Comments on: The tricky balancing act between what’s smart and what’s right

By: Cognitive Connection: March 19 « a.k.a writer

Cognitive Connection: March 19 « a.k.a writer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:08:52 +0000

[...] Communications The tricky balancing act between what’s smart and what’s right. This Denver-based free-agent communications guy wrote a very personal post about how he didn’t [...]

By: Kellye Crane

Kellye Crane — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:47:13 +0000

Thanks for sharing your story, Shane. Your account reminds me of a
time when I was still working at an agency, and the client rep told us
“any old fish wrap will do.” That’s right, she wanted volume of hits,
and those at a higher pay grade in the agency instructed us younguns
to give her just that. What happened next should have been predicted:
the client rep was replaced w/someone who knew what they were doing,
who promptly got rid of the agency I worked for.

Ever since, I’ve been careful about just giving the client what they
want. They may not always do what we suggest, but they tend to respect
it in the long run.

By: Shane Kinkennon

Shane Kinkennon — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:59:04 +0000

Hey Jesaka thanks for the nice comment. I’m not sure I’m arguing to be THAT courageous. Hell, I could have been courageous and found the same outcome. But I think it probably works for me, and that may be what matters most in the end.

Thanks Kate. I appreciate your view of it.

By: Kate Robins

Kate Robins — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:00:54 +0000

If national press picked up your client’s story and it was positive, then it was a win-win. There aren’t enough reporters to pick up stories of negligible interest. Sounds like you proved your client to be a decent, usable source, worth the time of media and national audiences. Not shabby at all!

By: Jesaka Long

Jesaka Long — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:55:33 +0000

I admire you for publishing such a heartfelt, revealing post, Shane. It made me stop and think about how I’m serving my own clients. The thought of losing a client-especially when you’re responsible for bringing in revenue-can really pump up the pressure. Like you said, this situation is a good reminder to be more courageous in the future. I’ll definitely use it as a reminder to make sure I’m providing my best to every customer every time, even if it feels risky. Thanks for such a thoughtful way to start the week.

By: Shane Kinkennon

Shane Kinkennon — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:45:05 +0000

Thanks for the great point, Dan. We know these things. Or at least we know when they’re the right business approach for us. Sometimes it takes on of these to be reminded.

Thanks for commenting.

By: Dan Levine @schoolmarketer

Dan Levine @schoolmarketer — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:36:32 +0000

Shane,

Great post, great topic for conversation. There is no doubt you are a man of integrity.

It’s very easy to get lost in our work for clients and rationalize to ourselves: “hey, this was their idea … I’m just fulfilling their needs”. Sometimes we need to be reminded to take a step back and see the bigger picture. Many times we are more knowledgeable than our clients around marketing and strategic thinking and it’s our responsibility – as good citizens and authentic consultants with integrity – to serve our client’s needs before ours.

Credit to you for taking a step back to analyze your most recent “predicament”. Not easy to do but self-reflection will only make your business stronger. Well done, great post.

Dan