Last week I heard a production company principal espousing the importance of relationships in business. I totally agreed with his point, right up until he said:
“We partner with our clients.”
Later over drinks in SoHo, I asked him if he was open to some constructive criticism and to his credit, he said yes. Here is the gist of what I shared:
When you say “We partner with our clients,” what your client hears is:
“Good. That means I always win, even when you lose.”
Don’t say you partner with your clients. Because you don’t.
Be the expert. And expect to be treated as such.
Cheers,
Joel
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