Small Market, Big Wins: When It Makes Sense to Hire a Recruiter in a Limited Territory
Release Date: 11/11/2025
Make It Real: How to Turn Your Vision Into a Tangible Recruiting Roadmap for 2026
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We’re just days away from a brand new year, and there’s one leadership skill that will define your momentum in 2026: turning vision into structure. In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I walk you through how to go beyond inspiring language and build a vision your team and your recruits can actually believe in. If you’ve ever felt like your vision gets lost or fades after January, this will show you how to make it stick; with structure, ownership, and real action steps. Episode Breakdown [00:00] Welcome & Setup – It’s almost New Year’s Eve, which means you’re probably...
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Cast the Vision, Keep the Trust: Leading Boldly Without Overpromising
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It’s Christmas week, and the perfect time to reflect on your future as a leader. In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I’m answering one of the biggest questions I’ve been hearing to close out the year: How do I cast a bold, inspiring vision for 2026 without overcommitting or losing trust when I can’t deliver it all at once? If you’ve ever wrestled with that tension, this episode will help you lead with both clarity and confidence. I walk you through how to cast a magnetic vision and pair it with grounded execution, so people believe in both your future and your...
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Let Your Vision Speak: How to Build a Personal Brand That Attracts Without Chasing
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Your personal brand is already speaking. The question is, does it say the right thing? In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I talk about the one brand shift every leader needs to make in 2026: letting your vision do the talking. Because today’s recruits don’t just want a better comp plan or a bigger opportunity. They want to follow someone with clarity, belief, and a future they can see themselves in. Episode Breakdown [00:00] Introduction – Your brand is already talking. The question is: what story is it telling? [01:00] Why Vision Is Your Brand’s Most Valuable Asset...
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Recruit the Dream, Not the Resume: How to Lead Deeper Conversations That Build Trust
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Most recruiting conversations stay surface-level. We talk roles, titles, numbers. But the best leaders know how to go deeper. In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I share the single most powerful question I ask in nearly every recruiting conversation: “What’s your long-term professional dream? And what’s your personal dream outside of work for the next 10 years?” That one question changes everything. It moves the conversation from transactional to transformational. It shows people you don’t just want to hire them, you want to help them become who they’re meant to be....
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Magnetize Your Growth: Build a Recruiting Playbook That Attracts, Connects, and Retains
Recruiting Conversations
Most recruiting playbooks are either too vague to matter or too corporate to inspire. In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I break down how to create a magnetic recruiting playbook; one that does more than document steps. It attracts the right talent, builds deep community, and creates retention that scales. We’ll cover three powerful pillars: marketing that feels human, community that creates belonging, and retention that builds belief. This isn’t theory. It’s a rhythm that reinforces your leadership at every level. Episode Breakdown [00:00] Introduction – Why most playbooks...
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It’s Not About the Rate: How to Handle Objections Around Pricing and Compensation
Recruiting Conversations
When a candidate pushes back on pricing or comp, they’re rarely asking about math. They’re asking if your model is worth believing in. In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I walk through the mindset, scripting, and strategic timing for leading high-trust conversations around pricing and compensation. This isn’t about defending numbers. It’s about reframing the value of your system and building belief that shifts the conversation from fear to vision. Episode Breakdown [00:00] The Real Question – Pricing and comp objections aren’t about spreadsheets. They’re about...
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The Market Isn’t Too Small. Your Strategy Might Be
Recruiting Conversations
What if you’ve already talked to every LO in your market? What if the pool feels saturated, picked over, or just plain stuck? In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I’ll show you how to shift your mindset, redefine your opportunity, and build a rhythm that creates traction—even when your list is short. Whether you're in a small town or a crowded metro, this strategy will help you go deeper, not just wider. Episode Breakdown [00:00] Introduction – When your market feels small, what do you do? The answer isn’t volume. It’s clarity [01:00] You’re Not Stuck. You’re Just...
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Small Market, Big Wins: When It Makes Sense to Hire a Recruiter in a Limited Territory
Recruiting Conversations
What if your entire market has fewer than 100 LOs? Is hiring a recruiter still worth it? In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I walk through the exact framework for determining whether a recruiter is the right move in a small market. I cover the systems, mindset, math, and sequencing that make it work, and share a real-world story of one leader who turned 85 LOs into 9 hires in 12 months. This isn’t about headcount. It’s about mastery, clarity, and building a system that multiplies your time. Episode Breakdown [00:00] The Question – Is it worth hiring a recruiter if I only...
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Recruiting the Inner Circle: How to Win When Outside Voices Influence the Decision
Recruiting Conversations
You’ve been there. The recruit is engaged, the vision is aligned, and then silence. Or worse, hesitation that comes from a spouse, a current manager, or a friend. In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I unpack one of the most common and misunderstood challenges in recruiting: how to lead when someone else is influencing your recruit behind the scenes. This is the framework I teach leaders to help them stay calm, coach through fear, and win trust without becoming defensive or pushy. Episode Breakdown [00:00] Introduction – The silent deal-breaker: recruits influenced by voices...
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How to Build Certainty When Recruits Feel Stuck
Recruiting Conversations
Ever had a recruiting conversation stall, not because of your offer, but because the recruit says, “I don’t know”? In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I break down the exact framework I use to move people from fog to clarity. You’ll learn how to coach through indecision, lead with belief, and help recruits see a future they can say yes to. Because the best recruiters aren’t just closers. They’re clarity coaches. Episode Breakdown [00:00] Introduction – The most common stall in recruiting isn’t about money. It’s about uncertainty [01:00] Why Recruits Say...
info_outlineWhat if your entire market has fewer than 100 LOs? Is hiring a recruiter still worth it? In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I walk through the exact framework for determining whether a recruiter is the right move in a small market. I cover the systems, mindset, math, and sequencing that make it work, and share a real-world story of one leader who turned 85 LOs into 9 hires in 12 months.
This isn’t about headcount. It’s about mastery, clarity, and building a system that multiplies your time.
Episode Breakdown
[00:00] The Question – Is it worth hiring a recruiter if I only have 70 to 100 loan officers in my area?
[01:00] Why Market Size Is the Wrong Lens – It’s not how many LOs exist, it’s how many are aligned and how strong your system is
[02:00] Visibility vs. True Recruiting – Reaching out once is not recruiting. You need consistent, structured engagement
[02:30] Real Story: Midwest Leader With 85 LOs – After mapping the market, he realized very few LOs had received consistent value or follow-up
[03:30] Question 1: Is Recruiting a Top 3 Priority? – If not, a recruiter becomes an admin, not a multiplier
[04:00] Question 2: Do You Have a System? – CRM, avatar, cadence, scripting, follow-up, all must be in place before hiring
[04:45] Question 3: Are You Recruiting for Fit or Volume? – In small markets, alignment is more important than raw production
[05:20] Question 4: Can You Tell a Clear Story? – If your recruiter can't communicate your value clearly, you’ll lose to comp-focused competitors
[06:00] The Math That Makes It Work
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3 key hires = $60K/month revenue
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$720K annually
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More than enough to justify the hire
[06:30] What a Recruiter Should Be – Not a cold caller, but a connector who runs value plays and books warm calls
[07:00] When to Delay the Hire – If your system is messy or undefined, wait. Build first. Then hire
[07:30] Real Results – The Midwest leader built a system first, hired a recruiter second, and scaled to 9 hires in a “too small” market
[08:00] Action Steps
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Build a clean LO list
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Document your recruiting message
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Create a 90-day value-add follow-up plan
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Prove it works
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Hire a recruiter to run the top of funnel
[09:30] Closing Thought – You don’t need more market. You need more mastery. Strategy wins, not size
Key Takeaways
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It’s Not About Market Size. It’s About Market Mastery – A recruiter in a small market works if the system is already built
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Recruiting Must Be a Top Priority – No hire can replace your ownership of the vision
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Build First, Hire Second – Document your message, process, and rhythms before bringing someone in
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Focus on Alignment Over Volume – In a small market, values and vision matter more than raw numbers
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Your Story Wins the Game – When your message is clear, your recruiter becomes a magnet, not a salesperson
A small market doesn't limit your impact. Lack of clarity does. Build the system. Then scale it with the right partner.
Want help building your recruiting system so a recruiter can multiply it? Subscribe to my weekly email at 4crecruiting.com or book a strategy session at bookrichardnow.com. Let’s help you win in any market no matter if it's big or small.