Has anyone read this post by Seth Godin about where the agents have gone to? I thought it really made quite a bit of sense and that this is advice agencies or consultancies could use right now.

Ever watched ‘Mad Men’? It seemed like the way to woo a client then was to take the client out to a strip club for drinks and follow that up with some authoritative sounding talk. And back then, it worked because the client figured the agency knew better and they put their complete, unquestioning trust into the agency’s expertise. Unfortunately, that’s no longer how it works now.  As is mentioned in post, the client aided by a computer (and the internet) is quite capable of going online and executing something by themselves.  Whether or not it works, is another thing but the internet is empowering clients to realize they might not need that agency or consultancy around any more. Especially in an economy which is scarier than a hardcore Japanese horror flick, clients will be looking to tighten up their budgets and cut costs. The middlemen need to give clients a reason to keep them on.

According to Godin, that reason would be value. Here’s how it goes: a consultant or agent who merely does everything the way the client wants it, is a middleman who is anonymous and easily replaceable. However, someone who has good  judgment, who adds value to the client’s experience with their consultancy or agency by telling their client “Yes you can do this” or “No, shouldn’t do this” and backs it up with sound advice, is definitely not anonymous or replaceable. Unfortunately, majority of Asian cultures encourage anonymity and not rocking the proverbial boat by pandering to the people who hold the money (in this case, the client). But with the economy being a horror show and Professor Google, the middleman who says ‘yes’ to the client’s every whim is in serious trouble. Even though it seems that you might lose a client by saying ‘no’ and pissing them off, its just as risky to be anonymous. Because when time comes to clash the budget, the client wouldn’t be remembering the middleman who bowed to their every wish. Rather, it is the middleman who proves to be an invaluable source of advice and judgment that the client will remember and be less likely to try to replace.