Compare · vs Recruitment Agency
Traditional agencies charge a percentage of salary and gatekeep candidates. PrimeClosers is a flat monthly subscription, self-serve access to vetted sales talent, and interviews you run directly.
PrimeClosers
Browse free. Prime Employer is £249/mo + VAT (where applicable) for unlimited jobs, messaging and hires. You interview candidates directly, with a 30-day replacement guarantee included.
Traditional recruitment agency
Percentage-of-salary model. Agency owns the pipeline and shortlists before you see anyone. Replacement cover exists but is usually tied to a retainer relationship.
Traditional recruitment agencies charge 15–25% of first-year salary — often £4,000–£8,000+ for a single sales hire. Prime Employer is £249/mo + VAT for unlimited hiring. No percentage of salary. No per-hire fee.
Agency search is a queue: you brief them, they open a search, they come back with a shortlist. That is typically one to three weeks before you see the first CV. PrimeClosers is browsable in minutes — every assessed candidate is visible to you the moment you post a role.
Agencies filter before you see anyone. That is either a feature or a bottleneck depending on how confident you are the agency knows your offer. PrimeClosers puts you in direct contact with candidates from day one — you decide who to interview and who to skip, using the same DISC and AI-roleplay data we use.
Most UK recruitment agencies cover multiple functions — sales, marketing, ops, finance — with generalist consultants. PrimeClosers only does sales talent. Every profile, every filter and every assessment is built specifically for closers, setters, SDRs and BDRs.
| Feature | PrimeClosers | Recruitment agency |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to hire | £249/mo + VAT (where applicable) — unlimited hires | 15–25% of first-year salary (£4,000–£8,000+ typical) |
| Retainers or upfront search fees | None | Common on retained search |
| Time to first shortlist | Immediate — browse assessed talent yourself | Typically 1–3 weeks of agency-side search |
| Who interviews candidates | You do, directly, from day one | Agency filters before you see anyone |
| Access to unshortlisted candidates | ||
| Specialisation | Sales talent only | Generalist across every function |
| Talent vetting | DISC + AI roleplay + LinkedIn/Loom verification | CV screen + agency phone call (varies) |
| Replacement cover | 30-day guarantee on self-serve hires, 90 days on Managed Placement | Typically 8–12 weeks, retainer-dependent |
| In-platform payments & dispute mediation | ||
| Free to browse and post |
Agency figures reflect typical UK sales recruitment terms; individual agency pricing varies.