RelationshipOps of the Week #2.
Website Design Studio
|
Oct 31, 2025
"we closed over $200K in contracts purely through relationships"
Chris LaFay.
Distractions are everywhere.
From advertisements to AI startups, the noise isn’t slowing down, which makes it harder than ever to stay focused.
That’s why I was glad when Chris LaFay from Classic City Consulting said yes to this series. Because for nearly 20 years, he’s done what most couldn’t… stayed in his lane.
His mission has always been clear at Classic…
Building websites that marketing teams enjoy using.
But, it’s not just about building WordPress sites.
It’s about clarity… turning scattered, confusing websites into focused experiences that drive results. And what’s kept him successful isn’t posting on LinkedIn or sending newsletters…
It’s reconnecting with people who already know and trust him.
That relationship-first approach has made Classic one of Atlanta’s top web design agencies, earning spots on the Bulldog 100 and Pacesetter 2024 lists.
Beyond Classic, Chris also hosts This Got Me Thinking, a podcast where agency owners deep-dive on a challenge they’ve gone through, and serves as Chair of Technology & Outreach at the Georgia CxO Forum.
And in this series, he’s going to reveal:
How he’s stayed in business for the past 15 years without consistent marketing
How he manages relationships using modern tools
How he keeps clients coming back year after year
Without further ado, let’s dive into this week’s meat.
15 Years in Business Because of Relationships.
Leonard Chin: What’s an instance when a relationship led to a big win or a really great opportunity for your business?
Chris LaFay:
“Pretty much every deal that I’ve ever gotten has come off the back of a referral. I’ve been in business for 15 years because of relationships.
We’ve never done dedicated, consistent marketing efforts. There were periods when I’d do weekly or monthly email blasts, or post a lot on LinkedIn, and I’m sure those kept us top of mind.
But there’s never been one marketing motion where I can say, ‘I did this, and it gave me that.’ That’s why I’d recommend having multiple marketing motions in play (as referrals-only is typically not a recipe for long-term success).
With that said, relationships have been the name of the game. This year alone, as a sub-$1M firm, we closed over $200K in contracts purely through relationships… and that happened within a 30-day window.”
To put this in context: if Classic City Consulting brings in about $500K a year, $200K would make up nearly 40% of their top-line revenue. And because there’s virtually no acquisition cost, the main expenses here are probably staffing and a small referral fee, depending on their partnership structure.
But what I’m trying to put across here is…
Relationships are the only channel that gives you the luxury of acquiring new accounts without spending huge amounts on running advertisements, setting up event booths, or building outbound systems.
And when you have a system for how you engage and nurture existing relationships, referrals and partnerships stop being ad-hoc and inconsistent, just as they’ve worked for Chris for the past 15 years.
A Lightweight Relationship System.
Leonard Chin: What's your daily/weekly routine for maintaining relationships that help your business?
Chris LaFay:
“Right now, I use Dex. It’s super helpful for surfacing reminders to reach out. I used to use HubSpot, but it felt too big and cumbersome. Dex integrates with my phone and asks, ‘How often do you want to reach out?’ then automatically surfaces those contacts.
When I add someone new, I categorize them into two buckets:
Agency owner or founder
Marketing professional
If no one’s surfaced that week, I’ll look for the people I haven’t spoken to in the longest time and reach out.
If you got one from me, it’d sound like:
‘Hey {{ first_name }}, hope this week’s been good. Anything exciting happening at work or personally? My wife and I just got back from a few days at the beach — had a podcast to record nearby, so made it a short trip.’
That’s it. A simple, personal anecdote that makes the message feel warm but effortless. I send it to a few people at once, and it almost always gets replies. My goal isn’t to pitch, but just to stay top of mind.”
I’ve personally used Dex and was impressed by how well it integrates across multiple platforms. But if you’re someone who doesn’t want to handle contact surfacing manually and prefers to focus purely on outreach, then Relationship Digest (powered by VeraOps) might be a better fit for you.
But the point here is… have a system.
Big or small… daily or weekly… Dex or Relationship Digest…
Just have something.
That nurtures and engages with your connections… on a regular basis.
Client Retention.
Leonard Chin: What tips would you give to your younger self around relationships and how they impact business?
Chris LaFay:
“Client retention is number one, especially in the agency world. For a long time, I held one-on-one meetings with every client point of contact once a month.
I’d ask three simple questions:
How’s communication with my team?
How’s the quality of work?
Are we being timely with what we deliver?
Those meetings helped me catch small issues before they grew into big ones.
Because if you don’t, small problems turn into immovable ones. Communication is key to keeping clients, especially in the agency space.”
What Chris describes here might sound simple but it’s an underrated RelationshipOps habit in the agency world.
Most leaders treat “client check-ins” as transactional project updates, but Chris turned them into relationship reviews…
Which created a structured space for honesty before frustrations built up.
That small yet powerful rhythm turned potential churn signals into what makes his clients stick.
That’s how retention became a proactive system for Classic, rather than a reactive fix.
Also, when you make space for feedback early, you don’t just save accounts, you strengthen them. Which often turn into new businesses and referrals, reducing acquisition costs and shortening sales cycles.
Key Takeaways.
We’re glad to have Chris LaFay from Classic City Consulting with us on this week’s article, but if anything, here are the few key takeaways:
Referrals are earned through consistency. $200k worth of deals Chris closed on an average year, came from people he stayed in touch with.
Lightweight beats complex. His use of simple tools shows that the best “CRM” is one you actually use, not how fancy the features are.
Personal always wins. A short, thoughtful message about a beach trip gets more replies than any polished pitch.
Retention drives new revenue. Showing up for monthly one-on-ones could turn client relationships into referral engines.
RelationshipOps habits require discipline. Chris didn’t “get lucky” with referrals. Instead, he built a system around staying top of mind and addressing small issues before they grew into big ones.
That’s all for now.
If you're open to sharing your experiences in one of our future articles… or know of someone who is, feel free to drop me an email here.
Author.
Leonard Chin
Follow me on LinkedIn.
Chris LaFay.
Distractions are everywhere.
From advertisements to AI startups, the noise isn’t slowing down, which makes it harder than ever to stay focused.
That’s why I was glad when Chris LaFay from Classic City Consulting said yes to this series. Because for nearly 20 years, he’s done what most couldn’t… stayed in his lane.
His mission has always been clear at Classic…
Building websites that marketing teams enjoy using.
But, it’s not just about building WordPress sites.
It’s about clarity… turning scattered, confusing websites into focused experiences that drive results. And what’s kept him successful isn’t posting on LinkedIn or sending newsletters…
It’s reconnecting with people who already know and trust him.
That relationship-first approach has made Classic one of Atlanta’s top web design agencies, earning spots on the Bulldog 100 and Pacesetter 2024 lists.
Beyond Classic, Chris also hosts This Got Me Thinking, a podcast where agency owners deep-dive on a challenge they’ve gone through, and serves as Chair of Technology & Outreach at the Georgia CxO Forum.
And in this series, he’s going to reveal:
How he’s stayed in business for the past 15 years without consistent marketing
How he manages relationships using modern tools
How he keeps clients coming back year after year
Without further ado, let’s dive into this week’s meat.
15 Years in Business Because of Relationships.
Leonard Chin: What’s an instance when a relationship led to a big win or a really great opportunity for your business?
Chris LaFay:
“Pretty much every deal that I’ve ever gotten has come off the back of a referral. I’ve been in business for 15 years because of relationships.
We’ve never done dedicated, consistent marketing efforts. There were periods when I’d do weekly or monthly email blasts, or post a lot on LinkedIn, and I’m sure those kept us top of mind.
But there’s never been one marketing motion where I can say, ‘I did this, and it gave me that.’ That’s why I’d recommend having multiple marketing motions in play (as referrals-only is typically not a recipe for long-term success).
With that said, relationships have been the name of the game. This year alone, as a sub-$1M firm, we closed over $200K in contracts purely through relationships… and that happened within a 30-day window.”
To put this in context: if Classic City Consulting brings in about $500K a year, $200K would make up nearly 40% of their top-line revenue. And because there’s virtually no acquisition cost, the main expenses here are probably staffing and a small referral fee, depending on their partnership structure.
But what I’m trying to put across here is…
Relationships are the only channel that gives you the luxury of acquiring new accounts without spending huge amounts on running advertisements, setting up event booths, or building outbound systems.
And when you have a system for how you engage and nurture existing relationships, referrals and partnerships stop being ad-hoc and inconsistent, just as they’ve worked for Chris for the past 15 years.
A Lightweight Relationship System.
Leonard Chin: What's your daily/weekly routine for maintaining relationships that help your business?
Chris LaFay:
“Right now, I use Dex. It’s super helpful for surfacing reminders to reach out. I used to use HubSpot, but it felt too big and cumbersome. Dex integrates with my phone and asks, ‘How often do you want to reach out?’ then automatically surfaces those contacts.
When I add someone new, I categorize them into two buckets:
Agency owner or founder
Marketing professional
If no one’s surfaced that week, I’ll look for the people I haven’t spoken to in the longest time and reach out.
If you got one from me, it’d sound like:
‘Hey {{ first_name }}, hope this week’s been good. Anything exciting happening at work or personally? My wife and I just got back from a few days at the beach — had a podcast to record nearby, so made it a short trip.’
That’s it. A simple, personal anecdote that makes the message feel warm but effortless. I send it to a few people at once, and it almost always gets replies. My goal isn’t to pitch, but just to stay top of mind.”
I’ve personally used Dex and was impressed by how well it integrates across multiple platforms. But if you’re someone who doesn’t want to handle contact surfacing manually and prefers to focus purely on outreach, then Relationship Digest (powered by VeraOps) might be a better fit for you.
But the point here is… have a system.
Big or small… daily or weekly… Dex or Relationship Digest…
Just have something.
That nurtures and engages with your connections… on a regular basis.
Client Retention.
Leonard Chin: What tips would you give to your younger self around relationships and how they impact business?
Chris LaFay:
“Client retention is number one, especially in the agency world. For a long time, I held one-on-one meetings with every client point of contact once a month.
I’d ask three simple questions:
How’s communication with my team?
How’s the quality of work?
Are we being timely with what we deliver?
Those meetings helped me catch small issues before they grew into big ones.
Because if you don’t, small problems turn into immovable ones. Communication is key to keeping clients, especially in the agency space.”
What Chris describes here might sound simple but it’s an underrated RelationshipOps habit in the agency world.
Most leaders treat “client check-ins” as transactional project updates, but Chris turned them into relationship reviews…
Which created a structured space for honesty before frustrations built up.
That small yet powerful rhythm turned potential churn signals into what makes his clients stick.
That’s how retention became a proactive system for Classic, rather than a reactive fix.
Also, when you make space for feedback early, you don’t just save accounts, you strengthen them. Which often turn into new businesses and referrals, reducing acquisition costs and shortening sales cycles.
Key Takeaways.
We’re glad to have Chris LaFay from Classic City Consulting with us on this week’s article, but if anything, here are the few key takeaways:
Referrals are earned through consistency. $200k worth of deals Chris closed on an average year, came from people he stayed in touch with.
Lightweight beats complex. His use of simple tools shows that the best “CRM” is one you actually use, not how fancy the features are.
Personal always wins. A short, thoughtful message about a beach trip gets more replies than any polished pitch.
Retention drives new revenue. Showing up for monthly one-on-ones could turn client relationships into referral engines.
RelationshipOps habits require discipline. Chris didn’t “get lucky” with referrals. Instead, he built a system around staying top of mind and addressing small issues before they grew into big ones.
That’s all for now.
If you're open to sharing your experiences in one of our future articles… or know of someone who is, feel free to drop me an email here.
Author.
Leonard Chin
Follow me on LinkedIn.