At the weekend, I took my two sons to Hamleys in London. If you’ve ever been, you’ll know it’s not just a toy shop—it’s an experience.

From the moment we walked in, my boys were completely hooked. Not because of the shelves stacked with toys but because of the live demonstrations happening everywhere. Staff weren’t just standing around waiting for customers—they were out on the floor, bringing the toys to life. Magic tricks were performed right in front of us. Remote-control cars zipped between shoppers' feet. Drones hovered in the air. Kids were grabbing at flying bubbles. It wasn’t a shop, it was a show.

And, of course, we left with bags full of things I hadn’t planned on buying.

It got me thinking—this is exactly how recruitment sales should work.

Most recruiters rely on telling potential clients how good they are. “We find the best candidates,” “We fill roles faster,” “We understand your industry.” But that’s the equivalent of Hamleys stacking toys on shelves and hoping people pick one. Some will, but it’s nowhere near as powerful as showing them why they should buy.

And the best way to do that? Video testimonials.

A video testimonial from a happy client is a live demonstration of how good you are. It’s proof, right there on the screen, that you deliver results. When a potential client hears another business owner—someone just like them—talk about how you helped them solve a problem, it becomes real. It’s no longer just a claim; it’s evidence.

Think about it: If a Hamleys staff member told you a magic trick was amazing, you might take their word for it. But when you see it performed right in front of you, you believe it. It’s the same with your business. You telling a prospect, “We’re great at what we do,” is one thing. But when they watch a real client, in their own words, explain how you made their life easier, suddenly, your value isn’t just something they hear—it’s something they see.

And just like in Hamleys, once they see it in action, it becomes a lot harder to walk away without buying.

So, here’s something simple you can do this week: Ask one of your recent happy clients for a short video testimonial.

It doesn’t need to be overproduced. In fact, the more natural, the better. A quick 30-second video where they explain:

• The problem they were facing before they worked with you

• What changed after they worked with you

• Why they’d recommend you to others

That’s it. No scripts. No big production. Just real people talking about real results.

Send them a quick message today. You’ll be surprised how many will happily do it—and how powerful it is when you use it in your sales process.

I see it happen all the time

I see it happen all the time. A Recruitment or Search Business Owner reaches a point where they feel stretched too thin and think, “I need to hire a consultant.”

It makes sense on paper. More consultants should mean more placements, more revenue, and more time for you to step back from the day-to-day. But in reality?

9 times out of 10, it fails.

Not because the consultant isn’t good—many of them have been successful elsewhere. But when they step into your business, they struggle.

Because they have no process to follow.

No structured way to generate leads.
No system for booking meetings with decision-makers.
No clear path for turning conversations into signed clients.

So what happens? They sit there, waiting for something to happen.

At first, you think, “Maybe they just need time to settle in.”

A few weeks go by, and they still haven’t billed.
A few months pass, and now they’re costing you more than they’re bringing in.
You start worrying about payroll. The pressure builds. But instead of letting them go, you give them more time.

You tell yourself, “They just need the right opportunity.”
You double down on training. You tweak their approach. You hope things will turn around.

But they don’t.

The stress mounts. You’re paying a salary every month, but you’re still the one driving the business forward. The consultant isn’t covering their cost, let alone making you a profit.

And then something dangerous happens…

Instead of fixing the real issue—a lack of process—you start questioning your own leadership. You wonder if you’re just bad at hiring. You think, “Maybe I’m not cut out to scale this business.”

And that doubt? That’s what keeps business owners stuck for years.

The truth is, this isn’t a hiring problem.

It’s a lack of a repeatable, scalable process for winning clients. Without that, it doesn’t matter who you hire—they’re walking into uncertainty and inconsistency.

That’s why the most successful Recruitment and Search Business Owners build the process first—so that when they do bring someone in, that consultant knows exactly what to do from day one.

And that process starts with a smarter way to generate and convert leads.

Perfectionism is holding you back

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