The ROI of having casual conversations with clients

This article is about account management and client engagement. Much of our world involves creating tickets, emailing clients, and other highly important yet routine tasks. These processes keep projects moving, but they don’t fully address an equally important aspect of the role: casual relationship-building.

It is not at all uncommon for our team to start a check-in call by getting into the important things in life, like what people are watching or pop culture in general. It's light stuff that allows us to get to know what kinds of things appeal to our clients. It may seem like nothing special, but sometimes the unremarkable can amount to something quite special.

The value of speaking informally

Talking casually builds trust

Like a trust fall partner, we want people to know we're on their side. We want them to say that "Imarc is a part of our team," and that "Imarc cares about us (in a professional way)." Because we do care; we care a great deal.

We genuinely enjoy getting to know our clients, and that connection makes a real difference in how we work together. The fact is, if people are fun to hang out with, they're usually fun to work with. While we take our work seriously, we also value being open, approachable, and human.

Online trust-building leads to in-person meetings

Our longest-term clients move from online meetings to in-person collaboration. While in-person work isn't essential to accomplishing much of our work, it deepens our understanding of the work they do and lets us work harder for them.

We attend their on-site strategy meetings, get meals when their teams come to the same city, and make an effort to see them if we are attending the same conference.

It's easy to move from chit chat to project planning

When we're done gabbing, we move on swiftly to business, but the getting there matters too. Here's an anonymized, humorous AI summary of a real client call.

• Informal start and chocolate taste test: The meeting began informally, with Allie discussing a blind taste test of Cadbury chocolate, comparing a UK version brought back from Ireland to a US version made by Hershey. The consensus is that the UK version is of higher quality because it contains fewer preservatives. Allie stated they believed they correctly identified the UK version and promised to report back on the official reveal.
• Television and streaming content: One client shared that they watched "His and Hers" and enjoyed the limited series "The Beast in Me," starring Claire Danes, noting the unexpected twists and engaging story. Said client also finished the final season of "Stranger Things," finding the ending rushed and leaving them with many unanswered questions.

Clearly, we can cover a lot of ground before getting into the thick of work.

Believe it or not, after these informal topics, our team covered media plans, style guide updates, site performance, website changes, CRM work, paid media, ABM strategy, and more. You see, even with making room for fun, we still accomplish a lot.

Things to know about working with Imarc

We're human, and that's a good thing

We are besieged by robots every day, and yes, they're helpful, but it's important to remember that we are humans, our clients are humans, and humans need other humans to get through the day.

In corporate jobs, it's all too easy to feel like a cog in a machine and to take things too seriously, leading to burnout. Talking informally with clients helps everyone recenter.

Of course, when an urgent issue pops up, we take it seriously, but when we all feel like we're on the same team, everything gets done better and faster.

We're in it for the long-term partnership

"Imarc feels like an extension of our team, not just a vendor. There’s a real sense of partnership and trust, where we can be candid, collaborative, and forward‑thinking together. Whether we’re troubleshooting something small or tackling a larger strategic initiative, I always feel supported and confident that we’re working toward the same goals." –Caitlin Antosz, Senior Marketing Manager, Beacon Hill

Fire drills happen, but at Imarc, we're not transactional. Even if we're doing a one-off project, it may lead to more work. We've worked with some clients who have brought us along to new companies. We know that's because they trust us to get things done and they like working with us.

We only pitch what works

In our industry, it’s not uncommon for agencies to prioritize hitting quotas over focusing on what clients truly need. We aim to take a more thoughtful approach, recommending work based on value rather than volume.

When we have earned trust with our clients, they are open to telling us about the issues they're having, personally and professionally, and we can work with them on solutions.

Imarc isn't about pushing, unless it means we're advocating for our clients. The way we conduct ourselves makes it easier for us to present services when they're needed, so everyone wins.

Some of our bigger clients even come to us to vet other services they're considering or to hire another team member! We've met with potential vendors to assess digital marketing services, provided appraisals of their services, helped roll them out, and suggested candidates who were later hired.

We own up to things and fix them

"52% of U.S. customers have switched providers in the last year because of poor experiences." –Qualtrics

No one is perfect. As we said, we're human, and sometimes humans make mistakes. The difference with Imarc is that when something unfortunate happens, we can more easily own our part and fix it thanks to our congenial working relationship. That leads to mutual respect.

Our final word on casual conversation's ROI

So, in summation, what may seem idle is actually an active path toward shared progression. Whether we're talking about when we last met our client for lunch and ordered something that hurt our tummies, or the regional variants of Girl Scout cookies, all paths lead to a personalized experience.

Want to get more personal? Say hello.