A meaningful relationship, or mindless speed dating?
Ahh, it’s that time of year again – Valentine's Day.
For most men it involves making a bit of an effort to impress their significant other, with the deep and depressing knowledge that it’s all just an exercise in damage limitation.
Of course her friend got an all-exclusive Swiss Spa Retreat gift off their other half…
Of course your mate bought his other half the little sports car they always wanted…
Of course anyone who says ‘It’s the thought that counts’ when you hand over that wilted Londis bouquet really means ‘You just despise me’.
Anyway, all this stuff got me thinking about the relationships we have with our clients, past and present, and how they rate in the context of Valentine’s Day. It also made me think about how we think about going after new clients – who’s ‘our type’?
The best relationships can often take time, patience, and a degree of honesty that makes it easy to discuss problems and solutions. Sometimes it may be painful, frustrating, and all seem like too much – but the strongest relationships learn from mistakes.
Being patient and tolerant, and realising that you can’t always change the way people are, leads to great and long-lasting partnerships in love and commerce. It can take years before it’s the ideal time for that rebrand, or sonic identity – but you’ll know when it arrives, and there’s a deeper understanding of why it’s the right thing to do.
On the other side of the coin, we have those brief and fiery relationships that spring up from out of nowhere, and most of the time end up back where they started. Clients who buy what they need based on fashion and first impressions – keen to try the emperor’s latest new clothes, with little or no thought of what they’re hoping to achieve.
These people often expect the lavish gifts offered by their media partners, whereas the longer term clients just appreciate them when they arrive.
Paul
