My best client ever

Top o’ the world

My best client ever was not the one I thought it would be.

There are many ways to measure your best clients.

Some are easy to work with.

Some you enjoy getting to know on the phone or video call. Or in person.

Some are lucrative.

Some less-so.

Some are game to try something new.

It's hardly ever the one who makes you the most money.

It's always the one who's focused on something specific.

Never the one with the wandering eye who suffers debilitating shiny object syndrome.

For me, it's the client who genuinely, immediately "gets it."

They understand what their part of the assignment is and are totally bought-in to the exercise.

I worked with a CEO of a telecom company not too long ago.

I won't name him here, but he'll recognize himself if he reads this.

I was referred to him by a friend and former client.

We met over a video call. 

I gave him the thumbnail of what I do and why it's important to the people I work with.

And he could see it right away.

He could see not only what he thought it could do for him, but why it was structured the way it was.

He could see how it would be helpful to other types of businesses.

And he wanted to jump in with both feet.

And what's more, when I met his team, they were completely bought-in too.

And it was one of the most enjoyable, productive, deepest story sessions I've ever done.

We went overtime. And I didn't care.

We did extra rounds of revision to get it right. And I didn't care.

Because we were doing EXACTLY what I designed.

EXACTLY the way it was envisioned to go.

So I had to play it out to see how it went.

And it was awesome.

And the team was awesome.

And they LOVED the process and were completely happy with The Sheet we produced for them.

And they started using it the way it was designed to be used.

And I wished them luck, saying I'd follow up with them to see how it was working for them.

And that they could come to me with questions if they had any.

And later, he came back.

Called me up and said, "We love The Sheet. My team is using it every day."

"And I loved the story session. Taking the time to dig in that deep into who our customers are and what we mean to them was incredibly valuable."

Then, he told me, there was something else.

Uh oh, I thought.

"It was this one thing," he said.

What was that, I wondered?

"This one line."

Which one line, I asked him?

Then he quoted one of the top lines we came up with. Recited it to me from memory. Then he said, "I've spent the past THREE YEARS trying to get to THAT line. And this was the only thing that worked."

And I smiled.

That was the biggest compliment I've ever received. 

All this gratitude for one line. Eight words that he'll never forget.

And that is my best client ever.

Top of the world.