Lead Generation for Recruiters: Building Client Pipeline

Recruiting is a relationship business, but relationships do not scale. The agencies growing fastest are supplementing their referral network with systematic outbound to companies that are actively hiring in their specialty.

The Recruiting Client Acquisition Problem

Most recruiting agency founders have the same story. They start with referrals. Business is great for two years. Then a downturn hits, referrals dry up, and they realize they have no systematic way to generate new client relationships.

The problem with referrals is not quality. Referred clients are great. The problem is volume and predictability. You cannot control when referrals come in. You cannot scale referrals to match your growth targets. And when the market softens, referrals disappear exactly when you need them most.

The Outbound Opportunity for Recruiters

The data you need to identify potential recruiting clients is uniquely accessible. Companies signal their hiring needs publicly through job postings. This creates a natural targeting mechanism that does not exist in most B2B categories.

The formula is simple: Find companies posting jobs in your specialty. Reach out to the hiring authority. Offer to help them fill those roles faster and with better candidates. The timing is perfect because the need is already confirmed and current.

What to Verify for Recruiting Leads

• Job posting is still active. Companies take down postings when they fill roles, go on hiring freeze, or change priorities. A posting from 60 days ago might already be filled. Verify it is current.
• Hiring authority identified. The person posting the role is not always the person who engages a recruiting agency. Identify and verify the VP, Director, or Head of the relevant department.
• Company is not using a competing agency. Where possible, check if the company has mentioned working with another recruiting firm recently. Not a dealbreaker, but useful context.
• Company size suggests agency willingness. Very small companies (under 20 employees) often hire through personal networks. Very large companies often have internal recruiting teams. The sweet spot for agency outreach is typically 50-500 employees.
• Fee budget available. Revenue signals and company stage indicate whether a company can afford agency-level recruiting fees (typically 20-25% of first-year salary).

Results from Verified Recruiting Leads

Recruiting agencies using VerifiedByTed for client acquisition typically see:

• 20-30 new client meetings per month
• 4-8 new client relationships per quarter
• Average placement fee of $18,000-$25,000
• ROI of 15-25x on lead data investment

One new client relationship per month from verified leads pays for the entire annual investment. Everything beyond that is margin.