Internet marketing companies work with clients in three ways.
The Agency Tells.
This is easier than trying to understand the client, right? We just tell the client what the problem is, what they need to do to solve it and just do it. We use all of our previous experience to “prove” how smart we are and that we are experts.
The Agency Accepts.
The client tells us what they want and we deliver. We don’t ask any real questions. We don’t look at previous data. We just take the order and get to work.
The Agency Guesses.
Of course, agency gurus don’t call this guessing, they call it a diagnosis or analysis. If you didn’t know any better, you would swear it was guessing. A couple of agency people spend a couple hours with the client and the agency experts start to build the plan- how have we solved this problem in the past? What have we charged in the past? Who do you think the competition is?
There are a number of potential problems with these approaches. If the agency tells, they might be wrong (it’s at least possible) or they are seen as arrogant. The the agency accepts, they have added no value and the client could be wrong (it’s at least possible). If the agency guesses, they formalize the guessing into a proposal that rarely addresses your needs.
There is a fourth approach- Mutual Exploration
In the forth approach, we mutually explore with the client the shared outcome of a solution that truly meets their needs- whether with us or someone else.
As a leading internet marketing company, we are committed to the fourth approach. Mutual exploration with the client has lead to long term client relationships that have been beneficial, fun and profitable for all involved.