Free services!!!

I was just helping a client do a last-minute media launch for something we expected to get a lot of traffic. Naturally I asked one of my long-time communications collaborators to help out. He agreed and we agreed on costs etc... quick/fair/reasonable.

Well... as sometimes happens it didn't come off as we expected and the results were disappointing. I just got a note about this from my colleague with the additional comment:

On another note, given the poor results of this campaign, unless things
change considerably I don’t plan on charging for any of my time; only the
hard costs...

Of course, this is magic to the client's ears but it's also a reflection of the trust and professionalism that comes with having a long-term relationship. It's actions like these that make it possible for companies that are getting going to be able to take some risks... sometimes they pay off... and sometimes they don't. But, not having to pay for it means they'll be able to try again.