You know what my father used to say? “Being with a client is like being in a marriage. Sometimes you get into it for the wrong reasons, and eventually they hit you in the face.”
— Roger Sterling
Dealing with clients really is like dating. It’s so easy to get overly involved with them and lose sight of the big picture.
You take on the client, start over-analyzing them, their culture, and what they’re doing. And then you start obsessing on everything else they could be doing.
You think about what more they could be doing to get the most out of the relationship; about how they can benefit by taking it up a notch, “getting more serious,” and take the relationship to the next level.
But sometimes, the timing just isn’t right. Sometimes, they’re just not ready for anything more serious. And it can be hard to come to terms with that.
Sometimes, they’re just having a good time — enjoying things just the way they are. And if you push it, and start trying to be more serious about their business than they are, you’re just going to push them away.
So the best thing you can do is relax, and try to enjoy the ride, too.
Thanks, I needed that!
mp/m
So right. I constantly have to remind myself of this.
Enjoying this Mad Men series of blog posts. Your talk at PodCamp Montreal the other day got me thinking about the historical/sociological reasons that explain how marketing culture has evolved over time. Maybe I’ll wait to see where you take this, or maybe I’ll bring them up on my own blog. In this, you can be Don Draper and I can be Peggy Olsen, the eager acolyte, watching closely to see what happens and aspiring to have everything Don Draper has ;)
Thanks again for putting yourself out there at PodCamp – it was an interesting premise and I look forward to following you as you develop it.
Hey!! that’s so true…
Sometimes you can’t change minds, so the only thing you can do it’s enjoy the ride!!.. But it’s always nice when you’re commited of others goals, that’s the pleasure of working with customers!!