Alban:

Great post. I've always put the fee as a third or fourth priority...

to me I don't win unless the client and candidate win first. Nothing pleases me professionally, more than a successful placement and years later the candidate calls me from the other side of the desk, he'she is now a hiring manager looking for talent and remembers the positive experience we had when they were a candidate.

It takes a while of "paying it forward" but it sure is nice when it comes…