What keeps clients coming back when there are a million other agencies they could call?

On par with creating great work at an ad agency is maintaining great relationships with your clients. At the heart of every successful campaign is a foundation of trust, communication, and collaboration between the agency and the client…and it’s not just status updates and deadlines.

We strive for personal, human connection and empathy in all of our client relations. 

In order to create a partnership that’s built to last, we make an effort to understand client goals, anticipate their needs, and show up as a strategic partner rather than just a service provider. We strive for personal, human connection and empathy in all of our client relations. 

Dan Fein, Mendoza’s Account Director, always starts off every new relationship with the basics: an intro email and a meeting in the books so that the client can get acquainted with the business, their processes, and the people they’ll be working with directly.

From there, “The most important thing is just building trust and being a good listener,” Dan says. Taking good meeting notes, repeating ideas back to the client, and giving the client the floor to speak are all part of starting projects off on the right foot.

“The most important thing is just building trust and being a good listener”

According to Forbes, “People tend to feel good about buying into a potential opportunity when the experience is much warmer and less transactional.”

Starting the working relationship is one thing, but maintaining that relationship requires, first and foremost, reliable and regular communication.

“When they reach out to me, I try to get back to them within 2-3 hours, even just to say I received their message. Everyone just wants to know that their time is valuable and that they’ve been heard,” Dan says.

Take all client questions and feedback seriously, and come back to them with real, possible, and effective solutions.

There are a few ways to go above and beyond for a client, and one big way is by always having their best interest in mind. “Reach out to them with opportunities even when they didn’t necessarily ask for it,” Dan shares.

Mendoza in particular places a big emphasis on community, so finding ways that we may be able to facilitate collaboration between clients and people or organizations in our orbit can be a win for all parties.

“Strong business relationships are about being mutually beneficial to one another…”

An article out of Harvard University states, “Strong business relationships are about being mutually beneficial to one another… This creates authenticity and shows that you are invested in the success of others.”

And of course, providing great work where the client’s needs have been taken into account is also integral to the work Mendoza does, as well as fixing any speed bumps that may come up along the way.

“Admitting mistakes and doing so in a timely manner is so important,” Dan shares. We’re only human, but if something comes up, it’s best to resolve the issue honestly so you don’t lose that trust.

Ultimately, we believe that the best relationships come from a place of collaboration, understanding, honesty, and empathy, and with an emphasis on multicultural campaigns, we’re prepared to effectively bring your vision to life with the guidance to do so in a well-received and relatable way.