Send us a text

Steve Tolen has spent over 20 years helping recruiters and leaders grow stronger, more sustainable businesses. 

In this episode, he shares his Five Before the Call methodology, a modern approach to business development built on personal branding, LinkedIn mastery, AI, video content, and real-world networking. Packed with practical tips on owning your niche, building trust, and creating long-term client relationships, this is essential listening for anyone serious about winning in recruitment.

Support the show

· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io

Send us a text

From launching businesses from scratch to guiding recruitment leaders toward sustainable growth, Steve Tolen has spent more than 20 years honing his approach to business development. In this episode, he opens up about the strategies, mindset, and hard-won lessons that have shaped his career in one of the most competitive industries in Australia.

Steve breaks down his Five Before the Call methodology, a modern BD framework built on five essentials: personal branding, LinkedIn mastery, smart AI integration, compelling video content, and genuine in-person networking. It’s a system designed to create multiple, high-value touchpoints before a single call is made, making conversations warmer, deeper, and far more productive.

But this isn’t just about tactics. Steve shares why patience, authenticity, and playing the long game will always outperform a transactional approach. He walks us through his five-step sales process: attract attention, increase engagement, build rapport and trust, co-create opportunity, and only then close, explaining why skipping the early steps is the fastest way to fail.

We also explore how to own your niche, handle objections, strengthen long-term client relationships, and communicate value across all levels of seniority. Steve’s take on praising competitors instead of tearing them down is a masterclass in relationship-first business.

Whether you’re building your recruitment career or refining your BD strategy, this episode offers a clear blueprint for standing out, winning trust, and building a business that lasts.

Support the show

· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io

Send us a text

Support the show

· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io

Send us a text

How do high-performing recruiters build desks that last in a market driven by noise, speed, and short-term wins? Mike Dickson from [axr] Recruitment & Search, a recruitment veteran with over 30 years of experience across Scotland, New Zealand, and Australia, shares the real playbook behind long-term success in sales and marketing recruitment.

Mike didn’t just fall into a high-performing desk. He built one through strategic niche focus, consistent value creation, and an obsession with doing the basics better than anyone else. While others chase volume, Mike focuses on depth—spending more time in front of clients and candidates, leading meetings with the right questions, and positioning himself as a trusted market expert.

His approach to objection handling is simple but powerful: keep asking why until you uncover the real concern. His approach to retained recruitment? Make the value so clear that the client doesn’t hesitate. And his philosophy on KPIs? It’s not about the number of calls—it’s about how many real conversations you're having and the impact they drive.

Mike also reveals how content assets like podcasts, salary guides, and tailored reports build brand equity over time and keep you top-of-mind with the clients you want. His practical frameworks for structuring meetings, managing objections, and building lasting relationships offer a refreshing take on what real recruitment success looks like.

If you're building your desk or preparing to launch your own agency, this episode is packed with lessons that will help you shift from being reactive to becoming a consistent, high-value operator. 

Support the show

· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io

Send us a text

Support the show

· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io

Send us a text

How do you build Australia's fastest growing manufacturing and logistics recruitment agency from scratch in just two years? Sam Hope and Jory Humphreys the dynamic duo behind H People, reveal their remarkable journey from startup hustlers to recruitment powerhouse.

The secret to their meteoric rise? Relentless outbound activity. When launching their blue-collar temp agency, Sam and Jory weren't waiting for AI to generate leads—they were grinding through 50-100 cold calls daily. Their disciplined approach to "market mapping" specific geographic territories created a systematic blueprint that they've successfully replicated across multiple locations.

"Activity breeds activity" isn't just a catchphrase for these recruitment entrepreneurs; it's the foundation of their business model. Their consultants target 30 connected BD calls daily while implementing the ingenious "five up, five down" door-knocking strategy that turns single client meetings into multiple business development opportunities.

What sets H People apart from competitors isn't just their hustle—it's their strategic focus. Rather than promising unrealistic outcomes or compromising on margins, they've built enduring client relationships through honest communication and consistent delivery. Their integration of offshore resources with Australian consultants has created a powerful operational model that frees up 30-40 hours weekly for revenue-generating activities.

Whether you're launching your own recruitment venture or looking to supercharge your existing desk, this episode delivers actionable insights on geographic targeting, maintaining margins, relationship management, and building a sustainable recruitment business. Connect with Sam and Jory on LinkedIn to continue the conversation and learn how consistent activity can transform your recruitment results.

Support the show

· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io

Send us a text

Support the show

· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io

Send us a text

In this episode of Confessions of a Recruiter, we explore the core pillars of business development: lead generation and prospecting, discovery calls, job briefs and needs analysis, objection handling, and trust building. A key focus is placed on how recruiters can use personal branding and video content as powerful tools for generating leads and building credibility.

Harvey Rivers and Adam Powell join us to share how they went from agency recruiters to launching HARWELL, a seven-figure recruitment business built in just two years on the Gold Coast.

From high-volume outreach in the early days to a more refined, relationship-led approach, they break down their frameworks for discovery calls, handling objections (including their ANOT method), and fee negotiations. They also share how they confidently secure 50 percent retainers upfront by demonstrating clear and compelling value to clients.

For recruiters looking to level up or start their own agency, this episode offers practical advice, tested strategies, and valuable insights into what it takes to build a recruitment business with purpose and impact.

Support the show

· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io

Send us a text

Support the show

· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io

Send us a text

When Douglas Robertson founded DR Analytics Recruitment, he didn't just create another recruitment agency—he tackled the fundamental isolation problem in the data analytics industry. Having worked as a data analyst himself, Douglas recognized that professionals were trapped in organizational silos, missing crucial knowledge-sharing opportunities in a field that moves faster than most can keep up with.

Beginning with just 22 people gathered in a Perth bar, Douglas' community-building approach has transformed into something remarkable. His quarterly "inner join" events now draw substantial crowds, connecting data specialists, leaders, and businesses across the ecosystem. As Douglas explains with refreshing candor, "The data world is often very siloed... What about someone else who's got the same problem, but they're using different software?" This simple insight drives everything his agency does.

The podcast reveals surprising nuggets about the Perth data landscape—like how 95% of the market uses Power BI rather than Tableau—and practical advice for professionals navigating career development in this rapidly evolving space. We laugh about Douglas' serendipitous entry into data analytics (thanks to a conversation with his barista) and explore the vulnerability even confident networkers feel when entering a room full of strangers.

What sets Douglas' approach apart is his balanced philosophy toward business growth. Maintaining strict boundaries between recruitment activities and community building, he shares specific metrics that keep his business on track while nurturing the wider data community. His distinction between "inner purpose" (finding contentment regardless of circumstances) and "outer purpose" (building his agency) offers wisdom for any entrepreneur.

With a rebrand on the horizon and plans to "uplift data literacy across Australia," Douglas' story demonstrates how authentic community-building creates both business success and meaningful industry impact. Whether you're a data professional, a recruiter, or building your own business, this conversation provides valuable insights into connecting people around shared challenges.

Subscribe to Confessions of a Recruiter for more authentic conversations with industry leaders who are transforming their fields through innovative approaches to talent and community.

Support the show

· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io