How much does a Sales recruitment agency cost?
The market's pay models, our public fees and a worked example. No surprises on the invoice.
Three ways to pay an agency.
You pay when you hire.
No fee before the signature. The agency carries the risk: this is the model for roles without extreme urgency.
You give the role to a single agency.
One mandate, concentrated resources, a short lead time and tight reporting. In exchange for exclusivity, the percentage is lower.
The agency becomes your recruiting team.
Billed by the day, for volume or ongoing needs. You pay for working time, not a percentage per hire.
As a benchmark, most agencies charge between 15% and 25% of annual gross salary for a success-based hire.
What Walead charges.
The same rates as on the Pricing page. They apply to the role's annual gross salary.
An Account Executive at €60,000 gross per year.
- Success Recruitment (22%)
- €13,200
- Exclusive Mandate (20%)
- €12,000
Illustrative example, calculated on annual gross salary. The quote for your assignment prevails.
What the fee includes
- Brief and scoping from day 1
- Active sourcing and direct approach of candidates
- Thorough qualification and interviews for every candidate
- Shortlist presented with a full brief, as many profiles as needed
- Negotiation and follow-up through onboarding
- 4-month replacement guarantee
Generalist agency or Sales agency?
What changes when the agency only does Sales.
| Criterion | Generalist agency | Walead |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty | Every function: Sales, Tech, Finance, HR. | Sales roles only, from SDR to VP Sales. |
| Network | A wide pool, but shallow in each function. | A network built on a single specialty: Sales. |
| Profiles presented | Often a short selection of CVs. | A wide top of funnel and a demanding filter at the bottom: as many profiles as needed. |
| Understanding your need | A generic brief, reused from one function to the next. | An in-depth brief on your market, your sales cycle and your non-negotiables. |
| Lead time | Varies with the consultant's workload. | Average time to hire under 20 days. |
| Fees | Often 15% to 25%, sometimes on quote only. | Public: 22% on success, 20% exclusive, RPO from €600/day. |
| Guarantee | Varies with the contract. | 4-month replacement on every offer. |
A comparison of general market practices, not aimed at any particular agency.
The real cost is the bad hire.
Fees are only a fraction of what an underperforming salesperson costs: salary paid, missed target, vacant seat, a new hire. Work it out with your own numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Sales recruitment agency cost?
At Walead: 22% of annual gross salary on success, 20% on an exclusive mandate, and RPO from €600 per day. On the market, success-based recruitment most often sits between 15% and 25%.
When do I pay?
On success, only if the hire goes through. On exclusive, according to the agreed quote. On RPO, by the day, at the pace we define together.
What is included in the fees?
Scoping, active sourcing, qualification, candidate presentation, negotiation, onboarding follow-up and the 4-month replacement guarantee.
What happens if the hire doesn't last?
If the candidate leaves the role or is replaced for poor performance within 4 months of starting, we relaunch the sourcing at no extra fee, once per hire, under the guarantee conditions.
What is the difference between success-based and exclusive?
On success, you pay only on hire, for a role without extreme urgency. On exclusive, you give us the role, we concentrate our resources on it with a short lead time and tight reporting, for a lower percentage.
And for a freelance profile?
Freelance placements are made at a 20% margin.
A role to fill?
First call free, no commitment. Book a slot or describe your need, we get back to you within 24 business hours.