"I could give a rat's ass about design."

I met with a new agency partner today to talk about redoing their site. It was the first time we had met with a Denver advertising agency that was focused on results and were willing to be a model for their own clients on what they could achieve with a website that works.

I gave my speech about how being at the top of the search engines was key to getting new business. After that, the site should include a solid lead generation program, be usable, and establish thought leadership. Design is last on the list of priorities. The site should have a decent design, but the focus of the site should not be on design , it should be on bringing in leads.

After my speech, the President of the company said, "I could give a rat's ass about design, as long as it brings results." That was the point when I knew we were entering into a great relationship with an agency that is run by executives who sincerely want to get results for their clients and not pat themselves on the back for their great design or creative work.