scale and loyalty
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A client recently came to me with a tough decision.
He had bids from two development agencies. One was a well-established company with 30 developers. The other was a small team of 6 developers.
Both estimates were similar and both proposals were comprehensive. He was impressed by the people on both teams, but mentioned that the small team had a few people in particular who stood out.
However, he was concerned that the small team wouldn’t prioritize him if they happened to get another contract during his project.
This is an understandable concern - but it’s generally not a real problem.
The smaller an agency is, the more important you will be to them. There are downsides to working with a small agency - they won’t have mature processes, wide industry connections, or a substantial body of past experience to draw from.
But they are more likely to be nimble, highly engaged and focused.
You are just a client to a large agency - and probably not their most important one. You’re a partner to a small agency - they will prioritize you, even if they get busy.
Working with a small agency requires flexibility and involvement on your part - but in many cases, the reward is loyalty, flexibility and involvement on theirs.