If you run a recruitment business, you’ve probably heard your consultants falling over themselves to “please” clients. They daren’t challenge a hiring manager’s assumptions – they just take the brief and say yes.
Here’s the truth: the real challenge isn’t finding clients. It’s getting them to commit.
Too many recruiters are still doing the same tired dance: “We’ll send you some CVs – you let us know.”
That model doesn’t just drain your margins. It drains your credibility.
So, let’s talk about practical – and slightly unusual – ways to win committed job orders and turn transactional clients into long-term partners.
(And a warning: these won’t work if you’re feeding CVs into a portal or your “client” isn’t the real decision-maker. Some organisations still haven’t realised that recruitment is a strategic business function – one that directly affects their results.)
- Co-create the brief, don’t just take it
Stop “taking” job specs. Instead, run a Job Design Workshop with your client.
Get the hiring manager, HR, and a team member in the same room and focus on the outcomes the role needs to deliver, not just the duties.
You’ll show your consulting value before a CV is even mentioned, and clients are far more likely to give exclusivity or a retainer when they’ve already seen your impact in action.
- Trade insights for commitment
Clients crave data – salary benchmarks, talent availability, competitor moves.
Offer a short Talent Landscape Report that gives them what they really want: perspective.
Then make it clear this isn’t a free service. It’s what they get when they work with a committed partner, not a supplier hoping for a placement.
This simple shift moves you up the value chain – from “supplier” to trusted advisor.
- Offer a hiring guarantee, with boundaries
Consider a risk-sharing model: if your placed candidate leaves within three months, you’ll replace them, only if the client honours agreed processes.
It’s a sign of confidence, not charity.
You’re protecting your time, your margin, and your reputation. And clients respect a structure that works both ways.
- Start with a micro-retainer
If clients hesitate at the word “retainer,” make it smaller – an engagement fee, 10% upfront, deducted from the final invoice.
It’s not about revenue. It’s a signal of intent. You’re testing their seriousness before investing yours.
- Reframe your follow-up conversations
When a client says, “We’ll brief three agencies,” don’t compete – consult. Ask:
“What does success look like if I fill this role first?”
“How will we measure progress together?”
These questions shift the dynamic. Often, a “contingent” client turns into a partner right there in the conversation.
Commitment starts with how you lead the conversation.
If you’d like to go deeper into strategies like these, and learn how to transform transactional clients into long-term committed partners – let’s talk.
📩 Contact me, Alison Humphries Hon FREC, Recruitment Board Advisor, and let’s make your agency the one clients commit to first.
