In December the phone rang and my client called to ask if taking me to St Thomas might be a good thing for our web strategy / build project. She had an excess of frequent flyer miles and wanted to use them wisely. Being a Michagander, I said… yes. How could I turn this down?

Jumping ahead 6 weeks, here we are on our first full day. We spent 4 hours today working on developing personas, as well as some linguistic analysis.

This is the 3rd or 4th site that I’ve been commissioned to build for her company. She is a great example of a wonderful client. What a creative use of her frequent flyer miles!

For me, the relationships I build with my clients are of the utmost importance. But the relationships go beyond that. How do I build them? I listen to them. I hear them. I respond to them. It’s vital that they can rely on me to provide them with the most current thinking on internet marketing strategies and tactics. They all know I am not a “yes person.” I challenge their ideas to ensure that we are going down the right path. And, it is a “we.” I’m in it too. If they don’t succeed, then I can’t. While they are the client, I am the expert in online exerience. That is what they are paying for.

My clients become my friends, and sometimes, my friends become my clients.