Throughout September, APositive hosted five exclusive lunches with recruitment industry leader Greg Savage across London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Held over two weeks, the series brought together recruitment agency owners and senior leaders from across the UK for honest conversations about the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of the industry.
Each event generated different perspectives and plenty of debate, but four themes consistently stood out: creating more valuable client relationships, motivating teams, using technology more strategically and building a stronger temporary recruitment offering.
Creating value beyond contingent recruitment
One of the strongest discussions centred on helping agencies move beyond purely contingent recruitment to secure more exclusive or retained engagements.
Greg spoke passionately about the need for recruiters to earn that position by consistently adding value. Clients are more likely to commit to a single recruitment partner that brings specialist market knowledge, strong candidate networks and a clear understanding of the commercial challenge behind each hire.
The goal is not simply to fill a vacancy. It is to become a trusted partner who helps clients make better hiring decisions.
Motivating teams and improving performance
Another recurring topic was how agencies can motivate, manage and reward their people more effectively.
Agency owners discussed KPIs, commission structures and the importance of ensuring incentives reinforce the behaviours and outcomes the business wants to encourage.
Complicated commission plans can create confusion or reward activity that does not support the agency’s wider goals. By contrast, simple, direct and transparent incentives make it easier for consultants to understand what success looks like and how their contribution will be recognised, aligning individual performance with the agency’s wider commercial priorities.
Using AI and technology more strategically
AI and recruitment technology generated plenty of discussion across the five lunches.
The key message throughout the series was that adopting every new platform that enters the market does not work. Agencies need to be selective about technology, invest time in understanding it and ensure it integrates with their wider tech stack.
AI can create meaningful efficiencies, but it works best when it supports a clear strategy and strong existing processes. The right technology should give recruiters more time to build relationships, develop specialist knowledge and provide the human interaction that clients and candidates value.
Building a stronger and more valuable temp business
A strong temp book can provide recurring revenue, deepen client relationships and help agencies build a more resilient business.
However, growth can place pressure on cash flow, with workers often paid well before clients settle their invoices. Rather than treating funding as a backup plan, agencies can use it strategically to pursue larger contracts and grow their temp book.
Having the right funding, payroll support and systems gives agencies the confidence to deliver new business efficiently and profitably.
Building stronger agencies for the future
The conversations reinforced that sustainable growth comes from combining strong client relationships, motivated teams, connected technology and the right financial foundations.
Thank you to Greg and every recruitment leader who joined us and contributed to the series.
Planning the next stage of your agency’s growth?
Speak with APositive about the funding, payroll and payment solutions needed to scale with confidence.
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