The term Partnership gets thrown around a lot. For some, its marketing copy. For experienced agencies, its a core mission. This assumes that any agency worth their pixels wants to continuously increase their value. That value arrives when the agency has a seat at the business strategy table to provide guidance that can extends well beyond the surface of a website. An interactive marketing and technology partner that can deliver custom applications and system integration can serve as a key partner in opening both new revenue paths, and providing operational and systemic efficiencies that save money. Getting to that seat however takes trust which takes time to earn.
What is the value to the Partner?
- First there is the Quality Bump. We’re dealing with people here, and when our team members feel they are Partners, their motivation shifts from trying to impress me to impressing you.
- The Access Bump. There is tremendous demand for interactive work, and the resources of any decent agency will always be taxed. Whether conscious or not, Partners will get their jobs pushed to the front of the line.
- The Efficiency Bump. Once we know your business and have experience walking in your shoes and talking with your customers the better we become. The time we spend on discovery lessens and depth and accuracy of our proposals increases. We become an extension of the Partner’s organization and intuitively know the path to take.
- Finally there is the Emotional Reward Bump. Here, the agency is rewarded with the pride of seeing their Partner succeed. Having a partner that genuinely feels that pride is a huge bump for both organizations.
Partnerships are relationships between people with both business needs and emotional needs. Its a two-way relationship and it only works if transparent communication runs both ways and takes into account the Golden Rule. I treat customers as I’d expect to be treated, and I expect the same in return.
A Partnership is an investment. Any investment requires a degree of due diligence and it generally takes time. Therefore, an agency shouldn’t expect to get the keys to all the doors and for their clients to spill their guts on day one. It generally takes the successful execution of at least one sizable project for the relationship to become established and trust earned. Of course the degree of trust is dependent upon the level of success in the execution – which puts the pressure first on the agency to perform. If that step is made successfully, and the first degree of trust is earned, then doors should open (client’s turn). That is a step that the client has to make, and once we’re actually at the table – literally sitting at strategic operations and marketing meetings – then You have a partner from which you will get a value bump that will last a very long time and yield results that you can’t even guess at.
Thanks to our many Partners.
