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DESIGN & BUILD — LEAP ROADSHOW 2026

Your Desk.
Your Earnings.
Your Opportunity.

This session is about what LEAP means for you personally — your clients, your performance, and what your desk looks like 12 months from now.

Where We're Starting

Let's Be Honest About How We Work Right Now

RIGHT NOW
Most of us work this way: a client calls with a role, we fill it, and then we wait for them to call again. Between calls, we're not in the relationship. We're not creating opportunity. We're starting from zero — every quarter.

Every quarter starts fresh

No compound. No pipeline certainty. Your billings this month depend on who happened to call — not on relationships you built six months ago.

Your best clients are at risk

As clients grow and install HR or TA teams, we lose access to the decision-makers who gave us their trust in the first place. We drift — not because we did anything wrong, but because we weren't visible.

You're working harder than you need to

Cold BD to fill the same roles, with the same clients, that you've already placed with before. LEAP is about fixing that — not adding to your workload, but changing where your time goes.

LEAP does not ask you to work harder. It asks you to work differently — in a way that builds your desk rather than resets it every quarter.
The Model

LEAP — What It Actually Means for Your Day

L
LAND
Win access to the person who actually makes hiring decisions — not just HR.
E
ENGAGE
Fill the role in a way that makes them want to come back — not just because you placed someone.
A
ADVANCE
Stay in the relationship between hires. Insights. Market data. Pipeline conversations. You're in the room when the role comes up — not waiting for the call.
P
PROTECT
Lock in your best clients with multi-stakeholder relationships and account plans. Don't let a competitor or a new HR hire take what you built.
THE SHIFT
Before LEAP: client calls you when they have a role. After LEAP: you're already in a conversation with them about what comes next before they've even written the brief. That is the difference between a transactional desk and a relationship desk.
YOUR LIST
30
companies
identify top 20%
ADVANCE
6
clients
× 4 placements each
ANNUAL TARGET
24
deals / year
compounding over time
YOUR BILLING
↑
every year
Your Advance Clients

Your 6 Advance Clients — How to Identify Them

An Advance client is not necessarily your biggest client. It's the client where the relationship has depth — where you have access, trust, and a genuine sense of what they'll be hiring for next. Use these filters:

1
Volume — 4+ placements in the last 18 monthsWhether that's all you or a combination of consultants with the same client in the same region — it counts.
VOLUME PATH
— OR —
2
Exclusivity — you do all or most of their recruitmentAny placement volume qualifies if the relationship is effectively exclusive. They call you first. Always.
EXCLUSIVE PATH
+ M.A.N Access You have at least one active relationship with the Money, Authority, or Hiring Need holder — not just HR or TA.
+ Forward Pipeline You know — or can find out — what they'll be hiring for in the next 3–6 months. The next role is a conversation, not a surprise.
+ Active Relationship They responded to your outreach in the last 6 months. If they've gone silent, they're a lapsed client — not an Advance client.
IN THIS ROOM
You brought 2–3 Advance nominations and 1–2 Protect nominations today. We're going to test them against these filters together in small groups. The goal is a list you can genuinely defend — not one that sounds good on paper.
Staying Relevant

What You Actually Do with an Advance Client

Quarterly Business Review

A 45–60 minute business conversation — not a catch-up. You lead with a hiring performance review, bring market insights, and walk away with an agreed pipeline for the next quarter. This is what separates you from every other recruiter who only calls when they have a CV.

Monthly Value Touchpoint

Three sentences. Insight-led. Relevant to them specifically. Not a newsletter. Not a check-in call. A piece of market intelligence they can't get from anyone else — salary movement, candidate availability, who's hiring in their space.

Pipeline Conversation

Quarterly. Before any role exists. "If you were hiring a Project Manager in three months, here's who we'd be targeting." You create the role in their mind before they've written the brief. That's how you stop competing on shortlists.

THE RULE
The touchpoint must be insight-led, short, and relevant — not salesy. If a client reads it and thinks "this is about what D&B needs," you've failed. If they read it and think "this is useful to me," you've succeeded. That's the filter for every piece of value you deliver.

ADVANCE SCORECARD — YOUR LEADER REVIEWS THIS EVERY WEEK

QBR done (90 days)
✓ / ✗
Value delivered
✓ / ✗
Pipeline discussed
✓ / ✗
Stakeholders (#)
2+
Opportunity ID'd
✓ / ✗

RED FLAG: If 2 or more are "No" for any client — that client is not truly Advanced. Your leader will act immediately.

Your Earnings

What Your Desk Is Worth — Now vs With LEAP

The earnings story at D&B is not about commission percentage — it's about what you bill. A desk built on Advance clients bills more, compounds over time, and survives market downturns better than a transactional desk. Here's the directional picture:

WHERE YOU START
Baseline
Current desk. Reactive model. Revenue resets each quarter.
▶
YEAR 1 — LEAP ACTIVE
↑ 5–10%
First Advance clients engaged. Repeat business beginning to appear.
▶
YEAR 2–3 — COMPOUNDING
↑ 15–25%
Pipeline conversations replacing cold BD. Repeat business growing. Less time per placement.
▶
YEAR 4–5 — RELATIONSHIP DESK
↑ 35%+
Desk runs on relationship revenue. Advance clients are an annuity. High Achievers Trip territory.
DEVELOPING CONSULTANT
0–3 years
TodayBaseline
Year 1 (LEAP active)↑ meaningful
Year 3 (compounding)↑↑ significant
ESTABLISHED CONSULTANT
3–6 years — where most of you are
TodayBaseline
Year 1 (LEAP active)↑ noticeable
Year 3 (compounding)↑↑ material difference
This is where LEAP compounds fastest
SENIOR / PRINCIPAL
6+ years
TodayBaseline
Year 1 (LEAP active)↑ immediate
Year 3+ (full model)↑↑↑ High Achievers territory
WHY DESIGN & BUILD

The Best Way to Make Money Is to Do Right by People

OUR BELIEF
Our mission is to do right by our clients, candidates, colleagues and community. When you genuinely build trust with people — not just transact — the commercial results follow naturally. LEAP is the framework that makes trust-building a daily discipline, not an aspiration.
Clients
Build trust, stay relevant, create value
When you run a QBR, deliver a market insight, or have a pipeline conversation before a role exists — you are not doing admin. You are becoming the person your client genuinely trusts to help them make better hiring decisions. That trust generates repeat business, exclusive relationships, and a desk that doesn't reset each quarter.
Trusted clients → repeat business → sustainable earnings
Candidates
Represent well, place right, stay in touch
Candidates who feel genuinely represented — not just processed — become advocates for you in the market. They refer clients. They return when they move roles. They give you access to talent competitors can't reach. Doing right by candidates builds a network that multiplies your earning potential without additional BD effort.
Trusted candidates → referrals + repeat → market reputation
Community
Stand for something beyond the placement
D&B has operated in Australia's construction, engineering, and infrastructure sectors for over 22 years. That longevity is not an accident — it is the result of being a business the market respects. When you operate with integrity in your community, the best clients and candidates choose D&B. LEAP is how that brand lives in your daily work.
Trusted community reputation → the best choose D&B
THE POINT
The consultants who earn the most at D&B are not the ones who chase commission. They are the ones who build the deepest trust — with clients, candidates, and their community — and let the earnings follow from that.
The Roadmap

What the Next 3 Months Look Like for You

NOW
April–May
Phase 1 Active — Your desk is in motion Your 30-company list is built. Advance clients are identified. Action plans are live. First QBRs are being booked and delivered. Your leader is checking in weekly.
TODAY
May–June Roadshow
Validate, workshop, and leave with something tangible You validate your Advance client list in a small group. You draft a real QBR agenda for your top Advance client. You write a value touchpoint you commit to sending in 48 hours.
EOFY
July Conference
We celebrate what's been built — across all brands and offices LEAP recognition sits alongside billing recognition. The consultants who ran QBRs, delivered insights, and created pipeline from relationships — those are the stories that get told.
JULY+
FY27 Rhythm
LEAP is not a project anymore — it's how we work Weekly check-ins. Monthly value. Quarterly QBRs. Pipeline conversations. This is the operating rhythm for every consultant from July 1. By year end, your desk is building something your competitors can't replicate.
Workshop Part A

Validate Your Client List — 40 Minutes

Get into your small group now. Each person presents their 2–3 Advance nominations and 1–2 Protect nominations. The group challenges using the three questions below. Be honest — ghost clients on your list hurt you, not the business.
1
Why Advance?

Does this client meet the volume path (4+ placements) or the exclusivity path? If neither, they're a target — not an Advance client yet.

2
Who's the M.A.N?

Name the person. Money, Authority, or Need. If you can only name an HR or TA contact, what's the plan to get above them?

3
What's the next hiring signal?

What do you know about what they'll be hiring for in the next 3–6 months? If the answer is "nothing yet," that's the first Advance conversation to have.

IF A CLIENT DOESN'T PASS ALL THREE — THEY GO HERE INSTEAD:

TARGET
Relationship exists but not yet qualifying. Keep working on it.
LAPSED — RECOVERABLE
Inactive 19–30 months. Strong history. Re-engagement plan needed.
GENERAL TARGET
No recent relationship. Goes back into the BD list.
Workshop Part B

Draft Your QBR Agenda — 25 Minutes

Pick your single highest-priority Advance client. Complete the QBR agenda below — in the room, right now. It must be client-specific. Not a template with their name dropped in. A decision-maker should want to be in that meeting when they read this agenda.

CLIENT: _________________________________     DATE TARGET: _________________
1. THE INSIGHT YOU LEAD WITH

What market data is relevant to them right now? Salary movement in their sector? Candidate availability? Competitor hiring activity?

2. THE TWO QUESTIONS YOU'LL ASK

Forward-looking. About their business priorities and upcoming hiring. Not "are you looking at the moment?"

3. THE ACTION YOU PROPOSE

What do you want them to agree to by the end of the meeting? A pipeline target? A candidate profile? A next conversation date?

THE TEST
If you read this agenda back and think "a decision-maker would cancel this meeting" — rewrite the insight. The insight is the hook. Without it, the QBR is a catch-up. With it, it's a business conversation they can't get from anyone else.
Workshop Part C

Write Your Value Touchpoint — 10 Minutes, Send in 48 Hours

Three sentences. One Advance client (different from your QBR client). Must be insight-led — not a check-in, not a pitch, not "just touching base." If you can't send it in 48 hours, it doesn't count.
SENTENCE 1 — The Insight

A single piece of market data relevant to their world. Salary movement, candidate availability, competitor hiring activity, a skill shortage emerging in their sector.

Example: "We're seeing [role type] salaries move up 8% in [city] over the last quarter as [sector event] drives demand."

SENTENCE 2 — Why It Matters to Them

Connect the insight to something specific about their business, their team, or their upcoming projects. Show you've thought about them — not broadcast to a list.

Example: "Given the [project / team growth / expansion] you mentioned last time we spoke, this is worth being aware of before you brief."

SENTENCE 3 — The Soft Next Step

An easy door opener — not a pitch. A question, an offer of a brief call, or a candidate snapshot they might want to see. The goal is a reply, not a placement.

Example: "Happy to put together a quick candidate snapshot for that type of profile if it'd be useful — just let me know."

WRITE IT NOW — THEN COMMIT:

Client: _________________________________

SEND DATE:

Within 48 hours of today. Not "this week." Write the date. Your leader sees this.

Design & Build logo

You leave today with
three things.

1
A validated Advance and Protect client list you can genuinely defend
2
A QBR agenda for your top Advance client — ready to send as a meeting invite
3
A value touchpoint with a committed send date — 48 hours from today

LEAP is not about being busier. It's about building a desk that works for you — not just in the months when the market is strong, but in every month, compounding over time.

Now let's get it done.

#BuildingTrust  |  designandbuild.com.au