I feel compelled to respond to Vincent Wright's ERE posting because, lately, many sourcers are coming to me telling me they're being propositioned w/ "split" deals to do the upfront research on searches.

I tell them I would not do it.

I also must confess most of my adult working life has been spent in a commission-only space.

Let me tell my story.

About three years into my decade long telephone names sourcing career I was approached by a gentleman who owned one of the (then) popular recruiting franchises. I’d been happily doing my work on a per name basis (I think it was $23/name then) and he wanted me to work on a split basis with him.

I listened to his yadda-yadda and being the good salesperson I am myself, I was SOLD. I long ago learned that the easiest people to sell are other salespeople. I forgot that maxim at the time though. He was so convincing.

So I did the work (I forget what it was but I do recall it was taxing) and sent him a list of fifty+ names within maybe five days. As I usually do.

One week passes. Two. Three. I hear nothing. I call.

He’s on vacation. I wait two more weeks for him to return. I call and I get his voicemail and leave a message that never gets returned. A week later I call again.

“May I have him call you back?” the receptionist answers when I tell her I left a message last week that never was returned so no, I did not care to leave another in his VoiceMail since he was on the phone. I preferred to wait. And wait I did – fifteen minutes or so and then he comes on the phone.

“How ya’ doin’ Maureen?!” he exclaims in an over-friendly and (I can hear it!) guilty tone.

“Fine,” I answer, all no-nonsense and rather ticked. “How are those names working I sent you on the search?”

“Oh! That guy was crazy! I took him three possible candidates out of your names and he kept changing the parameters – I fired him as a client!” he crowed. I could tell he was waiting for my response.

“You could have told me this,” I stated, rather accusatorially, I admit.

“I left on vacation and you know how it is, time just gets away…”

To make a long story short, I didn’t receive ONE THIN DIME for my efforts and not even an apology for the shoddy manner in which I had been treated.

Now, sourcers, I’m not saying you should not do business with those who approach you with split deals. I am telling you to know who they are, understand their character and their work habits, and have a written agreement that calls for some compensation when some ridiculous event like I just described occurs. You have NO control over the other person’s work habits or results, only your own. Remember that and also remember this – without YOU many searches can’t get off the ground.