The old saying is that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And that is sweet, I gotta tell ya. But as often as not, imitation is either unintended or more desperation (we gotta have something by Tuesday) than flattery. That is certainly the case when we flatter other agencies. But, the sincerest form of flattery, as I see it, is when a client goes away and then comes back.

The thing about a client | agency relationship is that it starts to be like family after a while. We fall into ruts. We take each other for granted. We talk to each other in ways that we shouldn't. And after a while, it just seems to drift apart. Once either the client or the agency makes the decision to walk away, it starts a sequence of events that is very hard to reverse.

So, how wonderful it was, a few weeks ago, when a client who had walked away a while back decided to come back. There's something about knowing, appreciating, understanding, and loving each other that just cannot be replaced. Now we have a brand new, old relationship. We have set about establishing new standards and guidelines. We are looking at each other with new eyes. We are remembering why we liked working together in the first place. It's really cool.

Of course, we will have friction. This industry is all about navigating minefields, avoiding pitfalls, and solving problems. But we sure are glad to be back together. It's gonna be cool. Again!