Retrained Search

“I’d love to sell retained… but I don’t want to turn down contingent work. Isn’t it all or nothing?”
No, it isn’t.
Contingent works perfectly well for straightforward, low-risk roles.
Retained is for hires that are business-critical, niche, senior, complex, or simply too important to leave to chance.
This isn’t about abandoning contingency forever.
It’s about matching the model to the problem.
You don’t have to burn down your contingent desk to start selling retained - you just need to stop treating every role the same.
Another retained misconception coming next Monday.