DAK Associates, Inc.

I. Service isn't something we offer in hope of selling you a product. Our product is service. We want you to judge us from the first phone call.

II. Sometimes a lower level position requires more research, more calls, and more resources than a CEO search. A CEO search requires a better rolodex. For us, within reason, no search is too little or too big.

III. Our service is an expense if you don't value it, and a value if you do.

IV. The market intelligence you receive from a quality search is sometimes as worthwhile as the ultimate hire.

V. If you are committed to paying a recruiting fee, a retained search is almost always a better experience than a contingency effort.

VI. In the Financial Services industry, we don't have factories, plants, and physical inventory; we have people, capital, ideas, systems, and our reputation. It makes good business sense to set the bar high on your people, because at the margin they have a huge impact.

VII. "Recruiting hard to manage easy" is a pretty shrewd management mantra. Recruiting is an art form but is born out of the science of research.

VIII. As a search firm, we try to stay away from the expression "It's a small world" as it leads to a lack of curiosity and research. If it's a small world, you'd know everybody in it.

IX. Sometimes we wonder why companies spend millions on naming rights and advertising schemes, but choke on truly investing in their people, or paying to find the best possible talent. If you spend on both advertising and people, you're bound to win. If you tilt toward the people side only, you'll probably win also, except with much more profit.

X. We are passionate about two things: having our clients respect us, and finding them valuable, productive people. The day we lose that passion is the day we should be fired, or quit.