OpenRoad + Mod7
Two pioneering organizations, together at last.
OpenRoad is pleased to announce the acquisition of creative agency Mod7.
Read the letter from our PrincipalOpenRoad + Mod7
OpenRoad is pleased to announce the acquisition of creative agency Mod7.
Read the letter from our PrincipalPosted on May 08, 2010 in Our Thinking by Mod7
We treat clients like people--people with brains, hearts, and real experiences. And if you are missing one of these three things, then don't bother working with us (because you're probably not human).
At the risk of sounding like a car commercial, we think the three important ingredients to every great client relationship are these simple gems: humility, passion, and genuine care.
Humility
When we started out over 10 years ago, we were experts. The Web was new, blogs were just... weird, and Facebook? I think Zuckerberg was in kindergarten or something.
But all that's changed. Now you, our clients, know as much as we do. Often you actually know more than us. Yes, I said it. But it's no big deal. We're all sharing equally in this cultural experience that is the Web. Acknowledging that is a humbling experience. More importantly, it's a liberating experience. Instead of trying to look like we know what we're talking about, we confidently focus on being creative and solving problems with speed and killer instincts. Ninja-style.
Passion
Making great things is hard enough. If we don't like what you do, then it's gonna be even tougher to deliver awesome work. So it helps for us to focus on certain industries--areas both we and our clients are passionate about. We also try to find that special "hook" in all our work--that something special that has the potential to excite everyone: us, you, and the audience. And, sure, we're not gonna lie to you--sometimes it's hard to get into some of the mundane details of our client's business. That's where then next ingredient comes in...
Genuine Care
You see, this is how it works: if we treat clients like real people (not necessarily "friends", but you know what I mean) who have goals, careers, religions, families, mortgages (and perhaps potentially strange predilections that we don't like to think about), then we're going to care about them and we are going to treat them with respect. That's called "a relationship". For us, meeting deadlines and doing great work isn't just about making sure we get paid well and on time. We do it because we... (oh god I'm getting choked up) because we care. Really. We care about meeting our obligations because those obligations make a difference for you.
So that's what we're about when it comes to "servicing" our clients: being honest, being real, and keeping the fire alive.
The cool thing is that we also get to work with clients that are really, really good at what they do. If I weren't so hooked on doing things in threes, I'd say that this is the fourth ingredient: expertise. Because if our clients are experts at what they do, we can trust them to be confident and challenging in what they do, and they can trust us to be the same. That's called a team, people, and when it works it's a beautiful thing.