Successful Agency Relationships: It’s All About Fit

It is not an exaggeration that in our twenty plus years since our founding, we’ve collaborated with clients, together generating tens of billions of dollars in revenue. That represents a list of roughly 70 clients, most of which are long-term relationships. Many of those were start-ups.

Beyond the $$’s, we’ve still not faced a single business or organization failure during or after our involvement with any of our clients. Just the opposite…they’ve prospered and grown!

If you arrived here and are reading this blog post, you’re possibly contemplating whether FUEL would be a good fit for you and your company.

I would also ask you to consider another question.

Are you a good fit for FUEL?

When I say fit, I’m talking about a client company that might have a solid product or service.

Brand leader or brand challenger, it doesn’t matter. If you already have the market share, plenty of others will be there to try to take it away from you. If you’re the challenger, let’s go get you some more market share.

Do you have an open mind and can you let go enough to allow meaningful change to happen?

Would you be willing to fully collaborate with a brand consultant (such as FUEL) toward the achievement of a common goal? After all, your success is our success.

Are you prepared to fund brand development and management, so it can take root and grow once the up-front work is done?

Do you have staff in place, or have you considered that you’re going to have to continue a relationship with the brand consultant in the absence of in-house staff? There is no one right answer here. Often the answer becomes a blend of the two, especially in high growth companies.

Are you prepared to meet the success of your brand and marketing efforts elsewhere in your company?

One of our clients has been in a constant state of construction in the 15 years we’ve been working with them. It is no coincidence. Successful brands are growing. Expanding. Forward-looking.

It’s one of our longest running relationships and rewarding for both sides.

Finally, can you see your company or organization as a future case study, blog post or featured library item on the FUEL site? If so, your case study would be in good company.

Answering the question “Is my company a good fit for FUEL?” might be even more revealing as to whether you might succeed working with us.

– John M.

Bill Bollman
Creative Director

Bill Bollman is FUEL’s Creative Director. Before co-founding FUEL in 2001, he worked for Horizon Communications, JW Morton and Basler Design Group. Bill studied Illustration at Hawkeye Tech in Waterloo, Iowa. An expert in the “old ways” of hands-on print production, these skills influence his work in the digital world to this day. His work throughout his career has been featured in international publications including Graphis, How International Design, Communication Arts, and The One Book as well as numerous design annuals and reference books.

Hometown: West Union, Iowa
Involved in Design and Marketing since 1988
Interests: Fitness, Travel, Movies