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Lost a $6k retainer because I mailed a printed report instead of a PDF link
Flew to Minneapolis for a kickoff meeting last Thursday, handed the client a bound strategy doc, and their ops director just stared at it like it was from 1998. She said they haven't printed anything in 5 years and asked if our whole agency works like this, then the contract fell apart by Friday. Anyone else had a small old-school habit cost you a big account, or am I the only one still stuck in paper mode?
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riley_wood841mo ago
Honestly the paper thing is just the tip of the iceberg. The real red flag for them was probably that you flew out for a kickoff at all. Most agencies do that stuff over video now unless it's a massive deal. I bet they interpreted the whole thing as "this firm is going to be slow and expensive to work with" and the printed report just confirmed it. Once that thought is in their head, no PDF link is saving you.
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rowan_thomas841mo ago
Quit overthinking it, they just weren't your client.
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davis.noah1mo ago
Whoa, hold on. I get the point about video kickoffs saving time and money, but the flying part is pretty normal for a six figure retainer. It shows you were taking them seriously, not that you're slow. I wouldn't lump that in with the paper thing. The printed doc was the real problem, that's what made you look stuck in the past.
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