The Interview Questions That Reveal Whether a Candidate Has Actually Done This
Interview questions that expose process, metrics fluency, and real results — with the answers you should expect to hear.
The Hiring Guide
Your Lead Generation Questions, Answered
Expert answers from the Branch and Root team — hiring, pricing, tools, metrics, and strategy for local service businesses.
How we work and what it costs — that’s the FAQ. What you should know before you decide — these are the guides.
— No fluff, no gatekeeping
These are the questions OC owners actually ask us. Every answer here is the same one we’d give you across the table.
The Essential Read
The Four Signals That Separate Real Lead-Gen Experts From Confident Résumés
A verifiable track record in your trade, a process they can explain without buzzwords, follow-up discipline you can observe during hiring itself, and references who talk about results — not personality.
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Also Essential
Also Essential Guides
Agency or Headcount: The Cost-and-Risk Math That Decides Which Fills Your Pipeline Faster
Salary, ramp time, turnover risk, retainers — the honest comparison most owners only run after the first bad hire.
Read the guide →Guaranteed Results, Vague Metrics, Bought Lists — the Warning Signs That Predict a Bad Hire
The promises that sound reassuring in an interview and reliably fall apart by month two.
Read the guide →Not sure where the leak is? That’s exactly the conversation we start with.
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Nine More to Read Before You Decide
The Honest Signals That Tell You Whether an Agency Engagement Will Pay Off
Honest signals — budget, lead volume, timeline, and internal capacity — that tell you whether an agency engagement will actually pay off.
Real Numbers: Salaries, Retainers, and the Hidden Costs Nobody Budgets For
Real numbers for salaries, agency retainers, and freelancer rates — plus the hidden costs of tools, training, and turnover.
A Pipeline Diagnostic: Is Your Business Starving for Leads or Leaking Them?
A quick diagnostic that shows whether your pipeline is starving or your follow-up is leaking — before you hire for the wrong fix.
How Commission Structures Quietly Change Lead Quality — and What to Reward Instead
How commission and bonus structures change lead quality, and the comp models that reward the behavior you actually want.
When Part-Time Senior Expertise Beats a Full-Time Hire
What fractional lead gen help costs, when part-time senior expertise beats a full-time hire, and how to structure the engagement.
Build an Engine That Brings Leads to You Instead of Paying Someone to Chase Them
How to build an inbound engine — reviews, local SEO, content — that brings leads to you instead of paying someone to chase them.
The Honest Ramp-Up Timeline: What to Expect at 30, 60, and 90 Days
The honest ramp-up timeline — what to expect at 30, 60, and 90 days, and when slow results mean a real problem.
Where Lead Gen Talent Actually Looks for Work — and How to Get Them to Respond
Where qualified lead gen talent actually looks for work — job boards, communities, referrals — and how to get them to respond.
The Full Library
Thirty-five guides, organized by category
Every question we have answered — hiring, costs, tools, metrics, and strategy — in one place.