Agency recruiters live in a two-front war: hiring managers who think they don't need you and candidates who don't want to be poached. This script is built for the client side, winning the job order, with a permission-based opener that gets past "we handle hiring internally," plus rebuttals to the fee pushback and the "no openings" stall that kill most recruiter calls in the first fifteen seconds.
Steal this, swap in your details, and read it out loud a few times. Then go run it live. Reading a script and pulling it off on a real call are two different skills.
Hi, is this [First Name]? Hey [First Name], this is [Your Name] with [Company], I'll be straight with you, this is a cold call, so I'll keep it to 20 seconds. I place [Role type] talent into companies like yours here in [City/Industry], and I'm calling you specifically because I've got people I think you'd want to see. Did I catch you at a terrible time, or can I give you the quick version?
I'm not calling to pitch a contract or add you to a drip. What I actually do is bring you the candidates who never hit your job board, the ones who are heads-down at a competitor and won't ever apply to a posting. If you've got a role that's been open too long or one you know is coming, I can usually surface two or three people you haven't seen. If not, I'll get out of your hair.
“We recruit in-house / we don't use agencies.”
Totally get it, and honestly if your internal team is filling everything, you shouldn't pay me a dime. The gap I fill isn't the roles that get applicants, it's the ones where the right person is already employed and would never answer a posting. Next time you've got a role like that sitting open past 60 days, would it be worth a look at what I can find that your funnel can't reach?
“Your fees are too high.”
Fair, the fee is real money, I won't pretend it isn't. The way I'd frame it: what's the role costing you every month it stays open, between lost output and the team covering for it? For most managers that number blows past my fee in the first six to eight weeks. I only get paid when someone great actually starts. Can I show you the math on the specific role?
“We don't have any openings right now.”
That's fine, I'm not trying to invent a req that isn't there. Most of the managers I work best with weren't hiring the day I called either. Can I ask: is there any role you know is coming in the next quarter, or one you'd backfill in a heartbeat if the right person appeared? Even if it's just "keep me in mind," I'd rather be the first call than a stranger when it lands.
“We already use a recruiting firm.”
Good, that means you already see the value, which makes my job easier. I'm not asking you to drop them. What I'd ask for is to be the backup on your hardest role, the one your current firm has gone quiet on. If I deliver, you've got a second option; if I don't, you've lost nothing. Which role has been the most stubborn for them lately?
Hi [First Name], it's [Your Name] with [Company], I place [Role type] talent and I'm calling because I've got a couple of candidates I think you'd genuinely want to see, the kind who never apply to postings. No obligation, just worth a quick look. Call or text me back at [Number], again, [Your Name], [Number]. Thanks [First Name].
Here's what I'd suggest. Let me send you two anonymized profiles for a [Role type] role so you can see the caliber I'm talking about, no commitment. If one of them makes you sit up, we grab 15 minutes to talk about the search. What's the best email, and does Wednesday or Thursday work better for a quick follow-up?
Most hiring managers assume their internal team or a job post covers it. Reframe agency work as filling the roles their own funnel can't reach, the passive candidates who never apply, not as replacing what they already do.
A 20-25% placement fee sounds huge until it's anchored against the cost of a role sitting open for four months. If you can't tie the fee to time-to-fill and lost productivity in one clean sentence, you lose on price.
Hiring is spiky and hiring managers forget roles that are quietly coming. The job isn't to force a req that doesn't exist. It's to get on the shortlist for the next one and stay top of mind when it lands.
Most managers who use agencies already have one they call first. You're not trying to replace that firm on the call. You're trying to become the backup they try when the first firm goes quiet on a hard role.
The script above is a starting point. Drop in what you actually sell and get a recruiting & staffing script written around your own offer, free, on this page.
Be honest it's a cold call, name the exact role type you place, and give one specific reason you're calling this person, usually real candidates you already have. Ask permission for 20 seconds. Hiring managers screen recruiter calls hard, so sounding specific and human beats a generic "we're a staffing partner" pitch.
Agree, then narrow the gap. "If your team fills everything, don't pay me a dime. The gap I fill is the role where the right person is already employed and would never answer a posting." You reposition agency work as reaching passive candidates their own funnel can't, not as replacing their team.
Never defend the fee in isolation. Anchor it against the cost of the role staying open. Ask what an empty seat costs per month in lost output and team strain, then show that number usually passes your fee in six to eight weeks. Remind them you only get paid when a great hire actually starts.
Don't force a req. Ask what's coming next quarter or what they'd backfill instantly for the right person, and aim to be their first call rather than a stranger when a role lands. Getting on the shortlist for the next opening beats arguing about one that doesn't exist yet.
Don't ask them to switch. Ask to be the backup on their single hardest role, the one the incumbent firm has gone quiet on. If you deliver, you've earned a second seat at the table; if you don't, they've risked nothing. Practicing this agree-then-reframe live is what makes it land naturally.
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