When hard work pays off

I have just returned from a meeting with a very long standing client of mine. Our company is almost 5 years old and this client has been with us for 4 years now which is a testimony to the value we add to their business. However, they have never been a financially valuable client - not until now at least.

For four years we have have worked pretty hard on this client and have never charged them very much for the work we do. We were just a tiny start-up when we signed them and were simply happy to have the business, regardless of the income. Having their name in our client list is valuable so we have never pushed them to increase their spend with us, our focus has instead been on continuing to work hard and deliver.

A month ago they got a new MD who flew out to SA and we had a meeting with him today. I went in thinking that we may either lose the account or have to re-pitch, but instead he told us how integral we were to their local operation and told us that he doesn't want us on a mickey mouse retainer any more, that I must send him a proposal for a full-blown monthly retainer for our services.

I was over the moon. This client has just become a very financially valuable client, all because we had put in the work for 4 years. Yes, there are people who will tell you that 4 years is too long to wait for a client to become valuable, but they are wrong. That is the kind of attitude that will only ever see short term gain. Even though they never paid us much, they did pay us for 4 years and that must never be overlooked.

Value your clients because they pay your salaries, always be prepared to work your ass off (even if it's for little financial reward), and always respect and value the fact that they want you to be their service provider. If you can do that for one client, then you should be able to replicate it with others - and that's when you can claim to have a successful business.