When I present ads or strategies to clients, I always tremendously value their first instinct.  If they say, “Wow, I love it.”, then think about it a bit and get to, “But, I’m not sure we should say/do this…”, they’ve gone from audience to client.  I tell them that the only time they can really have a “first impression”, like their market, is the very first minute they look at the idea. After that, they become, not their market.

Trust your instincts. They’re as good, probably better, than anything.

I read that Flickr  was originally a feature in game, but that developers noticed that more than playing the game, people were using the photo feature to post their photos, so they dropped the game and applied user feedback to refocus their original idea into a profitable business.

You get the idea. Be creative and customize existing things to your own use, not necessarily the use it was created for. What examples of this kind of innovative thinking do you have?

Over the years, I’ve fine-tuned a pretty quick process that yields important results.  Big agencies charge hundreds of thousands of dollars to do this, and small ones just skip this step. If I had to say what my unique competitive advantage is, it’s this step. I just finished an engagement for DHL and they said it was the best work they ever had. This strategy step to lay the foundation properly is why.

Great marketing has to be based on a truth, and finding it is like an archaeological dig. When you unleash creativity based on a meaningful strategy, you’ve got a powerhouse. Often clients will say, “..well, you’re creative, I know you’ll think of something”. But you don’t just make up great marketing. It is not fiction. It’s the opposite. It’s truth well told.

Stellar clients give us lots of background information, approve the research we need , are open-minded, don’t have preconceived ideas about what the solution will be, and allow us to take risks that didn’t always pan out. Their contributions always made the work better. Also, they made quick decisions trusting their instincts rather than over-thinking something to death. They’re also terrific at getting the work approved in their company and I suspect it’s because these same qualities gain them trust at the top levels.

Most of my current clients are like that. I pick them as carefully as they pick their marketing partner because I want to do good work and I know we can’t do it without them. This would translate to an employer too. Do all of the above with your employees and I’ll bet you’ll get better solutions. Inspire people and allow them to be great.

I was the last agency to pitch an 18 year old company that never had an advertising agency . It was unusual for me, because most of my business generally came from referrals, and I didn’t know anyone here. They contacted me after viewing my website. I found that surprising because I never though any  work would come from our website, good as it was.

My presentation was brief, about two hours, and the owners were present. It was a family owned company .  After the presentation, they asked me to step outside, then after about 15 minutes they called me back in and said, “We just met with 5 agencies in the past two weeks. You’re 4 times more expensive than the most high-priced. But you’re the first one that actually made sense and proposed a process we think would get us where we hope to go. Let’s get to work on a contract.”

So, on the spot, I made a seven figure deal. I was very surprised at the speed of their decision, and at their willingness to commit the amount to the undertaking.  It was a good lesson is never being afraid to ask what you feel is the value of your contribution. I think truthfully, I was only comfortably asking it because I didn’t think I had a chance of getting the account. If I had an inside track or felt there was a chance, I probably would have tried harder to get it which would have meant trying to come in at an acceptable price.

Lesson learned.