Why do some recruiters command premium fees while others compete on speed and price? The difference isn’t talent or experience. It’s whether you’ve packaged your service as a product.
Andrea Hoffer figured this out after front desk turnover nearly broke her Massage Envy Spa franchise. She had 33 employees. She’d hire fast, watch them fail at sales, let them go, repeat.
Then she stopped and asked herself: “I’ve been trained better than this.”
Andrea rebuilt her hiring approach from scratch. She created a branded methodology she calls the Dream Hire framework. It worked so well that other franchisees started asking for help.
Today, Andrea runs AHA Talent Consulting. She charges $10,000+ for setup and $3,000+ monthly subscriptions. No placement fees. She’s also integrated AI into every stage without losing the human touch.
“I feel like business owners and even recruiters make this mistake—you rush to fill positions over and over again where you don’t do that define stage.”
In this episode, you’ll learn how to package your recruitment process as a signature solution, why story-based discovery reveals what job descriptions never will, and where AI creates real value without replacing human judgment.
Episode Outline and Highlights
- [4:10] The hiring nightmare: front desk turnover that forced a complete rebuild
- [7:38] Why changing job posting language attracted the right candidates overnight
- [9:31] The 90-minute group interview where candidates self-select out
- [12:24] Breaking down the Dream Hire framework: Define, Reach, Engage, Assess, Motivate
- [13:23] Why most recruiters skip the Define stage and pay for it later
- [30:20] How to assess culture fit by asking for stories, not descriptions
- [32:20] Getting one specific story reveals more than any job description
- [36:08] The CAR technique for behavioral interviewing
- [39:58] Where AI creates the most value in hiring (data assimilation, not resume screening)
- [41:02] AI chatbots that screen minimum qualifications and redirect candidates
- [52:20] How an AI agent writes Andrea’s LinkedIn articles
- [1:00:11] Building an AI clone that extends your reach without extending your hours
Package Your Process Like a Product
Most recruiters sell an intangible service.
“We’ll find you great people.” “We have the best database.” “We can fill roles faster.”
Everyone says this. Nobody stands out.
Andrea turned her hiring process into a branded methodology: the Dream Hire framework.
D = Define. Get clear on culture and role before posting anything.
R = Reach. Craft job postings that attract the right people and repel the wrong ones.
E = Engage. Stay in touch with candidates throughout. Every three days minimum.
A = Assess. Screen with intention using behavioral questions and one-way video interviews.
M = Motivate. Keep inspiring people after they accept the offer.
The framework is a flywheel. It keeps turning. You never stop using it.
Here’s what happened when Andrea branded her process:
She could explain her value in under 10 minutes. Clients understood what they’d get. She differentiated from every other recruiter. She charged premium fees—$10,000+ for setup, $3,000+ monthly subscriptions.
No placement fees.
She’s not selling placements. She’s selling a system that works.
The Dream Hire framework is trademarked. Nobody else can use it. That’s the point.
The lesson?
Stop competing on speed or price. Package your process. Give it a name. Create a visual. Make it ownable.
You’re not just filling roles. You’re delivering a proven methodology that solves their hiring problems permanently.
Discovery That Actually Discovers
Andrea runs a 90-minute discovery session with every client.
But she doesn’t ask typical intake questions. She asks for stories.
“Tell me a story about somebody who’s been in this position who just was amazing. You would say you want 20 of them. And I want one story.”
Not a description. A story.
She does this separately for culture and for role.
When clients focus on a specific story, the truth comes out. What was that person actually doing? What traits made them successful?
Then she asks the opposite: “Tell me about a team member who wasn’t a good fit and tell me a particular story that made you know.”
Andrea records these sessions and drops the transcripts into Notebook LM. Her whole team has access to everything discussed over months of conversations.
AI extracts the patterns. It searches for employee reviews, old job postings, company PR. It checks alignment. Then it generates interview questions based on what matters.
Andrea uses the CAR technique for behavioral interviewing: Context, Action, Result.
“Could you share a specific example?” She emphasizes “specific example” so candidates hear it. Then she lets them tell the story.
The lesson?
Stop asking clients to describe their ideal candidate. Ask for real stories. Record everything. Let AI extract the patterns. Use those patterns to create sharper job postings, better interview questions, and more accurate screening.
Let Technology Do the Data Work, Keep Humans for the Decisions
Andrea is clear about where AI helps and where it doesn’t.
She doesn’t use AI to scan resumes. Not yet. But AI chatbots for initial screening? That’s different.
The bot asks minimum qualification questions. It answers candidate questions. If someone doesn’t fit one position, the bot asks if they’d consider another opening at a different location.
Hiring managers forget to do this. The bot never does.
Where AI really shines? Data assimilation.
Andrea records every client meeting. She drops transcripts into a shared knowledge base. Her team can search months of conversations instantly. AI extracts patterns. Generates content. Handles the heavy lifting.
She’s even built an AI agent that writes her LinkedIn articles and an AI clone that coaches candidates when she doesn’t have time.
The principle recruiters should steal?
AI handles data-heavy tasks. Transcription. Pattern extraction. Content generation. Minimum qualification screening.
Humans handle judgment calls. Culture assessment. Interview decisions. Relationship building.
That’s where the magic happens.
If you’re ready to stop competing on speed and price and start owning your process, your positioning, and your outcomes, this episode will show you exactly how.
