Not to brag, but as an Account Strategist I am one of the world's greatest communicators. You may not have known that, but I think every account/project strategist/manager in any industry would back me up. We’re likely to be Type A, organized multitaskers who thrive when we’re busy. The swishing sound of a sent email is music to our ears. If we had a motto, it would be the Brené Brown quote “Clear is kind.” Our logo is a to-do list with everything checked off.

Seriously, though, we put a lot into our processes, and we stand by them. We’re proud of the to-do lists we’re constantly optimizing to make building websites, creating logos, or launching ad campaigns (just to name a few) as smooth and painless as possible for our clients. Our primary goal is twofold: making sure our processes lead to amazing results for you, and making them even better for the next client. And our primary tool for accomplishing that is communication.

Easier said than done. 

The phrase “Make it pop” is any creative’s Achilles heel*, and we’ve all heard it at some point. “I really like it… but can you make it pop?” That moment is like a pop quiz (pun a thousand percent intended) for any account strategist. What the client is saying is that there is a missing ingredient, some spice that’s key to portraying who they are or their brand. At that moment we are racking our brains, wondering what we missed and what we don’t “get” about our client.

If you’re reading this, you might know that most of our processes begin with some sort of “homework” completed by the client. These are tools that help us discover your brand and your preferences, and they’re shared with the whole team. But the client/account strategist relationship is more than that. The design team, photo team, video team, and development team rely on our knowledge of the client to create products that will deliver that “Wow” factor that you expect from Studio 8E8. Getting to know you is really important and we love doing it! So I’m going to give you a heads up about the most important conversations we’re going to have over the course of any project. 

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👋 The Welcome Call

Whether you’re working with us for Identity Branding, a StorySite, or even a social media or digital ad campaign, every project will begin with a welcome call. This is our introduction, and typically, the longest phone call we will have. On this call, we ask questions like, “What’s most unique about your practice,” and, “What are you most looking forward to about working with S8E8?” 

The main goal of this call is simply getting to know you: Who you are, what’s most important to you, and what your expectations are of us. It’s okay to skim the small talk so we can make the most of a 30-45 minute conversation – your account strategist is a safe space. 😇 Clients who bring their personality, their goals, their vision, and their questions to this call give us the most information to start off on the right foot. Also, the questions you ask us on this call are just as informative as the questions we ask you. They help us identify concerns, areas of confusion, and your priorities, so ask away!

After the welcome call, we get the “homework” back from clients and schedule their custom content (photo and/or video) session, which brings us to…

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🎞 The Creative Call

This call is optional, but clients who take us up on the offer usually end up with the most customized content. This call is typically utilized to go over video topics for those doing a StorySite or Specialty Site, but can also be used to discuss any thoughts or ideas clients have regarding the look of their website. Our homework is so specific and informative that a creative call isn’t always necessary, but it can be a shortcut for communicating any out-of-the-box ideas. It’s also a good opportunity to touch base with clients who are better at articulating thoughts, ideas, questions, and concerns on the phone rather than through email. 

Zoom calls are always on the table with your account strategist, but the creative call is the only one built into our process between the welcome call and presenting something the team has created (like logo concepts or a homepage). So if you feel like you haven’t quite vibed with your account strategist yet, or you haven’t communicated an idea thoroughly over email, schedule a creative call!

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💻 The Presentation Call

Either you’ve (a) completed the homework to start the logo process, or (b) have gotten your photos and/or videos back, and the time is finally here to see it all come together. The presentation call is the big reveal of what the S8E8 team has been working on, and to account strategists can feel like a test of how well we know you and how well we’ve communicated so far. On this call, we show you designs and get your feedback. In a perfect world, this is how it goes for a website project:

By now, the client and I have nailed our first impressions on the welcome call, I’ve snooped through all of the homework they poured their heart and soul into, and we’ve really vibed on a creative call. On top of that, I sent my best photo and/or video crew to their practice and have gotten rave reviews about the experience from both sides. We’ve basically bonded like besties. I’m really proud of the work my team has done and excited to show it to my new pal, Dr. So-and-So. I am fully expecting that we’ve captured their vision, and… 

I’m right! Maybe there are a few tweaks to the site copy or some photo changes, but the website is headed in the right direction, and the client is super happy with it! All of our communication has paid off. 

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Of course, it doesn’t always happen that way, but you understand where I’m going with this. We’re committed to you and our processes, and they’ve been proven to work really well, especially when we work well together. The more you trust the process, and the more you put into it, the more we understand you, the more fun we’ll have, and the more we look forward to executing your vision – even elevating it in a way that’s true to you. If that sounds like something you’re on board with, start the conversation! We’re ready to welcome you.