01
Lead flow says you're ready.
If good leads go cold because you're booked, a seller pays for themselves fast.
$20,713 a week
What 10 leads you can't run are worth at the average close rate and a $7,700 ticket. Run your numbers below.
Before you hire
What the first rep after you is really like.
Most owners picture a copy of themselves. Expect something else.
02
Expect weeks, not months.
A proven closer already knows the trade. They still need to learn your leads, pricing and town.
Weeks
Time for a proven closer to run your leads
03
Hire someone who closes like you.
We find reps who've already closed your kind of leads in your trade, and check their close rate against their history before you meet them.
37–41%
Our reps' close rate on HVAC marketed leads, against a 25–35% benchmark
04
Good reps interview you, too.
Have straight answers on leads, commission and why the last rep left.
+7.4–11.3%
How far top reps close above their company's median (Siro)
The hand-off
Hand off leads in stages, not all at once.
This part is yours to run. It costs little and decides whether the hire sticks.
Step 1
Before day oneWrite down how you sell.
How you open, measure, present options and handle the price talk. If it only lives in your head, nobody can copy it.
Step 2
Week 1Ride together before they ride alone.
Have the new rep sit in on your appointments, then run a few while you watch. The cheapest training you'll ever buy.
Step 3
First leadsHand off one lead type first.
Marketed leads, rehash or a far territory. Keep the referrals and tech turnovers until their numbers say they're ready.
Step 4
Pay planPay for the ramp.
Commission-only first hires tend to push underpriced deals. A draw or training wage usually costs less than a book of cheap jobs.
Step 5
From month oneWatch cancels, not just closes.
A rep who closes high and cancels high is costing you. Track close rate and cancel rate side by side.
Straight answers
The usual objections, answered.
“Nobody sells like me.”
True on day one, and that’s fine. You don’t need a copy of you. You need someone with a checked record of closing in a home, who’ll learn your way of running a visit. Ride together until you trust it.
“Recruiters cost too much.”
You pay a one-time placement fee only when you hire, and we share it on the first call, before any work starts. Hold it against the calculator above: what a month of unrun leads costs you.
“Every rep I've hired interviewed better than they sold.”
Salespeople interview well. It’s the job. That’s why we check the record, not the pitch: close-rate history, pay history and references, before you meet anyone.
“I can't carry someone for months.”
Start them on the leads you’re losing anyway. A sale from a lead that would have gone cold is new money, even in the ramp. A rep who already sells in your trade also skips product training.
“What if they quit after a month?”
If a rep you hire through Level doesn’t perform and is let go within 60 days, we find you a replacement at no extra cost. How the guarantee works →
“A pushy rep will wreck my reviews.”
Agreed, and a close rate alone won’t tell you who’s pushy. In the interview, ask what they do when a homeowner wants to think about it. After the hire, track cancels from the first month.
What waiting costs
Price the leads you can’t get to.
Put in the leads you turn away or run late each week and what a sold job is worth to you. Hold the gross profit number against any hiring cost.
Example only. 26.9% is the national in-home close rate (Siro, Apr-Aug 2026). $7,700 is a typical target HVAC replacement ticket. Margin is an assumption. Put in your own numbers.
Results
Owners, in their own words.
We've made 1,000+ placements for home service companies. Here are a few of them.
18 days
brief to hire
160
leads in 90 days
“Our new advisor was running leads in his second week.”
23 days
brief to hire
#1
rep by month six
“She was our top seller by month six.”
16 days
brief to hire
2x
weekly appointments
“We stopped turning away appointments.”
FAQ
Hiring your first rep: questions owners ask.
When should I hire my first salesperson?
When leads sit unworked or follow-up slips because you can’t get to it. In HVAC, a Contracting Business column puts the point at about 6+ techs, 2 install crews, 1,000 agreements. In roofing and remodeling, watch lead flow more than headcount.
Should my first rep be W-2 or 1099?
It changes how much say you have over their day, so ask your accountant before you write the offer. For a data point from roofing, 93% of sales leaders in Leap’s 2024 survey had moved reps from 1099 to W-2.
Will the rep sell my way?
Not on day one. We headhunt reps who already sell in your trade, with a close rate, pay history and references we've checked. Your process is yours to teach: write it down, ride together, then hand off leads in stages.
Can I hire a rep for one territory or one lead type?
Yes. Starting a new rep on marketed leads, rehash or a far territory, while you keep the referrals, is a sensible way to hand off. Tell us which seat you're filling and what leads come with it.
Do you run ride-alongs or role-plays with candidates?
We check close-rate history, pay history and references before you meet anyone. Seeing them sell is your step: run your own ride-along or role-play before you make an offer. Nothing else tells you as much.
Is there anything to pay before I hire?
No. You pay a one-time placement fee only when you hire, and we share it on the first call, before any work starts.
How soon could someone be running my leads?
We aim to get your first candidate to you within 7 days of getting your job description, and a typical hire takes 21 days. It varies with your trade, your market and the pay plan you can offer. After the hire, plan for a ramp of months, not weeks.