NORTHERN PLANNER

I love this insight into what makes relationships last. 

Basically, never failing to make the effort to be kind and generous everyday. 

Always looking for positives in the other and opportunities to show the other you care and are interested. 

That's not really an insight though is it? It's bloody common sense. 

Especially when it comes to agencies and their clients. 

Some agencies have it in their DNA to be aloof and difficult to work with. They believe it makes them cool.

Even fewer get away with it because they are very, very good.

So clients stick with them because, we'll, they provide ace value.

Until something goes wrong.

And it always does. 

The edgy work that was sold in this time, it just doesn't connect with the customer and all measures, hard and soft, are awful. 

Somone has got the numbers wrong and the agency has to fall on the generosity of the client to pay more than was quoted – even though they're not obligated to. 

A new CEO takes over the client company with a favourite agency and no one in the marketing team LIKES their agency partners enough to stick their neck out. 

Everyone gets caught out in the end. 

I'm not saying you have to constantly over deliver. 

I'm not saying you can get away with second rate work. You can't, being nice only gets you so far.

But actually making people feel appreciated goes a very long way. 

Now the problem with any relationship is that the novelty wears off. What was once fresh and wonderful becomes expected and even unnoticed. 

Even supermodels get cheated on. 

The trick is to always suprise others with the unexpected. 'I saw this a thought of you'. Doesn't cost much, just a little bit of effort every now and then.

A little extra in the response to brief. 

Noticing they've taken up running and paying a few quid for Strava premium. 

Being brilliant gets you far. Being brilliant, thoughtful and kind gets you a lot, lot further.