Blog
02.15
It's a matter of trust
With respect to the great Billy Joel, I'm talking about any relationship we marketers have with our clients.
There was a nice article in Ad Age that brought this song to mind. Phil Johnson wrote about "the best way to lose a client."
In short, he had a client relationship with his point of contact that became a good friendship. Eventually, she left her gig for brighter horizons. Phil's company lost a client but he kept a friend.
Cute story, right? Does anyone - client or marketer - realize the truth in those few words?
We (creatives, flacks, marketers, ad reps) owe it to our agencies and, more importantly, our clients to maintain more than a vendor relationship. We should be partners in their vision to grow, their needs to serve and their business overall.
Think about shopping for that flat screen TV [cue harp music].
You search everywhere like Mad Max looking for free gas. You want the best deal, and then you find it.
Bright, cutting-edge, made for the long haul. You think you are going to spend a cool thousand on something, you won't demand it to work whenever you need it to do so... and it will impress all your buddies on game night?
Dang skippy you will.
How do you think clients feel about us? They think we are bright, cutting-edge and made for the long haul. BUT... if we don't work when they need us to do so, and knock the breath out of the competition in the process, we go back to the shop.
We need to earn their trust, do our best and not take them for granted. We do that, and we become a partner.
Don't, and you become one of the many vendors on the scrap heap.
That, and no one to call your friend.
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