Who I Work With. Could It Be You?

I work exclusively with privately held information technology companies that offer high value to their clients, but struggle to sell their solutions at commensurately high fees and prices, thus earn juicy, high margins for delivering that value.

My clients hire me because I've come from the buyer's side of the negotiation table and they want to benefit from my inside knowledge of how buyers think and make decisions.

Now, I know that's a pretty vague definition. After all, not many IT companies say they want to deliver shitty service to tightfisted bottom feeders for chickenfeed. So, based on that, I've developed a set of characters and attributes of clients with whom I do my best work, so they get the best value for their money.

This is important both for clients and me since some clients would find my idiosyncrasies valuable, while some others would find them infuriating. So, this Perfect Client Profile is just a match to my talents, character and values, so it gives you a chance to see whether or not I'm the right guy for your company.

It's not about being right or wrong. It's more about matching certain personal and organisational attributes to make sure that our collaboration is a euphoric synergy not just a tolerable compromise.

This rigid-looking selection process makes certain for me that I don't engage in types of work that may look fancy on the surface but I'm barely mediocre or worse at it.

Working with perfect buyers on perfect projects for perfect companies allows me to put my heart and soul into my work and produce something that I can be proud of and brag to my parents. Especially because they've always wanted me to get a normal job, but I didn't like the idea.

So, let's see...

My "Perfect Client" Profile

Regarding who I work with, in a nutshell, I can use the words of British film director, Terry Gilliam, member of the Monty Python team...

"I like working with good people because if I come up with an idea, they come up with a better idea, then I come up with an even better idea, and so on: It's a leapfrog process, and the work becomes much better than it would be if I only did exactly what I want."

I've also learnt through my mistakes that if I choose a struggling client, I end up with a struggling business. But if I choose a successful client, I will have a successful business.

So, I'm picky about clients, and I expect them to be picky about the copywriter they engage. Hence the detailed, maybe a bit over-the-board Perfect Client Profile. But this allows interested people to screen themselves.

In some more detail, my Perfect Client profile comes in three parts...

1. My Perfect Buyers

I do my best work with buyers who...

...have a clearly defined values and rock-solid ethics
...are mature enough to dismiss fairy tales, silver bullets and instant gratification when it comes to client acquisition
...focus on progress not effort; achievements not activities, accomplishments not deliverables
...are more concerned about high value received than low price paid
...demonstrate good leadership by being exemplars of organisational values
...accept accountability that comes with their positions. They can handle setbacks, then dust off and lead their people to inevitable victory
...open minded enough to consider new ideas
...answer questions honestly and directly, without withholding information or being coy to deceive
...have both the funds and the authority to engage external professionals
...have a clear sense of their values and ethics
...know what they want and are able to express it
...are mature enough not to pursue fairy tales, silver bullets and instant gratification
...focus on progress not effort, achievements not activities
...are more concerned with the value they receive from my help than my fees
...demonstrate good leadership by being exemplars of their organisational values
...accept accountability that comes with their positions, and have the courage, spine, guts and balls to stand up for their beliefs
...are ego-free and focus on company improvement, not personal aggrandizement
...respond to phone calls and emails promptly, and keeps appointments on time
...are willing to take prudent risks. They understand there are no guarantees, and, ultimately, their success or failure is in their hands
...accept "pushback" and are willing to debate
...appear to honestly care for the company, the people, the customers, and the relationships

2. My Perfect Companies

I work with privately owned IT companies that...

...sell new, complex, hard-to-explain and/or expensive IT solutions in the B2B arena
...sell or aspire to sell to real buyers through peer-level relationships
...are or aspire to become respected and recognised industrial authorities
...are large enough to employ dedicated marketing directors
...are transparent enough to be free of politics, hidden agendas, backstabbing and other cloak and dagger bullshit
...have clearly defined markets and refuse to whore themselves out on a "We do anything for money" basis
...are real companies with real employees on the payroll performing the core competence work operating out of a real physical location
...care about their clients, employees, suppliers, communities and the environment
......value substance over style, results over image, pragmatism over executive ego, fortune over fame, profits over awards, in-the-trenches expertise over fancy diplomas and certificates
......rely on direct response marketing for all or nearly all of their revenue, as opposed to wasting time and money on ego-stroking image marketing
...understand that incremental increases in response rates and average sale mean big leaps in growth and bottom-line profits, thus in personal income
...realise that the effectiveness of their marketing copy is the single most critical variable for producing impressive profit margins, not merely higher sales
...are smart enough to treat the source of this expertise, as a knowledge worker, with the appropriate trust and respect - both personally and financially

3. My Perfect Engagements

I do work WITH clients but not FOR clients. My work is collaboration between peers, based on mutual trust, respect and credibility to achieve clients' objectives. I do my best work in engagements where...

...I work as a catalyst and facilitator for positive change and innovation
...I help with strategic, "big picture" issues before doing the tactical nuts and bolts work
...I provide objective, unbiased frames of reference, new insights and fresh perspectives
...I offer my analytical, diagnostic and synthesising skills with intuitive backup
...I help internal project managers to guide teams of subject matter experts through the mazes of the implementation process
...I act as a contact source for information
...I can draw on my broad - well, eclectic - experiences to achieve clients' objectives

And I Stay Away From The Role Of A...

...cheap contract worker
...yes-man to second the decisions that executives have already made
...miracle worker to single-handedly produce silver bullets to save rapidly sinking, seriously screwed up companies

In a way, in my client work, I've adopted Joe Gold's, the founder of Gold's Gym, management philosophy...

"To keep it simple you run your gym like you run your house. Keep it clean and in good running order. No jerks allowed, members pay on time and if they give you any crap, throw them out. There's peace where there's order."

I regard myself as an easy-going guy, not a typical stiff-arse corporate pinstripe, so it's important that I communicate my boundaries clearly to end up with only the right kind of opportunities.

Now that you know what kind of clients hire me and I can help best, now you can review how I work.