David vs. Goliath
The story of David and Goliath as told in the Bible is one of the underdog overcoming tremendous odds and winning a critical battle. In business, many times people and companies think that they must work with the biggest firm in town to get the best quality end product. While I think that it sometimes makes sense to work with the “big dog” it can often times be more beneficial to work with a small company.
Unless you are “buying IBM” for fear of losing your job for a bad decision you will be paying for bloated overhead, on-the-job-training of newer personnel, and sacrificing innovative thinking.
So why go with a small, boutique communications agency? Well, for starters there’s the concept of personal service. Many times when a big agency “comes a courting” they will bring the principals of the company who will wow you with their years of experience, their beautiful suits, and their big vocabularies. Take it all with a grain of salt because that’s probably the last time you’ll be seeing these people. Once your contract is signed (which will likely be a hefty monthly retainer) you will be relegated to teaching the junior jump-ups at the agency all about your business. You are paying for their education so be sure you are getting your monies worth.
Small firms offer:
Scalability without high overhead (strategic partnerships are key to taking on larger projects)
Minimal layers (decision-makers are part of your account team)
Better thinking (out-of-the-box solutions and ideas)
Personalized service (a core team will get to know you, your company and your products)
Responsiveness (flexibility and a willingness to partner where needed)
Financial flexibility (while retainer agreements are typically the best way of ensuring focused attention on your company the smaller firms may be more
flexible in the payment terms and retainer amounts)
Give the Davids of the world a chance and give your business an opportunity for fresh thinking and outstanding client service.
Read more: How David Beats Goliath. When underdogs break the rules. by Malcolm Gladwell
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/11/090511fa_fact_gladwell#ixzz0f
42dJHz6
