As an inbound marketing agency, we experience a lot of battles where the old marketing agency model to charge for everything intersects with the new we will do what it takes goal-oriented inbound agency we believe in. Working on retainers is completely different, and requires constant interaction and strong relationships with our customers to manage and prioritize all of the moving parts for maximum timing and impact. The longer we've operated, the more we have shifted our core values to building long lasting partnerships instead of delivering a package. With that in mind, continue reading to learn why relationship marketing is more important than ever and why building a strong foundation from the start is not only an expectation from your customers, but a requirement.

People Like When You Help Them

In inbound marketing, most of your prospects find you online through downloading a helpful resource or value you have provided to them. We often have very little detail or knowledge about a person when they fill out a contact form, download an offer or send us an inquiry through social media. Not only that, when someone is just becoming aware of your company, it doesn't mean they trust you, are ready to buy something from you, or even want to have a conversation with you in general. Think of new leads from your inbound marketing as curious and keep providing value to build the foundation of your relationship.  Social Media Examiner recently talked about relationship marketing and coined  the elevation principle: Great content PLUS other people MINUS marketing messages EQUALS growth! This is why Glengary Glen Ross and the famous Always be Closing clip from 25 years ago should translate in today's business landscape to Always Be Helping.  Sorry Alec Baldwin - I still think you and that movie are totally awesome!

E-mails and Texts Do Not Display Enough Tone or Emotion

"Life is only 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it (Tweet This)." That might sound like a personal problem, and it is. People are selfish. Almost every single last one of us display an act of selfishness from time to time. A lot of emotion that we display and how we translate details upon receiving an e-mail or text is all inside of our heads. What happens after we receive these communications is that we make assumptions in our heads before we are able to respond. The next time you feel a sense or urgency from a digital communication - sleep on it. If it's really important and an emergency, they'll call you. Learn more about why it is so hard to translate emotion from e-mails and texts here.

Digital Communication is Often Passive and Misunderstood

This goes back to the second point on the lack of tone and emotion in e-mails and text messages. Digital communication makes us feel busy. Many of us receive more messages than we have the capacity to respond to. Have you ever went back and forth on scheduling a time to meet via e-mail? Did it go something like - You: "Hey, I can meet Friday at 9am or 10am but I am unavailable in the afternoon."  Them: "Okay, Friday at 12:15 - lunch?"  This pattern continued again, even after I asked to reschedule for a time the next week on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. The recepient of my e-mail then responded, okay Thursday. This means something. E-mail is passive, and sometimes we even read it differently. In a quick glance, you might have misinterpreted my e-mail that I am busy on Friday morning and available in the afternoon. Do yourself a favor, use a tool like youcanbook.me and sync it with your Calendar, or just pick up the phone and agree on the time. 

 youcanbook.me in action

Why We Should Make it a Point to Disconnect and Reconnect With Each Other

When's the last time you've felt joy from an e-mail? Maybe you never have. Go offline, show some gratitude - even if it's just as simple as sending someone distant a handwritten note. Our lack of relationship building will impact the way businesses operate in the future and even how we evolve in general. Watch this five minute video to get down to the psychological aspects of why we shoud still build relationships with one of my favorite authors and speakers, Simon Sinek. I'll leave him to talk and say it 100x better than I ever could.