In this video, Sam Miller (referred to as Speaker A) denounces Preferred Supplier Lists (PSLs) as outdated and detrimental to recruiters, clients, and candidates. He argues that recruiters are forced to compete against multiple agencies with no guarantee of payment, which he describes as unfair. Drawing on his experience with his twin brother Ben—who together have helped recruiters generate over £3 million in LinkedIn‑based revenue—Miller outlines three core strategies to escape PSLs and secure retained or exclusive work. First, he stresses adopting an equality mindset, treating every client as an equal partner rather than a superior, which builds confidence and prevents power imbalances. Second, he advises recruiters to bring measurable value to every sales call by asking probing, problem‑focused questions that position the recruiter as a problem‑solver rather than an order‑taker. Third, he recommends leveraging detailed case studies that demonstrate past successes, thereby reducing perceived risk for the client and shifting the recruiter from a peripheral supplier to a necessary partner. Throughout, Miller emphasizes self‑confidence, clear communication, and a client‑centric approach as the practical, non‑secret‑sauce methods that consistently win retained work.
Chapters
It's the dreaded PSL. Yes, I'm talking about the Preferred Suppliers List. On a personal level, I think the PSL is outdated, backwards, and really works against the company, the candidate, and the recruiter. You're telling me I've got to battle against 5 other agencies, work my ass off to find you candidates, and then there's no guarantee that I'll even be paid for my work? That is absolute shit. Tucky mushrooms. If you're still watching this video, it's probably because you're a recruiter, you're fed up with PSLs, and it's now time to find companies and clients that respect you and your time. Firstly, why listen to me? Well, me and my twin brother Ben specialize in helping recruiters all over the world build their business on LinkedIn, and we've helped them generate over £3 million of revenue just on the LinkedIn platform alone. And we've noticed a few things that separates the recruiters that are constantly being shoved onto PSLs and the other recruiters that consistently win retained and exclusive work, and I'm going to share them with you today. Okay, so the first piece of advice I'm going to give you so you can stop being shoved onto PSLs and win more retained work: you are equal to every single client or company that you speak to. You're not above, you're not below, you are equal. There are so many recruiters that I speak to that genuinely believe this, either on a conscious subconscious level that when a client is paying them to do work, for some reason they hold a higher position of power. They are more important in some way. And this can feel even more intense if you're a solo recruiter speaking to larger companies. If you truly believe that the other person is somehow more important than you are, the deal is always going to sway in their favor, and you've also booked yourself a one-way ticket to the preferred suppliers list. I heard it's pretty good this time of year. Someone in this message is wondering if it's actually true. And of course that was a joke. The weather is horrible. Instead, remember you are both equal. They need you just as much as you need them. And if you don't like what they have to offer, you can say no and part ways. Or you can tell them how you prefer to work and negotiate terms. Pretty much every single recruiter that I work with that consistently win retained or exclusive work have this mindset switched on in every single sales conversation. They don't have any secret sauce and they're not doing anything particularly special. They just have more self-confidence going into the sales call, and they are planning to work with clients that respect them and their time. The next strategy that's going to help you avoid PSLs and win more retain work is aiming to bring value on every single sales call. Sadly, a lot of salespeople, and that includes recruiters, are just order takers. They jump on a call, they let the client speak at them for 20 minutes, and then they go off on a treasure hunt to try and find the best candidate. The problem with this approach is it demonstrates absolutely no value whatsoever. In fact, an 8-year-old could probably do the same. Yeah, if you can learn to bring value onto the sales call, then this is an instant way to shift the power over to you and improve the chances that you'll win more retain work. You've really got to understand the businesses you're serving, and you've got to ask the right questions: what's going wrong, how long it's been going on for, and why they to fix it. When a client can vocalize these problems and speak them out loud to you, they begin to see you as someone that can solve their problems. It's almost like a therapy session, and if you've ever been to therapy, you'll know that most of the power in a therapy session is the therapist being able to sit down, ask the right questions, and listen. The third way to avoid the dreaded PSL and start winning more retain work is to use case studies to bolster your positioning and persuade them to say yes. When clients can see that you've helped solve a similar problem for a similar business and that you've had a great result, in their brain all the risk has dramatically just decreased. One thing that we found very successful is taking case studies, e.g., the recruiters that we've had some fantastic results for, and tying that into the sales call. We'll talk them through 3 successful case studies or stories of people just like them and how we took them from A to B. The fear that they overcame, the money they made, and what their life looks like now. And when you allow them to feel this emotion, you've just gone up 10 levels in their head. This is another moment where the power has shifted. You are no longer a PSL recruiter, you are someone that they must work with, they need to work with in order to get some fantastic results.
