What Sales HQ does

Sales HQ is an Australian sales recruitment agency founded in 2018 by Adam McDougall and headquartered in Mascot, NSW, with additional offices in Melbourne and Brisbane. The firm specializes exclusively in placing sales talent for high-growth companies, operating a retained search and contingency model with a differentiated sourcing methodology built around custom video headhunting campaigns and a proprietary 5-stage screening process. It claims 90% of placements originate from targeted search rather than job boards, 72-hour shortlist delivery, and 95%+ candidate retention at 12 months, supported by sector-specialist recruiters across Financial Services, Software & Technology, Building & Construction, FMCG & Manufacturing, and several secondary verticals.

The core technology stack is a recruitment services platform combining manual headhunting workflows with video-led candidate outreach tools, rather than a software product in the traditional sense. Service modules include Retained Executive Search, Video Headhunting Campaigns, Strategic Talent Mapping, and Deep Candidate Assessment, complemented by an annual FY27 Sales Salary Guide positioned as a market intelligence resource. The company does not publish pricing; engagements are quote-based, with revenue generated through placement fees as a percentage of candidate salary.

The go-to-market is sales-led and direct, targeting high-growth Australian companies through consultative outreach, LinkedIn engagement, referral, and content marketing (blog, salary guide, Trustindex reviews). The customer base spans 100+ active clients including startups (HeySadie.ai, Koinly, Zendit), mid-market firms (FX Corp, Maclean Financial, Sesami), and enterprise accounts (DoorDash, Keypath Education). Ownership is concentrated with founder Adam McDougall; no venture capital, private equity, acquisitions, or notable leadership changes have been disclosed.

Name

Sales HQ

Legal name

Sales HQ

Website

https://saleshq.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sales HQ is an Australian sales recruitment agency that places sales talent for high-growth companies across Financial Services, Tech, Construction, and FMCG using video headhunting and a five-stage screening process, operating from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sales Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA), Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF), Consumer & Retail Leadership Search (BPACAAAG)

Keywords

• Sales recruitment services
• Executive search firm
• Headhunting and placement
• Sales talent acquisition
• Retained search services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mascot

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retained Search / Recruitment Fees: Retained search model for high-stakes sales roles with dedicated search partners and guaranteed shortlist delivery. Also offers standard contingency recruitment for other positions. Revenue generated through placement fees, typically a percentage of placed candidate salary.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sales HQ is a specialist sales recruitment agency that places high-performing sales talent into Australian companies. The firm uses a tech-enabled, multi-stage search model that combines video headhunting campaigns, proactive outreach via LinkedIn and private networks, and a 5-stage candidate screening process to deliver shortlists in approximately 72 hours. It serves employers across Financial Services, Software & Technology, Building & Construction, and FMCG & Manufacturing verticals with sector-specialist recruiters.

Product overview

Sales HQ is a specialized sales recruitment agency offering a unified service portfolio centered on headhunting and placing high-performing sales talent for high-growth Australian companies. The core offering is Sales Recruitment Services, supported by sector-specific modules for Financial Services, Tech, Construction, and FMCG. Additional service components include Retained Executive Search, Video Headhunting Campaigns, Strategic Talent Mapping, and Deep Candidate Assessment. The company also offers the FY27 Sales Salary Guide as a free resource for market intelligence. All services are delivered through a team-based model with sector-specialist recruiters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sales Recruitment Services Full-service sales recruitment agency connecting high-growth Australian companies with sales talent through headhunting, screening, and placement services. Delivers qualified shortlists in approximately 72 hours with a 95%+ retention rate at 12 months.
• Financial Services Sales Recruitment Specialized recruitment for banks, fintechs, insurers, wealth firms, and commercial lending brokerages, covering commercial and asset finance, mortgage broking, FX/treasury, and investment products.
• Tech Sales Recruitment Recruitment for SaaS, cybersecurity, AI/ML, fintech/insurtech/regtech, martech/adtech, and developer tools companies, placing SDRs, account executives, enterprise BDMs, solution engineers, and sales leadership.
• Construction Sales Recruitment Recruitment for building suppliers, contractors, and trades-based businesses, placing BDMs, account managers, territory managers, and national sales managers.
• FMCG Sales Recruitment Recruitment for consumer goods and manufacturing brands, placing territory managers, key account executives, state sales managers, and national account managers.
• Retained Executive Search Dedicated search partnership for high-stakes sales roles with guaranteed shortlist delivery and priority engagement of passive talent.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95%+ candidate retention rate at 12 months
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TrustindexminorOthers · 1 January 2025Partnership with Trustindex platform for managing and displaying 300+ five-star client and candidate reviews. Used as social proof mechanism on the Sales HQ website.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half: Global staffing and recruitment firm with a dedicated sales and marketing placement practice. Operates at much larger scale across multiple geographies and offers permanent and contract sales hiring analogous to Sales HQ's core offering.
• Hays: Global recruitment firm with strong presence in Australia and a sales/BDM placement practice across multiple sectors. Comparable in offering sales permanent placement, retained search, and sector-specialist recruiters.
• Randstad: Global staffing leader with Australian operations and broad permanent and contract sales placement. Comparable in scale, geographic reach, and offering breadth.
• Adecco: Global recruitment and workforce solutions provider with Australian presence and dedicated sales and marketing placement teams. Comparable in commercial permanent placement across multiple sectors.

Direct peers

• Michael Page: International professional recruitment firm with a dedicated sales and marketing division in Australia. Directly comparable to Sales HQ in placing mid-to-senior sales talent across financial services, technology, construction, and FMCG verticals.
• Robert Walters: Global specialist professional recruitment firm with a sales and marketing practice operating in Australia. Closely comparable in permanent sales placement with sector-specialist recruiters.
• Talent International: Australia-based specialist recruitment firm with strong technology and sales placement arms. Directly comparable in Australian tech and SaaS sales hiring.
• Peoplebank: Australia-focused technology recruitment firm placing sales, pre-sales, and go-to-market talent. Comparable in sector focus and Australian-only operations.
• Sharp & Carter: Australian specialist recruitment firm with dedicated sales, marketing, and digital placement divisions. Closely comparable in mid-market sales permanent hiring across Australia.

Regional players

• Chandler Macleod: Australian-headquartered recruitment and workforce solutions firm with broad sales, marketing, and commercial placement offerings. Comparable geographic footprint and target market to Sales HQ.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SalesHQrecruiter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sales-hq
• Instagraminstagram.com/sales_hq/?igsh=M3oycnN6NWNwemFw#

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sales HQ