How She Wins $100K Placements (Without Chasing Volume)

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: 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: 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
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