How do you win more retained recruitment business, overcome objections to upfront fees, and build a more profitable recruitment model?

In this episode of The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast, I'm joined by Louise Archer, CEO and founder of Retrained Search. Louise helps recruitment businesses move beyond contingent recruitment by improving how they sell, structure, and deliver retained search.

We break down how to identify clients who need a retained solution, handle objections to upfront fees, structure milestone payments, and protect projects with clear terms and client commitment.

Topics Discussed:

✅ Why recruiters struggle to sell retained recruitment and the misconceptions holding them back

✅ How to identify clients who genuinely need a retained solution

✅ Why better questioning and diagnosing client pain points are essential to winning business

✅ How to articulate the value of retained recruitment

✅ The benefits of retained recruitment for clients, candidates and recruitment businesses

✅ How to structure retained fees, including commencement payments and milestones

✅ Why you should never guarantee a placement and what you should commit to instead

✅ Why winning retained business and delivering it require different skillsets

✅ How to get 1% better in recruitment by diagnosing the problem before prescribing the solution

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction & Louise Archer's Background in Retained Search

02:09 – Louise's Journey From Contingent to Retained Recruitment

04:32 – Why Recruiters Have Misconceptions About Retained Business

08:50 – Why Recruiters Struggle to Articulate Their Retained Offering

10:53 – How to Start Building a Retained Recruitment Model

13:13 – Diagnosing Client Problems Before Selling a Solution

15:34 – Why the Contingent Model Can Fall Short for Clients

17:55 – Why You Should Never Guarantee a Placement

20:09 – Using Better Questions to Sell Retained Recruitment

23:30 – Why Recruitment Sales Should Be Based on Solution Selling

25:28 – Productising Your Retained Recruitment Offering

29:37 – The Benefits of Retained Recruitment for Clients and Candidates

34:25 – Learning to Sell Retainers Through Experience

36:42 – When Contingent Recruitment Is Still the Right Option

38:26 – How to Structure Retained Fees and Milestone Payments

42:55 – Why You Cannot Guarantee a Placement

44:49 – The Problem With 100% Placement Guarantees

47:53 – Why Winning Retained Business and Delivering It Require Different Skills

51:36 – Building a Separate Delivery Function

54:14 – Retained vs Engaged Recruitment Models

58:28 – Why You Should Never Take Less Than a Third on Commencement

01:01:15 – What Happens If a Client Receives CVs From Another Agency?

01:03:34 – Exclusivity, Client Commitment and Protecting the Search

01:07:34 – Why Retained Projects Need Clear Guardrails and Frustration Clauses

01:12:02 – Getting Your Terms of Business Right

01:13:52 – Louise's Advice for Getting 1% Better in Recruitment: Diagnose First

🐋 Podcast Sponsor – SourceWhaleThis episode is sponsored by SourceWhale, the recruitment productivity platform I personally use and recommend to recruiters and founders.

SourceWhale helps recruiters save time across outreach, sourcing, data enrichment, multi-step email and LinkedIn sequences, inbox management and call notes, giving recruiters more time to focus on the human side of recruitment.

👉 Book a SourceWhale demo here: https://sourcewhale.com/book-demo/?ut…Mention The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast or my name, Charles Kyriakou, when you book.

Connect with Louise:

💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise–archer/

Connect with Me:

💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/

📲 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou

🌐 Podcast Website: https://www.the1percentbetterecruitmentpodcast.com/

🌐 Coaching & Training: https://www.inf1nitelearning.com/

👨🏽‍💻 Book 30mins with me: https://calendar.app.google/Xv3UaCGZ66Luu5f5A