How $3,500 Could Cost This Freight Company Over $50,000

Here’s a scenario that happens more often than you’d think.

A client of ours has been trying to fill a Business Development Manager role for months — running Seek ads, tapping into their network, and still no traction. As it turns out, we had someone immediately available who checked all the boxes: relevant experience, industry knowledge, and aligned values.

Perfect match, right?

Not quite. The client declined to even interview the candidate unless we reduced our already discounted recruitment fee by another $3,500.

Let’s put that into perspective.

💸 What’s the Real Cost of Delay?

In freight forwarding, a solid BDM typically brings in $15,000–25,000 in gross profit per month. That means every month this role goes unfilled, the business is potentially losing five to seven times what they’d pay in recruitment fees.

Even worse — the longer the role remains vacant, the more pressure builds on the rest of the team, the greater the risk of missed opportunities, and the more likely top candidates move elsewhere.

🎯 The Recruitment ROI Is Real

A quality recruiter doesn’t just match a resume to a job. We qualify culture fit, manage expectations, and bring forward off-market candidates you wouldn’t reach on your own. That’s not just a service — that’s a competitive edge.

In this case, the cost-saving mindset is leading to a loss far greater than $3,500. It’s lost margin, lost time, and lost momentum.

Final Thought

Sometimes businesses hesitate on recruiter fees. But here’s the question: what’s more expensive — investing in the right hire, or dragging out the search and losing months of revenue?

If you’ve ever waited too long to hire and felt the impact, you know the answer.