Client relationships are a two way street. They choose you, but you also choose them. Unfortunately, most of the time we don’t think this way. Don’t get so dialed in on getting their business that you forget to discern whether it’s a good fit for your business.

Recently we parted ways with a client that wasn’t trusting us to handle precisely what they hired us to do…plus, they weren’t taking our recommendations. If a client isn’t going to trust your expertise, then they also aren’t going to get the results you’re working so hard to create for them.

In these situations, keep your eyes open and recognize what’s happening. Then have the confidence to move on.

Sometimes….”It’s not us, it’s you.” :)

I’m a big fan of Hugh at http://gapingvoid.com because he tells it like it is, and provokes thought with his work.

How you’re speaking to your customers and prospects is as important as as what you’re saying.

In the current economy, everyone seems to be much more concerned with real, measurable, tangible returns than they used to be. This is a great thing, because this is how it should be.  You should always measure the impact and return (fiscal or otherwise) of an investment and make decisions from there.

However, there are many investments related to marketing that are more difficult to quantify, but still have a tremendous impact on your business.

Your visual communication is one of them.

Those who don’t understand this decide when things get tighter it’s time to slash marketing budgets, or choose a low quality alternative and end up with communication that poorly represents them.  The result can be a downward spiral.

The flipside is while others make those choices, you have the opportunity really stand out.

I’m not saying spend and don’t think about it, but when you can’t perfectly quantify, make your best educated guess.  Ask the right questions.

Is spending on this (or spending more on this) going to increase my sales?
How many additional clients do I need to book to cover the cost of this upgrade?
Will the quality or level of people I desire to attract be impacted by this decision?

Yep. It’s official. We’ve joined the web 2.1.1 movement by creating yet another way to do what we do best. Talk. Welcome to the Elevation Blaahg! The rant and rave begging bad design to behave. Here we’ll be discussing everything from WHACK brands to visual masterpieces. From the latest design trends to the played out, tired and overdone (please, no more faux vintage band tees) We’re also pop culture junkies, so beware and prepare to read everything from album reviews to overly
opinionated hot air from our little collective of creative gurus, tech heads and overly caffeinated sales staff. A blog for all, by all… Ok, not entirely true, we’ll mostly be talking about our current projects and how we can create effective communication solutions for companies, organizations and fellow human beings worldwide…Enjoy!