There’s always a moment in proposal reviews where we can feel the person on the other end trying to read between the lines. Somewhere between talking about how we work and the approach we’ve designed for them, you can almost see them thinking: what is this actually going to feel like once we start? Anyone can present well, show nice work, and lay out clean phases and deliverables. They can say the words partnership, collaboration, and all the right things. But whether they’ve been burned before or just know someone who has, they know they’re not just buying the pretty pictures and nice words. They’re buying the experience of how they get to theirs.
So what are they actually worried about, even if I’m saying all the right things?
• Who am I actually working with once this kicks off
• Are you going to disappear after the deal is signed
• Am I going to have to manage you
• Are you going to listen or just tell me what you think is right
• Do you actually understand what I need or are you just running your process
Sure, a version of bait and switch exists in our industry. Senior people sell it in, often on work done in the past, sometimes by people who aren’t even there anymore (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).
But then different people show up to do the day-to-day. And the question becomes: are they being held to the same standard as the work that sold me in the first place? How would a client even know? It’s not malicious. A lot of the time, it’s just how agencies are structured. But from the client side it feels like: wait … where did the people go that I trusted? And that’s where the doubt creeps in. The horror stories persist. And “trust me” isn’t enough.
But the bigger thing I keep coming back to isn’t even the bait and switch. It’s that a lot of agencies forget what they’re actually being hired to do. Yes, the output matters. Yes, the strategy, the research, the wow factor. But so does how you bring someone through it.
Taking care of your client is bigger than being responsive on email or scoping a project correctly. It’s listening more than you talk.
Paying attention to what they’re not saying. Understanding where they’re stuck versus where they’re confident. Knowing when to push and when to guide. It’s helping them see things from a different angle without dismissing the perspective they already bring.
I think a lot of people focus on the deliverables. The checklist. And I’m not saying those don’t matter. Clear is kind. But fewer people think about the experience of getting there. Are you bringing them along in your process? Or disappearing and coming back with a big reveal? Those are two very different experiences.
I think about this a lot, coming from 25 years in the service industry in restaurants and retail. There. is. an. art. to. service.
You can just take the order and deliver the food.
Or …
You read the table. You adjust. You anticipate needs. You guide people to a better experience. You check in with awareness, not interruption. You’re just … a good human.
Behind every project, just like behind every agency brag board, are real people.
People with opinions, pressure, expectations, and a lot riding on the decisions they’re making.
The experience is the job and we should leave people and businesses better than we found them, no matter if it ends up being a one-time project or a ten-year relationship.
The best projects and relationships aren’t just well-designed, well-scoped, and well-priced. They’re well-led.
That difference changes everything.
%20(2).png)
.jpg)
