No matter how much money you make no one wants to miss out on $30,000.
Facts or Cap?
In the world of business, there is one thing that matters more than almost anything: RELATIONSHIPS.
I’m not talking about fake, one-sided relationships where you’re keeping someone’s number because you think they can do something for you. I mean genuine, we actually care about each other, but yes, let’s do some business together relationships.
Some of the best relationships that have the best return on investment (ROI) aren’t transactional at all. You know what someone does, they know what you do, and when either of you runs into the right person, somebody’s name gets brought up.
In business we get rewarded for managing relationships well. The person making more money isn’t necessarily doing anything different, they simply have a more advanced network of people who know, trust, and remember them.
A few years ago I was reminded of what can happen when you don’t manage one of those relationships well.
So... What Happened Was...
About five years ago, I filmed an amazing project for a client and it went about as well as you could hope. Then the project ended, and I basically disappeared.
There wasn’t a falling out or anything that made me think the relationship was over, I just didn’t reach out. Part of me assumed that if they needed something else, they’d call. They had my number, they knew the work I could do, and we had a great experience together.
I was in my early 20s at the time... how naive of me.
As time went by and I started getting better at tracking every project, freelance and direct-to-client. I eventually tried following up, but by then, three or four years had passed. The email bounced back as inactive.
My point of contact was gone.
So why did it take me that long
Somewhere along the way in film school, I picked up this idea that if I worked hard enough and made great work, eventually the people with the money would find me.
School will teach you to make great spec work, build a great portfolio, do great work for clients and eventually, more people will come.
I’ve learned that’s far from the truth.
Even with spec work, there’s a strategy to getting the right brands, production partners, and people to actually see it. There’s more to that conversation, and I’ll probably cover it in another post.
The other reason I didn’t reach out is I had that I don’t want to bother them feeling. I wish someone would have smacked me for being afraid of getting uncomfortable. (continue reading to see our resolution)
How the Client Moved On
What sparked this whole conversation is that a few weeks ago I was reminded how this client started working with another media company.
I don’t know why they chose them, and honestly, the reason doesn’t really matter. My best guess is that the new company came through a referral, and by then my original point of contact was no longer there to vouch for us.
Would one email five years ago have guaranteed another $30,000 worth of work?
Of course not.
The Part About Money
A finished project is when a client is warmest. The relationship is active, the experience is fresh, and assuming you did great work, their trust in you is probably at its highest.
Yet that’s the exact moment a lot of us disappear. We treat delivery like the end of the sale when it might actually be the best time to start the next conversation. That conversation doesn’t always need to be, Hey, do you have more work for me?
Sometimes it’s being genuine and maintaining the relationship. Hey, I saw what you guys are working on, looks great. I Hope everything is going well. Could you share the link to the video? etc.
Resolution
Some of my longest client relationships didn’t last because I completed one great project and waited for them to remember me. One project led to another, a conversation created an idea and an idea created another project.
You have clients relationships who are direct to client and then there are production partners (Freelancer) relationships. Both can be different based on specific situations, but what matters is how authentic the relationship is and do they trust you.
That’s the part I didn’t understand in my early 20s.
The key lesson is simple: silence costs.
Track every project
Set reminders after it’s been too quiet
Back track past projects
Reach out or miss out.
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