Back when I was working in my previous industry I received from my boss one of those lessons that mark you for life. We were looking for a new software for our production department that would replace the one that we had been using for years. My department came up with various options from industry leaders and major software brands but to our shock my boss opted for an unknown product from a small company that he had previously worked with. His reasoning was that this small company already knew his business and his needs and because of their size they were more flexible and it was easier for them to adapt to the particular way he conducted his company. As he put it: he wasn’t buying a tool, he was buying a solution.
Our clients are the same way. More often than not they are not looking for the photographer with the latest camera, nor the makeup artist who can draw the straightest winged eye, nor the stylist with the most celebrity friends. Clients are looking for the reliable creative, the one who adapts easily and understands them, the one who is flexible and who can react quickly to the unexpected, the one who is not just a perfect product but the product that satisfies their needs. We spend too much time and energy trying to be better than the rest of our peers instead of focusing on trying to be the best solution for those who actually hire us.
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