Client Overview

One of London's most accomplished buying agencies in the prime central London property market required strategic team expansion. With a reputation for excellence and exclusivity, they rarely expand their team, making each hire a strategic decision critical to maintaining their market-leading position.

The Challenge

The client needed to grow their team by adding an experienced Buying Agent in Prime Central London. The primary challenge was the scarcity of qualified candidates with buying agent experience, as most successful professionals in this niche are well-compensated and established in their roles. Additionally, the risk of counter-offers was significant, as employers typically fight to retain top talent in this specialised field.

Our Approach

We implemented a multi-faceted approach to address this challenging search:

Consultative Process: We worked closely with the client to understand their unique culture and requirements, ensuring we could represent their opportunity accurately to potential candidates.

Talent Mapping: We conducted a comprehensive mapping of the Prime Central London property market, identifying both obvious and non-obvious talent sources and creating a targeted outreach strategy.

Extensive Network Referrals: Leveraging our established industry connections, we sourced referrals to professionals who weren't actively seeking new opportunities but might be open to the right proposition.

Leadership

The search was led by our Associate Director, whose extensive experience in high-end property recruitment and deep understanding of the prime London market provided the expertise necessary for this specialised role.

Results

• Identified and secured a candidate who was not actively looking but was the perfect fit for the client's requirements
• Completed the search within the agreed timeframe despite market challenges
• Secured a high-performing candidate who commanded a higher billing rate than current employees
• 75% interview-to-offer ratio, demonstrating the quality of our shortlist

Key Success Factors

The success of this placement hinged on our deep market knowledge and relationship-based approach. By understanding both the client's needs and the candidate's motivations, we were able to facilitate a match that might otherwise never have happened. Our relationship with the client, despite a three-year gap since the last placement, remained strong enough to enable the detailed understanding required for such a specialised hire.