Vicky talks about the shift to winning more interesting work, and how recruiters can add value by acting as consultants to their clients.

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We talk about how to stand out by truly specialising in your market and the challenges of saying no to work that doesn’t fit your strategy.

Vicky also explains how recruitment leaders need to be a magnet, attracting clients, candidates and consultants in order to build a high value business.

To listen to the episode, click here (Spotify) or here (Apple) - then click ‘follow’ to get every episode as soon as it goes live.

Jon

P.S. A big thank you to Atlas for sponsoring The Value of Recruitment Podcast. It takes time and resources to create a podcast, and the team at Atlas saw the value in supporting this one.

To learn more about how Atlas is creating an AI platform that helps recruitment agencies generate more placements with less effort, visit www.recruitwithatlas.com

Sam explains why talent intelligence is so important that it’s become its own team within talent acquisition, and talks about how recruitment agencies can get better at adding value by “influencing with data”.

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We talk about the unique role that recruitment agencies can play in gathering high-value talent intelligence, and Sam makes some bold predictions for how recruitment will significantly change in the near future.

We also explore how to influence stakeholders by catching them in their window of value, and how to create expert recruiters more quickly with talent battle cards.

To listen to the episode, click here (Spotify) or here (Apple) - then click ‘follow’ to get every episode as soon as it goes live.

Jon

P.S. A big thank you to Atlas for sponsoring The Value of Recruitment Podcast. It takes time and resources to create a podcast, and the team at Atlas saw the value in supporting this one.

To learn more about how Atlas is creating an AI platform that helps recruitment agencies generate more placements with less effort, visit www.recruitwithatlas.com

Jacob shares how he is constantly adding value for his clients and candidates, and his motivations for pushing the envelope whenever he can.

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We talk about the difficult balance between letting people know how good you are versus quietly doing great work without needing credit for it.

We also explore the difficulty of knowing when to charge a premium for higher-level service, and what recruiters value from their clients beyond just fees.

To listen to the episode, click here (Spotify) or here (Apple) - then click ‘follow’ to get every episode as soon as it goes live.

Jon

P.S. A big thank you to Atlas for sponsoring The Value of Recruitment Podcast. It takes time and resources to create a podcast, and the team at Atlas saw the value in supporting this one.

To learn more about how Atlas is creating an AI platform that helps recruitment agencies generate more placements with less effort, visit www.recruitwithatlas.com

David shares how recruiters can become part of their clients’ inner circle and be seen as an incredibly valuable trusted advisor.

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We talk about quality over quantity, and how fewer clients allows you to go deeper, offer more value, and enjoy your work more.

We also discuss collaboration within our industry, and the benefits of having an abundance mindset rather than worrying about scarcity.

To listen to the episode, click here (Spotify) or here (Apple) - then click ‘follow’ to get every episode as soon as it goes live.

Jon

P.S. A big thank you to Atlas for sponsoring The Value of Recruitment Podcast. It takes time and resources to create a podcast, and the team at Atlas saw the value in supporting this one.

To learn more about how Atlas is creating an AI platform that helps recruitment agencies generate more placements with less effort, visit www.recruitwithatlas.com

Tom Goodwin, a very smart guy who knows about the future of AI and tech from a marketing (i.e. understandable) perspective, writes that we’re entering the era of empathy.

The good news: great recruiters have the skills to add real value in this new world.

Tom argues that AI torpedoes the advantage of “knowing things”. Farewell salary surveys; ChatGPT and her cousins will give your clients more knowledge than you could possibly hope to.

But when everyone has the same knowledge and data, nobody wins. What clients will need is what continues to be scarce: “judgment, or taste, or breakthrough ideas.” And that’s where great recruiters like you can give your clients the winning edge.

The recruiters I work with already have exceptional judgement, both in understanding what a client needs and then finding the right person to match those needs. They have the breakthrough ideas that get the attention of in-demand candidates, and the insight to know how to sell the role to them.

Your ability to do this isn’t easy to explain. It’s not data (otherwise AI could do it). From the table above, it’s not constant and predictable. It’s the ‘magic’ leap that takes a company from stuck to excelling.

How you communicate your magic ability to clients is critical. You still need them to have confidence in what you can do, but you also need them to take a leap of faith that working with you will be the game-changing experience that they can’t get with anyone else.

If you want to succeed in this new era of work, I can help you communicate your value magic to your clients in a way that is unique to you. Simply reply to this email and I’ll explain how.

Jon

P.S. I’ll be at the Recruitment Agency Expo in London this week. If you’re there, let me know and we can catch up.

I’m expecting to see examples of work from the production era mindset, the expertise era, and hopefully some magical leaps into the new.

Sharon talks about the importance of being distinctive in your market, and how a changing landscape has influenced the way we need to stand out from the growing crowd.

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We discuss how recruiters offer so much more than just hiring support, and the need to position yourself in a way that you are seen as a strategic advisor.

Sharon also describes how mindset is key to growing and developing your business, and how recruitment leaders can move from ‘stuck’ to ‘flying’.

To listen to the episode, click here (Spotify) or here (Apple) - then click ‘follow’ to get every episode as soon as it goes live.

Jon

P.S. A big thank you to Atlas for sponsoring The Value of Recruitment Podcast. It takes time and resources to create a podcast, and the team at Atlas saw the value in supporting this one.

To learn more about how Atlas is creating an AI platform that helps recruitment agencies generate more placements with less effort, visit www.recruitwithatlas.com

John Beasley posed an interesting question last week about whether recruiters should have pricing pages. Should you be upfront about your rates? Does uncertainty around price scare off clients more than showing them your price early on?

In a word, my answer is ‘no’ (more on that later). But what really caught my eye was this pricing page that John had created as a joke:

It’s worth zooming in to catch all the references to what goes on in your head when you’re working out your pricing.

While the words made me laugh, the underlying concept - having three levels of service to meet the needs of different clients - is a seriously good idea. By mocking the cliche of a bad pricing model, we can learn the right way to

Here are three of my highlights from John’s model, plus a note on why you should probably do the opposite:

1. Please click here, please click here

The buttons for each option give away the recruiter’s true feelings. The top tier button does nothing because it’s just there for show, and the first tier is the last thing they want. Everything is set up to push the client - every client - into choosing the middle option, because that’s what the recruiter wants.

In reality, when you create a smart pricing model all three options should work for you. There are no decoys or upsells; each client chooses the right option for them, and you’re happy with every outcome.

2. I am very busy

John’s middle option sells against the contingent service. How lucky that he’s able to take on a high-priority role despite being so very busy with all his other high-priority roles!

In reality, selling against your own services just makes your client think less of you. They may only want the cheaper option for their current role… and yet you’re telling them that they’ll be deprioritised because they haven’t paid you enough?

3. Our rent isn’t cheap

The top option is expensive because we need to cover our costs. The only thing missing here is those cartoon puppy dog eyes pleading with the client to pay us what we need.

In reality, clients - like all humans - only care about themselves. When it comes to recruitment, they’ll pay for the right outcome but have zero interest in the fact our LinkedIn licenses have gone up 30% in the last 18 months. That’s your problem, not theirs.

This reminds me of a big (huge) proposal that went into a major UK bank. Their feedback? “Stop telling us all the things you do in your business, tell us how you’re going to make our business better.”

Creating a smart pricing model that offers your clients a choice of approaches and engages them in conversations around value is a great way to improve your business. I’ve helped recruitment agencies win more retainers, land higher fees, and land higher-value clients by doing this.

Taking a sideways look at the wrong way to do your pricing strategy can help you see the right way to do it. If you’d like my advice on how you can improve your strategy, simply reply to this email and I’ll explain how a one-off value workshop might be all you need.

Jon

P.S. To answer John’s original question in a little more detail, here’s why you shouldn’t have a transparent pricing page.

• Recruitment is a complex service, and our clients’ needs are also complex. Leading with price can make sense for a simple product where the requirements are clear, but that’s a mile away from most recruitment.

• Recruiters might be seen as ‘all the same’ but there are huge differences in quality, suitability and approach. Clients don’t need to judge us on price; they need to spend time with us to find the right recruiter for them.

• We are consultants, not e-commerce. I’m happy for people to self-serve when they’re buying a-tenner-a-month software, but consultants need to be selling consultatively if they’re going to have any chance of winning high-value business.

If you’d like my advice on how you can improve your strategy, simply reply to this email and I’ll explain how a one-off value workshop might be all you need.

Greg shares his pricing journey and how he’s overcome limiting beliefs around rates and retainers, and now sees charging a premium as a selling point in itself.

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We talk about how Greg combined world class processes and creativity - not always two concepts that sit well together - to make his former agency stand out in a highly competitive market.

Greg is also really honest about the mistakes he’s made along the way, including how he used to hire for himself, and how he’s used those lessons to make his business stronger.

To listen to the episode, click here (Spotify) or here (Apple) - then click ‘follow’ to get every episode as soon as it goes live.

Jon

P.S. A big thank you to Atlas for sponsoring The Value of Recruitment Podcast. It takes time and resources to create a podcast, and the team at Atlas saw the value in supporting this one.

To learn more about how Atlas is creating an AI platform that helps recruitment agencies generate more placements with less effort, visit www.recruitwithatlas.com

Chelcie talks about how you can win business more easily - even as markets get more competitive - by investing in marketing, and specifically how building a strong brand can win more inbound clients and upfront fees.

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We discuss how positioning yourself in the right way can make clients feel they “can’t not choose us”. Chelcie also explains how she is constantly working to understand her clients and what they value from their recruiter.

Chelcie applies marketing ideas from other industries to show how we can better understand the power of branding, positioning, and communicating value to our clients.

To listen to the episode, click here (Spotify) or here (Apple) - then click ‘follow’ to get every episode as soon as it goes live.

Jon

P.S. A big thank you to Atlas for sponsoring The Value of Recruitment Podcast. It takes time and resources to create a podcast, and the team at Atlas saw the value in supporting this one.

To learn more about how Atlas is creating an AI platform that helps recruitment agencies generate more placements with less effort, visit www.recruitwithatlas.com

Recruitment leaders often tell me that they would be able to defend premium prices if there were more barriers to entry. It’s too easy to set up a new agency, they say, and there’s a risk that newcomers offer cheaper rates to their clients.

Recruitment has long had a reputation for low barriers to entry, and in some ways it’s easier than ever to set up a new business. When we compare our industry to, say, finance or law, we don’t have many legislative hoops to jump through or qualifications limiting the number of people who compete against us.

But I’m seeing more and more barriers to entry emerging in recruitment. This is good news if you’ve already got an agency, or if you’re planning to set up a business that will have the following advantages.

It makes me happy to see these barriers rising up, because it increases the opportunity for us to make recruitment more valued in the eyes of our clients. And when we’re more valued, it’s easier to win higher fees and more commitment from clients.

Here are three barriers to entry that I see, along with how you can make them work for you.

1. Relationships

It’s becoming significantly more challenging to reach clients and candidates. Landlines are dead, unknown calls are ignored, inboxes swamped by AI spam, and don’t get me started on the hot mess that is LinkedIn messaging.

In this world, having a network of people who answer your call is more valuable than ever. Building these trusted relationships takes time as well as consistently delivering value. Not easy for a new entrant, but there are huge rewards for you once you’ve created this network.

I see smart recruiters investing more in sector events to get themselves in front of their audience. They’re hosting niche sector podcasts, sharing smart insights on LinkedIn (and wherever their audience is), and building trusted brands. On top of this, they’re delivering remarkable, memorable work that means candidates and clients will take their call next time.

2. Experience

Having ‘seen it all before’ can be a superpower, and a strong barrier to keep potential competitors at bay. Your clients live in a shifting, challenging world and are often trying to do complex things for the first time. For example, expanding into new geographies, hiring remotely, adding AI products, and more.

While your clients are doing this for the first time, you’ve seen and supported many other similar businesses with this type of challenge. On top of providing the talent needed to succeed, you can also advise your clients on what to expect, pitfalls to avoid, and what other options they could consider. This is high-value consulting and advising work, and can be sold at a healthy premium.

You can’t simply say “we’ve got 100 years’ combined experience in our agency” (check your website now). You need to help your clients join the dots between your experience and the ways you can help them grow their businesses strategically.

3. Tech Strat

Your tech stack is almost certainly not acting as a barrier to entry. After all, your competitors can buy all the same software you have. But you can get an advantage by taking your understanding of your clients’ needs and applying your tech to strategically solve those problems.

This is much harder to copy, and can’t simply be bought off the shelf by a new agency in your sector. To do this you need to develop real clarity into what challenges your clients are facing and how you can create offerings that will help solve them.

If you’re offering a ‘solution’ because your CRM built something for all their users and told you to sell it, that’s not a barrier to entry - and it’s not creating real value for your clients.

When you take your unique knowledge and insights of your sector and then apply the right tech to deliver intelligent solutions, that’s when you’re creating huge value and putting up a barrier that your competitors will struggle to get over.

These three barriers to entry give me confidence that great recruiters will be able to command premium fees and develop stronger relationships with clients, even in the face of new competitors.

If you’re looking to understand more about how you can build your advantages and use them to win better business, simply reply to this email and we can talk.

Jon

P.S. I focused on new recruitment agencies and how they might challenge your business, but these points apply equally to threats from AI tools and other alternative providers.

The clearer you are on your value and what your clients’ actually need to be successful, the more likely you are to build a successful business yourself - no matter what new technology or competitor comes next.

If you’re looking to understand more about how you can build your advantages and use them to win better business, simply reply to this email and we can talk.

Matt talks about the importance of taking pride in recruitment, and how the perception of our industry is changing - even down to how his dad talks about what his son does for a living.

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We talk about how Matt has created a unified brand identity, and the importance of understanding the ‘why’ before rolling out a big change in a business.

We also talk about how large recruitment agencies can still be niche experts, how to balance standardised process and personal flair, and why Matt doesn’t believe in industrialising personality and emotional intelligence.

To listen to the episode, click here (Spotify) or here (Apple) - then click ‘follow’ to get every episode as soon as it goes live.

Jon

P.S. A big thank you to Atlas for sponsoring The Value of Recruitment Podcast. It takes time and resources to create a podcast, and the team at Atlas saw the value in supporting this one.

To learn more about how Atlas is creating an AI platform that helps recruitment agencies generate more placements with less effort, visit www.recruitwithatlas.com

The most amusing part of the negotiation is the discount calculator trick, when a stall holder produces a well-used calculator from their pocket and begins tapping away at the buttons while mumbling various reasons why they’re mashing the keypad. After a well-timed pause, they turn the calculator screen to you with a flourish to present their “final offer”.

Of course, you and I know this is all part of the show. Having put so much effort into working out your one-off, never-to-be-seen-again discount, they couldn’t possibly drop their price any lower. Except if you keep pushing, they probably can.

It’s all a bit of fun when you’re trying to buy a nice trinket to buy for your mum, but these tricks of the traders can seriously undermine your value when you’re negotiating with a client on a proper piece of recruitment.

But sadly this is how many clients see recruitment fee negotiations. They push a little, the recruiter drops their price for some reason (and sometimes no reason at all). They push again, and the price drops once more.

Clients are smart enough to realise that you’ve gone in with a high opening price so you have plenty of room to drop to the price you’d be happy with. But if you’re looking to build a consultative relationship built on trust, you’ve started off on the wrong foot.

And if you can’t justify why you’re agreeing to a reduced fee, it feels a lot like you’re mashing the keys on an old calculator before giving your client a number you were hoping for all along.

The good news: there is a better way. Creating a simple negotiation framework helps you and your consultants explain why you might agree to a discount - usually getting something in return from the client. Knowing you have a framework to follow also gives you confidence, which is priceless when you’re in a negotiation (think of the last time you negotiated without confidence; did you get what you wanted?).

A great framework identifies what your client values from a negotiation and what you value in return. The holy grail is finding something that is valuable to you but relatively easy for your client to agree to give away.

If you want more confidence and structure in your negotiations, simply drop me a line and I can a) review how you currently negotiate, and b) offer some easy-to-implement suggestions on how you can negotiate with more confidence.

Jon

P.S. Every recruiter I speak to wants to be more consultative with their clients. Which happens to mean more valuable too.

Your first negotiation with a new client is a chance for you to show them how you work. If your negotiations are nervous, subservient and appear untrustworthy then you’re putting the relationship at risk. If you appear confident, structured and consultative in agreeing a deal, you’re putting in place the foundations for a long and successful partnership.

If you want more confidence and structure in your negotiations, simply drop me a line and I can a) review how you currently negotiate, and b) offer some easy-to-implement suggestions on how you can negotiate with more confidence.

Timing matters.

Gym yesterday, can’t move my arms properly today. Which means the incredible writing will come next week (before the next gym session).

I can just about copy and paste, so in case it’s useful for you achieving your resolutions (maybe: get paid more; value what we do) here’s some insights from a couple of people who worked with me last month.

Greg Fischer:

Have you ever wondered if there's a gap between how much you charge and how much you're worth? I did, which is why I engaged Jon Brooks for an audit of our fee structure.

We learned our fees were about half of what they should be, and he helped us work-out a unique pricing model and positioning to justify them.

Jo Major:

Jon shared so many strategic ways I can get my pricing strategy shiz together - dead simple but I didn’t see it before!

It was one of the most useful conversations I've had in 2025!

Greg and Jo both posted about their experience, unprompted by me, on LinkedIn . Because understanding your value is something you want to shout about.

Both Greg and Jo began by booking a one-off value workshop with me to get tailored, expert advice on their current approach and recommendations for what they could improve.

If you’re interested in understanding the value you create for your clients, and how you can “get your pricing strategy shiz together” then simply reply to this email and I’ll explain how the value workshop can work for you.

Jon

P.S. You can click on Greg and Jo’s names above to see their full posts about how it feels to work on your pricing strategy and value what you do.

Keith has decades of experience in creating high-value solutions for his clients, and now he’s using AI to gather the insights his recruiters need to find exactly the right people for each role.

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In our conversation we talk about how recruitment has lost its value over the last few decades, and how we can take our place at the highest point in the value chain.

We also talk about the poor reputation of the industry being a barrier to great recruiters, and how we can educate hiring managers to create a better outcome for everyone.

Keith has a fascinating take on what great recruitment looks like now, and how it can become even more valuable in the near future.

To listen to the episode, click here (Spotify) or here (Apple) - then click ‘follow’ to get every episode as soon as it goes live.

Jon

P.S. A big thank you to Atlas for sponsoring The Value of Recruitment Podcast. It takes time and resources to create a podcast, and the team at Atlas saw the value in supporting this one.

To learn more about how Atlas is creating an AI platform that helps recruitment agencies generate more placements with less effort, visit www.recruitwithatlas.com

I spoke about why and how you can and should be increasing your fees in the next five years. I’m not sure many recruitment leaders in the audience believed me when I started speaking, but a lot of people came up to me afterwards saying they were confident they could improve what they charge.

Last week I explained why you need to double what you charge. This week, I’ll go through how you can actually do it.

So here’s how you need to double your fees by 2030:

1. The truth is out there

It feels pretty daunting, but I know you can do it - because it’s already happening.

The genius of The Handmaid’s Tale is that everything in that story exists somewhere in the world. The author just brought it all together to show how life could be very different.

All of the examples I’m going to share already exist. The exciting thing is that we can bring them together to double our fees.

2. ‘Merica

We don’t have to travel forwards in time to see UK recruiters increasing their fees. I worked with an agency in Scotland this year who pivoted their whole business to the US market, and have seen their average fee go up from £7,000 to $22,000.

Different markets and geographies value your work in different ways. Great recruiters in 2030 will find where their optimum value is, and reap the rewards.

3. Go East

Robots may be part of the workforce in Japan, but recruiting humans is big business too. 35-40% perm fees are normal, and 50% is not unheard of. There are cases where clients have offered recruiters 100% of the salary as a fee for particularly challenging, high value roles.

So if you’re worried about shifting your fees from 20% to 40%, remember that someone on the other side of the world is getting paid 100% fees for doing what you do.

Why are the fees so high? Demographics in Japan are different, with an aging population, less engagement on LinkedIn, and a harder to sell to candidates… which are all things that you will see more of in the coming years.

4. Tee off

Let’s learn from recruiters who make enough money to sponsor golf tours. Classic search firms are charging 33% of salary while most recruitment agencies charge one-third less. So yes, we can learn from that.

But they’re also charging on possible bonus. So a £200k role with a possible bonus of £200k means the fee is 33% of £400k. And if you do the maths on that… you realise you’ll make enough money to sponsor a golf tournament.

5. Olympian effort

Let’s not set our sights too low though. Some companies sponsor golf tournaments, others sponsor the Olympics. Let’s learn from consulting firms.

The good news is that we are already consultants. ‘Recruitment consultant’ - the clue’s in the name. Let’s focus more on the ‘consultant’. When I worked with an agency this year who wanted to go beyond recruitment, they gave me loads of examples of high value consultative value they’d created for their clients… and yet they’d charged for none of it.

6. Avoid a relegation battle

While we’re looking at getting paid more, let’s make sure you get paid for more of what you do.

Look at the Premium League table for last year. Spurs won 11 of their 38 games. Ask a Spurs fans how that felt. Answer: it felt awful. And that’s what contingent recruitment feels like. Winning less than 30% of the time.

Ditch the 70% of your work that doesn’t lead to fees. You’ll get paid for more, and you’ll have more time to focus on delivering value and great service.

Let’s do it

So, we know why we need to double our fees. And we know how to double our fees. Let’s just do it, right? Wrong.

Nike has so much to answer for. You can’t ‘just’ do it. Making a change like this is hard. It takes time, effort, investment, and then more time. But the payoff is huge. You can double your fees, work better business, and drop the work that doesn’t pay.

The good news: I’m here to help. I’ve worked with every type of recruitment agency - from big international brands to solo specialists, from NYC to SYD - and I’m here to help you.

The first step is a one-off ‘value workshop’ to help you understand where you are now, where the biggest opportunities are, and your best next steps. By the end of the session you’ll have practical actions you can put into place right away, plus an idea of how a bigger focus on value would transform your business.

To book your value workshop, simply reply to this email and I’ll explain how it works.

Jon

P.S. The event was event organised by a Spurs fan, so the Premier League table slide really hit home for them.

I often find that the recruitment leaders are less driven by improving their fees - although that’s a very handy side effect - and more interested in building their confidence in their value, and making sure they and their teams can be proud of the work they do.

Part of my value workshop is identifying what your motivations are for making a change, so I can recommend the right approach for you. There are hundreds of pricing models in the world of business, so to find the right one for you we need to know what good looks like for your future business.

To book your one-off value workshop, simply reply to this email and I’ll explain how it works.

This week I talked with Thomas Dove, founder and CEO of Fraser Dove International, a global life sciences search firm obsessed with quality of hire.

Tom defines his mission to be the most referred search firm in life sciences, and he explains how Fraser Dove’s ‘perfect process’ helps drive those referrals and creates life-changing value.

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In our conversation we talk about how Tom has built an ecosystem of products by identifying where his team adds value to clients, and then productising that approach to offer more value around everything related to search.

We also talk about how to balance story telling with data to communicate our value to clients and prospects, and Tom shares some fascinating insights into how to create high quality outcomes across a business.

To listen to the episode, click here (Spotify) or here (Apple) - then click ‘follow’ to get every episode as soon as it goes live.

Jon

P.S. A big thank you to Atlas for sponsoring The Value of Recruitment Podcast. It takes time and resources to create a podcast, and the team at Atlas saw the value in supporting this one.

To learn more about how Atlas is creating an AI platform that helps recruitment agencies generate more placements with less effort, visit www.recruitwithatlas.com

So with little control or time, in the dark with a laser light show (did I mention the venue was a futuristic Japanese bingo hall with a nightclub sound system?), I knew I needed a clear, memorable message that stood out from the crowd.

My message: you need to double what you charge by 2030.

I spoke about why and how you can and should be increasing your fees in the next five years. I’m not sure many recruitment leaders in the audience believed me when I started speaking, but a lot of people came up to me afterwards saying they were confident they could improve what they charge.

In today’s email I’ll explain why you need to double what you charge. Next week, I’ll go through how you can actually do it.

So here’s why you need to double your fees by 2030:

1. Hiring is broken

AI has thrown everything up in the air, and much of it has smashed into pieces on landing. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery using gold to make something more valuable than it was. You are positioned to fix hiring, and make it more valuable than ever before. And when you’re creating that much value, you can - and should - charge for it.

2. Easy has left the building

In the old days, clients could fill a job themselves, use a job board, or come to an agency. That meant you got a lot of ‘easy’ work. AI tools have complicated that picture, which means you’ll only be working the most difficult, more important roles. The more difficult and important something is, the more you can charge for it.

3. You are the highest emergency service

Clients bring us their most difficult, more important roles - and they don’t have anywhere else to go. AI companies aren’t building to solve the hardest work, they’re aiming for the biggest market (those ‘easy’ roles) to keep their investors happy. When clients bring you their most important roles, they have no alternative. And when you’re in demand, prices can and should go up.

4. Everyone looks older (even me)

An aging population in the UK means 1m more people are leaving the workforce than joining it this decade, and that’s going to get worse. For jobs where we need people, there’s going to be less people. Which means finding them is going to be harder. Which means your services will be more in demand. And when you’re in demand, prices can and should go up.

5. Hiring is still really hard

Money can’t buy you people. Mark Zuckerberg offered an AI genius $1bn (yes billion) to join Meta… and they said ‘no’. Companies need people with the skills to get candidates to say ‘yes’. That’s you. And when you’re in demand, prices can and should go up.

6. The alternative sucks

Do you really need to double your fees? Here’s what the alternative to doubling your fees is: you’re competing on price, against desperate competitors, and fighting for fewer jobs, while paying more for tech (yes, LinkedIn will put their prices up again)), and working twice as hard for less money.

So that’s why you need to double your fees by 2030. Next week I’ll explain how you can double your fees in the next five years. Spoiler: the answers already exist, you just need to bring them together to work for you.

If you can’t wait for next week (or want to get ahead of your competitors who might also be reading this…), simply reply to this email and we can talk about how you can improve your pricing.

Jon

P.S. A massive thank you to Simon Lewis from RecConnect for taking a leap of faith to put on such a crazy event. It pushed everyone - speakers, audience and organisers - outside their comfort zone. And that led to more creative, more valuable ideas and connections for everyone.

The overarching theme from all 12 speakers was that clients will value humans and trust when hiring - perhaps more than ever before. I love that there’s an opportunity for you to be more valuable than ever, and if you want help on that journey then drop me a line.

But when the devil we call contingent means we only get paid for 30% of the work we do (and sometimes lose everything at the final stage of the process), it’s worth seeing what change actually looks like.

After all, if you could genuinely charge more than your competitors and get your clients to pay you up front, that would be a change worth making.

An Aussie recruitment owner I worked with a little over a year ago messaged me out of the blue last week to share what his business looks like since working with me.

I’m pretty sure you’ll recognise some of the challenges he mentions, and you’ll get an idea of what happens when you make a change.

While we were doing okay as a business we were spending a huge volume of time on non-exclusive work and filling barely any of it, whilst filling most of our exclusive work (but not winning much of it due to fee concerns from potential clients and competitors undercutting us).

You gave me loads of value in the workshop, but there were two things that have made a ridiculous difference to our business.

1 - I thought we needed a cheap option to be competitive with other agencies in our space for budget conscious buyers.

You suggested that instead, why not make it clear to buyers that we are *not* the same as them and they do not compete with us, by increasing our lowest fee option to create a significant gap between us and them.

2 - You also suggested pushing for some of our fee to be paid upfront on every role, even as low as $500 or $1000, and to not explain it, just say “it’s how we work”.

As of circa March this year, we have only taken on roles that we’ve been paid a portion upfront for, we have said “no” to more work than ever, been enabled to deliver higher quality results than ever, made more money with less time investment than ever, and have filled 100% of the roles we have taken on for 8 months straight.

We have so much word-of-mouth work and repeat business coming through that we decided at the start of November we aren’t taking on any more work for the year (in order to fill everything we currently have on) and I’m already taking retainers for January. Due to higher fees, we’ve been able to deliver such a good product that the VC firms in Australia are reaching out to *me* to make sure we give their portfolio priority and ask what deals they can put in place with us.

I literally have not done ‘active’ BD or chased a role outbound since March. My pure focus now is creating awareness for who we are and why we are the go to when you face the problems we solve, that’s it.

There’s no doubt the market has picked up a bit but I genuinely can’t overstate the long term effects of our session. I estimate the ROI has been 200-300x, and we are a team of 3. Imagine if we were a team of 15 or 50.

So, yeah, thank you very, very much!

The three key wins I see from this are:

• A real focus on engaged clients paying upfront fees, leading to 100% fill rates

• Fewer, higher fees allow higher quality work to be done

• Shifting from being ‘one of many’ to being ‘in demand’ (no BD!)

What’s interesting is that these changes came from a single 90-minute Value Workshop with me. We worked through the agency owner’s challenges, identified opportunities, and I gave him the confidence to change his approach.

Now you might not be able to make such a big change after just one session. Sometimes I work with agency owners across a six workshop project, sometimes I’m with them for many months to help them make the change happen.

But I always start with a one-off Value Workshop to show you what’s possible. You can choose to run with my advice from there, or have me support you in making the change.

If you’re looking to get away from the devil you know, and move to a place where the grass really is greener, simply reply with the word ‘Value’ and I’ll explain how the Value Workshop can transform your business.

Jon

P.S. I usually describe my work as pricing strategy, but so much of the change in the example above came from a shift in mindset.

It’s hard for clients to see your value if you’re competing with low-cost competitors. And it difficult for you to say ‘no’ to bad business if you think you have to run harder and harder just to stand still.

One session with me will give you a chance to see your situation in a new light, and get an expert view on where your value really lies. I can show you how others have overcome the challenges you’re facing, and give you the confidence to make a huge impact to your business.

If you’re looking to get away from the devil you know, and move to a place where the grass really is greener, simply reply with the word ‘Value’ and I’ll explain how the Value Workshop can transform your business.

Words are cheap, devalued. And AI will churn them out faster and better (worse) than we ever could.

So how do you go beyond words? We have to prove our worth.

Here’s the thing. In my experience, many recruitment agencies do offer real value and have an approach that differentiates them from the competition.

So the problem is not being better. You don’t need to work harder, or buy more tech, or reach new markets.

What you need to do is get your clients to see your value.

Unfortunately clients are not going to spend more of their time listening to why you’re great. Added to that, your competitors can say anything you can. Because words are cheap.

In order to get your clients to see your value, you need to prove how good you are. And you need to prove it quickly, in a way that your clients can easily understand.

Prove it

So how do you prove how good you are when words are cheap? Here are three ways I advise recruitment agencies to showcase their true value.

1. Show don’t tell

The best proof of your value is to show the results you’ve delivered. I’ve seen some really powerful testimonials and case studies… but these are the exception. Most agencies need many more examples of how they’ve delivered real value.

Another way to show how you’re different is to build your offering around your strengths. If you excel in helping clients assess candidates, build a set of services that put assessments at the heart of what you offer.

2. Walk the walk

Your approach should run through everything you do. It’s easy to say you work consultatively, but if you always win business by firing out speculative CVs to cold contacts then it doesn’t ring true.

I worked with one recruitment agency who were pushing to win 50% of their work on a retained basis… but their TOBs still said they only charged a fee on placement. If you’re going to make a statement change to your business, make sure you’re thorough in changing the whole business otherwise you send mixed messages.

3. Engage

Make sure you’re creating an engaging, two-way conversation with clients when talking about value. Your clients can think about other things when you’re talking at them. You’re not asking them to do anything other than listen, which leaves their minds free to wander without consequence.

When you offer choices and options, the monologue becomes a conversation. They need to take part. If they’re not paying attention, they won’t know which option they should choose. And once they’re paying attention, they’re going to properly hear you prove your value.

The pay-off for taking the time to help your clients see your true value is huge: you can justify charging a premium, win business exclusively, and even position yourself to agree upfront fees.

If you want to know how you can show your value, I’ll review your pitch deck (or website) and send you a personalised ‘Value Review’ - just reply with your pitch desk or website address.

Jon

P.S. It’s incredibly hard to understand how others see us, in life and in business. That’s why getting an outside perspective can unlock some game-changing insights.

You know you’re offering loads of value to your clients, which makes it really hard for you to see what they see when you pitch your services. As an outsider, I can put myself in your clients’ shoes and tell you how they see you.

If you want to know how you can show your value, I’ll review your pitch deck (or website) and send you a personalised ‘Value Review’ - just reply with your pitch desk or website address.

Back in March, it seemed like every session at the Recruitment Agency Expo had AI in the title. At the Expo this October, the big theme was about adding value. AI hasn’t gone away for recruiters, but we’re focusing on the bigger picture: creating real value for our clients.

This is a critical conversation for recruitment leaders. Technology continues to take the ‘easy’ jobs, and new tools are appearing at an ever-faster rate. Agency revenue has gone backwards, and prices are under pressure. At the same time, clients are paralysed by uncertainty, frightened by the risks of hiring badly, and overwhelmed by AI-boosted applications.

What your clients need more than ever is a truly consultative hiring partner. If you can deliver that level of value, you have the ability to build a business more profitable than ever before.

But it’s not easy.

Of course, it is easy to stand on stage at an Expo and say we need to offer more value. It’s easy to hop on a podcast and say we need to be more consultative. But then it falls to you to transform your business into a high-value business. And that’s not easy.

There are no easy answers. But here’s a tip from my experience of creating high-value recruitment products that actually work.

Back when I was running the products team within Reed, I banned one word: ‘just’.

As in, “Let’s just run a quick trial” or “Could you just put together something simple we can start selling next month?”. At its core, this is a mindset thing. If you’re looking to make a big impact and transform your business, you can’t ‘just’ do something and expect results.

When you say ‘just’, you’re trying to convince yourself that it won’t take long, that it will work first time, that you can probably get all the answers you need from an AI prompt. ‘Just’ is saying this will be easy, we’ll get it done soon and then move onto the next thing.

But hard things take hard work. Now that’s an offputting thing to hear, but the good news is it stops most people from trying. If you are the one that tries - the one that really commits to the hard work of change - then you have a huge competitive advantage.

Most recruiters won’t make the transition to delivering the high-value services they need to win in the next five years. If you can, you stand head and shoulders above your competitors.

So, the work is hard. But the rewards are worth it. When you offer high-value services, you get greater commitment from your clients. You get treated as a trusted expert and approached for advice. Your clients are happy to pay a premium for your work, and that means you run a more profitable business.

If you want support in understanding how you add more value, I can’t ‘just’ pull a strategy off the shelf and tell you to follow it. What I can do is run an initial value workshop to understand where you are now and the change you’re trying to achieve, and then advise you on the direction you can take to achieve your goal. If you’re going to commit to a hard journey, it’s good to have confidence that you’re pointing in the right direction.

Jon

P.S. There’s an irony that hard work is easier to do in hard times. Most recruiters have been through a tough couple of years, and there’s a natural temptation to wait for the good times to return before changing how you do things.

But change is much harder when things are going well. If the work is flowing in and clients are keeping you busy, it’s hard to find time to commit to real change. There is also the question of how much the market has changed. By building something new - better - in tough times, you create a vehicle that creates new and better opportunities.

If you want support in understanding how you add more value, I can’t ‘just’ pull a strategy off the shelf and tell you to follow it. What I can do is run an initial value workshop to understand where you are now and the change you’re trying to achieve, and then advise you on the direction you can take to achieve your goal. If you’re going to commit to a hard journey, it’s good to have confidence that you’re pointing in the right direction.