to-hire can be a widely used tool, because it helps find and get rid of some of the major employee problems faced in the warehouse...while someone else is the employer of record. Namely:
- Not enough qualified employees available;
- Employees who use drugs and/or show up half-drunk;
- Employees who steal;
- Employees who won't work hard for meager pay;
- Employees who don't show up on time every day;
- Employees who are illiterate and/or can't do basic math;

My advice is figure out how to eliminate the warehouse employee problems above, then figure out how to susinctly tell people you do this well and then get out to the DCs and tell your story. If you solve these issues for the DC Mgr, they'll beat a path to your door.

Hope that helps.
Ed

PS.
For what its worth, I seriously doubt you'll sell this service via website. Its a local, hand-to-hand business.

First of all, I completely agree with everything Ed said.

BUT - I often search for local staffing agencies on the Web. For those you can't reach via phone or just haven't visited yet, it may make them aware of your presence. Anything helps.

Glad to hear you bagged 3 clients today.

I wanted to mention something else. Since you are already gathering these types of employees, there is a line of business that is closely related that is essentially a license to print money.

That line is "Lumping." Funny name, but lumpers are strong backs that manually unload/load trucks on an occassional basis. If you get into this line, it will be the highest margin you have (and I don't care if you provide brain surgeon temps).

The basic idea is that there are times a shipper, recipient or more often carrier need to unload/load a truck manually...sometimes along side the road or in a parking lot (due to a break down), but often at a dock or in a truck yard. At those times they don't have their own guys, they need it done NOW and often there is a huge penalty hanging over their heads to get it done. So a crew of 10-25 lumpers comes in, saves the bacon and more-or-less names their own price.

If you've got these type of guys on the books and already have people in the office who work the phones, I'd sure look into this line. You could make it a huge profit center or a way to win/leverage ongoing business from carriers/DCs or local warehouses. At the very least it adds a new line you can provide, which may be the difference between you and one of your competitors (who doesn't know someone like me to suggest it).

Just wanted to mention it. Hope it helps.
Ed

PS
Shouldn't this whole question be in a different forum category?

Hi! I just stumbled upon this message while looking for something else and couldn't help but reply. I was in the temp staffing industry for over 20 years. The only effective way we got business (in all the markets I was responsible for) was face to face canvassing - street by street, business by business. Phone calling didn't work, mail didn't work. We had to get out there, find and meet the people who make the decisions.

did you just walk in and ask forthe particular person who doesthe hiring for a particular business

Yes, I walked into the reception area and asked the reception who handled the hiring for the warehouse or shipping/receiving area (or whatever). Even if the person wasn't available at that time, I was usually able to obtain a company business card and a name. I left my card, brochure, whatever and called to get an appointment when back in the office. I found that the warehouse people were the easiest to see, beacause they always seem to be looking for warehouse staff. Warehouse people seem to have the highest turnover and shortest "shelf-life" for temporary work.

Jeanne

Hey , I came across this topic as I was searching for Staffing Forums to get ideas on how to obtain new clients, am a college student just opened a staffing business but business couldn't be any slower, I have not even had one contract, right now am working the phones but no LUCK..Please HELP.. I manage college students, so my niche is morely clerical and admn positions. any ideas