I run one search at a time — and I run it like the hire is mine.
Most recruiters send you CVs. I carried the quota, built the teams, and made the hire myself — so I know the difference between a seller who looks good on paper and one who will actually hit the number in your market. Here is exactly how I work, and why it beats volume.
The operator difference
I spent 25+ years in enterprise IT sales before I ever ran a search. I carried a bag, hit 200% of quota at Legato, won Brocade's EMEA revenue award, and launched five US technology vendors into Europe as one of the first people on the ground. I have sat on both sides of the table — the hiring manager making the decision, and the candidate being pitched.
That is not a line on an About page. It is the reason I can read a CV the way your hiring manager does, qualify a seller on real sales motion instead of keywords, and — just as important — convince a top performer to take your call when they were not even looking.
A volume headhunter cannot do either. That is the whole difference.
How a search actually runs
Every engagement is retained and exclusive. I take one search, I own it end to end, and I commit to a timeline.
1. Calibration — Day 0–2
We define the role for real — not the job description, but the profile that will actually succeed given your stage, your buying centre and your go-to-market motion. If the profile you are asking for is not the profile you need, I will tell you in the first 30 minutes.
2. Direct outreach — Day 1–10
No job boards. No LinkedIn spam. I go straight to the passive top performers in a network built over 19 years — the people who never answer a contingency recruiter — and I sell them your opportunity.
3. Qualified shortlist — Day 5–10
You get a short list of people I have personally vetted on sales capability, motion fit and culture. Not a stack of forwarded CVs for you to sift.
4. Process and close — Day 14–45
I manage the process on both sides — preparation, feedback, expectations, offer — so candidates do not ghost and deals do not fall apart at the finish line.
5. The guarantee
Every placement carries a 6-month replacement guarantee. 97% of the people I place are still there after a year, many after two to four.
Why this beats volume
The real cost of a wrong sales hire is six figures — plus 9–18 months you do not get back. The honest comparison: