Regardless of how remarkable technology is, and how easy it makes connecting with clients all around the world in an instant, nothing supports the relationship between client and agency like an actual in-person.
Putting names to faces might seem old school, but nothing says we’re actual people who actually care about your business (and your actual people) like an actual trip to the client’s office(s). It takes time, which costs money, and likely costs more money to roll up in a way that’s genuine, and not reimbursable. The returns are priceless, and not just in a financial way.
One of the things we’ve come to really appreciate is the opportunity to meet client-side humans who aren’t specifically involved with marketing efforts. The company administrative lead, who has been answering phones and making sure everything is in its place since long before there was an internet to facilitate this process; the director of HR, who oversees all hiring efforts and aspects of corporate culture; or maybe the CFO, who has much more to contribute to the company’s path and growth strategy than is evident through his spreadsheets.
If we’re being totally honest, (which we are,) we might as well admit that a good part of our discovery and strategic recommendations—in addition to the obvious research and stakeholder inquiries—come from the encounters that we have with company culture on the client side. After all, companies are their people. Good companies admit this. Really good companies work at this.
What’s surprising about all this? Time away from HQ makes things clearer when it comes to the way things work at our own agency, too. We find that taking a trip—even if it’s to work remotely—creates a little extra space for ideas, opportunities, and solutions that might otherwise take weeks to be clear in the clutter of the everyday to-do list. Better still, it’s a great opportunity to let the whole team find ways to shine in ways that could be harder to spot in the status quo of day to day operations.
So whether you’re driving down the street, training to a nearby city, or hopping a long flight for a short lunch with a client far and away, we highly recommend it. Work will improve, your relationships will prosper, and in all likelihood, your bottom line will rise on up.