Chris Relth is a seasoned professional with 19 years of experience in the talent industry, recognized as a thought leader and an agent of change. He is the Founder and CEO of Artemis, a specialized staffing and executive search organization, where he brings a tenacious approach to concierge-style permanent search and staffing services. Additionally, Chris is a Managing Partner for Artemis United, a DVBE-certified joint venture that works with the state, fed, and clients to help meet their vendor diversity needs. Artemis United only hires military veterans internally to help with their transition to the civilian workforce.

Chris' leadership philosophy is rooted in the belief that fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment is critical to the success of his team, and ultimately leads to successful outcomes for his clients. His company is dedicated to the satisfaction of its team members and is committed to contributing to positive, long-lasting impact through the promotion of happier, healthier workforces.

A Bay Area native, Chris holds a degree from Chico State University and has been a resident of Orange County for over a decade, where he currently resides in Ladera Ranch, CA. In his free time, Chris channels his energy into philanthropic pursuits as a partner of Miracles for Kids and sits on various boards. He is also a youth football and baseball coach and is heavily involved in fitness.

Chris Relth

I had a bad interview with an internal hire. 
But he'd told me he'd lost 100 pounds. 
He became one of our best hires.


On paper, he wasn't impressive. His answers were average. He stumbled through a few questions. 

If I'd scored him purely on interview performance, he wouldn't have made the cut.

But then, he showed me a photo of himself from a couple of years earlier, and I barely recognized him. He'd lost 100 pounds and completely transformed his body.

That told me everything I needed to know.

Losing that much weight is hard. You need to show up every single day, and twice when you don't feel like it. It takes discipline to work when no one's watching. To refuse to quit when progress feels invisible.

Those are the exact traits that separate good salespeople from great ones.

He's ended up being one of our most successful hires. 

He outworks people who interviewed circles around him and built a strong book of business. 

Proof that grit beats polish every time.

Because of him, I now ask every candidate I interview a simple question: what's the hardest thing you’ve done recently?

If they can give me proof they don't quit when things get difficult, they're in.

That's the stuff you can't teach.

Want to know if you're working with a headhunter? 
Ask the candidate one simple question:
"Why are you looking?"



I've noticed over my years how the words "headhunter," "recruiter," "staffing," "executive search," and "direct hire" all get thrown around like they mean the same thing.

But they don't.

And if you're a hiring manager trying to fill a senior role, 
Understanding the difference is important.

It could save you months of wasted time and dozens of interviews with the wrong people.

If they say:
"I’ve been applying to roles online..." 
Actively looking, browsing job boards, or applying because they're unhappy...
You’re working with a recruiter.

If they say:
"I wasn’t looking, but your opportunity sounded worth a conversation..." 
You’ve hired a headhunter.

That’s the difference.

→ Recruiters work in the active market.
People who are already looking, updating their CVs, and responding to job ads.

→ Headhunters work the hidden market.
People who are not looking, but are good enough to be worth interrupting.

Both have their place.

But if you’re hiring for leadership or niche talent, one approach gets you mediocrity while the other gets you momentum.

When every candidate on your shortlist is unemployed or “exploring,”
You’re competing for availability.
Not necessarily the best candidates.

And the best headhunters don’t wait for candidates to apply.

They call the people every other firm can’t reach and make them interested.

That’s the real difference.

Recruiters fill roles.
Headhunters change companies.=by securing the best talent IN not ON the market

And it all comes down to the quality of talent you eventually bring in.

If a CV says "led initiatives" and "managed projects."
Here's the translation:
"I've done nothing measurable."


OK, every salesperson's resume has BS on it. I get that.

But there's a huge difference between embellishing a story and talking generalized gibberish.

When I'm scanning resumes, I hunt for one thing: Evidence.

Here are some red flags to look out for:

> "Led cross-functional initiatives" - What revenue did this generate?
> "Managed key accounts" - By how much did those accounts grow?
> "Collaborated with stakeholders" - Cool story, but can you close deals?

What I want to see is completely different:

> "Grew territory from zero to $1.5M in 18 months"
> "Increased account penetration by 40% year-over-year"
> "Consistently hit 120% of quota for three consecutive years"

See the difference? 

One talks in generalisations. 
The other talks about results. In numbers. With data, you can check.

The best salespeople don't hide behind vague corporate BS. 

They lead with their wins because they understand that in sales, results are the only currency.

The numbers tell the real story. Everything else is fluff.

Sam Miller

We help Recruiters Build their brand and get more Clients and Candidates Approaching Them. 👉 New Training: The Inbound Academy - Message me for more details 🚀 £3.5 Million Generated for Clients 🚀

Recruiters Business Owners 
If you have 5000+ connections on LinkedIn
You could be winning IMMEDIATE business




A lot of recruiters don't think twice about their connections on LinkedIn

But the truth is your connections arn't just a number

They’re filled with dormant business relationships waiting to be rekindled.

Think about it...

Those hundreds of coffee meetings you've had over the years? They're still connected to you.

The clients you worked with 2-3 years ago? They're still following your updates.

Those fantastic candidates who weren't quite ready to move? They're still watching your content.

The problem is, that most recruiters aren't leveraging this effectively.

They're posting sporadically, with no real strategy or purpose.

I'm here to change that

If you're ready to start utilising your network on LinkedIn 

Then come and try out our free trial...

We’ll write you two world-class pieces of content designed to get maximum engagement in your niche 

Here are some results recruiters have had on our free trial: 

- Won $30K worth of business (Money in the bank 2 months later) 
- Hundreds of thousands of impressions 
- More warm conversations with decision-makers and candidates 

Just from TWO posts. 

Oh and let me say this again….It's FREE! 

Interested? 

Check out the featured section below or visit our visit!

Director

▶︎HERE'S WHAT WE DO: I help Companies Struggling to Stand Out In A Competitive Market By helping them To Be Seen by More Customers And Speak to More Decision Makers



I interviewed a recruiter who's billing $2.4 Million 
He makes a CLEAR distinction between these two things
A Placebale Candidate VS a Closeable Candidate...




Here’s where recruiters get caught out

They spend weeks selling a brilliant candidate to a client… 
Only to discover, at the offer stage, that the candidate:

• Was “just seeing what’s out there.”
• Was waiting for a counteroffer
• Had no real reason to leave
• Needed to interview everywhere before deciding
• Was never emotionally ready to move
  
Placeable candidates look great on paper. 
They’ve done the job. 
They interview well. 
Clients love them.

And yet… nothing happens.
Why? 
No Urgency to move. 

Closable candidates are different.
They don’t just 𝘧𝘪𝘵 the role, they’re actually prepared to leave what they’re doing now.

Great recruiters don’t just ask “𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘣?”

They ask things like:
• “What problem are you trying to solve by leaving?”
• “Could your current employer fix that?”
• “If the right offer was in front of you tomorrow, would you take it?”
• “What would stop you saying yes?”

Because placeability gets interviews. 
Closability gets offers accepted.

And clients don’t pay recruiters to run interviews.
They pay them to close.

Full Podcast in the comments below....

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We Interview the top 1% of recruiters and share their PROVEN strategies to Win More Placements. 100+ episodes with top billers: from $500k to $2.5 Million producers.

I interviewed a recruiter who's billing $539K 
on average, he only works 6 hours a day 
Here are the 2 BD tactics he swears by....



1. MPC marketing via email and LinkedIn
2. Job-opening approach (pitching a candidate directly against an open role) 

He makes sure he does 10 new business activities every single day (50 a week) 

That's it...

No AI 
No Fancy Automation system 
No mass outreach

Just giving the clients what they want
Which is........ great candidates. 

With this simple formula
He's able to bill half a million dollars a year 
While only working 6 hours a day 

Its a fantastic reminder to every recruiter 

MASTER the fundamentals 

Because they will always work 
And they are simpilist path to making good money. 

<FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW>

I spoke to a recruiter who was laid off in Jan 2024 
She sold her LA apartment and decided to travel the world
6 months later, she closed $200k of business...



Yep...

Laid off in Jan 2024 

6 months later...

• Running her own business 
• Traveling the world 
• Recruiting in a brand new market (legal) 
• Closed $200k of business (money in the bank) 
• Living life on her terms 
• Having the most mind-blowing experiences 


Why am I sharing this with you? 

Well its Jan 2026 

Which means whatever happened last year — good or bad — is now locked in.

What isn’t locked in is where you’ll be by mid-year.

This story is useful not because of the outcome, but because of the timeline.

Six months, done properly, is enough to rebuild momentum.

If she can do it....so can you. 

If you want the full story and some inspiration

Full podcast in the comments below.

I interviewed a recruiter who's billed $750K+ for 30 years straight! here are 4 questions he will ask candidates to get consistent HOT leads......



1. “Out of curiosity, where else are you interviewing at the moment?”
→ Identifies 3–6 companies that are actively hiring right now

2. “That’s helpful — was that direct, or through a recruiter?”
→ Tells you whether the company already pays fees (high-probability BD)

3. “And who did you actually speak with over there — hiring manager, HR, ops?”
→ Reveals the real decision-maker or buying influence

4. “Got it. And what triggered that hire — growth, a backfill, or something else?”
→ Explains urgency and hints at future roles coming behind it


Funny how some of the best BD tactics are the most simple. 

FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

I spoke to a recruiter who's billing $700K
She sends every prospect a LOOM video before the call
Her show-up rate is now 100%! Here's how it works...




I'm sure every single recruiter can relate...

You've managed to get a response from a new potential client
You book a meeting in a calendar 
And then NO SHOW.....


This recruiter has an ingenious strategy to make sure this never happens again 

12-24 hours before the meeting begins, she sends a Loom video to the prospect 

Here's what the video says...

“Hey [Name] — looking forward to our meeting.  
Based on what you shared about [role/problem], here are 1–2 thoughts on how I’d approach it. 
<Share thoughts> 
We’ll dig in properly on the call. See you at [time].”

Why it works 
It does three things instantly:

1. Signals respect for their time: You’re not “another vendor.” You did work before you got paid.
   
2. Creates micro-commitment: They’ve now engaged with you (even passively). Much harder to ghost.
   
3. Sets a serious tone: It quietly communicates, “This isn’t a random sales chat. This matters.”


Since implementing this strategy, Julia has had a 100% show rate with every new potential client call. 

Want more details? 

Check out the full podcast in the comments below.

This guy started a recruitment side hustle and billed $200K (while holding down a full-time SaaS job) 
Here's the numbers he did over a 4 year period




2021: $100k (while employed)
2022: $200k (while employed)
2023: $250k (first year full-time)
2025: $539k (Second year full-time)

Here’s the honest part that people need to hear, though...

In 2023 when Jeffrey Zabrin decided to go full-time into recruitment
he expected to do $400k in his first year. 

Double the amount of time so double the billings right?

Wrong. 

He only hit $250k. 

He was frustrated and extremely deflated

There was no overnight hockey stick growth that he was expecting to see

But he kept going....

What actually moved the needle from $250k → $539k+ wasn’t a new tool or market timing.

It was two very unsexy things.

1) Compounding niche momentum
After a few years in the same niche, something changes.
You stop “introducing yourself” and start becoming the person.
Clients come back. Candidates come back. Conversations get shorter. Trust is already there.

It doesn’t feel dramatic day-to-day…
But year-to-year, it compounds fast.

2) He deliberately upped outbound again
This is the part people miss.

Even with repeat clients, didn’t coast.
He consciously increased activity to around 10 new business touches per day.

Not spam.
Intentional outreach, every single day.

The takeaway?

Growth isn’t linear.
Quitting your job doesn’t guarantee a jump.
Momentum + consistent outbound beats motivation every time.

FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

I interviewed a recruiter who's billing £850K 
He uses CVs to gather market intelligence on companies
Then uses it in his pitch to win more clients... 




Most recruiters look at a CV and think:
“Can I place this person?”

He looks at a CV and asks something different:
“What does this tell me about the market?”

To Craig, a CV isn’t just a candidate profile.
It’s evidence.

A real-world map of how companies actually hire, not how job specs say they hire.

He doesn’t skim CVs.
He strips them line by line.

- Tech stack.
- Tools used.
- Versions.
- Environments.
- System scale.
- Team size.
- Reporting lines.
- Business context.

One CV is interesting.
Ten similar CVs is intelligence.

He groups them into patterns or “avatars”.

Think things like:
• Java engineers from tier-1 banks
• Quants moving from sell-side to buy-side
• Backend engineers jumping from scale-ups to hedge funds

Each group tells a story.

- Where companies really source talent from.
- Which backgrounds convert
- What’s considered a “safe” hire vs a risky one.

And here’s where it gets powerful.

When he speaks to clients, he doesn’t ask:
“So… what are you looking for?”

He already knows.

Instead, he says:
“Most teams like yours hire people who’ve done X, Y, and Z. Does that sound right?”

Clients feel understood.
They feel challenged (in a good way).
They feel like they're speaking to an expert. 

And that’s ONE reason why he bills what he does.

FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

I interviewed a recruiter who billed $1.8 Million
He uses a simple 3-2-1 commenting strategy to win clients on LinkedIn. Here's how it works...

I interviewed a recruiter who billed $1M in his second year of recruitment! And guess what? He worked on any role in any niche. As long as there was demand. 






Everyone tells recruiters the same thing:

“Pick a niche. Go an inch wide and a mile deep.”

One of the best billers I’ve spoken to recently didn’t do that.

He’s built multiple $1m+ years in recruitment
without locking himself into one vertical.

His rule is simple:

If there’s demand, I’ll work it.

What makes this work isn’t randomness, it’s fundamentals.

Once you’ve learned recruitment properly (especially in a hard market), you realise something:

Most roles boil down to the same question:

What problem is this hire meant to solve?

Sales, marketing, product, engineering, different languages, same mechanics.

Where people get this wrong is thinking “no niche” means “no focus”.

It doesn’t.

It means:
– following demand
– backing strong candidates
– not turning away good business because it’s “outside the lane”

Sometimes the most profitable niche…

…is demand itself.

FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

I spoke to a recruiter who billed $2.4 Million 
He places Internal talent acquisition for free 
So he can be fed specific roles in the future...





This move is GOLD

But context matters. 

Here's when to use it...

You’ve made 3–6 placements already

The company is:
- 25–150 employees
- Growing fast
- Complaining about agency spend

You hear 𝘢𝘯𝘺 version of:
“We’re thinking of hiring internal”
“We need to get costs down”

Instead of walking away and saying, "We had our run, on to the next one." 

That’s your moment to secure long-term business 

Here's what you say...

“Honestly, at your stage, continuing to rely only on agencies doesn’t make sense long term.
If I were in your shoes, I’d hire an internal recruiter.
And if you want, I’ll help you do that for free.”
 

If they ask 𝘸𝘩𝘺, you say:
 
“Because if I place the right internal recruiter,  they’ll understand how agencies actually work,  they won’t waste time fighting the market,  and when they inevitably need agency help again, I’d rather be the person they trust.”


On your first call with the internal:
 
“I’m not here to compete with you.
You own the core hiring.  I’m here for:
• niche roles
• urgent spikes
• confidential searches
When you need help, I’ll be faster and easier than starting from scratch.”
 
This creates alliance, not friction.

Try it out. 
If you get it right, it could create a fountain of business for the long term. 

<FULL PODCAST IN THE COMMENTS BELOW>

I spoke to a recruiter who's billing $500K
His business is doing $5 Million with a team of 10
Here's how he uses lead magnets to win business

Had a sales call with a recruitment business owner
He said he wants his team to start posting content
Because he knows he's leaving money on the table




Here’s what he told me…

“Sam, I’ve got a team of 7 recruiters. They’re brilliant at what they do.
They know their market inside out, they care about delivery, and clients genuinely like working with them.

If I could somehow get that across through content, I know we’d win more business… I just don’t know where to start....and I don’t want them posting rubbish or coming across cringe or salesy."

So this is what we did.

Instead of turning them into ‘LinkedIn influencers’…

We took what they already say on calls with candidates and clients
And turned that into posts.

No trends.
No dancing on camera

Just:
– What they’re seeing in the market
– What candidates are actually asking them
– What hiring managers keep getting wrong

We did this exact process with a manager of a recruitment firm over in the US
The manager had never posted before.
In the first month, he generated 1.5M impressions.
3 booked meetings with the exact type of clients they want.

That’s why we offer a free trial.

We write 2 free posts for you or one of your team.
You see the traction.
You decide if it’s worth continuing.

If you're interested, the link is in the comments below

I spoke to a recruiter who built a $1 Million desk 
He generated 20 warm leads with one LinkedIn post
Here's how he did it (So you can copy it for free)

Recruitment business owners....
If you're the sole breadwinner of the business
Here are 4 signs that things need to change






1. Pipeline drops the moment you stop hunting
Take a week off and new roles dry up.
Not because the market changed, but because 𝘺𝘰𝘶 weren’t selling.

2. Most new jobs still come from your network
Your consultants deliver well…
But the work almost always starts with 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 relationships.

3.  Hiring more people feels risky
Not exciting.
Because more heads = more pressure on 𝘺𝘰𝘶 to bring in work.

4.  You’re the sole breadwinner
Everyone knows it.
If you stop winning, growth stops.

Over the last 12 months, we’ve worked with dozens of founders in that exact position.

Here’s what changed for them...

Instead of chasing every conversation manually, they started showing up consistently 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 being online all day.

Their network stopped going quiet when they took a week off.

Past clients and candidates started reaching out first, already warmed up.

Not because they suddenly became “content creators”.
But because their experience, opinions, and market insight were finally visible when they weren’t in the room.

Behind the scenes, this is what we actually do:

We handle the heavy lifting.
We turn what you already know into content that sounds like 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
We distribute it consistently so it compounds.
The result we hear most often?

“Conversations feel easier.”
“People already know what we do.”
“My pipeline doesn’t disappear when I step back.”

If you want to see how it works, we’re running a free trial.

Link’s in the comments.

Spoke to a recruitment business owner last week. 
12 years in business. Great delivery team.
But all new work still comes from him networking.




Me: “After 12 years, you’re still the main source of new business?”

Him: “Yeah. If I’m not out there networking, it’s a quiet month. There’s no real marketing system behind it.”
 
Me: “So growth only happens if you keep pushing?”

Him: “Pretty much. You just hope someone needs you.”

Me: “What would actually take the pressure off?”

Him: “Honestly? One new client a month would be massive.”

Then he said something I hear all the time:
 
“I don’t want to post for the sake of posting.” 
“I don’t want to come across cringe.” 
“And I’m not doing TikTok dance videos.”
 
Me: “Good. You don’t need any of that. You just need content that speaks to decision-makers.”

So I made him this offer:
 
I’ll write 2 LinkedIn posts for free.  Targeted. Intentional. Built to attract the right clients, not random likes.

If they create traction, we work together.  
If they don’t, we part ways as friends.

Zero risk.  All the pressure is on me.
 
If you run a recruitment business and you’re looking to add a more predictable flow of the right client conversations alongside what already works

Check out the Link in the comments below....

This recruiter has spent $12.5K with us over 5 months.
Last night he told me he secured $100K of new business
That’s a 700% return on investment…




And that’s JUST the direct Inbound he's had

Alongside that, he’s had:

- Candidates reaching out directly (that's he's gone to place) 
- Senior sales reps engaging with his content
- Conversations that used to start cold, now starting warm

If we did another 5 months, spent another $12.5K, and he closed just one more deal like this…

He’d have $200K in revenue on $25K spent.

That’s a consistent 700% ROI over the year.

This is not unrealistic.

We see this kind of compounding effect all the time once visibility kicks in.

Nothing clever here.
Just consistent visibility With the right content To the right audience.

What makes this even more interesting is how it started….

He originally came through our free trial.
We wrote him 2 free posts.
We got some early traction, he could see the potential, and he decided to stick with it.

Five months later, the content’s doing what it usually does… compounding.

If you're a recruitment business owner and you want to experience results like the client above, Come and try us out for free. You have absolutely nothing to lose And everything to gain.

Link in the comments below 👇

Just started working with a recruitment consultant
The CEO wanted him to start building more pipeline
Here's the results we've had so far...






We’ve been posting twice a week for 3 weeks.

Post 01: 3,000
Post 02: 5,000
Post 03: 110,000
Post 04: 96,000
Post 05: 50,000
Post 06: 65,000

Before working with us, his average impressions per post were 900.

And in just 3 weeks, we’ve generated 300,000+ impressions.

I know what you might be thinking…

“Great Sam, impressions are cool.
But what about tangible ROI?”

Here’s where it gets interesting.

He places senior sales leaders and commercial talent into life sciences & pharma companies.

Since posting Dozens of decision-makers and plenty of high-quality candidates have been liking and engaging with his content.

He’s followed up with warm intro messages.

And he’s already booked 2 solid calls with new potential clients.

Is that earth-shattering?

No.

But those 2 conversations could easily turn into $50k–$150k+ in fees.

Not bad for:

6 posts
And a handful of follow-up messages

If you’re a recruitment business owner and want to test our system for free,
check out the free trial in the comments

Recruiters, if people are ghosting your messages
And no one is reaching out to you after posting content
It's probably because of your offer. let me explain..

“I don’t need more leads. I need better ones.".... That’s what a recruitment business owner told me. She's billing $500K and managing a team of 10 full desk recruiters




She’s been booking calls consistently for months.
Calendar looks full.

But then she leaned in and said:

“Sam… 90% of them are tyre kickers.”

"That’s draining," I remember thinking.

Not because she’s failing.
She’s not. (She's smashing it)

But because every bad call still costs:
– time
– energy
– momentum

And at that level, wasted conversations hurt more than no conversations.

I asked how people were finding her.

“Mostly outbound,” she said.
“They don’t really know me before the call.”

Which made sense to me.

When people book calls cold:
They’re curious, not committed.
Interested, not ready.

Typically, the call requires more explanation and convincing.

I said:
“If I could show you for free how to flip that, so people book calls already knowing who you are and why you’re relevant, would you try it?”

She didn’t hesitate.

We invited her into our 2-week free trial.

We helped her publish a couple of sharp LinkedIn posts.
Nothing fancy. Just clear positioning to the right people.
They racked up 40,000+ impressions in her niche

Within days:
→ More people knew who she was
→ Key decision makers were liking her content
→ 2 fantastic calls booked with serious potential clients

You don’t need more leads.
You need fewer, better ones.

If you’re booking calls but sick of tyre kickers

You can try it for free, just like she did.

Links in the comments below.

This recruitment business owner closes £45K deals
After one month of working with us
He’s now got 2 of those conversations lined up






 “I don’t want to be a thought leader. I just need the right people to notice me.”
That's the first thing he said to me when we spoke. 

Which makes sense.

He’s already very good at what he does.  
He just wasn’t very visible to the people who matter.

In the last month, his LinkedIn content reached just over 300,000 impressions.

That visibility is now turning into £45k conversations with the right clients.

That’s basically our job.
Take what already works and make it visible in the right rooms.

When we first spoke, I didn’t pitch him a long contract.
Or tell him to give me 10K upfront….

I said:
I’ll write 2 LinkedIn posts for you, free.

Posts built around:
* how you actually get results
* The problems your clients are facing
* Why you’re the obvious solution
 
You can post them, see how it lands, and then decide if it’s worth continuing.

If it works, we carry on. If it doesn’t, we part ways as friends.
No obligation. All the pressure is on me.

If you run a recruitment business , and you're interested in seeing the results for yourself 

Check out the link in the comments below…

taplio

The Battle

Chris Relth

Sam Miller

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Performance ScoreChris Relth's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Chris Relth

Sam Miller

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Chris Relth's LinkedIn Performance

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Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreChris Relth's LinkedIn Performance