My Pricing

45 day engagement: $9,900 plus the cost of running and Indeed.com ad (at cost, no markup):

I work for 45 days running the hiring process as if I am your trusted business advisor.

I cannot control who applies, or whether the perfect candidate happens to be looking at the exact right time. What I can control is the quality of the process: how the role is positioned, how candidates are screened, how quickly we respond, and how thoughtfully each candidate is evaluated.

I don’t run a recruiting agency. I’m simply a former CertaPro “big shop” owner with 21 years of experience hiring, managing, training, and learning from real staff decisions.

You are hiring me as a consultant to bring 21 years of real-world hiring experience into your process.

During our 45-day engagement, I’ll define the role, position the ad, screen applicants, evaluate candidates, and guide you in making more informed hiring decisions.

What if we don’t have a candidate after 45 days?

I am happy to stay on at a rate of $4,500 per month after the 45 days. But in my experience, 45 days is plenty of time to source a few strong candidates as long as the following factors aren’t in play (click on each triangle to expand).

Local market factors and challenging geography

Larger metro areas usually have more active candidates and smaller and rural markets usually have less and require longer cycles.
High-cost-of-living areas have fewer candidates for mid-range paying jobs.

Longer commute times reduce our candidate pool when we must draw from lower-cost-of-living or more densely populated areas.

Below market compensation and/or benefits.

I will advise you on the right compensation for your market and will not work with Clients who are paying below market because our success will be limited.
I do not take clients who only offer “commission-only” – there must be a healthy base salary to advertise. Commission must be paired with a decent base salary.

When health benefits and a company car (for roles that require a local travel) are not offered, the search will naturally take longer
Real-life examples of how compensation affects candidate behavior:
- With a base salary of $65k + commission advertised, we were able to secure a CSA in a large metro market in about 5 weeks.
- With a base salary of $30k + commission, we had almost no RSA interest and had to raise the base salary to $50k to finally attract candidates in a small “regional” city. This took extra time and cost more to re-run the ad on Indeed. The whole search took about 3 months.
- With a salary of $80k + 0.25% bonus on every job produced, we were able to hire a Production Manager in about 2 weeks in a suburb of Boston.
Base salary serves as an anchor for candidates reading an Indeed ad. Most candidates assume the commission and bonus might be difficult to earn.
Staying within your budget with a higher base salary:
- In many cases, advertising a higher base salary and slightly lowering the commission structure can improve candidate response, without increasing your overall compensation budget.
  - For example, an ad that reads:
    $65,000 base salary + uncapped commission (total earnings $75,000–$90,000+)
    often attracts stronger candidates than
    $75,000–$90,000+ total compensation (base + uncapped commission)
    
    Even when the total earning potential is the same, candidates tend to respond at a higher rate when there is a guaranteed base salary for two reasons:
    - When a role is advertised with a base salary, it signals stability and legitimacy to candidates.
    - Many sales roles promise high earning potential with no base advertised, and experienced candidates are savvy enough to recognize that these positions are often high-pressure or require door-to-door sales.

“Unicorn” candidates

Roles requiring rare combinations of skills, experience, or personality traits. These candidates are typically high performers who are already employed, often promoted internally, and frequently counter-offered when recruited. These roles normally require a headhunter who sources the candidate through outreach and then convinces them to leave their current company. I am not a head hunter and do not source candidates through outreach.

Multiple stakeholders

When two or more business owners are involved, timelines lengthen and coordination increases to keep candidates engaged.

Already found a candidate, but want an experienced second set of eyes?

For $495 per candidate, I provide a Candidate Advisory Review designed to surface strengths, watch-outs, and real-world fit before you move forward.