RelationshipOps of the Week #15.
Design Studio
|
Jan 30, 2026
“Our efforts to build a relationship directly resulted in our earning the trust to take the relationship to the next level.”
Seth Giammanco.
If you’ve ever talked to Seth Giammanco, you probably felt it right away.
That openness, generosity, and way of asking questions because he actually wants to know more about you, not because he’s trying to figure out what you can do for him.
It’s rare.
Especially on platforms like LinkedIn where most conversations are getting more transactional than ever.
That’s why we invited Seth this week.
As the co-founder of MOD-Lab, Seth’s day-to-day centers around design and strategy, but his deeper work is in… building meaningful connections. You can see it not just in how he meets new people, but in how he sticks around long after the first message, staying curious and showing up with value.
You’ll hear more about that in this piece…
Because while his approach is quiet and considered, the long-term results and impact are significant.
Trust Grew Over Time.
Leonard Chin: What’s an instance when a relationship led to a big win or a really great opportunity for your business?
Seth Giammanco:
“We have a good way of assessing if a client has the potential to be a good fit for us. There was a client who we had an opportunity to get a foot in the door with. The relationship was small and focused on supporting their existing website after a previous partner did not work out. There was little design work needed at first and such was an atypical start of a relationship for our design studio. But we loved the organization and felt there was potential to build a relationship with them.
We took the maintenance project on and we were patient. Over time our work showcases our value. After quite some time a major project to do some branding work alongside a website revision arose. Our efforts to build a relationship directly resulted in our earning the trust to take the relationship to the next level. Following these projects our partnership has continued to operate at a higher and more strategic level as our client partner has grown to see and appreciate our value in a more substantive way.”
“Keep in Touch” List.
Leonard Chin: What's your daily/weekly routine for maintaining relationships that help your business?
Seth Giammanco:
“I’d highlight two activities. I keep a “Keep in Touch” list of all sorts of people — from past clients to folks I have met through my online networking efforts. I look to reach out to each of them at least a few times a year. Each week I reach out to anywhere from 1-3 folks that were the longest since our last communication. I share a bit of what we are up to and try to sincerely build on our conversations of the past by asking about things they have shared or were doing. My goal is make a business friend and to get to know them and create opportunities for their getting to know me.
For our clients that we have monthly plans with, we have regular check ins that range from quarterly all the way to weekly depending on the amount of work we are doing together. These check ins give us the chance to talk about the work but more notably learn more about what is happening in the organization. The best way for us to build relationships and deliver value is to be able to be pro-active. To inspire those small design conversations that offer so much value but for many don’t know to ask for them to reveal it.”
Community Matters.
Leonard Chin: What tips would you give to your younger self around relationships and how they impact business?
Seth Giammanco:
“Create a system to follow up with the folks you meet. Work to pro-actively identify and keep in touch with those business friends you can collaborate with, refer, and learn from … regularly. The community you create and surround yourself and your business with is a superpower.”
Key Takeaways.
The strategy of not going all in immediately is good for both agency and client as it gives them some time to observe and sense the chemistry to avoid unnecessary disputes in future. We’re thankful to have Seth Giammanco with us in this week’s series. If anything, here are the few key takeaways from today’s article…
Trust grew over time. Seth’s most successful client relationship started with a low-risk support project… but grew into a strategic partnership once his team’s value and patience earned deeper trust.
“Keep in Touch” list. He keeps a “Keep in Touch” list of past clients and contacts, reaching out regularly with personalized check-ins that build familiarity over time.
Community matters. Build systems to follow up. Because the community you create becomes your business’s greatest strength.
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.
Seth Giammanco.
If you’ve ever talked to Seth Giammanco, you probably felt it right away.
That openness, generosity, and way of asking questions because he actually wants to know more about you, not because he’s trying to figure out what you can do for him.
It’s rare.
Especially on platforms like LinkedIn where most conversations are getting more transactional than ever.
That’s why we invited Seth this week.
As the co-founder of MOD-Lab, Seth’s day-to-day centers around design and strategy, but his deeper work is in… building meaningful connections. You can see it not just in how he meets new people, but in how he sticks around long after the first message, staying curious and showing up with value.
You’ll hear more about that in this piece…
Because while his approach is quiet and considered, the long-term results and impact are significant.
Trust Grew Over Time.
Leonard Chin: What’s an instance when a relationship led to a big win or a really great opportunity for your business?
Seth Giammanco:
“We have a good way of assessing if a client has the potential to be a good fit for us. There was a client who we had an opportunity to get a foot in the door with. The relationship was small and focused on supporting their existing website after a previous partner did not work out. There was little design work needed at first and such was an atypical start of a relationship for our design studio. But we loved the organization and felt there was potential to build a relationship with them.
We took the maintenance project on and we were patient. Over time our work showcases our value. After quite some time a major project to do some branding work alongside a website revision arose. Our efforts to build a relationship directly resulted in our earning the trust to take the relationship to the next level. Following these projects our partnership has continued to operate at a higher and more strategic level as our client partner has grown to see and appreciate our value in a more substantive way.”
“Keep in Touch” List.
Leonard Chin: What's your daily/weekly routine for maintaining relationships that help your business?
Seth Giammanco:
“I’d highlight two activities. I keep a “Keep in Touch” list of all sorts of people — from past clients to folks I have met through my online networking efforts. I look to reach out to each of them at least a few times a year. Each week I reach out to anywhere from 1-3 folks that were the longest since our last communication. I share a bit of what we are up to and try to sincerely build on our conversations of the past by asking about things they have shared or were doing. My goal is make a business friend and to get to know them and create opportunities for their getting to know me.
For our clients that we have monthly plans with, we have regular check ins that range from quarterly all the way to weekly depending on the amount of work we are doing together. These check ins give us the chance to talk about the work but more notably learn more about what is happening in the organization. The best way for us to build relationships and deliver value is to be able to be pro-active. To inspire those small design conversations that offer so much value but for many don’t know to ask for them to reveal it.”
Community Matters.
Leonard Chin: What tips would you give to your younger self around relationships and how they impact business?
Seth Giammanco:
“Create a system to follow up with the folks you meet. Work to pro-actively identify and keep in touch with those business friends you can collaborate with, refer, and learn from … regularly. The community you create and surround yourself and your business with is a superpower.”
Key Takeaways.
The strategy of not going all in immediately is good for both agency and client as it gives them some time to observe and sense the chemistry to avoid unnecessary disputes in future. We’re thankful to have Seth Giammanco with us in this week’s series. If anything, here are the few key takeaways from today’s article…
Trust grew over time. Seth’s most successful client relationship started with a low-risk support project… but grew into a strategic partnership once his team’s value and patience earned deeper trust.
“Keep in Touch” list. He keeps a “Keep in Touch” list of past clients and contacts, reaching out regularly with personalized check-ins that build familiarity over time.
Community matters. Build systems to follow up. Because the community you create becomes your business’s greatest strength.
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.