Partners not clients

We refer to the companies and startups we work with as partners not clients.

We make a big deal of this because the standard way of thinking about clients has been perpetuated over hundreds of years. But as technology and ways of working change, the relationship needs to change too.

As defined in the Cambridge Dictionary;

Client - a person or organisation using the services of a lawyer or other professional person or company

Partner - a person or organisation you are closely involved with in some way

From the definitions, it’s obvious. A client is someone you work for, a partner is someone you work with.

Clients

You work for the client. A client and a professional services company aren’t on the same team. The client wants the best service for the lowest possible fee. The service provider wants to do the lowest amount of work for the highest possible fee. The interests are in conflict.

Partners

Instead, a better model is a partnership where we work with our partners. It is the only relationship that favours long term collaboration over short term gain. When you’re working in partnership you should always be honest with your views and yes, your emotions. It's ok for partners to disagree because they trust each other to both work towards the same shared goal.

To recap the differences;

A client is someone you work for, a partner is someone you work with

A client is someone who pays you to look after their interests, a partner is someone who shares your interests

With a client you have to be ‘professional’, with a partner you can be yourself

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