Introduction

Not all placements are created equal.
Some fetch you $500 margins. Others? They change your entire monthly revenue.

This is the inside story of a real $75,000 placement — how one recruiter closed a high-end cloud architect in under 3 weeks, the exact steps they took, and what you can steal from the playbook.

Whether you're running a boutique firm or grinding on bench sales, this deal breakdown will show you what's possible when everything clicks.

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The Role: AWS Cloud Architect for a FinTech Giant

• Location: Remote (US)

• Client: Fortune 100 FinTech

• Budget: $120/hr (C2C)

• Duration: 12 months

• Bill Rate Secured: $125/hr

• Consultant Pay Rate: $65/hr

• Monthly Margin: ~$10,000

• Total Deal Value: ~$75,000+

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Step 1: Finding the Right Unicorn

The recruiter wasn’t blasting job boards.
They were mining old resumes, looking for:

• AWS + Kubernetes experience

• Direct client exposure

• Strong communication for stakeholder calls

• Open to C2C

• Already on a project ending soon

They found a consultant last submitted 10 months ago who was wrapping up in 2 weeks.

✅ Already US-based
✅ No layers
✅ Available for interviews ASAP

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Step 2: Repackaging the Consultant

Before pitching, the recruiter:

• Rewrote the resume for ATS and clarity

• Added real metrics:

  “Migrated 27 services to AWS, reducing infra cost by 34%”

• Created a quick skill matrix (Client loves those)

• Sent a 2-line intro + resume to 6 vendors tied to FinTech roles

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Step 3: Speed + Exclusivity

One vendor replied within 2 hours:

“Can we set up an intro call with our client in 24 hrs?”

The recruiter:

• Prepped the consultant hard

• Confirmed client needs on culture fit and soft skills

• Locked a Thursday interview

By Friday morning, feedback came in:

“They want to move forward. Can he start next Monday?”

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Step 4: Rate Negotiation & Lockdown

This is where most recruiters fumble.

Instead of guessing, the recruiter:

• Knew the market rate ($120/hr)

• Offered $125/hr bill rate confidently

• Kept a strong $60/hr pay rate for the consultant

The candidate was thrilled with the $10k+ monthly paycheck.
The recruiter locked in $60/hr margin.

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Step 5: Onboarding & Retention Plan

The deal didn’t end at placement.

To protect the deal and prevent drop-off:

• Weekly check-ins were scheduled

• A monthly “value delivered” email was sent to the client

• Consultant got bonus incentives for project milestones

Now, 6 months in, both sides are happy — and renewal is likely.

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What You Can Learn from This Deal

✅ Don’t chase — curate.
This wasn’t luck. The recruiter prepared a great candidate before the client even asked.

✅ Presentation matters.
Resumes don’t sell people. Positioning + confidence does.

✅ Speed wins.
If you can't pitch and schedule interviews in under 48 hours, you're losing to someone who can.

✅ Don’t fear high rates.
Clients will pay more for less risk + quality. If you act like a premium provider, they’ll treat you like one.

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Final Thoughts

This $75K deal didn’t require a team of 10, an office, or years of experience.
It just took the right mindset, fast execution, and smart relationship building.

You’ve probably got a cloud architect in your database right now.
Question is — will you take action or let someone else close the deal?

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Call to Action

Want the exact resume template and email pitch used in this deal?
Comment “Cloud Deal” below or DM us. We’ll send you the toolkit that turned one candidate into $75K+.

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