Stand Up Recruitment runs a 3-stage client acquisition pipeline. Every lead moves through the same structure -- no shortcuts, no skipped stages.

Script:
“Pretty easy today, I just gotta see what's happening over there and see if we can actually help.”
“If we can help I'll walk you through what we do and if I can't I'll tell you straight away — all good?”

Open Strong:
“What’s making you look into getting [trade] from New Zealand and not Australia?”
“How long have you been struggling to find good [trade]?”
“What have you already tried to fill these roles?”
“Why do you think that didn’t work?”
“How is not having these [trade] affecting your business?”

(If at any point their answers are too shallow — anywhere in this section — rotate between:) “Can you tell me more about that?” / “Can you give me an example of that?”

“What would having your team fully staffed with [trade] let you do that you can't do right now?”
“How quickly do you want to get these roles filled, is this priority?”

Script:
“It sounds like you've got the same problem as most [trade] businesses right now — you've got all the work and no workers.”
“You've been trying to sort this for [time period]. You've tried [what they said], and every time it's [why it failed, their words].”
“And because of that, [pain consequence, their words].”
“And if that keeps going, it's not getting any easier.”
“That about right?”

Script:
“Cool, look, that's exactly what we solve.”

Script:
“So what makes us different than everything you've already tried? We open up a whole new country of talent — because you already know you can't find these guys locally. You've already tried, right?” (Rhetorical — no pause, keep moving regardless of response.)
“When we solve the staff issue, what would actually change for you?” (Let them answer, in their own words — reflect back whatever they actually say, don't supply a generic outcome. Pause — genuine space here, let it land.)
“When we fix those things, your business stops leaving money on the table.” (Pause)
“We currently have [trade] ready to go, who are qualified and not being fought over by every other business around you. But most importantly, they've made a decision to uproot their whole lives — moving their families to Australia — which means they show up with a different mindset. They want to join a company long term. They want to be looked after, paid on time, and just show up and do a hard day's work and go home. That's all they're after.”
“How does that sound to you?” (Wait for a real answer — this is a genuine question, not rhetorical.)
“From here the process is simple.”

• Once we've received a job description from you,
• We send you CVs that match exactly what you need.
• You interview the ones you like and choose your preferred candidate.
• Once the contract is signed, we handle the relocation support so they hit the ground running.

“So that's how it works, easy and straightforward” (pause half a beat, just so they take it in.. then go straight into next line) And here's how we protect you.

“If the hire doesn't work out for any reason — he doesn't have the skills or he just doesn't fit in with the team — we'll replace them. No drama and no extra cost to you.”
“Now we've got that in place for four months, but I can guarantee you it's not going to take you four months to figure out if someone is a good fit, right?”
“That all clear?”

“Most of our clients offer the candidate some sort of temporary accommodation — whether that’s four weeks in an Airbnb, or something like Flatmates.com. Is that something you’re open to for the right candidate?” (Wait for response.)
“Okay, cool, no worries.”

Script:
“In terms of investment its $17K,
We split this into two payments — one payment made on a signed employment contract and the second a week after they start.”
“Does that payment structure work for you”
“Is there anything stopping us from getting started today?”
“Cool, we're ready to get started then.”

Script:
“Look, the next step is simple. I'm gonna send you over an email straight after this call. In that email there's two things I need returned before we can get started:”

1. A signed copy of the Terms of Business, which has everything we just discussed in here, black and white, easy to understand.
2. A job description — fill that out, put the skills and experience you need this [trade] to have.

“As soon as I get those back from you, we can get started.” (wait for the response)
“Awesome — when do you think I would have that signed copy back?”
“Great — I’ll get that email over to you now. Looking forward to getting you sorted with these [trade] and helping the business grow.”

Purpose: generate additional opportunities from every sales conversation.

Script:
“Hey, just one quick question before you go. Who else do you know who's dealing with the same staffing issues that I may be able to help?” (Pause) (If they mention someone) “Perfect. Are you OK introducing us through email?”

Standup Recruitment — Internal Training Document

This document is your training guide for every client call. It explains not just what to say, but why you say it and what you are trying to achieve at each stage.

Read it carefully. Study it. The goal is not to memorise lines robotically — it is to understand the purpose behind each stage so deeply that the conversation feels natural.

The call script is the skeleton. This document is everything underneath it.

THE RULE Deliver this calmly and casually. Do not sound rehearsed. Wait for the client to agree before moving on.

Why This Stage Matters

The moment a business owner picks up the phone from a salesperson, their guard goes up. They are expecting to be pitched, pressured, or sold something they do not need.

Your first job is to disarm that resistance before it builds.

By telling the client upfront that this is a simple fact-finding conversation — and that you will tell them straight away if you cannot help — you immediately separate yourself from every other salesperson they have dealt with. This openness builds trust before the conversation has even started.

The “All good?” at the end is not a throwaway line. It is the first small agreement of the call. When the client says yes, they have mentally committed to having an honest conversation with you. That small yes matters — it shifts them from guarded to open. Do not rush past it.

The Script

• “Pretty easy today, I just gotta see what's happening over there and see if we can actually help.”
• “If we can help I'll walk you through what we do and if I can't I'll tell you straight away — all good?”

THE RULE Do not move on until you clearly understand the problem, how long it has been going on, what they have already tried, and what it is costing the business.

Why This Stage Matters

This is the most important stage of the entire call. Everything that comes after it depends on what you uncover here.

You are not just asking questions to fill in a form. You are helping the business owner clearly see and articulate the real cost of their staffing problem — many of them have never sat down and actually worked it out.

There are four things you must uncover before moving on:

• What roles they are struggling to fill
• Why what they've already tried hasn't worked
• How it is affecting their business day to day
• What it is costing them financially every week the role stays empty (you won't ask this directly — see below)

Do not rush from impact to money. The most common mistake at this stage is asking the financial question too early. Before you put a number on the problem, the client needs to fully feel the impact of it. Let them talk. Ask follow-up questions. The more they open up about how it is affecting the business, the more the financial cost becomes obvious — often without you needing to ask directly.

Why does the financial cost matter so much? Because without a clear number, the client has no real urgency to act. When they say the role costs them $4,000 a week and it has been empty for three months, they have just told themselves they have lost $48,000. You did not tell them that — they worked it out themselves. That is far more powerful than any pitch you could make.

Most clients will not hand you a dollar figure straight away when you ask how the problem is affecting the business. They will say things like “it's pushing out our lead times” or “we can't get jobs finished quick enough.” That is money — it is just not phrased as money. Slower job completion means slower invoicing, which means slower cash in the door. If the client does not connect that dot themselves, you connect it for them, out loud, before moving on. This is also where you get the number you will use later — if they push back on price in Section 7, this is your anchor: “compared to how much you're losing a week.”

Branching Into the Financial

After they answer “how is this affecting your business,” your job is to find the money hiding inside whatever they said — because almost nobody answers that question with a dollar figure straight away. They'll give you an operational answer or a people answer. Either one has money underneath it. You just have to say the money part out loud.

There are two directions this usually goes. If they talk about output — missed deadlines, slower jobs, turning down work — the chain is the same every time: less output leads to slower invoicing leads to less cash in the door. Say that chain back to them directly: “So if jobs are taking longer, that's slower invoicing — less cash coming in each week this stays unfilled. Fair?”

If they talk about people instead — the crew's stretched, someone's close to quitting — that isn't a direct money chain, it's a risk. The follow-up here isn't “what is this costing you,” it's “what would it cost you if this got worse”: “What would it cost you to replace one of them if they walked?”

The skill isn't memorising every possible answer a client might give — it's recognising which bucket their answer falls into (a cost already happening, or a risk that could turn into one) and asking the version of the follow-up that fits. If you can't tell which bucket it's in, ask “can you tell me more about that?” first. Either way, you're aiming for a number by the end of this exchange — you'll hand it back to them in Section 3, and use it as your anchor if they push back on price in Section 7.

This stage also gives you the exact words you will use in Section 5. When a client says “my guys are exhausted and we're turning down work” — write that down. You will use those exact words later.

The line — “What would having your team fully staffed with [trade] let you do that you can't do right now?” — gets a concrete, forward-looking answer without you needing to explain how the hiring process works. Most clients start here with something operational: “take on more jobs,” “stop turning down work,” “hit our deadlines.” Write down whatever they give you, word for word — it's the raw material Section 5 will use, even though Section 5 now asks its own live version of this question rather than reciting this answer back verbatim.

New addition: “Why do you think that didn't work?” This is the question that turns Section 2 into a real Overview, not just a Clarify. Most reps stop at “what have you tried” and move on — but the failure reason is where the actual pain lives. A client who says “the agency just dumped a pile of random CVs on us and wasted three weeks” has handed you a far heavier line for Section 3 than “tried an agency, didn't work.” If the first answer is thin, this is exactly where you oscillate — “can you tell me more about that?” / “can you give me an example of that?” — until you've got something specific enough to hand back to them later.

Do not rush. Let the client talk. The more they share, the more invested they become in solving the problem.

The opening question changed to “What's making you look into getting [trade] from New Zealand and not Australia?” This gets straight to their motivation in their own words — they'll usually tell you the pain unprompted (“we've got work coming up and can't find them locally”), which sets up everything that follows. “How long have you been struggling” now comes second, once they've told you what's going on — you still need that duration for Section 3.

The “Can you give me an example of that?” / “Can you tell me more about that?” pair is your one dig-deeper tool for the whole of discovery — not tied to any single question. If a client glances over any question in this section and gives you a shallow, one-word, or vague answer, drop in either line to pull more out of them. It's written into the script once, below, but it applies everywhere in Section 2 — keep it in mind on every question, not just the one it's printed under. Don't stop at one — oscillate between the two across the same exchange. A vague answer gets “can you tell me more about that?”, which usually opens the door to something more specific; that specific mention gets “can you give me an example of that?”, which is where the real detail comes out — a dollar figure, a named incident, a client they lost. Each question builds on what the last one uncovered. Keep alternating until you've got something concrete enough to use later, not just the first thing they say.

The Script

• “What's making you look into getting [trade] from New Zealand and not Australia?”
• “How long have you been struggling to find good [trade]?”
• “What have you already tried to fill these roles?”
• “Why do you think that didn't work?”
• “How is not having these [trade] affecting your business?”

If at any point their answers are too shallow — anywhere in this section, on any question — rotate between:

“Can you tell me more about that?” / “Can you give me an example of that?”

• “What would having your team fully staffed with [trade] let you do that you can't do right now?”
• “How quickly do you want to get these roles filled — is this a priority?”

When the Prospect Goes Quiet or Vague

Not every client will give you clear, detailed answers in discovery. Some will be guarded. Some will give you one-word answers. Some will say “yeah it's been a bit tricky” and stop there.

When that happens, do not panic and do not move on. Use these approaches:

If they give a vague answer: Reflect it back and ask one more question.

“When you say tricky — what does that look like day to day?”

If they go quiet: Normalise it and prompt gently.

“Take your time — I just want to make sure I actually understand what's going on before I say anything.”

If they seem reluctant to share financial impact: Make it easier by starting small.

“Rough ballpark is fine — just so I've got a sense of the scale of it.”

If they seem disengaged or short: Check in directly.

“Can I ask — is this something you're actually looking to solve right now, or is the timing not right?”

That last one feels bold but it works. It shows confidence and forces a real answer. A disengaged prospect who stays disengaged is not worth finishing the call with. Better to know early.

The rule: never move out of Section 2 with incomplete information. A weak discovery produces a weak close every time.

THE RULE The client must confirm your summary before you move into the solution. Do not move forward without that agreement.

Why This Stage Matters

At this point the client has shared a lot of information. Your job now is to show them that you were actually listening — and to organise everything they said into a clear, single picture of the problem.

This does two things.

First, it builds trust. When you repeat back exactly what someone told you, in their own words, they feel genuinely heard. This is rare in sales conversations and it makes a real difference.

Second, it reinforces the pain. When you say out loud “you've been trying for six months, everything you've tried hasn't worked, and it's costing you $4,000 a week” — the client hears it differently than when they were just answering questions. It lands as a single, heavy problem rather than a series of separate answers. That weight is what creates urgency.

Open with a normalising line, not a diagnosis. “It sounds like you've got the same problem as most [trade] businesses right now — you've got all the work and no workers” does two things a clinical opener doesn't: it names the problem in a way that's sharp and memorable, and it tells the client they're not alone, which lowers their guard before you get specific with what they actually told you.

The “what they tried” line now carries the why as well, since Section 2 gets you that answer directly: “you've tried [what they said], and every time it's [why it failed, their words].” That's a heavier line than stating what they tried alone — it shows you understood not just that it failed, but why.

Keep the escalation soft, not dramatic. A line like “and if that keeps going, it's not getting any easier” future-paces the pain without inventing a worst-case scenario the client didn't give you — a heavier, manufactured escalation reads as salesy and works against the trust this whole stage is built to create. If it still feels forced, it's fine to drop the escalation line entirely and close straight from the pain consequence.

Always end with a confirmation — casual is fine. “That about right?”, “Sound about right?”, or a simple “Yeah?” all do the same job as a more formal “is that a fair summary” and read less like a script. This is not just a courtesy — it is a deliberate agreement. When the client says yes, they have confirmed the problem is real, the impact is real, and the cost is real. From here, everything moves forward on solid ground.

Only use what the client told you. Do not add new information, exaggerate, or assume. If you get something wrong and they correct you, adjust and re-summarise. Getting corrected is fine — it shows you are engaging honestly, not running a script.

The Script

• “It sounds like you've got the same problem as most [trade] businesses right now — you've got all the work and no workers.”
• “You've been trying to sort this for [time period]. You've tried [what they said], and every time it's [why it failed, their words].”
• “And because of that, [pain consequence, their words].”
• “And if that keeps going, it's not getting any easier.” (optional — drop if it feels forced)
• “That about right?”

THE RULE Keep this short. Do not explain anything yet. This line simply signals that you are shifting from the problem to the solution.

Why This Stage Matters

The call has spent time focused entirely on the problem — what is wrong, how long it has been wrong, and what it is costing. That focus was intentional. But now the client has confirmed the problem, and continuing to sit in it would feel repetitive.

This one line acts as a gear change. It signals that something different is coming without giving anything away yet. It creates a moment of forward momentum that makes the client lean in slightly. That lean is what you want going into Section 5.

Do not over-explain here. One clean line is all you need. Renamed from “Post-Label Question” to “The Bridge” since the line is a statement, not a question — the name was misleading, the function wasn't.

The Script

• “Cool, look, that's exactly what we solve.”

THE RULE Always use the client's exact words from Section 2. The script below is a guide only — do not list generic benefits. Only speak to what they actually told you.

Why This Stage Matters

Up until now the entire call has been about the problem. This is the moment you shift to the future — what life looks like once the problem is solved.

People do not buy services. They buy outcomes. A business owner does not want a recruitment process — they want their team to stop being stretched, they want to stop turning away work, they want to feel in control again. Your job here is to help them see that future clearly enough that they feel it.

This is called selling the vacation because when someone books a holiday, they are not buying flights and a hotel room — they are buying the feeling of being on the beach. You are doing the same thing. You are not selling recruitment. You are selling the feeling of having the right people in place.

The reason this section must be personalised is simple. If you list benefits the client did not mention, it feels like a script. The moment they sense a script, they stop feeling and start evaluating. Those are two very different mental states — and only one of them closes.

Coaching Note

Before you think about technique, get clear on what you are trying to make the prospect feel.

They have just confirmed everything that is wrong. Your job now is to help them feel — even briefly — what life looks like when it is fixed. Not explained. Not sold. Felt. That is the only goal of this section.

The section now opens with differentiation, not the dream outcome. “So what makes us different than everything you've already tried? We open up a whole new country of talent…” is asked as an open loop — you pose the question but don't fully answer it yet. That unresolved curiosity carries into the next line, rather than the section starting with a recited answer that can feel like a performance.

“You've already tried, right?” at the end of that line is rhetorical — you are not waiting for a response. Keep moving regardless of what they do or don't say. This is different from the genuine pauses later in the section, and reps need to hear both types named so they don't treat every pause the same way.

The dream-outcome question is now asked live, not recited from Section 2. “When we solve the staff issue, what would actually change for you?” gets them to re-live their own answer in the moment, rather than hearing a prepared line handed back to them — which is what was making this section feel scripted and salesy even when the words themselves were accurate. Reflect back whatever they actually say. Don't supply a generic outcome if their answer is thin — the personalisation rule from Section 2 still applies here.

The pause after their answer is a genuine one, not the rhetorical kind. Give real space here — this is a natural point for them to keep talking if they want to, and rushing past it undoes the moment.

“When we fix those things, your business stops leaving money on the table.” This line closes the emotional moment with a logical anchor. The dream outcome lands in the gut — this line lands in the head. Together they cover both types of buyer. Say it short and clean, then pause again before moving on.

“We currently have [trade] ready to go” resolves the open loop from the opening line — it answers “what makes us different” and delivers the mechanism behind the outcome they just described, in the same breath.

“They want to join a company long term. They want to be looked after, paid on time, and just show up and do a hard day's work and go home.” This grounds the abstract “different mindset” claim in something concrete and relatable — a business owner can picture that kind of worker, whereas “different mindset” alone is just an assertion.

“How does that sound to you?” replaces the old self-persuasion close. This is a genuine question, not rhetorical — wait for a real answer. It gives the client a real chance to react and talk before you move into logistics, rather than the section ending on you handing them a line to agree with.

The Script

• “So what makes us different than everything you've already tried? We open up a whole new country of talent — because you already know you can't find these guys locally. You've already tried, right?”
• (Rhetorical — no pause, keep moving regardless of response.)
• “When we solve the staff issue, what would actually change for you?”
• (Let them answer, in their own words — reflect back whatever they actually say, don't supply a generic outcome. Pause — genuine space here, let it land.)
• “When we fix those things, your business stops leaving money on the table.” (Pause)
• “We currently have [trade] ready to go, who are qualified and not being fought over by every other business around you. But most importantly, they've made a decision to uproot their whole lives — moving their families to Australia — which means they show up with a different mindset. They want to join a company long term. They want to be looked after, paid on time, and just show up and do a hard day's work and go home. That's all they're after.”
• “How does that sound to you?”
• (Wait for a real answer — this is a genuine question, not rhetorical.)
• “From here the process is simple.”

THE RULE Keep the process simple and focused on what the client experiences. Do not over-explain what happens behind the scenes. Immediately after the process, remove risk by introducing the guarantee.

Why This Stage Matters

Many business owners have been burned by recruiters before. They have paid fees, been sent unsuitable candidates, or been left without support when a hire did not work out. That history creates a quiet hesitation — even if they are excited about what you just said.

This stage has two jobs. First, make the process feel simple. The client only needs to understand their part in it — CVs arrive, they choose, the person starts. That is it. The simpler it sounds, the easier the decision feels.

Second, remove the risk before they raise it. When you bring up the guarantee unprompted, it signals confidence. It tells the client you have already thought about the hard question and solved it. Waiting for them to ask would let doubt build. You get ahead of it.

The final line — asking “right?” after the guarantee — is important. It turns the guarantee from a statement into a question the client has to answer, and they say yes every time. That small agreement makes the price conversation in Section 7 easier, because they've just confirmed out loud that fit becomes obvious fast — long before the four-month mark.

The Script

• “Once we've received a job description from you,”
• “We send you CVs that match exactly what you need.”
• “You interview the ones you like and choose your preferred candidate.”
• “Once the contract is signed, we handle the relocation support so they hit the ground running.”

“So that's how it works — easy and straightforward.” (pause half a beat — let them take it in, then go straight into the next line)

• “And here's how we protect you.”
• “If the hire doesn't work out for any reason — he doesn't have the skills or he just doesn't fit in with the team — we'll replace them. No drama and no extra cost to you.”
• “Now we've got that in place for four months, but I can guarantee you it's not going to take you four months to figure out if someone is a good fit, right?”
• “That all clear?”
• “Most of our clients offer the candidate some sort of temporary accommodation — whether that's four to six weeks in an Airbnb, or something like Flatmates.com. Is that something you're open to for the right candidate?”
• (Wait for response.)
• “Okay, cool, no worries.”

This is a confirmation, not a cold ask — most prospects already indicated yes, no, or open to it when they filled out the ad form before the call, so you're closing the loop rather than introducing something new. It also works as a small commitment right before you reveal price, which makes the price conversation land easier. “Okay, cool, no worries” works as the response whatever they say — yes, no, or open to it. Accommodation isn't always relevant (a FIFO or mining candidate may not need it at all), so a “no” here is not a blocker. Keep it brief and move straight into price — do not let it stall the momentum you've built.

Common Objection: “What happens if the candidate leaves after 4 months?”

“Great question — some of our best clients asked that before working with us.”

“No one can guarantee someone won't change their mind.”

“What we can control is who we put in front of you — and we sit down with them properly before they start and just before the four month mark to make sure they are committed long term.”

“And if they aren't, we replace them immediately.”

“But the bigger risk to your business isn't what happens after four months.”

“It's what this role is costing you every week it stays unfilled.”

“You mentioned earlier it's costing you about [$X] a week — so if this drags on another four months, that's roughly [$X × 16] gone and you're still in the same position.”

THE RULE Deliver the price clearly and confidently, then stop talking. Do not apologise for it, justify it excessively, or rush past it. If the client raises a price concern, redirect to the cost of the problem — not the value of the service.

Why This Stage Matters

By the time you reach this point, the client already understands the problem, the cost of leaving it unsolved, the outcome they want, and how the process works. The groundwork has been laid.

Your only job here is to present the investment clearly and let it land.

The reason so many salespeople struggle at this moment is because they feel the need to justify the price. They start over-explaining or listing reasons why it is worth it. This actually creates doubt — it signals that you are not fully confident in what you are charging. The client does not need to be convinced the service has value. You already did that in sections 5 and 6. They just need to hear the number delivered with confidence.

The payment structure matters too. Splitting into two payments reduces the perceived financial risk and makes the decision easier. Notice that the question you ask is “does that payment structure work for you?” — not “do you want to go ahead?” You are asking about the how, not the whether. That distinction is intentional. It moves the conversation forward without putting the client in a position where they feel sold to.

If the client pushes back on price, do not defend the $17K. Take them back to the number they gave you in Section 2. The goal is to help them see that the real cost is not your fee — it is the ongoing cost of doing nothing.

The Script

• “In terms of investment it's $17K.”
• “We split this into two payments — one payment made on a signed employment contract and the second a week after they start.”
• “Does that payment structure work for you?”
• “Is there anything stopping us from getting started today?”
• “Cool, so we're ready to get started then.”

Coaching Note — Objection Isolation & Hard Ask. Up to this point you've only confirmed the payment mechanics, not their actual commitment. Ask the isolation question first — “is there anything stopping us from getting started today?” — while you're still live on the call, so any last hesitation surfaces now, when you can handle it, rather than later as a stall or a ghosted email. If they raise something, work through it before moving on. Only once they've said no does the final line come in. Note that “cool, so we're ready to get started then” is not really a question at this point — deliver it as a statement, almost rhetorically. They've just told you nothing is in the way, so this line is you confirming what they already said, not asking them to decide again. Asking a real question here — like “are you ready to get started?” — invites them to reconsider something they've already ruled out. Say it, pause, then move straight into Section 8.

Common Objection: “That's expensive / more than I expected.”

“I totally understand — you want to make sure this is the right investment.” (Pause)

“Let me ask you something — if we put price to the side for a second, do you think we can actually solve your staffing problem?” (Pause. If yes:)

“You mentioned earlier it's costing your business about [$X] a week not having this role filled.”

“So over five weeks, that's roughly [$X × 5] gone — and you're still dealing with the same problem.” (Pause)

“So the real risk isn't the $17K. It's doing nothing while the business keeps losing money every week.”

“Fair?”

THE RULE Present the next step and stop talking. Do not turn this into a big sales moment. Silence after the close is powerful — do not fill it.

Why This Stage Matters

Most salespeople make the close feel like a big dramatic moment. They build up to it, ask a grand question, and put pressure on the client to make a decision. That approach creates resistance.

What works better is making the next step feel like the obvious, natural thing to do — because by this point, it should be. The client understands the problem, agrees with the outcome they want, understands the process, and knows the investment. There is nothing left to decide except when to start.

So instead of asking “do you want to move forward?” — which puts the client in a position where they feel sold to — you simply state what happens next. Laying out exactly what's needed — a signed copy of the Terms of Business and a job description — makes the next step concrete instead of vague. The client knows precisely what “getting started” requires of them, with no ambiguity.

Then stop talking after you've laid it out. Many reps get uncomfortable with silence and start filling it, which reopens doubt the client had already moved past. Let them respond.

The final question — “when do you think I'd have that signed copy back?” — does a different job to the old silence. Instead of just waiting, you're asking the client to commit to a timeline out loud. They'll almost always give you a specific day — “I'll have it to you by Wednesday.” A day is something you can chase; a vague “yeah sounds good” is not. If they hesitate on the date, that's useful information before you hang up.

The Script

• “Look, the next step is simple. I'm gonna send you over an email straight after this call. In that email there's two things I need returned before we can get started:”
• “1. A signed copy of the Terms of Business, which has everything we just discussed in here, black and white, easy to understand.”
• “2. A job description — fill that out, put the skills and experience you need this [trade] to have.”
• “As soon as I get those back from you, we can get started.” (Wait for the response.)
• “Awesome — when do you think I would have that signed copy back?”

• “Great — I'll get that email over to you now. Looking forward to getting you sorted with these [trade] and helping the business grow.”

This closing line ends the call on certainty rather than trailing off after their answer. It reinforces the decision they just made and leaves no gap for doubt to creep in after you hang up — the same logic as the objection isolation before your confirming statement in Section 7.

Stage 3 walkthrough

How to submit the Airtable form for Stage 3.

The trial is both the final proving ground and the start of onboarding — there's no separate onboarding process layered on top of it. No one talks to a client until they've passed the Script and Recaps milestones, and no one gets a valuable lead until they've earned it. (Full hiring-to-trial process: see 5.5.)

Pre-Client Ramp (no fixed length)

No client calls. The ramp lasts as long as it takes to pass Milestones 1 and 2 — pass early, get in front of a client early. Two weeks is the usual pace, not a minimum.

• Two sessions a day with Les (morning and afternoon) — drills, milestone practice and the game footage drill.
• Ride-alongs — watching Les sell in real time.
• Daily team training from Day 1.
• Script reps and game footage review in between sessions.

Game Footage Drill

Same idea both ways: the rep has to work out the client's pain before hearing how Les handled it.

• With Les (in the two daily sessions): Les plays a saved call and pauses it at the end of discovery. He asks: "What's their pain? How would you label it? What do you say next?" Then he plays on and compares their answer with what actually happened on the call.
• On their own: pause each saved call at the end of discovery, write their own recap, then play on and compare it with Les's. Note where the call was won or lost, and bring their 2 best notes to the next session with Les.
• Start with a set of 5–10 calls Les picks — a mix of good closes and losses — rather than the whole library.

1. Print two copies of the script
2. Read the full script out loud
3. Black out one word with a marker
4. Say the script again -- if they stuff up the blacked-out word, look at the clean copy and restart
5. When they get it right, black out the next word
6. Repeat until every word is blacked out

Reps must pass each milestone before moving to the next, and must log the minimum practice before booking each test. Les runs every test — fail it and they don't move on.

These minimums are the floor, not the target. Around rep 40 the flow clicks; from 40 to 80 they're polishing.

Trial KPI: [To be set — the daily number a rep has to hit at the First Clients and Half Calendar stages.]

Clients Les wants to keep working with who aren't ready yet, or who we keep in the system to reconnect with later. Split into two categories -- Client Paid Ads and CRM -- since that's usually where most re-engage clients come from.

Common scenarios: TOBs were sent but the client declined, or TOBs weren't sent but Les left the door open. Always add notes explaining why the client is in re-engage.

• Comment on every status update -- no comment means no one knows the context of the last situation.
• Never put a client into Waiting unless Les has approved it.
• Always check with Les before closing a client -- he might want to re-engage with them instead.
• Automated sequences don't stop themselves -- if a client replies, you must manually change their status or they'll keep getting emails that no longer fit.

Full CRM walkthrough recorded by Rachel Rai.

All fees: AUD, excluding GST.

1. Annual base: hourly rate × 40 × 52
2. Add super: annual base + 12% (= gross annual package)
3. Fee: 15% of the gross annual package
4. Check the rate: if the hourly rate is over $55, skip the maths. The fee is $17,000 flat

Based on 40-hour week, 52 weeks, 12% super, 15% fee.

• 50% invoiced on signed employment contract.
• 50% invoiced one week after the candidate starts.
• 4-month replacement guarantee on every placement.

Model A

Model B

Model B — Over $55/hr ($17,000 Flat)

• Confirm the hourly rate with the client before quoting Model B. No rate, no number.
• Always calculate on 40 hours — not the actual rostered hours, even if the role runs 50+.
• Over $55/hr, say the 15% number first, then the $17,000 flat. The saving they hear is the sell.
• Clients on $50–$55 pay the full 15%. If they ask why a higher rate gets the flat fee: high-rate roles fill faster, so they cost us less to deliver. Hold the line — no flat fee under $55.01/hr.
• Say the number, then stop talking.
• Any change to fee or terms goes through Les first.

Every role falls into one of two categories, based on a single question: does the role require a formal trade qualification (an apprenticeship or ticket)?

1. Qualified Trade → Flat $17,000. If the role requires a formal trade qualification, the fee is a flat $17,000 regardless of hourly rate. Examples: electricians, plumbers, boilermakers, welders, carpenters, refrigeration technicians, HVAC technicians.

2. Experience-Based / Operator Role → 15% Formula, capped at $17,000 (as supplied, cap point disputed -- see flag above). If the role does not require a trade qualification, the fee is 15% of annualised income (including super), capped at $17,000. Examples: general labourers, excavator operators, pipe layers, grader operators, foreman/supervisor roles.

Does the role require a formal trade qualification (apprenticeship/ticket)?

YES → Quote $17,000 flat. Hourly rate is irrelevant.

NO → Get the candidate's hourly rate before quoting anything.

Rate is $49/hour or more → Quote $17,000 (per this document -- compare against the $55 Rule elsewhere in this guide).

Rate is under $49/hour → use the formula or table below.

Client won't give a rate → default to quoting $17,000, but push for the real number first.

Formula: Fee = Hourly rate × 40 hrs/week × 52 weeks × 1.12 (super) × 15%.

Ring every applicant for a quick, informal call before inviting anyone in. This isn't a written check — you're judging fluency and energy live, by how the call actually goes. No script or company materials are shared at this point.

→ This alone tells you fluency and energy in the first 10 seconds. If it's rough or flat here, you already have your answer.

→ Confirms NZ-based. Disqualify if not.

→ Checks realistic availability. Set your own cutoff (e.g. 2–4 weeks) — treat this as a flag, not an instant no. A vague answer with no reason is the real red flag.

→ Not graded for depth — you're checking whether they have any real answer at all, versus just applying to jobs.

Close the call:

What this call is actually screening — pass/fail, not scored:

• Fluent, natural English (first language) — judged by how the conversation goes, never asked directly
• Based in New Zealand
• Realistic start availability
• Baseline energy — bubbly and present vs. flat and disengaged

Anyone who fails any of these doesn't get invited in. This gate protects everyone's time, including the candidate's.

At this stage the only material they see is the Cold Call Script, handed over on the spot with a couple of minutes to read it. No Client Call Script, no objection sheet. You're testing how fast they pick something up and run it under pressure, not what they've memorised.

Part A — The Interview

Sit down (in person or on video) and get a real picture of what they've actually done, beyond what the phone screen could tell you:

• What have you sold before, and how did that work — self-generated pipeline, or leads handed to you?
• Walk me through a time a customer pushed back hard. What did you actually do?
• Why a sales role, specifically, and why this kind of sales?
• How do you feel about a low base / high commission structure — said plainly, not just agreed to.

Part B — Spring the Cold-Call Test

Partway through, shift without much warning:

Hand them the Cold Call Script, give them a couple of minutes to read it, then have them make a couple of real cold calls on the spot — e.g. to Australian prospects.

→ TESTING: A couple of minutes isn't enough to learn it, so this still shows you raw ability. Do they freeze, or find something to say when the call goes off the page? Do they recover after a bad response, or spiral? Are they actually listening to the person on the other end, or just reading? This is the single best raw signal you get before investing a week of their time and yours in the Client Call Script.

Decision: happy with what you saw → move to the reference check. Not there yet → end here — the only thing they've seen is the Cold Call Script, so nothing else needs to be walked back.

Straight after the interview, if you're happy: hand over the Client Call Script on the spot and set a date one week out for the Test Project — "go away and learn that." Don't wait on the reference check to do this; the two run in parallel, not one after the other.

The same day (or as soon as possible after), run the reference check independently. Call their most recent sales manager directly, not a HR reference line:

• Did they generate their own pipeline, or only work leads that were handed to them?
• How did they handle real pushback from a customer under pressure — an actual example, not a general impression?
• Would you hire them again? Why or why not?
• Is there a pattern in why they left — theirs or the employer's story, and do the two match?

If anything comes back bad at any point during that week, call the candidate straight away — "Hey, look, we've decided to go with someone else" — rather than waiting for the Test Project. No point letting them spend the rest of the week learning a script for a role they're not getting.

Suggested Memorisation Method (for the candidate's week)

• Print two copies of the script.
• Read the full script out loud.
• Black out one word with a marker.
• Say the script again — if they stuff up the blacked-out word, look at the clean copy and restart.
• When they get it right, black out the next word. Repeat until every word is blacked out.

A 400-word script means they say it 400 times. By the end they don't think about the words — they just say them. This is what allows natural delivery, real listening, and confident tone.

One week later: a recorded Teams call, with Les or one of your staff playing the client. This is the main pass/fail decision point in the whole process — they now have to run the actual script live, under real pressure, for the first time.

Opening line (say this once, before you start)

Beat 1 — Vague Opener

→ TESTING: Do they dig (ask 'in what way', 'how long', 'what have you tried') or jump straight into pitching? Jumping straight to the pitch is a red flag — they'll skip discovery on real calls too.

Beat 2 — One More Vague Answer, Then Force the Cut

After 2–3 exchanges max, cut in yourself:

→ TESTING: Can they pivot into the pitch (Sell the Vacation) on a shorter runway than the script implies, and do they hold the pause after the outcome line instead of filling the silence?

Beat 3 — Cold Price Pushback (not in the script they were sent)

→ TESTING: This is the single highest-signal moment in the whole test. Do they hold the price and explain value, or immediately cave, discount, or over-justify?

Beat 4 — Risk and Stall, Stacked On Top

→ TESTING: Can they handle more than one objection in the same call without losing frame? This tells you whether Beat 3 was a fluke or a real skill.

Beat 5 — Neutral, Non-Committal Response, Then Go Quiet

→ TESTING: Do they sit and wait for permission, backpedal into re-justifying, or self-advance into the logical next step in their own words (Terms of Business, job description) without being asked? Self-advancing unprompted is the strongest signal in the whole test.

Beat 6 — End It, Give Feedback Out Loud, On the Spot

→ TESTING: How they take feedback — defensive, blank, or 'got it, noted.' A rough performance with a coachable reaction beats a smooth performance with a defensive one.

Score It

Solid on at least 3 of the 4 → move to a job offer. Weak on all four → no.

If the Test Project confirms them: extend the offer. It's paid, real employment, structured with a 4-week trial period from day one — not a separate unpaid or informal arrangement beforehand. Make sure the trial period is agreed to in writing before their first day; that's what makes it a valid trial period rather than just an early performance review. During the trial they're guaranteed 25 hours a week.

By this point you've tested raw ability (the cold-call test), background and character (interview + reference check), and script skill under pressure (Test Project). The trial is what tests everything else — how they actually perform once real leads and real weeks are involved.

This is both the final proving ground and the start of onboarding — there's no separate onboarding process layered on top of it. No one talks to a client until they've passed the Script and Recaps milestones, and no one gets a valuable lead until they've earned it.

Pre-Client Ramp (no fixed length)

No client calls. The ramp lasts as long as it takes to pass Milestones 1 and 2 — pass early, get in front of a client early. Two weeks is the usual pace, not a minimum.

• Two sessions a day with Les (morning and afternoon) — drills, milestone practice and the game footage drill below.
• Ride-alongs — watching Les sell in real time.
• Daily team training from Day 1.
• Script reps and game footage review in between sessions.

Game Footage Drill

Same idea both ways: the rep has to work out the client's pain before hearing how Les handled it.

• With Les (in the two daily sessions): Les plays a saved call and pauses it at the end of discovery. He asks: "What's their pain? How would you label it? What do you say next?" Then he plays on and compares their answer with what actually happened on the call.
• On their own: pause each saved call at the end of discovery, write their own recap, then play on and compare it with Les's. Note where the call was won or lost, and bring their 2 best notes to the next session with Les.
• Start with a set of 5–10 calls Les picks — a mix of good closes and losses — rather than the whole library.

Three Milestones (script memorisation gets a final check here too — one week of self-directed learning plus a single Test Project call doesn't guarantee it's fully locked in)

Reps must pass each milestone before moving to the next, and must log the minimum practice before booking each test. Les runs every test — fail it and they don't move on.

These minimums are the floor, not the target. Around rep 40 the flow clicks; from 40 to 80 they're polishing.

From First Client to Full Calendar

Trial KPI: [To be set — the daily number a rep has to hit at the First Clients and Half Calendar stages.]

If more than one candidate reaches this stage in the same period, this is the actual decider — real performance against real (low-stakes) leads over four weeks tells you more than any single staged call could.

Mirrors the Recruiter Career Path structure — a visible ladder with a reason to push for the next rung at every stage, not a flat commission that never changes. Built around close rate rather than a raw TOB count, since a raw count only means something relative to how many calls someone's being fed. Every close-rate tier is paired with a volume floor of 100 client calls over the same rolling 4 weeks, so a rep on 5 calls at 40% can't outrank one on 40 calls at 35%. A full calendar runs about 30 calls a week; the floor sits a little below that so one slow week, a public holiday or a few no-shows doesn't knock someone off track.

Junior Closer 1 → 2 is an early win based on skill, not luck: pass all three milestones in the first 30 days and you get a raise and a new title — something to tell people at home about. From Junior Closer 2 the ladder counts signed TOBs and close rate, running alongside the 4-week trial, not gated behind it. A strong performer could already be climbing before the trial ends.

Senior Closer puts a rep on the shortlist for Sales Manager when a seat opens — not the job itself. Nobody gets promoted just for reaching the top tier.

Why 40%, not 30%: with 30% as the top tier, a rep who reaches it has nowhere left to climb — the ladder stalls exactly where you want them to stay motivated. Adding a stretch tier above the 30% target keeps the incentive alive past the point most reps will actually reach.

Bonus Boost (Senior Closer only)

Even at the top tier, a rep needs something to chase week to week rather than coasting at 40%. Any week their close rate runs above the 40% baseline, the TOBs earned above that pace pay extra on top of the standard $400 — mirrors the recruiter ladder's "5th+ placement in a month" accelerator. Exact bonus amount is still open — pick a number once the base tiers below have run for a while and you can see real performance against them.

These numbers ($200 / $300 / $400, the 20% / 30% / 40% thresholds and the 100-call floor) are a starting structure, not fixed for good — revisit them once you have a few reps' worth of real data on what's actually achievable.

Training starts on Day 1 of the trial and never stops — it's what keeps the standard from slipping. Les owns the team's results: if a rep isn't hitting KPI, the first question is what training they've had, not what's wrong with them.

Daily Training Block (8:00–8:30am NZT, every day)

• Booked in everyone's calendar at 8:00–8:30am NZT (placeholder — may move to 8:30). Client calls run 11am–6pm, so it never clashes. No client call is ever booked over it.
• The only reason to miss it or be late: a live close that's running over. Everyone else shows up on time.

Every session runs the same way:

• Kudos (Les, 5 min) — call out the behaviour you want more of. Whatever gets shouted out first gets done.
• Shout-outs (peer to peer, 5 min) — reps thank each other for help that worked on a real call.
• Role-play (20 min) — Les models it, runs it with one rep in front of the team until they get it right, then everyone pairs off.

The role-play topic rotates through the week, so the whole call gets sharpened every week:

Weekly One-on-One

• Personal — how are they doing as a human? Stay here if life is falling apart before moving on.
• Short-term / performance — rep submits 3 calls beforehand; manager diagnoses exactly where they broke down and role-plays the fix on the spot.
• Long-term / career — only once quota is stable: where do they want to go, what do they want to build?

Weekly Team Meeting

Same format as daily training (Kudos → Shout-outs → Role-play) but centred on game footage — real call recordings played in front of the whole team, focused on one thematic thing costing the team deals that week.

Use the Sales Call Scorecard (companion document) to review recorded calls objectively rather than on gut feel.

This playbook is the process. These are the tools referenced inside it — keep them up to date as the scripts evolve:

Live call recordings to be added: once uploaded, link them at the 🎥 markers in Sections 6 and 8 above, and build a running library here for future hires.