Matka Proposes the Importance of "Referral Design from Initial Contact" to Overcome Recruitment Agencies' Client Acquisition Difficulties Amid Declining Scout Response Rates

Matka Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Yuji Ueda; Securities Code: 3775), a subsidiary of Gaiax Co., Ltd., is launching the "Referral Design from Initial Contact" method as a new standard for client acquisition, targeting the recruitment industry troubled by soaring CPA.

As the average scout response rate is projected to drop to 6.7% by 2025 (*), CEO Shoko Nakano will disseminate the core principles for breaking away from media dependency and systematizing highly successful "referrals" through seminars and consulting activities.

*Source: Direct Sourcing Co., Ltd. (Scout Response Rate Data Fully Disclosed [2025 Edition])

## ■ Background of the Event: 2026, the "Limit of Client Acquisition" Faced by the Recruitment Industry

An increasing number of agents are facing the challenge of "unstable candidate acquisition" due to declining scout response rates and rising media costs. While there are limits to client acquisition models that rely solely on media, many are also exploring how to establish other acquisition channels.

For recruitment agencies with 10 or fewer employees and newly independent agents, what is needed is to create a state where "referrals are naturally generated continuously." To achieve this, "becoming someone who people want to refer" – in other words, self-branding – is essential.

In this seminar, Shoko Nakano, Representative Director of Matka Inc., which supports the business improvement of recruitment agencies, will take the stage. Based on practical knowledge that achieved 1,200 annual client acquisitions through referral-centric acquisition design, she will deliver concrete know-how that small-scale agents can use starting tomorrow.

## ■ Main Themes of This Seminar

This seminar will provide practical know-how centered on the following three pillars:

**1. Client Acquisition Design Based on Referrals**

We will explain the structure of how referrals are "generated/stopped" and the key points for building a system across the entire organization.

**2. Practice of Self-Branding**

To become a career advisor/agent that people want to refer, we will specifically explain the definition of brand axis and communication design.

**3. Steps Small-Scale Agents Can Start Immediately**

We will deliver the necessary actions for launching referral acquisition in a way that can be put into practice starting tomorrow.

## ■ Speaker Profile

[Image of Shoko Nakano, Representative Director of Matka Inc.]