In the past, I’ve posted about saying goodbye to a client. The context was more about how and when to rid yourself of someone who wasn’t a good fit for your business for a variety of reasons. And trust, over the last 9+ years, I’ve had clients cut me loose, too. From the one who thought their 16-year-old niece knew enough about Facebook to manage their business page to the one who blamed me for her website not converting into leads or clients (when I had NOTHING to do with her website design and actually tried to counsel her on what changes needed to be made), I’ve not been the right fit for others from their perspectives, either.
But last week, I had a new experience.
The first client I brought on under my own book of business closed. There was nothing untoward about the closing. No pandemic problems. No beating from the economy. (Don’t get me wrong. The business HAD been affected. Those just weren’t the reasons behind the closing.) The owner simply wanted to retire while he still had (hopefully) years ahead of him to live life fully.
I don’t know if it was the fact that this was MY first client (even though I had other clients that had been transferred to me from my previous job), or if it was that I’d worked with him for nine years, or that he was one of the easiest people to work with and for, but I took it hard. The feeling is so hard to describe even still – there was some heartbreak on some level, some excitement (for my client and for SBN Marketing), a little uncertainty (mainly for SBN Marketing).
On some level, I felt a little silly. I mean, this is business; this was a client. But one thing I feel most of my clients would say is that I feel a vested interest in my clients’ success. When something is going on, I talk about how “we” are going to handle it. I refer to “our” online marketing strategy, not your strategy to be implemented by us. Working with SBN Marketing isn’t about what this agency can do for your business. It’s about how can we all work together to meet OUR goals.
If you’re looking for help with your social media management or your website’s SEO, give us a shout! Let’s see if we’re all a good fit for each other!
Image by Zorro4 from Pixabay