I run one search at a time — and I run it like the hire is mine.

A smiling man with grey hair and a beard, dressed in a light grey suit and blue tie, stands outdoors with trees blurred in the background.

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.

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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 search is retained. Most are exclusive; where you want to keep other channels open, there is a hybrid model. I take one search, I own it end to end, and I commit to a timeline.

1. Calibration: Day 0 to 2

We define the profile that will succeed in your setup, which is rarely the job description. I look at three levels: your market and stage, the team and manager the person joins, and the person you need. 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 to 10

Your TA team has LinkedIn Recruiter and AI matching too, so a list of names is worth little. I go straight to the passive top performers in a network built over 19 years, people who never answer a contingency recruiter, and I sell them your opportunity. Getting a top seller who isn't looking to take that call is the part no tool does.

3. Qualified shortlist: Day 5 to 10 (scarce technical profiles: 2 to 4 weeks)

You get a short list of people I have personally vetted on sales capability, motion fit and culture, and on how they will fit your team and your market phase. No stack of forwarded CVs to sift.

4. Process and close: Day 14 to 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 written replacement guarantee, standard 6 months. In 19 years I have needed it six times. 97% of the people I place are still there after a year, many after two to four.

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Why this beats volume

A wrong sales hire costs six figures, plus 9 to 18 months you do not get back. McKinsey found that 27 to 46 percent of executive transitions are seen as failures or disappointments two years in. Often the CV matched the job spec perfectly. What failed was the fit with the team, the manager or the market phase. The honest comparison:

Volume / contingency headhunter
Nordh Executive Search
Sourcing
✗ Job boards, LinkedIn and AI matching: the same profiles your own TA team can pull up
✓ Confidential direct outreach to passive A-players from a network built over 19 years, and the trust to get them on a call
Assessment
✗ CV checked against the job spec by someone who never carried a quota
✓ Fit checked on three levels: your market and stage, the team and the manager, the person. Judged by an operator who carried quota and hired sellers himself
Focus
✗ Many roles at once; first to submit wins
✓ One exclusive search, run properly
Incentive
✗ Paid only on placement → fill fast, not right
✓ Retained + 6-month guarantee → aligned to the hire that stays
Candidate experience
✗ Transactional; ghosting
✓ A sparring partner, prep calls, honesty. 97% stay 12+ months
What you get
✗ A pile of CVs; you do the vetting
✓ The one right person, de-risked; a six-figure bad hire avoided
280+
Placements
97%
12-month retention
19
Years executive search
25+
Years IT sales
7+
Countries
Manager Magazin
Top-Experte 2025
FAQ

Questions I get before we start

What makes an operator-led search different from a normal recruiter?
I carried a sales quota for 25+ years and was the hiring manager myself before I ran searches. So I qualify a seller on real sales motion, not keywords. And I can convince a passive top performer to take your call, which a CV-forwarding recruiter can't.
Why use a search firm when AI tools and LinkedIn can find candidates?
Because finding names stopped being the hard part years ago. Your TA team has the same tools I have. The hard part is judging whether a seller who performed at a large vendor will deliver in your market, your team and your stage, and getting that person to move when they are not looking. That judgment comes from 25+ years of carrying a quota and hiring sellers myself. It is what you pay for, and 97% of my placements still in the role after a year is the result. I use AI for preparation and research. Every assessment and every recommendation is mine.
Why do senior sales hires fail even when the CV fits?
McKinsey found that 27 to 46 percent of executive transitions are seen as failures or disappointments two years in. In sales the CV is rarely the reason. A seller who did well with a big brand, inbound demand and a large presales team can struggle in a 12-person company where he has to open every door alone. So before I present anyone I check three things: your market and stage, the team and the manager the person joins, and the person's own track record and motivation. A candidate has to fit all three.
Why a specialist solo advisor instead of a large search firm?
At large firms a junior often runs your mandate, not the senior you met. With me, the person you hire runs every phase: briefing, research, outreach, assessment, close. For hard-to-fill senior sales roles that is the advantage, not a compromise. And continuity is handled: a defined backup arrangement, a written replacement guarantee (standard: 6 months), and the bulk of the fee due only when your hire signs.
How fast is a retained search?
Most retained sales searches deliver a qualified shortlist in 5 to 10 days and a signed offer in 14 to 45. Scarce technical profiles take 2 to 4 weeks to a first shortlist. I reach passive candidates directly rather than waiting on applications.
Do you work on contingency?
Not for first-in-region or senior sales hires. Those roles need committed, exclusive focus, so I run them retained. It's the only way the hard searches actually close.
Which roles do you place?
IT sales talent across cybersecurity, AI, SaaS, cloud and enterprise storage: Account Executives, Sales/Presales Engineers, Forward Deployed Engineers, Country Managers and VP-level sales leaders, across DACH and the Nordics.
What happens if the hire doesn't work out?
Every placement carries a written replacement guarantee, standard 6 months. If they leave or are let go for performance within that period, I run the replacement at no additional fee. In practice, 97% of the people I place are still there after a year.
Do you cover the Nordics as well as DACH?
Yes. Germany, Austria and Switzerland, plus Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. I grew up in Sweden and run searches in both regions.