Blog
06.02
Safety Last
One of favorite clients (oh c'mon, we love you all just the same... most of you) has just seen their new website go live. The EmFinders site is a triumph on many levels—not the least of which was a huge leap of faith on the part of a CEO whose skepticism about Web firms was all but tattooed on his soul after several spirit-crushing encounters with hucksters and amateurs.
And, boy, did we work for his business. But we didn't win the project by playing it safe. We won it by being ourselves. We won it by being transparent. We were blunt. We were honest. We were proud of our body of work. And we were unafraid to answer questions with candor.
I spent the first near-decade of my career as a placater, convinced I could please everyone, my path of professionalism paved with eggshells. These days I know better.
It's not that I want to scare you, clients. But to be honest, it wouldn't hurt. A good product is fueled by passion—your job is to make us passionate about your company. Then, you must take a leap of faith in our understanding of that passion, a calculated risk comprised of 50 percent thrill, 49 percent terror, and one percent fresh-baked cookies in our conference room.
I can tell you we will come through for you. And we will. But you have to take a risk by trusting us. And we have to take a risk to engender that trust. We came through for Jim. But I would be absolutely mortified if I ever learned that Jim was complacent through the entire process. Because in our industry, complacency stems from mediocrity, and in my eyes, mediocrity is never anything but a spectacular failure.
The pressure to be mediocre in our industry is oddly vocal and overwhelming at times. To many, the instinct is to avoid debate at all costs. Often for this crowd, success stops at client approval, and shortcuts to client approval are sought through unlimited compromises. But a compromised product eventually is a disservice to you because it is not only ineffective, its passion has been snuffed by the desire to "just get it approved" and the demand to be cautious. The truth is, when you offend no one, you inspire no one.
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." —Albert Einstein
"Mediocrity is climbing molehills without sweating." —Icelandic proverb
"If failure is not an option, success is not an option." —Andy Rutledge
At HCK2, we aren't placaters. We are passionate, honest, trustworthy people who do not compromise your product by playing it safe. When you hire us, I hope you are excited, I hope you are nervous, but I pray you aren't ambivalent.
shawn.wood
Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" once wrote penned a credo of mine. Today, it's more than fitting to pen myself: One would like to be grand and heroic, if one could; but if not, why try at all? One wants to be very something, very great, very heroic; or if not that, then at least very stylish and very fashionable. It is this everlasting mediocrity that bores me. Here. Here.
Michelle
Benji, you are so right - the site was a triumph in part because of the partnership formed. “Advertising is about the work, but remember advertising is a business. Business is about relationships, and a great relationship allows great work to flourish.” - The Art of Client Service by Robert Solomon The great trust and respect each company had for one another left both parties inspired and challenged, encouraging nothing but greatness. Congrats all on the launch of the new site!
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