The Psychology of Great Recruiters | Leon Brandon Mitton (EP 79)

In this episode of The 1 Percent Better Recruitment Podcast, I’m joined by Leon Mitten, Founder & Director of Agnes Cole Consulting, to unpack a topic that divides the recruitment industry:

👉 Is recruitment a sales job?

Leon started his career in hardcore software sales, making 100–150 calls a day, before moving into recruitment and building his own specialist tech recruitment business operating across the UK, Europe, and the US.

This conversation is raw, honest, and practical. We break down why sales culture in recruitment is fading, why qualification is everything, and why the best recruiters don’t “pitch harder” — they listen better.

If you’re a recruiter, founder, or leader who feels like BD is harder than ever… this episode will challenge you.

We cover:

✅ Why recruitment is 100% a sales job

✅ The psychology of getting candidates to sell themselves

✅ Qualification, and why most recruiters don’t do enough of it

✅ The power of silence in sales

✅ Why cold calling isn’t dead, but lazy BD is

✅ Multi-touchpoint business development in 2026

✅ Why relationships still win in recruitment

✅ Imposter syndrome and selling to high earners

✅ “You had a poo this morning” – overcoming sales fear

✅ Why failure is essential for success

✅ Leon’s 1 Percent Better advice

🐋 Podcast Sponsor – SourceWhaleThis episode is sponsored by SourceWhale, the multi-channel outreach platform I personally use and recommend to recruiters and founders. SourceWhale helps you combine email, LinkedIn, calls, and tasks into one structured, consistent BD workflow, without relying on spray-and-pray automation. If you want better conversations, not just more activity, this is worth a look.

👉 Book a demo here:https://sourcewhale.com/book-demo/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=&utm_term=charles_kyriakou&utm_content=book_a_demoMention The 1 Percent Better Recruitment Podcast or my name, Charles Kyriakou, when you book.

🔗 Connect with Leon Mitten💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leon-brandon-mitton-134992129/

🔗 Connect with Charles Kyriakou💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/

📲 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou

🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-better-recruitment-podcast/id1775201502

🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46LjJfw

📰 LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7244346543967731712/

🌐 Website – https://www.inf1nitelearning.com/