Samenvatting

This research investigates how Visser & Van Baars, a Dutch recruitment agency specialised in data and analytics, can strengthen its differentiation in the fragmented IT
recruitment market by enhancing the quality and consistency of its client partnerships. Amid growing competition and increasing client expectations, recruitment agencies are
no longer evaluated solely on speed or access to talent, but on their ability to build trust based, advisory relationships that create long-term value. Guided by the Customer Value Proposition framework and the Commitment–Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing, the study adopted a qualitative exploratory design structured
through the CIMO-logic (Context, Intervention, Mechanism, Outcome) to ensure a coherent link between problem analysis, data collection, and solution design.
Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with client representatives and internal stakeholders to explore perceptions of partnership quality, client value, and
differentiation. The data were analysed thematically using a colour-coded scheme.

The findings reveal that clients associate value primarily with advisory competence, transparency, and consistency, rather than operational efficiency alone.
Trust emerges as the key mechanism linking partnership practices to client loyalty and differentiation. Although Visser & Van Baars is widely recognised for its speed and niche expertise, clients highlight the need for a more structured and uniform partnership
approach across consultants.

In response, this study developed the Partnership Excellence Framework, a three-pillar model, designed to institutionalise Visser & Van Baars’s relational strengths through:
1. Advisory Excellence: developing consultants as strategic advisors;
2. Relationship Consistency: standardising client communication and follow-up;
3. Client Insight & Learning: embedding continuous feedback and learning
mechanisms.
The Partnership Excellence Framework enables Visser & Van Baars to translate its relational and advisory capabilities into a scalable, company-wide standard, reinforcing
both client trust and competitive differentiation. The research concludes that sustainable advantage in professional services depends less
on speed or price, and more on the ability to deliver consistent, transparent, and value driven partnerships. By embedding the Partnership Excellence Framework, Visser & Van Baars can evolve from a niche recruiter to a strategic, knowledge-based partner, setting a benchmark for partnership excellence within Vibe Group and the wider Dutch IT
recruitment sector.