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Client Placement Terms

Effective date:
November 9, 2026
Last updated:
November 9, 2026

The short version

  • You pay nothing upfront, and nothing unless you hire someone we introduce.
  • The fee ($497 per setter, $997 per closer at founding rates) is due only once your rep brings in $2,500 (setter) or $5,000 (closer) in cash collected, about 5x the fee, or is still working with you on day 30, whichever comes first.
  • Payment is due within 3 days of that point. You report cash collected honestly, and we may confirm it with the rep.
  • Before you've paid, if a rep doesn't work out for a reason on their side, we send a replacement free: up to 3 reps in total (your first rep plus 2 replacements), as long as you held up your side.
  • If you hire someone we introduced without telling us, or within 12 months through anyone else, the full fee is due right away.
  • The rep works for you, not for us. We find and vet; you engage, train, pay and manage them.
  • We may stop working with you if reps aren't paid or treated fairly, if anything looks deceptive, or if you stop responding for 7+ days.

This summary is for convenience. The full text below is what governs.

1. Who these terms apply to

These Client Placement Terms (the "Terms") apply when a business (the "Client," "you") uses Ardenique (the business name of Jason Abouassi, a sole proprietor in Virginia; "Ardenique," "we," "us") to find sales talent. They form a binding agreement together with any placement agreement, order form, proposal, invoice or written confirmation, including email or direct message, that references them (each an "Order"). If an Order conflicts with these Terms, the Order controls for that engagement.

You accept these Terms when you sign or accept an Order, ask us to start a search, or accept an Introduction after we've told you our fee and linked these Terms. Replying in writing (for example by email or direct message) to agree to the fee counts as acceptance. The person accepting confirms they have authority to bind the Client. If you're hiring for an offer owned by someone else (for example, as a growth operator or agency), the offer owner must also accept these Terms, and you and the offer owner are both responsible for paying the Placement Fee. It's one fee, not two: once either of you pays it, it's paid.

2. Definitions

  • Candidate means any individual Ardenique introduces to you.
  • Introduction means any time we share a Candidate's name, profile, contact details, video, interview notes or other identifying information with you, by any method. The Introduction date is the first time we do so.
  • Hire means you, or any of your Affiliates, engage a Candidate to perform services of any kind, whether as an employee, independent contractor, commission-only rep, part-time or full-time, and including any paid or unpaid trial or probationary period, whatever you call it. A trial counts as a Hire: the Candidate's Start Date is the first day of the trial, and ending a trial is treated the same as letting the Candidate go (see Section 6).
  • Start Date means the first day a Hired Candidate performs any services for you or your Affiliate, including onboarding, training, shadowing or a trial.
  • Cash Collected means money actually received from customers: for a closer, from deals the Candidate closed; for a setter, from deals that came from calls the Candidate booked. It does not include contract value not yet paid. If a customer uses third-party financing, the amount the financing company pays you counts once you receive it. Payment plans count as each payment is received. A payment refunded to the customer before the Placement Fee is paid does not count. Money received in another currency counts at its US dollar value on the day you receive it.
  • Fee Trigger means the earlier of (a) the Hired Candidate reaching the Cash Collected threshold for their role ($5,000 for a closer, $2,500 for a setter, unless your Order says otherwise), or (b) the Hired Candidate still performing services for you or your Affiliate on day 30 after their Start Date.
  • Placement Fee means the fee stated in your Order or, if none is stated, our standard rate for the role: $497 for an appointment setter and $997 for a high-ticket closer. A Candidate who both books and closes their own calls (a full-cycle rep) counts as a closer. Fees for other roles are quoted in writing. All fees and amounts in these Terms are in US dollars.
  • Affiliate means any entity that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with you, and your owners, officers and principals.
  • In writing includes email, text message, a direct message on any platform we've used to communicate (for example Discord, Skool, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or WhatsApp), and signed or submitted forms such as our online agreement.

3. What we do

We source Candidates, screen them (for example, through an application, a recorded video and a one-on-one conversation), review your offer, and introduce Candidates we believe fit your role.

We use reasonable care and professional judgment, but we do not guarantee any Candidate's performance, sales results, conduct, or the accuracy of information a Candidate provides. Shortlist timelines are good-faith estimates, not promises.

We may decline a search, or stop one before you Hire anyone, for any reason, including if we believe your offer is not a good fit for our Candidates. If we do, you owe nothing for that search.

We may also stop a search, or stop working with you, at any time if: you don't pay Candidates as agreed; you mislead us, Candidates or your customers; you treat Candidates unfairly or abusively; your offer or sales practices appear deceptive or unlawful; you don't respond to us for 7 days or more during an active search; or another serious reason comes up, in which case we'll tell you why in writing. If that happens, free replacements end, and Placement Fees for anyone you already Hired still apply under these Terms.

4. Your responsibilities

  • Accurate information. Describe your offer, compensation plan, lead flow and role accurately to us and to Candidates, and tell us promptly about any material change.
  • Your relationship with the rep. You are solely responsible for engaging, onboarding, training, paying, supervising and, if needed, ending your relationship with any Hired Candidate. That includes worker classification, payroll, taxes, benefits, work authorization, any background checks you require, and paying commissions as agreed.
  • Your sales practices. You are responsible for making sure your offer, scripts, marketing and outreach comply with applicable law, including consumer protection, telemarketing, messaging and advertising rules.
  • Fair hiring. You will make hiring decisions lawfully and without unlawful discrimination.
  • Tell us about Hires. You will notify us in writing within 3 business days of Hiring any Candidate, including after a search has ended, and tell us the Start Date. This is your responsibility even if we don't ask.
  • Report Cash Collected. Until the Fee Trigger, you will tell us each Hired Candidate's Cash Collected whenever we ask and when they leave. You agree we may confirm the figure with the Candidate, and if the numbers don't match, you will send us proof within 5 business days of our request (for example, a screenshot or export from your payment processor, CRM or bank showing the payments). If you don't, the Placement Fee is due.

5. Fees and payment

  • 5.1 No hire, no fee. You owe a Placement Fee only if you Hire a Candidate.
  • 5.2 When it's due. The Placement Fee is earned at the Fee Trigger. Payment is due within 3 days of the Fee Trigger or of our payment request, whichever is later. A payment request never delays a fee that is due immediately under 5.6 or Section 7. We accept payment through a third-party payment processor of our choice, or another method we agree to in writing.
  • 5.3 One fee per hire. If you Hire more than one Candidate, a Placement Fee applies to each, triggered separately.
  • 5.4 Different role. A Candidate's role is based on the work they actually do, not their job title. If you Hire a Candidate for a different role than the one we introduced them for, the Cash Collected threshold for the role they actually do applies, and the Placement Fee is the higher of the two roles' fees. For example, if we introduce a Candidate as a closer and you Hire them as a setter, the fee is $997, due once they bring in $2,500 in Cash Collected (or are still working with you on day 30), whichever comes first.
  • 5.5 Late payment. If a payment is late, we'll remind you. While a payment is overdue we won't start or continue any other search for you, and if we have to take steps to collect it (such as a small-claims filing), you'll cover the reasonable costs of doing so.
  • 5.6 Inaccurate reporting. If you under-report Cash Collected, don't report when asked, or don't tell us a Hired Candidate is still working with you, the Placement Fee is due immediately.
  • 5.7 Taxes. Fees do not include taxes. You are responsible for any applicable sales, use or similar taxes, other than taxes on our income.
  • 5.8 Rate changes and rate lock. We may change our standard rates for future searches. A search you've already started keeps the rate you accepted, including its free replacements. Once you've paid your first Placement Fee, any new search you start within 60 days after that payment (counted in calendar days, by the date you sign or accept the Order for the new search) gets the rate you paid. If you haven't paid a Placement Fee yet, there is no rate lock. After that, our current rates apply.
  • 5.9 No refunds. You pay only after the Fee Trigger, so Placement Fees are non-refundable.
  • 5.10 Time off. The day-30 clock runs in calendar days. If a Hired Candidate takes time off that you approved during that period, you can ask us to extend their clock by that time. It's our decision, and it only applies if we confirm it in writing.
  • 5.11 Custom arrangements. We may agree to different terms for your search, such as paying upfront, a different fee, threshold or timeline, or pricing for several hires. If we do, they'll be written in your Order, and they replace only the specific terms they change; everything else in these Terms still applies.
  • 5.12 What counts as paid. A Placement Fee is paid when the full amount has cleared and reached us. A payment that's still pending or processing doesn't count yet, but if you started it by the due date and it clears, it counts as on time. If a payment fails, is reversed or is charged back, it doesn't count, and the fee is due within 3 days of us telling you.
  • 5.13 Referral credit. If you refer another business to us and that business signs an Order and pays its first Placement Fee, you earn a credit of 20% of the fee that business paid, as a fixed dollar amount (later changes to our rates don't change it). You can use each credit on the Placement Fee for one future search you start within 12 months after the referred business's fee is paid. A business counts as your referral if it names you when it first contacts us or in its Order, or if you told us about it in writing before it first contacted us, as long as it wasn't already talking with us. We may also count a referral in other cases at our discretion. Credits have no cash value, can't be transferred and can't reduce a fee below zero. If we agree a different referral arrangement with you in writing, that arrangement applies instead. We may change or end this credit for the future: a change applies to businesses that first contact us after it takes effect, and credits you have already earned keep their amount.

6. Free replacements before you pay

  • 6.1 What's covered. If, before the Fee Trigger, a Hired Candidate resigns or stops working, or you let them go for a Covered Reason, you owe nothing for that Candidate and we will introduce another Candidate for the same role at no charge. A Covered Reason is a reason on the Candidate's side, such as: they quit or stopped responding; they repeatedly missed shifts, calls or the hours they agreed to; they didn't follow your process or reasonable instructions after you raised it with them; their results stayed clearly below targets you had shared with them in writing (a message counts), while they had the lead flow you described; or dishonesty, mistreating leads or breaking your rules or the law.
  • 6.2 Limits. Each search covers up to 3 Hired Candidates in total: your first Hired Candidate plus up to 2 free replacements. Each replacement has their own Start Date and their own day-30 clock. The last replacement must start within 90 days of your first Hired Candidate's Start Date. After that, the search ends unless we agree in writing to continue, and no fee is owed for Candidates who left before their Fee Trigger.
  • 6.3 Your side. Free replacements apply only if (a) you described the role, compensation, lead flow and offer accurately; (b) you gave the Candidate the lead volume you described, reasonable onboarding and the access needed to do the job; (c) you paid the Candidate as agreed; (d) you reported Cash Collected as required; (e) you told us within 7 days of learning that the Candidate left; and (f) you told us in writing why, with any supporting details we reasonably ask for (for example, numbers or call recordings). We may also ask the Candidate. Reasons on your side are not Covered Reasons, including running out of leads or cutting lead flow, changing or pausing the offer or compensation, not paying the Candidate, a layoff or restructuring, or deciding not to hire after all. If any of these conditions isn't met, or the reason isn't a Covered Reason, we may end the search without a free replacement.
  • 6.4 Still working counts. If a Candidate you told us left keeps performing any services for you or your Affiliate, they are still working with you, and the Fee Trigger applies as if they never left. Wrapping up (for example handing over leads, returning access or final paperwork) does not count.
  • 6.5 Our discretion. We may also offer a free replacement in a situation these Terms don't require. Doing so once doesn't oblige us to do it again.
  • 6.6 After you've paid. Once a Placement Fee is paid, there is no replacement obligation for that Candidate. Any new search is billed at your rate under 5.8.

7. The 12-month introduction rule

  • 7.1 Hiring someone we introduced. If you or any Affiliate Hire a Candidate within 12 months after their Introduction, directly or indirectly, including through another agency, company or contractor arrangement and for any role, you owe the Placement Fee. If you do this without telling us, or through anyone other than Ardenique, the fee is due immediately, without waiting for the Fee Trigger. This applies even if the search has ended or you passed on the Candidate at first. Agreeing to engage a Candidate within the 12 months counts, even if they start later.
  • 7.2 Passing a Candidate on. You may share a Candidate's information only with people helping you hire for this role, such as a business partner, sales manager or the growth operator running your sales (see Section 8). If anyone who got a Candidate's information from you Hires the Candidate for a different business within 12 months after the Introduction, you owe the Placement Fee immediately. (Hires for your own business are covered by 7.1.)
  • 7.3 People you already knew. If a Candidate had already applied to you, interviewed with you or messaged with you about a sales role with your business (such as setting or closing), or another recruiter or agency had already introduced them to you, in the 60 days before our Introduction, tell us in writing within 2 business days of the Introduction and show us that contact (for example, dated messages, emails, their application or the other recruiter's introduction). If you do, no fee applies to that Candidate. Knowing each other, following each other or being in the same community doesn't count, and if you don't tell us within 2 business days, the normal fee applies.
  • 7.4 Purpose. This rule protects our investment in finding and vetting Candidates. It does not limit any Candidate's freedom to work for anyone.

8. Confidentiality and candidate information

Candidate information we share is confidential. Use it only to evaluate Candidates for your role. You may share it with people helping you hire for that role (such as a business partner, sales manager or the growth operator running your sales) as long as they keep it confidential too, and you're responsible for them. Don't share it with anyone else. Protect it with reasonable care, and comply with applicable privacy laws. If you do not Hire a Candidate, delete their information when we or they ask.

To fill your role, we post it publicly (for example in our Discord, LinkedIn and Facebook) and talk with Candidates about it. Role posts and those conversations can include your company name, your offer and its price, compensation, lead flow, show and close rates, hours, what you expect from the rep, materials you give us for the role, and any other details that help Candidates decide whether the role fits them.

9. Testimonials and publicity

We will not use your name or logo publicly without your permission. If you accept a founding rate in exchange for feedback, a testimonial or permission to list your company as a client, that arrangement will be stated in your Order, and you can review any testimonial before we publish it.

10. Disclaimer

Except for the guarantee in Section 6, our services are provided "as is." We do not promise any particular revenue, close rate, show rate, or other business result from any Candidate.

11. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither party is liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits or revenue. Our total liability arising out of these Terms or any Order is limited to the Placement Fee paid or payable for the Hire that gave rise to the claim (or, if no Hire is involved, $997). We are not liable for the acts or omissions of any Candidate. These limits do not apply to your payment obligations, to a breach of Sections 7 or 8, or to either party's fraud or willful misconduct.

12. Responsibility for claims

You will defend and indemnify Ardenique against third-party claims arising from your relationship with any Hired Candidate, your sales and marketing practices, or your violation of law, except to the extent the claim was caused by our own violation of law or willful misconduct. We will defend and indemnify you against third-party claims arising from our violation of law or willful misconduct in providing our services. The party asking to be defended must tell the other promptly and cooperate, and the defending party runs the defense, but it may not settle in a way that admits fault or creates an obligation for the other party without their written consent.

Either party may end a search at any time by telling the other in writing. Ending a search does not cancel a Placement Fee for any Candidate introduced before it ended (see Section 7). Sections 5 through 8 and 10 through 14 continue to apply after a search ends, including fees for Candidates who reach the Fee Trigger later.

14. Disputes and governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. If a dispute comes up, we will first try in good faith to resolve it together within 15 days. If that doesn't work, either party may bring a claim in the state or federal courts located in Virginia, and both parties consent to those courts. Either party may also use small-claims court where eligible. In any action to collect unpaid fees, the prevailing party may recover reasonable attorneys' fees and costs.

15. General

These Terms and your Order are the entire agreement about the services and replace any prior discussions about them. Unless we both agree otherwise in writing, these Terms apply as written. We may also choose to be more flexible than these Terms require (for example, extra time, an extra replacement or a lower fee); doing so once doesn't change these Terms or mean we have to do it again. We may update these Terms. Updates apply to searches started after the update's effective date, and existing searches continue under the version you accepted. Neither party may assign the agreement without the other's consent, except as part of a merger or sale of the business. Notices may be sent in writing to [email protected] or through any channel we've used to communicate, and to the email or account you gave us. Electronic signatures, and acceptance in writing (including by email or direct message), are valid. We keep a copy of your signed form, with its date and time, and the version of these Terms you accepted, and we will send you a copy if you ask. If any provision is unenforceable, the rest remains in effect, and failing to enforce a provision is not a waiver. The parties are independent businesses. Neither party is responsible for delays caused by events beyond its reasonable control.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email [email protected].