Sam Miller

We help Recruiters Build their brand and get more Clients and Candidates Approaching Them. 👉 New Training: The Inbound Academy - Message me for more details 🚀 £3.5 Million Generated for Clients 🚀

Recruiters Business Owners 
If you have 5000+ connections on LinkedIn
You could be winning IMMEDIATE business




A lot of recruiters don't think twice about their connections on LinkedIn

But the truth is your connections arn't just a number

They’re filled with dormant business relationships waiting to be rekindled.

Think about it...

Those hundreds of coffee meetings you've had over the years? They're still connected to you.

The clients you worked with 2-3 years ago? They're still following your updates.

Those fantastic candidates who weren't quite ready to move? They're still watching your content.

The problem is, that most recruiters aren't leveraging this effectively.

They're posting sporadically, with no real strategy or purpose.

I'm here to change that

If you're ready to start utilising your network on LinkedIn 

Then come and try out our free trial...

We’ll write you two world-class pieces of content designed to get maximum engagement in your niche 

Here are some results recruiters have had on our free trial: 

- Won $30K worth of business (Money in the bank 2 months later) 
- Hundreds of thousands of impressions 
- More warm conversations with decision-makers and candidates 

Just from TWO posts. 

Oh and let me say this again….It's FREE! 

Interested? 

Check out the featured section below or visit our visit!

Director

▶︎HERE'S WHAT WE DO: I help Companies Struggling to Stand Out In A Competitive Market By helping them To Be Seen by More Customers And Speak to More Decision Makers



I interviewed a recruiter who's billing $2.4 Million 
He makes a CLEAR distinction between these two things
A Placebale Candidate VS a Closeable Candidate...




Here’s where recruiters get caught out

They spend weeks selling a brilliant candidate to a client… 
Only to discover, at the offer stage, that the candidate:

• Was “just seeing what’s out there.”
• Was waiting for a counteroffer
• Had no real reason to leave
• Needed to interview everywhere before deciding
• Was never emotionally ready to move
  
Placeable candidates look great on paper. 
They’ve done the job. 
They interview well. 
Clients love them.

And yet… nothing happens.
Why? 
No Urgency to move. 

Closable candidates are different.
They don’t just 𝘧𝘪𝘵 the role, they’re actually prepared to leave what they’re doing now.

Great recruiters don’t just ask “𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘣?”

They ask things like:
• “What problem are you trying to solve by leaving?”
• “Could your current employer fix that?”
• “If the right offer was in front of you tomorrow, would you take it?”
• “What would stop you saying yes?”

Because placeability gets interviews. 
Closability gets offers accepted.

And clients don’t pay recruiters to run interviews.
They pay them to close.

Full Podcast in the comments below....

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We Interview the top 1% of recruiters and share their PROVEN strategies to Win More Placements. 100+ episodes with top billers: from $500k to $2.5 Million producers.

I interviewed a recruiter who's billing $539K 
on average, he only works 6 hours a day 
Here are the 2 BD tactics he swears by....



1. MPC marketing via email and LinkedIn
2. Job-opening approach (pitching a candidate directly against an open role) 

He makes sure he does 10 new business activities every single day (50 a week) 

That's it...

No AI 
No Fancy Automation system 
No mass outreach

Just giving the clients what they want
Which is........ great candidates. 

With this simple formula
He's able to bill half a million dollars a year 
While only working 6 hours a day 

Its a fantastic reminder to every recruiter 

MASTER the fundamentals 

Because they will always work 
And they are simpilist path to making good money. 

<FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW>

I spoke to a recruiter who was laid off in Jan 2024 
She sold her LA apartment and decided to travel the world
6 months later, she closed $200k of business...



Yep...

Laid off in Jan 2024 

6 months later...

• Running her own business 
• Traveling the world 
• Recruiting in a brand new market (legal) 
• Closed $200k of business (money in the bank) 
• Living life on her terms 
• Having the most mind-blowing experiences 


Why am I sharing this with you? 

Well its Jan 2026 

Which means whatever happened last year — good or bad — is now locked in.

What isn’t locked in is where you’ll be by mid-year.

This story is useful not because of the outcome, but because of the timeline.

Six months, done properly, is enough to rebuild momentum.

If she can do it....so can you. 

If you want the full story and some inspiration

Full podcast in the comments below.

I interviewed a recruiter who's billed $750K+ for 30 years straight! here are 4 questions he will ask candidates to get consistent HOT leads......



1. “Out of curiosity, where else are you interviewing at the moment?”
→ Identifies 3–6 companies that are actively hiring right now

2. “That’s helpful — was that direct, or through a recruiter?”
→ Tells you whether the company already pays fees (high-probability BD)

3. “And who did you actually speak with over there — hiring manager, HR, ops?”
→ Reveals the real decision-maker or buying influence

4. “Got it. And what triggered that hire — growth, a backfill, or something else?”
→ Explains urgency and hints at future roles coming behind it


Funny how some of the best BD tactics are the most simple. 

FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

I spoke to a recruiter who's billing $700K
She sends every prospect a LOOM video before the call
Her show-up rate is now 100%! Here's how it works...




I'm sure every single recruiter can relate...

You've managed to get a response from a new potential client
You book a meeting in a calendar 
And then NO SHOW.....


This recruiter has an ingenious strategy to make sure this never happens again 

12-24 hours before the meeting begins, she sends a Loom video to the prospect 

Here's what the video says...

“Hey [Name] — looking forward to our meeting.  
Based on what you shared about [role/problem], here are 1–2 thoughts on how I’d approach it. 
<Share thoughts> 
We’ll dig in properly on the call. See you at [time].”

Why it works 
It does three things instantly:

1. Signals respect for their time: You’re not “another vendor.” You did work before you got paid.
   
2. Creates micro-commitment: They’ve now engaged with you (even passively). Much harder to ghost.
   
3. Sets a serious tone: It quietly communicates, “This isn’t a random sales chat. This matters.”


Since implementing this strategy, Julia has had a 100% show rate with every new potential client call. 

Want more details? 

Check out the full podcast in the comments below.

This guy started a recruitment side hustle and billed $200K (while holding down a full-time SaaS job) 
Here's the numbers he did over a 4 year period




2021: $100k (while employed)
2022: $200k (while employed)
2023: $250k (first year full-time)
2025: $539k (Second year full-time)

Here’s the honest part that people need to hear, though...

In 2023 when Jeffrey Zabrin decided to go full-time into recruitment
he expected to do $400k in his first year. 

Double the amount of time so double the billings right?

Wrong. 

He only hit $250k. 

He was frustrated and extremely deflated

There was no overnight hockey stick growth that he was expecting to see

But he kept going....

What actually moved the needle from $250k → $539k+ wasn’t a new tool or market timing.

It was two very unsexy things.

1) Compounding niche momentum
After a few years in the same niche, something changes.
You stop “introducing yourself” and start becoming the person.
Clients come back. Candidates come back. Conversations get shorter. Trust is already there.

It doesn’t feel dramatic day-to-day…
But year-to-year, it compounds fast.

2) He deliberately upped outbound again
This is the part people miss.

Even with repeat clients, didn’t coast.
He consciously increased activity to around 10 new business touches per day.

Not spam.
Intentional outreach, every single day.

The takeaway?

Growth isn’t linear.
Quitting your job doesn’t guarantee a jump.
Momentum + consistent outbound beats motivation every time.

FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

I interviewed a recruiter who's billing £850K 
He uses CVs to gather market intelligence on companies
Then uses it in his pitch to win more clients... 




Most recruiters look at a CV and think:
“Can I place this person?”

He looks at a CV and asks something different:
“What does this tell me about the market?”

To Craig, a CV isn’t just a candidate profile.
It’s evidence.

A real-world map of how companies actually hire, not how job specs say they hire.

He doesn’t skim CVs.
He strips them line by line.

- Tech stack.
- Tools used.
- Versions.
- Environments.
- System scale.
- Team size.
- Reporting lines.
- Business context.

One CV is interesting.
Ten similar CVs is intelligence.

He groups them into patterns or “avatars”.

Think things like:
• Java engineers from tier-1 banks
• Quants moving from sell-side to buy-side
• Backend engineers jumping from scale-ups to hedge funds

Each group tells a story.

- Where companies really source talent from.
- Which backgrounds convert
- What’s considered a “safe” hire vs a risky one.

And here’s where it gets powerful.

When he speaks to clients, he doesn’t ask:
“So… what are you looking for?”

He already knows.

Instead, he says:
“Most teams like yours hire people who’ve done X, Y, and Z. Does that sound right?”

Clients feel understood.
They feel challenged (in a good way).
They feel like they're speaking to an expert. 

And that’s ONE reason why he bills what he does.

FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

I interviewed a recruiter who billed $1.8 Million
He uses a simple 3-2-1 commenting strategy to win clients on LinkedIn. Here's how it works...

I interviewed a recruiter who billed $1M in his second year of recruitment! And guess what? He worked on any role in any niche. As long as there was demand. 






Everyone tells recruiters the same thing:

“Pick a niche. Go an inch wide and a mile deep.”

One of the best billers I’ve spoken to recently didn’t do that.

He’s built multiple $1m+ years in recruitment
without locking himself into one vertical.

His rule is simple:

If there’s demand, I’ll work it.

What makes this work isn’t randomness, it’s fundamentals.

Once you’ve learned recruitment properly (especially in a hard market), you realise something:

Most roles boil down to the same question:

What problem is this hire meant to solve?

Sales, marketing, product, engineering, different languages, same mechanics.

Where people get this wrong is thinking “no niche” means “no focus”.

It doesn’t.

It means:
– following demand
– backing strong candidates
– not turning away good business because it’s “outside the lane”

Sometimes the most profitable niche…

…is demand itself.

FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

I spoke to a recruiter who billed $2.4 Million 
He places Internal talent acquisition for free 
So he can be fed specific roles in the future...





This move is GOLD

But context matters. 

Here's when to use it...

You’ve made 3–6 placements already

The company is:
- 25–150 employees
- Growing fast
- Complaining about agency spend

You hear 𝘢𝘯𝘺 version of:
“We’re thinking of hiring internal”
“We need to get costs down”

Instead of walking away and saying, "We had our run, on to the next one." 

That’s your moment to secure long-term business 

Here's what you say...

“Honestly, at your stage, continuing to rely only on agencies doesn’t make sense long term.
If I were in your shoes, I’d hire an internal recruiter.
And if you want, I’ll help you do that for free.”
 

If they ask 𝘸𝘩𝘺, you say:
 
“Because if I place the right internal recruiter,  they’ll understand how agencies actually work,  they won’t waste time fighting the market,  and when they inevitably need agency help again, I’d rather be the person they trust.”


On your first call with the internal:
 
“I’m not here to compete with you.
You own the core hiring.  I’m here for:
• niche roles
• urgent spikes
• confidential searches
When you need help, I’ll be faster and easier than starting from scratch.”
 
This creates alliance, not friction.

Try it out. 
If you get it right, it could create a fountain of business for the long term. 

<FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW>

I spoke to a recruiter who's billing $500K
His business is doing $5 Million with a team of 10
Here's how he uses lead magnets to win business

Had a sales call with a recruitment business owner
He said he wants his team to start posting content
Because he knows he's leaving money on the table




Here’s what he told me…

“Sam, I’ve got a team of 7 recruiters. They’re brilliant at what they do.
They know their market inside out, they care about delivery, and clients genuinely like working with them.

If I could somehow get that across through content, I know we’d win more business… I just don’t know where to start....and I don’t want them posting rubbish or coming across cringe or salesy."

So this is what we did.

Instead of turning them into ‘LinkedIn influencers’…

We took what they already say on calls with candidates and clients
And turned that into posts.

No trends.
No dancing on camera

Just:
– What they’re seeing in the market
– What candidates are actually asking them
– What hiring managers keep getting wrong

We did this exact process with a manager of a recruitment firm over in the US
The manager had never posted before.
In the first month, he generated 1.5M impressions.
3 booked meetings with the exact type of clients they want.

That’s why we offer a free trial.

We write 2 free posts for you or one of your team.
You see the traction.
You decide if it’s worth continuing.

If you're interested, the link is in the comments below

I spoke to a recruiter who built a $1 Million desk 
He generated 20 warm leads with one LinkedIn post
Here's how he did it (So you can copy it for free)

Recruitment business owners....
If you're the sole breadwinner of the business
Here are 4 signs that things need to change






1. Pipeline drops the moment you stop hunting
Take a week off and new roles dry up.
Not because the market changed, but because 𝘺𝘰𝘶 weren’t selling.

2. Most new jobs still come from your network
Your consultants deliver well…
But the work almost always starts with 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 relationships.

3.  Hiring more people feels risky
Not exciting.
Because more heads = more pressure on 𝘺𝘰𝘶 to bring in work.

4.  You’re the sole breadwinner
Everyone knows it.
If you stop winning, growth stops.

Over the last 12 months, we’ve worked with dozens of founders in that exact position.

Here’s what changed for them...

Instead of chasing every conversation manually, they started showing up consistently 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 being online all day.

Their network stopped going quiet when they took a week off.

Past clients and candidates started reaching out first, already warmed up.

Not because they suddenly became “content creators”.
But because their experience, opinions, and market insight were finally visible when they weren’t in the room.

Behind the scenes, this is what we actually do:

We handle the heavy lifting.
We turn what you already know into content that sounds like 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
We distribute it consistently so it compounds.
The result we hear most often?

“Conversations feel easier.”
“People already know what we do.”
“My pipeline doesn’t disappear when I step back.”

If you want to see how it works, we’re running a free trial.

Link’s in the comments.

Spoke to a recruitment business owner last week. 
12 years in business. Great delivery team.
But all new work still comes from him networking.




Me: “After 12 years, you’re still the main source of new business?”

Him: “Yeah. If I’m not out there networking, it’s a quiet month. There’s no real marketing system behind it.”
 
Me: “So growth only happens if you keep pushing?”

Him: “Pretty much. You just hope someone needs you.”

Me: “What would actually take the pressure off?”

Him: “Honestly? One new client a month would be massive.”

Then he said something I hear all the time:
 
“I don’t want to post for the sake of posting.” 
“I don’t want to come across cringe.” 
“And I’m not doing TikTok dance videos.”
 
Me: “Good. You don’t need any of that. You just need content that speaks to decision-makers.”

So I made him this offer:
 
I’ll write 2 LinkedIn posts for free.  Targeted. Intentional. Built to attract the right clients, not random likes.

If they create traction, we work together.  
If they don’t, we part ways as friends.

Zero risk.  All the pressure is on me.
 
If you run a recruitment business and you’re looking to add a more predictable flow of the right client conversations alongside what already works

Check out the Link in the comments below....

This recruiter has spent $12.5K with us over 5 months.
Last night he told me he secured $100K of new business
That’s a 700% return on investment…




And that’s JUST the direct Inbound he's had

Alongside that, he’s had:

- Candidates reaching out directly (that's he's gone to place) 
- Senior sales reps engaging with his content
- Conversations that used to start cold, now starting warm

If we did another 5 months, spent another $12.5K, and he closed just one more deal like this…

He’d have $200K in revenue on $25K spent.

That’s a consistent 700% ROI over the year.

This is not unrealistic.

We see this kind of compounding effect all the time once visibility kicks in.

Nothing clever here.
Just consistent visibility With the right content To the right audience.

What makes this even more interesting is how it started….

He originally came through our free trial.
We wrote him 2 free posts.
We got some early traction, he could see the potential, and he decided to stick with it.

Five months later, the content’s doing what it usually does… compounding.

If you're a recruitment business owner and you want to experience results like the client above, Come and try us out for free. You have absolutely nothing to lose And everything to gain.

Link in the comments below 👇

Just started working with a recruitment consultant
The CEO wanted him to start building more pipeline
Here's the results we've had so far...






We’ve been posting twice a week for 3 weeks.

Post 01: 3,000
Post 02: 5,000
Post 03: 110,000
Post 04: 96,000
Post 05: 50,000
Post 06: 65,000

Before working with us, his average impressions per post were 900.

And in just 3 weeks, we’ve generated 300,000+ impressions.

I know what you might be thinking…

“Great Sam, impressions are cool.
But what about tangible ROI?”

Here’s where it gets interesting.

He places senior sales leaders and commercial talent into life sciences & pharma companies.

Since posting Dozens of decision-makers and plenty of high-quality candidates have been liking and engaging with his content.

He’s followed up with warm intro messages.

And he’s already booked 2 solid calls with new potential clients.

Is that earth-shattering?

No.

But those 2 conversations could easily turn into $50k–$150k+ in fees.

Not bad for:

6 posts
And a handful of follow-up messages

If you’re a recruitment business owner and want to test our system for free,
check out the free trial in the comments

Recruiters, if people are ghosting your messages
And no one is reaching out to you after posting content
It's probably because of your offer. let me explain..

“I don’t need more leads. I need better ones.".... That’s what a recruitment business owner told me. She's billing $500K and managing a team of 10 full desk recruiters




She’s been booking calls consistently for months.
Calendar looks full.

But then she leaned in and said:

“Sam… 90% of them are tyre kickers.”

"That’s draining," I remember thinking.

Not because she’s failing.
She’s not. (She's smashing it)

But because every bad call still costs:
– time
– energy
– momentum

And at that level, wasted conversations hurt more than no conversations.

I asked how people were finding her.

“Mostly outbound,” she said.
“They don’t really know me before the call.”

Which made sense to me.

When people book calls cold:
They’re curious, not committed.
Interested, not ready.

Typically, the call requires more explanation and convincing.

I said:
“If I could show you for free how to flip that, so people book calls already knowing who you are and why you’re relevant, would you try it?”

She didn’t hesitate.

We invited her into our 2-week free trial.

We helped her publish a couple of sharp LinkedIn posts.
Nothing fancy. Just clear positioning to the right people.
They racked up 40,000+ impressions in her niche

Within days:
→ More people knew who she was
→ Key decision makers were liking her content
→ 2 fantastic calls booked with serious potential clients

You don’t need more leads.
You need fewer, better ones.

If you’re booking calls but sick of tyre kickers

You can try it for free, just like she did.

Links in the comments below.

This recruitment business owner closes £45K deals
After one month of working with us
He’s now got 2 of those conversations lined up






 “I don’t want to be a thought leader. I just need the right people to notice me.”
That's the first thing he said to me when we spoke. 

Which makes sense.

He’s already very good at what he does.  
He just wasn’t very visible to the people who matter.

In the last month, his LinkedIn content reached just over 300,000 impressions.

That visibility is now turning into £45k conversations with the right clients.

That’s basically our job.
Take what already works and make it visible in the right rooms.

When we first spoke, I didn’t pitch him a long contract.
Or tell him to give me 10K upfront….

I said:
I’ll write 2 LinkedIn posts for you, free.

Posts built around:
* how you actually get results
* The problems your clients are facing
* Why you’re the obvious solution
 
You can post them, see how it lands, and then decide if it’s worth continuing.

If it works, we carry on. If it doesn’t, we part ways as friends.
No obligation. All the pressure is on me.

If you run a recruitment business , and you're interested in seeing the results for yourself 

Check out the link in the comments below…

Transforming the landscape of GTM recruitment for B2B SaaS and D2C companies. 

Our mission is clear: 

We find the right talent to drive your business forward, faster and more effectively than ever before.

At the heart of our approach lies the Rocket Talent precision system, a powerful blend of technology, psychometrics, and AI. This innovative method allows us to pinpoint the perfect candidates for your organization, ensuring a seamless fit that lasts.

Our track record speaks volumes:

96% of our placements remain with their new employers after a year.

We fill roles 40% faster than traditional methods.

Our clients save an average of $127K+ on every hire.

We offer up to a 24-month guarantee on placements.

But numbers only tell part of the story. Our impact reaches far beyond statistics:

We helped Consumer Affairs build a CRM Growth team in just 60 days, leading to a 150% increase in company lifecycle and retention revenue targets.

Our work with Listen Lively resulted in a $100 million exit within 12 months.

A Google Venture portfolio company achieved a $200M exit in 18 months thanks to the GTM team we placed.

Lennar saw a 310% increase in inbound leads while maintaining their CAC, courtesy of the growth marketing team we assembled.

We placed a CPO at Cognism who had previously scaled a company from $30M to $100M.

VTS generated over $100M in revenue after we filled 7 key digital marketing roles in under 3 months.

We understand the unique challenges faced by CEOs, founders, marketing and sales executives, and HR leaders in the fast-paced world of B2B SaaS and D2C companies. Our goal is to alleviate the stress of recruitment, allowing you to focus on what matters most – growing your business.

Ready to revolutionize your talent acquisition strategy? Let's connect and explore how we can help you build the team that will drive your company's success. Book time here: https://calendly.com/jonathan-268/dm-intro-li-clone

Jonathan Spiess

I placed a candidate 7 months ago.
She just quit because she 'couldn't handle the pace.'
But I know what she can handle…





This is the same role I filled seven months ago.

So naturally I asked what happened to them, and whether this role was to work alongside them. I figured the team was growing.

Instead he said, "She wasn't the right fit. Couldn't handle the pace."

Now, I placed that marketer. I know what she can handle. So I asked a few more questions.

Did she have clear KPIs from day one? "We were figuring that out together."
Did she get regular feedback? "I'm pretty hands-off. I let people own their work."
Did she have the resources she needed? "We're lean. Everyone has to be scrappy."

Translation: She walked into chaos with no direction, no support, and no way to win.

​Then she got blamed for not reading her manager's mind. And this is the part that frustrates me most about my job.

I can find incredible talent. I can negotiate the offer. I can get them excited about the opportunity.

But I can't fix the manager who's going to burn them out in six months.

The best growth marketer in the world can't succeed under a leader who sets vague goals then moves them.

Or someone who mistakes "hands-off" for leadership​ and "scrappy" with under-resourced.​

If I had a dollar for every time I'd seen a company hire someone great and give them a manager who sets them up to fail, I wouldn't need to work.

Of course the company blames the hire directly, and around and round we go.

You can have the best growth marketer on the market, if their manager doesn't know how to lead them, you're just renting talent until they find a boss who does.

This is without a doubt the most expensive and wasteful way to hire. 

If you're seeing a leaky bucket in your team, it might be time for some self-reflection.

CEO @Rocket Talent - Connecting the top 1% of Growth Talent

This Candidate interviewed well and waited 2 weeks.
Then he saw the job reposted online….
He assumed he wasn't the top choice and moved on




This was someone in the final round. He interviewed well, and had been waiting two weeks for a decision.

Then the job appeared again online.

Annoyingly, the client loved the candidate. But with a smaller comparison to judge against they wanted to "see a few more people" before closing.

So they reposted the role again and the candidate saw it immediately.

They judged it in exactly they way you'd expect.

"I'm clearly not the one if I'm backup while they keep shopping."

They didn't rage or send me an angry email, just quietly moved their attention to other employers in their pipeline.

By the time the hiring manager was ready to make a decision, the candidate had moved on. 

Most companies think exploring the candidate market is the smart thing to do. But there comes a time when exploration should take a backseat.

Candidates see signals.

And the signal of continuously marketing jobs is loud. Especially to those you've already interviewed and are trying to "keep warm".

In Growth Marketing, we obsess over every signal we send to prospects.

CAC/LTV
Incrementality
ROAS

But when it comes to hiring, companies forget they're also being evaluated in real time.

If your job reappears online while someone's waiting for your decision, you're not just losing that candidate, but teaching every finalist what 'top choice' actually means to you.

Conditional. Negotiable. Replaceable.

Great Growth Marketers don't stick around to be someone's safety net.

They go where they're the number one choice.

This hiring manager offered a candidate a great role
But then the company went through a hiring freeze
Instead of turning the candidate away, he did this…




Every logical move pointed one way. To pull the offer, save the budget and reopen the role “later.”

Instead, the hiring manager asked me:

“How do we keep our promise and still be responsible?”

We spoke in length about the options available to us. He went back to finance and reworked the team's priorities.

He turned the full-time role into a phased start, with part-time consulting for 3 months, then full-time the moment the freeze lifted.

We worked out a way for the candidate not to lose income and the company not to lose momentum.

And most importantly they didn’t lose trust.

The growth marketer is now leading experiments that are opening entire new channels for them, and when I speak to candidates in that niche, they all say the same thing about the company...

“They do what they say they’ll do.”

In a market obsessed with “employer brand,” this is the part no one can fake.

Keeping your promises when it's easier not to.

This candidate was interviewing for a $140k role 
But they asked for $200K instead. It was approved the same day. Here's why it was a win for everyone. 




This was a candidate of mine who didn't even have a competing offer.

She didn't threaten to walk. Just calmly stated her number.

We'd been searching for a senior growth marketer for three months. Burned through 40+ candidates. None of them could articulate how they'd actually move the needle on CAC or activation rates.

Then, finally one walks in who can.

In the first 15 minutes, she mapped out their funnel blindspots. Pointed to specific conversion gaps. Talked about experiments she'd run in her first 90 days.

The hiring manager nods. Takes notes. Already sold.

When the offer comes in, the company put forward $140K. Which was industry standard for the role.

And she came back with $200K.

Not because she was greedy, because she knew she was make the company 20X that amount. 

I thought I'd seen this movie before, but actually I hadn't. There was a twist.

There were no games. No lengthy justification. Just: "Based on the impact I'll create and what I know I'm worth, this is my number."

And the hiring manager didn't even flinch. He called finance and got approval in the same day.

He knew exactly what it would cost to start over. Another three months of searching. More revenue lost without that role filled. The risk of hiring someone mediocre who'd need replacing in six months.

So they decided to pay her what she's worth now, rather than more later.

Too many companies play silly games with compensation. And they win silly prizes. 

They offer low and hope candidates don't push back. Then seem shocked when top talent walks.

The best hiring managers recognize value immediately. 

And they pay for it before someone else does.

This company agreed to salary ranges upfront.
Then offered $25K less to two top candidates.
Both walked away and told their entire network.





2 times now in quick succession, I've walked candidates through their process.

Both times, we discussed salary expectations upfront. Both times the hiring manager agreed the range was fair.

And then, both times, the offer came in $20K-$25K below what we'd discussed.

The first candidate felt insulted and took a role elsewhere within a week.

The second one tried to negotiate and they pulled the offer entirely.

And guess what? Every recruiter in this space knows what they did. 

Every candidate who went through their process tells their network.

Every competitor is now getting first access to the talent pool.

When you lowball people, you're not just losing one hire, but losing access to an entire market of professionals who now know better.

I built my reputation by matching great people with great opportunities.

I can't and won't risk that on companies who see salary negotiations as a game to win.

Because the best Growth Marketers have options.

And they remember those who respect that fact.

I watched a hiring manager blame 3 former employees
in front of their top candidate.
They lost the hire immediately.




The candidate said:

“It just seemed like they love to complain rather than give constructive feedback.”

A lot of clients forget this about interviews.

You might be evaluating someone. But you’re being evaluated too.

When a hiring manager fixates on what others did wrong instead of what they need going forward, it tells the candidate a lot. 

It tells them how you assign blame. How you handle accountability. And what happens when things don’t work out.

The best leaders I’ve worked with talk about gaps.

They’ll say things like:

“The last person struggled with this specific skill, so we’re prioritising that in this search.”

That’s accountability, and self-awareness. That’s someone who understands their role in building a team that succeeds.

I told my candidate to trust their gut and they declined the offer the next day.

Three months later, and the same role's still open.

If you’re interviewing and the person across from you spends more time complaining than inspiring, pay attention.

The culture you’re walking into is usually visible long before day one.

Over the last month, I’ve spoken to four candidates who took pay cuts just to leave their jobs. Instead of low-balling them, pay them what they’re worth.



Not because they suddenly lost ambition.
But because staying cost them more than leaving.
And this is where some hiring managers get it wrong.
When they see a candidate who’s already taken a pay cut, they see an opportunity.
“They’re earning less now, so we can probably come in lower.”
That logic feels practical.
But it starts the relationship on the wrong foot.
People don’t accept less because they’re worth less.
They accept less because the environment became unlivable.
Poor leadership.
Unclear expectations.
Politics dressed up as “culture.”
So when you lowball that candidate, you’re not being savvy.
You’re reinforcing the exact reason they left.
They’ll take the role.
They’ll do the work.
And eventually, they’ll realize they’re undervalued again.
If you want loyalty, this is the moment most managers miss.
That candidate isn’t leverage.
They’re a test.
Pay them what they’re actually worth, and you’ll stand out immediately.
Because the person who left for less money will always remember the hiring manager who didn’t take advantage of it.

This Demand Gen Leader got offered $180
With a "prove yourself" bump to $230 if targets are hit
She landed $260 elsewhere with no games.



"That's not an offer," I told my candidate. 

She was a Senior Growth leader with three successful exits under her belt.

The role was to build their entire demand gen engine from scratch.

"It's a lot of money to leave on the table," she said, hesitating. "Maybe I can hit the targets early?"

"If they had the budget for $230," I asked, "why aren't they paying it now? Do they doubt your track record? Or do they doubt their own product's convertibility?"

She declined the next morning.

The following month, she accepted a Director of Demand Gen Growth role at $260.

​No caveats. 
No "prove it" period. 
Just a salary that acknowledged her expertise from Day 1.

When hiring managers gatekeep market rates behind "probationary periods", it signals one of two things:

1. They’ve been burned by bad hires and are projecting that fear onto you. 
   
2. They don't actually have the cash flow to support the role. 
   
Either way, it’s a red flag.

You don't hire an architect to build your house and say, "I'll pay you full price if the roof stays up."

You pay for the skill that ensures it stays up to begin with.

This role stayed open for 3 months because the hiring manager screened for 15 non-essential skills. We said choose the 3 most important and filled it in 3 weeks...



On a call, we went through the list together.
“How many people do you think actually have all of this?” I asked.
He laughed.
“Probably no one.”
And yet… that’s exactly how candidates were being rejected.
The problem wasn’t sourcing.
The best candidates weren’t applying anyway, they were being hunted.
The real issue was that when good people did come through, they were being filtered out for missing non-essential skills.
So we changed the approach.
Instead of trying to validate 15 skills on paper, we picked the three that actually mattered.
Then we redesigned the interviews around how they’d use those skills on the job.
What would they tackle in their first 90 days?
How would they approach the core growth problem?
How do they think, not just what tools have they touched?
Same role. Same bar. But now we were interviewing for capability, not checkbox coverage.
The result?
The role that had been open for 5 months was filled in 3 weeks.
Because they stopped rejecting great candidates for not being “perfect”
and started hiring people who could actually do the job.

This company hired a world-class paid social expert.
But gave her broken systems and 3-week approval chains.
She's now looking for a new job.



Every time she wants to test a new campaign, she needs pixels set up properly. 

Apparently, the development team takes MONTHS to implement basic tracking. 

Landing page changes that should take hours are stuck in bureaucratic approval chains for weeks.

She can't run proper tests. Can't optimise campaigns. Can't do the job she was hired to do.

And apparently this isn't a resource problem, they do have the budget. Just as they have the tools and the talent.

They're just drowning in technical red tape.

She told me: "I can see so many opportunities to improve performance, but I'm spending more time fighting internal processes than actually running campaigns."

Recently I'm seeing companies hire amazing marketing talent, then wonder why performance doesn't improve, when their infrastructure is completely broken.

You can't expect world-class results from world-class people when your systems are stuck in 2015.

Either invest in proper technical infrastructure, or use tools that don't require engineering support for every small change.

Your marketing team shouldn't need to file a ticket and wait three weeks just to change a headline.

Great marketers need speed and flexibility to test and optimise. When you remove that, you remove their competitive advantage.

She's now looking for a new role where she can actually do what she does best.

I’ve watched brilliant data engineers get stuck at $120K
They should be earning $200K+ for their skills
But companies know visa holders can't jump ship




Companies know these employees can't easily jump ship. They're stuck waiting for visa processing, green card applications, or sponsorship transfers.

So they get taken advantage of. 

They get minimal raises, or tiny bonuses. They watch their colleagues get promoted while they stay put.

I had a conversation with a candidate last month who's been consulting at a big firm for 8 years. His colleague, who was hired the same year, was making $60K more.

The only difference was, one needed visa sponsorship and the other didn't.

It's not just about the money either. These companies pile on extra work because they know these employees have limited options. 

"Where else are you going to go?"

I've seen people stay at companies for years, ride out multiple layoffs, survive restructures, and then when they finally get their documentation and look around, they realise how far behind they've fallen.

I've seen brilliant engineers and consultants who should be making $200K+ stuck at $120K because they were afraid to negotiate.

The visa system creates vulnerability. 

And some companies absolutely exploit it.

If you're in this situation, start having conversations before you're desperate. Build relationships. Understand your market value.

And if you're a hiring manager...

Paying someone less because of their visa status isn't just morally questionable, you're going to lose great talent the moment they have other options.

Compensation should reflect skills, not someone's immigration status.

This Growth Marketer was managing a $20M budget.
3 months later... he's gone. The company lost millions.
You HAVE to get Marketing hires right, first time.





Marketing hires are different to sales hires.

When a sales rep doesn't work out, you see it quickly. They're not hitting quota. The numbers are staring you in the face. You fire them and move on. 

And hey, maybe you lost some salary and training time?

Not ideal. But also not the end of the world. 

Growth marketers’ entire goal is growing revenue at optimal cost. 

And they're managing budgets some companies don't see in annual revenue. I've spoken to candidates managing $100 million budgets.

So when they leave or get fired, who keeps things afloat?

Campaigns can go unoptimised for weeks. Growth stalls. Sometimes there's specific channel expertise that nobody else on the team has. 

You might bring in a consultant, but by the time they ramp up, you're back at square one.

The really good growth marketers rarely apply to jobs. 

Companies hold onto them tight because they're the lifeblood of growth. Equally, they're constantly hit up by recruiters, so they don't need to search.

By the time you realise someone isn't working out in marketing, significant budget may have been misallocated.

The stakes are just different. A bad growth hire can cost you millions in wasted ad spend, missed growth targets, and potentially your next funding round.

That's why these roles feel so disruptive to replace, and why getting the hire right the first time matters so much.

This top CMO turned down a phenomenal offer.
The reason? Activity tracking software.
They had no interest in being monitored at work.




Initially the hiring manager didn’t actually know why she’d turned down the role. She’d just politely declined to accept.

I asked him to walk me through the interview process.

Everything sounded normal until the final round.

"Yeah, our VP mentioned we use activity tracking software. Just standard stuff. Keyboard activity, screen time, that kind of thing. Helps us stay aligned across remote teams".

There it was.

She got her answer.

Top marketing talent isn't afraid of accountability. But they are afraid of being treated like they can't be trusted to do their job.

Companies are so worried about remote work productivity that they're solving the wrong problem.

They're measuring activity when they should be measuring impact.

They're tracking time when they should be tracking outcomes.

The best marketers I work with don't need surveillance to perform. They need clarity, autonomy, and leaders who care about what they deliver, not when they deliver it.

Half of tech workers say they'd rather quit than be monitored during the workday.
Think about that. You could offer more money, better benefits, equity... and they'd still walk if it means being watched.

Because at a certain level, it's not about the paycheque anymore. It's about respect.

If you're struggling to close candidates, take a hard look at your process.

Are you hiring for expertise? Or compliance?

Because the marketers who'll actually grow your business can smell the difference from the first interview.

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The Battle

Sam Miller

Jonathan Spiess

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