Sam Johnstone has never worked for a recruitment agency.
He spent three and a half years selling video technology to agency owners. Then he decided to go and do it himself.
Four years in, he has a portfolio of repeat clients and inbound leads from LinkedIn. All built from a cabin on the Scottish coast with a few thousand pounds in the bank.
Sam is the founder of Real Recruit, a specialist sales recruitment firm based in Glasgow. He built his entire business around video - using it to prospect for new clients, market roles, screen candidates, and deliver shortlists. It's his single biggest differentiator for winning clients over every other agency they're talking to.
In this episode, Sam breaks down his complete video process from first outreach to final shortlist. He explains how a 30-second personalised video and a five-minute callback rule consistently gets prospects to take his call. He explains how filming video job adverts inside client offices builds relationships that standard agencies can't match. And he shares the hiring day model that compresses weeks of interviews into a single afternoon.
Sam also covers the harder lessons. A hiring day that cost him money. A client who took 180 days to pay. The payment term changes he made after that. And the monthly recurring revenue model he built to create more predictable income.
In this episode you'll discover:
The 30-second video formula that gets cold prospects to pick up the phone
Why Sam sends personalised videos to multiple decision makers at the same company on the same day
How filming a video job advert on-site at a client's office wins repeat business
The hiring day model and how to run one
Why a client who haggles on your deposit is a red flag
How Sam rebuilt his payment terms after a client took 180 days to pay
How Clay, SourceWhale, and Claude Cowork replaced LinkedIn Recruiter in his tech stack
Episode highlights:
[1:18] What a video-first recruitment agency actually means
[15:15] The BD routine: personalized videos, watch notifications, calling within five minutes
[17:54] The 30-second video formula
[22:29] How a Rangers fan story turned into Sam's first big retainer
[25:16] Why Sam works on deposit - and what clients receive in return
[32:42] The hiring day model explained
[43:55] The hiring day that cost Sam money and what he learned
[49:32] Getting paid 180 days late - and the changes that followed
[1:08:16] Clay, SourceWhale, and Claude Cowork replacing LinkedIn Recruiter
If your outreach isn't getting responses, this episode will give you a completely different approach to winning clients.
Connect with Sam: LinkedIn: Sam Johnstone Website: realrecruit.co.uk
Connect with Mark: Free strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
