I have not spent my career in customer-facing positions. Far from it. I have always lurked behind-the-scenes where the ‘better mousetraps’ are built. It’s always been someone else job to present those mousetraps to the world.
When David Sly started Ideba, I believe he wanted to follow his own vision of service, which is far more expansive than that found in most marketing agencies. It has been quite instructive for me to witness up close and personal someone dedicated to the idea of direct service to customers. I have always devoted myself to the work. David is also dedicated to the people for whom he works.
This dedication shows itself in several ways. First, David is proactive, sometimes to the point of irritation. If he feels that something is not right for the client, he will explain the reason for his belief, and continually point toward what he feels to be the more beneficial path, as long as that path seems viable.
If he sees a marketing opportunity, he leaps at the chance to tell the client how best to exploit it. I have seen him agree to provide some services free of charge because he believes so passionately that the client will benefit.
Also, for David, it’s personal. He truly lives and breathes his clients. To him, it is a business relationship, but one that is grounded in more than just dollars and cents. He believes that a personal connection between vendor and client will yield the greatest amount of trust, cooperation, and ultimately make for better work.
By filling his staff with diverse professionals, some of whom focus on customer service, some of whom focus on providing work that best meets the client goals, David has formed Ideba into a unique agency that uses excellent service as a means to serve up excellent work.
