Just to show how out of step I am, I'll admit here and now that I never really wanted to change the world. Or even thought for a moment that changing the world is possible.
I guess I've read too much history to believe that big money will ever be vanquished and we will arrive at a paradise of workers where the air has fewer particles of carbon per million, where the high-speed trains will run on time and milk and honey will flow and not be a burden the either the lactose-intolerant or those with anaphylaxis.
World peace will prevail. High-speed internet will never go down. And fracking will never invade the cool kids' country domains.
No, I never believed an ad or a new Instagram functionality will eradicate all that and render Camden, NJ Valhalla.
We are too much like insects or rats fighting over crumbs. It's our genetic disposition and just the way things are.
That said, I always believed in the Talmudic wisdom that equates the saving of one human to the saving of the world. In other words, you can't change the world from a macro sense. But you can be a good person and make it better a little at a time.
With that in mind, I've always tried to be polite to people. And to be honest, I'm naive enough to believe that if everyone just tries a bit of politeness, the world will slowly and surely evolve to a better place.
This is directed at clients now.
I know you are paying us and we work for you. That in "coming through," we're only doing our jobs.
But you know what?
As my grandmother would say, "It wouldn't kill you to say 'thank you.'"
The people on the front line don't really care too much about the fee or the financial health of the agency.
ReplyDeleteThey want:
1) To point at work that makes the industry jealous and say "I did that".
2) Appreciation for their effort and expertise.
My boss and I spent days poring over timesheet data and preparing a quasi-scientific fee proposal for the best client I ever had. At the end of the pitch for more money he said simply "No". We were crestfallen. Our client used our falling crests as an opportunity for dramatic pause before saying "You're worth more than that."
He ended up paying us more than we wanted but probably less than he had been prepared for. Everyone a winner.
The news spread like wildfire round the agency. And, not surprisingly, everyone wanted to work on his account, resource was found for his projects when none was officially available, the work got (even better.
Why don't more clients get this?