What if your next placement paid $100,000…

…but took two years to close?

Most recruiters, especially in contingency recruiting or running a recruitment agency, wouldn’t go near that model.

Darci Smith built her entire business around it.

She specializes in moving financial advisors between firms, often transferring hundreds of millions in assets. These are high-stakes, long-cycle deals where trust matters more than speed.

In this episode, Darci breaks down how she makes it work. From charging a $5,000 upfront fee, to building a social following that generated $150K in year one, to positioning herself so clients find her through AI search.

This is a different way to build a recruitment business. Slower deals. Bigger fees. Stronger relationships.

What You’ll Learn

Chapters

00:00:00 Why $100K placements take years to close
00:04:09 How Darci got into recruiting
00:09:01 Becoming a top biller through in-person meetings
00:14:25 Choosing a niche with no prior experience
00:18:43 Starting her business with cold calling
00:24:49 How financial advisor transition fees work
00:31:01 Building a 300K+ social following
00:32:16 Making $150K from career coaching
00:44:35 The power of niching down
00:47:35 How she gets found on ChatGPT
00:49:49 The $5K upfront “contained” model
00:55:39 Staying involved after the placement

This episode is brought to you by:
Recruiterflow — an AI-first ATS and CRM that monitors your database and alerts you when contacts change jobs. Book a demo: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow

Trusted Voice Video — a done-for-you video service that helps you create 30 days of content in just 30 minutes a month. Book a free strategy call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/video

Connect with Mark Whitby:

* Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session
* Free scorecard: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard
* Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markwhitby
* Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

👍 If you found this episode useful, subscribe for weekly interviews with top recruitment business owners and search firm leaders.

#recruitment #recruiter #executivesearch #recruitmentbusiness #staffing #recruitmentpodcast #recruitmentcoach #sales #b2b