Most clients today are inundated with calls from sales reps and companies looking to do business. Surprisingly few of these calls include ideas that can benefit the client. Most calls begin with phrases such as, “Our company specializes in … and I’d like to meet with you to explain more about our expertise.” When I find myself on the receiving end of these calls, my typical unstated response is, “Why?”.
Conversely, when a person calls to say that they have an idea that can benefit my business or clients in a specific way, I’m willing to spend time with them. The key attraction is that they provide me with something new, whether that is new perspective, new data, new processes, etc. Anything that can make our company better is worth my time, and I believe that most of our clients feel the same way.
When working with clients at ddm, we will often take the initiative to develop strategies and share ideas for free. These are not simply tactical recommendations, rather we invest time and brainpower into assessing the marketplace, quantifying our clients’ competitive advantages relative to their marketing objectives, and looking at unorthodox strategies that the clients are unlikely to consider of their own accord. These strategies are then shared with our clients with no obligation or compensation required. But within this process, we accomplish several things:
- Clients learn how we think strategically, which often distinguishes ddm from their other resources
- Clients learn new perspectives on how to approach their marketing challenges
- One or more of the strategies often creates enough excitement that the clients are willing to allocate budget for their implementation
- ddm learns more about our clients’ challenges and how they think about strategies
At the least, ddm becomes perceived as a resource for information and intelligence rather than simply as a vendor for marketing services. In this way, a true partnership is formed with clients, which is a more fulfilling relationship for all involved.
In today’s world, a little free thinking is a smart way to do business.
Mike
One Comment
As always, very well said. It has indeed been proven true, time and again. I would imagine technology will continue to change what is given for free and when, but the principle remains true.