Your work is good. The money’s fine. So why are you still just “a vendor” to even your best clients?
You run a real agency. The leads come in, the projects close, the invoices get paid. But almost all of it is production… build this, design that, ship the thing. You’re on the call to take the order, not to shape the decision. You know there’s a “partner seat,” one where they ask what you think before they’ve decided what they want. You just can’t figure out what it takes to get there.
The reason you’re stuck as a vendor isn’t your work; your work is great. It’s that you answer the brief exactly as it’s handed to you. Client asks for a website? You talk about the website. That reflex—being excellent at delivering precisely what was requested—is the very thing that keeps you filed under “production” instead of “strategy.”
There’s one small thing you can change that has massive ramifications. It‘s one question you’re probably not asking, or acting upon.
The question is:
“What is this in service of?”
Whatever the answer, work on that thing instead of the thing a client initially asked about.
Scenario 1:
A client asks, “Can you make us a new website?”
You say, “What is this in service of?”
They say, “Helping establish a better brand.”
Go propose some options for how you can help them establish a better brand, not options for a new website.
Scenario 2:
A client asks, “Can you help us establish a better brand?”
You say, “What is this in service of?”
They say, “Capturing more market share.”
Go propose some options for how you can help them capture more market share, not options to establish a better brand.
Scenario 3:
A client asks, “Can you help us capture more market share?”
You say, “What is this in service of?”
They say, “Finally overtaking our longstanding competitor.”
Go propose some options for how you can help them finally overtake their longstanding competitor, not options for capturing more market share.
There’s always a level to zoom out to. Work at the slightly more zoomed out level.
Think of Google Maps. Your client places a pin on a house. What makes that house valuable is what neighborhood that house is on—one level zoomed out.
Your client places a pin on a neighborhood. What makes that neighborhood desirable is what city that neighborhood is in—one level zoomed out.
Which begs the question: why not zoom out to the farthest level?
Because that’s a trap.
Imagine: a client asks, “Can you make us a website?”
You propose some options for how you can help them finally overtake their longstanding competitor.
It feels irrelevant, because the scales are so off. It‘s like asking about a house and a realtor telling you where it is in the Milky Way.
It‘s possible to zoom out multiple levels, but it takes practice. Crawl before you walk, walk before you run.
This is the first step in transitioning from “vendor” to “partner.” It’s the difference between being handed tasks and being trusted with the bet.
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Change the buyer.
