How to Attract Top Talent with Location-Specific Value Propositions, with Lisa Walder, Ep #259

If you're struggling to hire high-performing recruiters across multiple cities or regions, the issue might not be your comp plan—it’s your value proposition. In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Dixon of FIFTEEN WEST to unpack a strategy that more recruitment agency owners need to use: customizing your EVP (Employee Value Proposition) based on location.
Lisa shares hard-won insights from helping dozens of UK recruitment firms expand into the U.S. market. She reveals what actually moves the needle when it comes to attracting top talent, from wellness perks in New York to parking subsidies in Houston.
If you want to build a high-performing team across multiple geographies, this episode is a must-listen.

Episode Outline and Highlights

[03:25] Lisa shares how they founded FIFTEEN WEST.
[09:45] Discussion on strategies for US Market entry.
[18:59] Compensation differences and challenges between the UK & US recruitment markets.
[29:59] An Attractive employee value proposition to attract the best talent.
[32:57] Discussion on tech stack and offshoring certain delivery functions as an option for recruitment companies.
[37:55] How 11 Investments recently acquired FIFTEEN WEST.
[46:27] Aha moments: Key learnings from working with a bigger business that has been further in the journey.

Strategies When Expanding to the US Market

As a rec-to-rec firm, FIFTEEN WEST initially focused on helping UK-headquartered businesses to expand to America. They have eventually moved to the US as a strategic effort to become an embedded recruitment partner across their clients’ global operations. Doing so is not easy, so I wanted to pick the strategies that Lisa and her team applied when transitioning to the US market. If you are also planning to establishing an office physically within the US, below are the things that Lisa learned that you may want to keep in mind:

Leadership Deployment: One proven method was sending a founder or long-tenured employee to launch the U.S. office, ensuring the company’s DNA and values were transplanted effectively. This model was described as the most successful—helping set culture, hire locally, and scale faster.

Tailored Unique Value Proposition: One main differences that Lisa pointed out is the commission and base salary structure. To get the best recruiters and talents, they adapted their commission structures and incentives for the U.S. market, realizing early on that what worked in the UK didn’t translate directly.

Market Culture Adaptation: Lisa recognized that the U.S. market is more pragmatic and transactional—clients care less about past success and more about current candidates delivery.

Overall, Lisa emphasized cultural embedding, leadership presence, and operational agility to navigate the distinct dynamics of the American recruitment market.