January 26th, 2009
by Lorrie Thomas
Sometimes the simplest advice can be the most powerful. Here’s a healthy dose of marketing advice that will help make you wealthy no matter where you work, what kind of business you are in or what your budget (of lack of budget!) is:
Being a pleasure to work with PAYS back
I see a common pattern when I observe the marketing relationships between marketers, business owners and product/service providers. Professionals that are enjoyable to work with, smart, savvy, communicate respectfully, and say please and thank you (our mantra is WWAD) are the ones who get priority.
Respect is recriprocal
Getting VALUE is not just about the lowest price or being gushy sweet – professionals need to remember that we get what we pay for……and a non-quantifiable “get what we pay for” piece is the relationship component. How well professional partners understand your business, bring new ideas to the table, execute well, challenge ideas if they are not the best path, teach you things that you didn’t know, help improve current marketing systems/collateral, are fun to work with etc. all are pieces of the marketing puzzle to ponder and must be calculated into your investment evaluation.
Think of marketing relationships like dating. You don’t marry every person you go out with and you may have to kiss a few frogs before you meet a prince of a partner, but when you find marketing professionals, employees or clients that are a pleasure to work with – KEEP THE LOVE ALIVE!
Whether you are buying or selling marketing services, I encourage you to remember a little something called Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). CLV taps the lifetime value of a RELATIONSHIP. It costs a lot more money to go out and cultivate new relationships, find new clients, vendors, retrain employees, etc. When you can preserve great partners in marketing, DO IT.
I can honestly say that the clients we serve that are a pleasure to work with ALWAYS are the ones we drop everything for. They understand marketing’s true definition – creating and mazimizing relationships. They also trust that we are experts in our field and we EARNED THAT TRUST. Our “platinum” clients are not the ones that have the highest retainers – they are the ones that are responsive, have clear professional vision, understand the value we bring to projects, communicate well, give feedback, treat marketing as the lifeline of their business, understand that they need to invest in their marketing process (time, energy, money) and are fun to work with.
Challenge your current thinking to not think marketing SPEND but think marketing INVESTMENT.
Great relationships shape our personal lives, great relationships also shape our professional lives 
Be a pleasure to work with and make your relationships meaningful!
Web Marketing Therapy Related Links:
- Responsibility + Relationship = Rewards
- Want Web Marketing Happiness? Do More Work Yourself!
- Web Marketing Wisdom – What Would Audrey Do?
- What is Your Work Doing to Change The World?
Keith T
(January 26th, 2009 at 3:09 pm)
Sage advice, O wise web woman
Sometimes way easier said than done, but cultivating productive, solid relationships with co-workers and customers makes your work life so much easier because it promotes rentention from both parties. And rentention pays HUGE dividends.
Satisfied workers mean they actually WANT to be here and that attitude spills over into their own work/personal relationships. Happy customers kind of speak for themselves. The easiest sale you’ll ever get is a satisfied customer who wants more of a great thing from your business.
So it does pay to be nice. Just be sure to back up the pleasant attitude with the goods, too, and you’ll make everyone happy…
Sue
(February 8th, 2009 at 11:57 am)
Just letting you know, wise wild web women, that I couldn’t imagine a better team to work with. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one working day in and day out on my business. Then I am reminded that not only do I have highly-trained pros working with me, I have friends assisting as well. I so admire your expertise but also your enthusiasm and optimism. Well done in every way!
Lorrie
(February 8th, 2009 at 4:22 pm)
thanks for the kind words Sue! We like to say at WMT that there is no “I” in team….we all need support (and I know what it’s like to feel like it’s all you somedays) We are fortunate as the owners of our own businesses to have the CHOICE of who we work with, we have to remember that we have the reins of our professional success and can build the best teams and work with people we enjoy working with. I pinch myself at the thought of having such a great team and that I get to partner with amazing entrepreneurs. Who knew I’d have the pleasure of partnering with an Information Tamer for Boomers and Seniors and get to support http://www.50somethinginfo.com!!
Ann Levine
(February 24th, 2009 at 2:18 pm)
Lorrie, Great advice! I have loved every minute of working with you and your team over the last (3!) years. Thank you for being fun to work with and so good at what you do, and for understanding me and how I like to work. I’m happy to benefit from our lifelong relationship and happy to tell everyone how amazing you all are…
Lorrie Thomas
(February 24th, 2009 at 2:23 pm)
Ann, THANK YOU for the super post! I love my job for a number of reasons, but the main reason is having the pleasure of partnering with professionals like you who are passionate, powerful and have purpose.
Web Marketing Therapy » Blog Archive » Being a Pleasure to Work With Pays
(March 3rd, 2009 at 1:40 pm)
[...] transcripts of this podcast to support this advice: Being a pleasure to work for/with PAYS Web Marketing Wisdom – What Would Audrey [...]
Web Marketing Therapy » Blog Archive » Business Success: Questions for Boosting Your “CUSTOMER I.Q.”
(March 29th, 2009 at 11:09 am)
[...] What are your customers interested in and what’s on their minds? How will your customers likely navigate through your website based on their interests and motivations? How can your business become more current and present in their minds? What current topics drive them or entertain them? Authentically address your customers’ interests and further express common goals and interests. Connect with and create content that’s part of their world. Remember, just like any romance, the rules of attraction also apply to business… It pays to stand out… to be authentic, enjoyable, respectful and trustworthy. [...]