A few years ago, we pitched a dream client … and didn’t get the job.
Sure, this happens to everyone, but in this case, we felt so confident we would have been great partners.
Our passion, expertise, and unending obsession with always producing the hardest working creative aligned so well with their needs.
Of course we were bummed.
But then a year and half later, guess what? After working briefly with another agency, the client came back to us. We’ve been working with them ever since.
Most of our clients have been with us for a long time, and we’re proud of that. But they don’t just stick around because we’re the nicest agency out there (which is something that we hear a lot).
We put in the work and attention to creating the strongest partnerships possible.
Here are four ways we do it:
Show Up With Shohsin (Beginner’s Mind)
- Don’t assume that what worked yesterday will work tomorrow
- Get out of your own way
- Explore the forces that act on consumers
- Ask better questions to create better answers
- Be curious
Differentiate Through Nuance
Search for and find the tension through the:
- Unstated
- Understated
- Under-understood
Guarantee Honesty and Transparency
- Never oversell
- Never hide fees
- Never avoid the hard truths
Be Fierce Partners
- Be a breath of fresh air
- Show up
- Be collaborative
- Take the burden off partners
- Be obsessed with getting it right
What are your non-negotiables for building lasting partnerships?
Know someone who could use a breath of fresh air in an agency partner? Please forward this email—we’d love to be in touch.