What Happens When You Solve Client Problems By Being Nice

The idea of “being nice” can sometimes be seen as a vulnerability.

In an industry where the focus is often on speed, profit, and hard-nosed tactics, the idea of “being nice” can sometimes be seen as a vulnerability. After all, who can succeed in a high-stakes, competitive field by simply being kind and understanding?

Over the years, I’ve had many conversations about “being nice” and how this translates into business, let alone recruitment. For me, the answer comes from true success built on genuine value and lasting relationships. This is the foundation on which PiC has been built, and why it continues to thrive.

PiC’s Long Term Success

At PiC, we’ve been in operation since 1988. You don’t stay in business for that long without genuinely caring about your customers. We take pride in our duty of care, which extends not only to our clients, but to our contractors and candidates as well. In recruitment, at the end of the day, it’s all about people. And it’s this people-first approach that leads to repeat business and long-term success.

Over 40% of our contractors work with us multiple times because it’s obvious that we care. Some have even been with us for over 20 years. We have clients who started as contractors and contractors who have become clients. It’s all about building relationships that are rooted in reciprocity and mutual respect.

Some in the industry rely on ultra-salesy or overly aggressive tactics, but this approach sets you up for failure right from the start. At PiC, we focus on solving problems, not exploiting them. We believe that recruitment should be a reciprocal arrangement, where everyone involved benefits. It’s not right or fair if one party gets more out of the arrangement than the other.

Recruitment Is About Problem Solving

Aggressive strategies might bring short-term wins, but in the long run, they usually benefit only one side of the equation. There’s been countless times when I’ve met with clients who were in a panic. Yes, they were desperate for help, but I’ve never seen that as an opportunity for a quick win. That’s not how we operate at PiC.

When I meet with clients, my first priority is to understand their challenges and motivations. By doing so, we can create a tailored solution that works for everyone. It’s about simplifying the complex. When you take the time to understand what’s at stake and what motivates all parties involved, you pave the way for long-term relationships and success.

Sure, you could charge a 40% margin, but that’s just a short-term solution. It’s not sustainable, and in the end, you’ll be overlooked when things don’t go as planned. It’s far better to invest in long-term relationships and be available when something doesn’t go right. That’s when you can demonstrate true value.

Our Duty of Care

At PiC, we’re committed to being visible. We meet with clients and contractors face-to-face whenever possible because nothing beats that personal touch. Virtual calls are convenient, but face-to-face meetings allow you to pick up on body language and really gauge what’s going on beneath the surface. It’s an invaluable tool in creating connections.

When we place a contractor, our goal isn’t just to fill a role. We want that contractor to stay with us for many years. Some of our contractors have worked with us for over 20 years, and some of our clients have been with us since the mid-1990s. Low staff turnover is just one example of how we’ve cultivated lasting relationships. Our clients know they’ll be working with the same person year in and year out, for 15–20 years.

We take the time to understand what drives people, whether it’s our clients or our contractors. Contract work is fast-paced, but when you understand the motivations behind a role, you can really appreciate the nuances of what’s required and match the right contractor to the job. This approach all comes down to trust, which is the cornerstone of any successful relationship. Whether we’re working in familiar territories or branching out to new locations, our commitment to the same principles remains unchanged.

As my business partner often reminds me, we’re always working with two clients: the fee earner and the fee payer. It’s easy to focus solely on the business side, but the key to success is being ethical and maintaining sustainable profits. There’s room for both.

Personal Experiences of Being Nice

I’ve been in recruitment for 22 years, and over that time, I’ve built a strong network within the industry. I know former colleagues who now run their own recruitment businesses, and while we face similar challenges, I’m not about to turn my back on them. LinkedIn, for all its visibility, often shows a distorted version of reality. What you don’t see behind the scenes is the camaraderie and support that exists among those of us in the industry.

I’m always available for clients, contractors, candidates, and, most of the time, even competitors. If you need advice or want to swap stories from the recruitment trenches, I’m all ears. And if you’ve recently been placed in a role, don’t be surprised if I reach out to see how you’re doing or ask to catch up over a beer. Our commitment doesn’t end the moment someone is placed – it’s just the beginning.

A recent experience perfectly demonstrates the power of being nice that I’m talking about. I worked with an international client overseeing a large portfolio of work related to a complex pension system migration. A Programme Manager was due to leave in a few weeks, putting a couple of major workstreams at risk. This was a strategic programme with high boardroom visibility.

The project plan was limited, and the internal team had extremely limited bandwidth. While some might have seen this as an easy win, that’s not how we do things.

We flew over to meet the three main stakeholders, including the budget holder. In one meeting, we mapped out the exact scope of the work and the type of personnel required.

Within 48 hours, we identified an Implementation Manager who could devise and flesh out the Runbook/Project plan, then take full ownership of it. Two virtual interviews took place on the same day, and the contractor was onboarded just 72 hours later.

We took care of the compliance issues, arranged everything for IR35 for both parties, and worked with the client to devise a scope of deliverables. We now have a small specialist project team working with the client delivering their crucial projects on time and in scope, which can be flexed up or can be reduced at short notice.

The client receives regular feedback from PiC, often face-to-face. Our contractors benefit from a highly personal service, and we place them in future projects. The client truly values our reputation for delivering high quality, cost-effective solutions.

This is the beginning of a long-term relationship. We’ll continue to work with both the client and our contractors over many years.

To quote the Implementation Manager, “I speak to you more each month than I did with my previous agency in 3.5 years”.

The Difference With PiC

Now, as PiC enters its fourth decade, we’ve learned a lot along the way. You might be surprised to hear that we don’t rely on automation. We pick up the phone, meet people, and get to know them. In fact, 25% of our contractors have worked with us more over the last 10 years alone. We’re not just an agency; we’re a trusted partner, an agent of choice.

Being nice is not a weakness.