Dave Veres started at Aerotech in September 1994. He was 22, fresh off four years as an all-conference shortstop at Michigan State, and he didn't know how to spell the company name. He got on a plane to Baltimore for training and called his parents after three days. They asked what the job was. He told them he didn't know — but it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen.

What followed was 27 and a half years at one company. From entry-level recruiter to running national sales and enterprise accounts across automotive, defense, and government — while that company scaled into the largest privately held staffing firm in the country.

This episode is the blueprint for how he did it.

The through-line is what Dave calls diagnosis-based selling. Not transactional. Not even question-based. Diagnosis. The difference: question-based selling asks what a client needs today. Diagnosis-based selling understands where a client sits in their product life cycle, predicts what they'll need three months from now, and positions talent before the req ever exists. That shift — from reactive to predictive — is what made Dave the call people made when the stakes were too high.

He breaks down how he cracked Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai when Aerotech already owned GM, Ford, and Chrysler — by becoming the expert in markets his own company didn't yet understand. He talks about stumbling into defense staffing almost by accident: a colleague drives past a shipyard, asks one right question, and six months later they're running $500,000 a week in spread with 1,800 contractors in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He was grumbling about 4am traffic until he started seeing soldiers at the airport. That moment rewired something. After that, it wasn't headhunting anymore.

He talks about the long game on relationships — the HR generalist you place today is the VP of People who calls you in seven years, and most recruiters blow that window without realizing it. He talks about navigating enterprise accounts where no single person signs the deal. And he talks about what it actually takes to build a culture where people stay and grow.

Thirty years in. Still loves it. This is why.

What you'll learn:

The difference between question-based and diagnosis-based selling — and how to shift
How to use product life cycle mapping to break into new industries
Why candidates you place today are your best future clients
How to find the real decision maker in an enterprise account
The first three moves to make to change your sales approach in 30 days
How AI should be used to keep recruiting human — not replace it

Sponsor:

🎙️ Atlas — AI-first recruitment platform built to eliminate admin Atlas captures every conversation and turns it into something you can use. Ask your entire database questions like "Who mentioned they're open to relocating?" and get instant answers. Atlas customers have reported 40%+ EBITDA growth and 80%+ increase in monthly billings. Try it free → https://recruitwithatlas.com

🎯 This Is Your Year — Recruiter Summit (April 27th, live sessions are FREE) https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/

💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community — $49/month, cancel anytime https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community

📬 Newsletter → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe

📺 YouTube → https://youtu.be/vA2pQmrkZc0

🔗 Connect with Dave → https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveveres/

📧 Email Dave → dveres@sparkcompanies.com

🌐 Benjamin Mena → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/

🔗 Benjamin on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/

📸 Benjamin on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/