I'd like to propose perhaps the single most important part of forging client and project relationships: choosing the right ones to begin with. If you've done diligence, and put effort into choosing the clients and projects you work on, it generally becomes MUCH easier to finish them both on time, and on budget so everyone ends up happy. The truth is that everyone has the luxury of choosing who and what projects you take... in fact it is a right and a privilege afforded by living in this free market.

Smaller, newer companies are often prime targets for bait and switch type deals, promising big dividends for only a 'little bit of free work' or speculative work. There are plenty of red flag phrases that serve as warning that this might be the wrong project. Probably the most common (and most dangerous one) is "We don't have money now, but this idea will pay for itself and we'll pay you later", which often means "We haven't even written a full paragraph in our business plan yet".

Once upon a time, I thought it was bad business practice to ask the question "what is your budget for this project?" because it seemed to me at the time that I was coming across too pushy, trying to scrape every cent available from the client. However, I have since learned that this should essentially the first question that is asked. A project or client without a budget, or at least a budget range, is a client without a plan or a strategy. The exception here, is when a client knows exactly what they want, and are looking for a price. However, the role here is primarily vendor, not consultant. This is a key separation to be aware of.

No one goes shopping for a home without first visiting the bank to determine what they can afford. No one who is looking to purchase a new vehicle does so without first knowing approximately what the are able to afford. This budget will determine whether your new vehicle is a Pinto or a Maserati Spider. The same is true with creative. Will this shiny new website be a full fledged interactive online social marketplace backed by a national advertisement campaign, or a WordPress template blog with $5 / month in facebook advertising? Will this photo shoot be an hour in the local park to be used as a facebook profile picture, or a team of 50 models, producers, assistants and 13 shipping containers full of equipment traveling to Patagonia to market a worldwide sports chain?

The key here is to know what you are getting into. Learn the clients history and the back-story of the project. Be sure that there is a financial plan and a strategy to back up the big ideas. A little wisdom and foresight here can go a long ways. Learn to recognize the 'red-flag' hooks that might be tossed your way. Always operate on a fair, transparent contract, and never undersell yourself for the promise of future success. Free cheese burgers won't get you anywhere, instead, focus on consistent, good work at the right price to pay the real long term dividends for your business.

Relationship is #1. Easy to say right? I'm sure everyone already agrees with this statement with regards to business in general - but what does this actually mean for those of us in the business world, specifically the creative industry? Whether we realize it or not, we form and maintain relationships almost every moment of every day. Every phone call, email, meeting, facebook or twitter update, tip given to a waitress, middle finger flashed in the rear view mirror... these are all facets of our day to day relationship building (or destruction). How are we presenting ourselves? Who are we presenting ourselves too?

There are really 3 key internal and external relationships that are critical to our success in business: clients, vendors, and internal team members. My next post will deal with vendors and team members, however today i will be focusing mostly on clients... clearly, you can't really call it a business unless there is a client, someone actually purchasing the service or product.

There is a key phrase I have been repeating almost relentlessly over the last few months: 'do good work, do it consistently, and eventually the right person will notice'. This simple statement really is the foundation for the success of any business. The problem is that without relationship, no one will ever notice your excellent work. There are thousands of individuals and agencies out there who are more than capable of creating absolutely top notch work on a variety of mediums, but many are unable to find anyone that is interested in their work to give them a call. So how do we find these people? On the scale of our local community, Calgary, marketing and advertising can be both diverse and competitive. How can we find a way to fit into the nationwide picture?

The answer, which i'm sure you've already guessed, is relationship... with who? Well, everyone! Although the scale of this concept differs with the scale of your company, the foundation is still the same. Everyone you meet or talk to is your client. The practical side of this is that you yourself are your company. You're best representation of the quality of your work, and the quality of your service is quite simply how you interact with everyone you meet on a day to day basis.

The slippery slope of success is a difficult place to navigate, especially early on. The truth is that you never know where your next referral will come from, and who. This is critical: treat everyone you meet with the same extreme level of professionalism and quality. As a growing company, many of our biggest contracts and clients have developed out of the smallest and most insignificant projects. These projects and clients that some may write off as irrelevant may be the one opportunity that you did not expect that turns into that big break. In the heat of a competitive market such as the city of Calgary marketing, advertising and relationships on even the most insignificant level must literally radiate quality and excellence.

Maybe instead of just 'doing' good work consistently, we need to live our good work right on our sleeve. Live professionalism, do it consistently, and eventually the right person will notice.

Part two: Vendor relationships. Stay tuned!