“Face-to-face conversations help me really understand my clients and have a bigger impact”

For this fast-growing communications agency, the key to success is what happens beyond the Zoom call.

Genuine client relationships are at the heart of Dena Vassallo’s business. They’re the reason she started her own marketing and communications agency in 2017 after working at some of the world’s largest PR firms – and the reason SOCIETY has recorded huge revenue growth this year and welcomed major new clients such as Woolworths. “After being in the industry for more than 17 years, I just felt there was a stronger, more people-focused way of doing business,” says Vassallo. “That’s why we’re called SOCIETY – it’s a people-first business.” Vassallo flies regularly between her Adelaide and Sydney offices to visit her team – which has grown in the past year from eight to 15 full-time employees – as well as to connect with clients and prospective new business. While video calls have been great for fast communication, “there’s a bit of a barrier with the screen. I just love in-person time. There’s nothing like spending quality time with clients, workshopping solutions or just having lunch or dinner with them. For me, meeting clients has never been about converting more business. It’s about how well I can understand what’s going on; how I can read their body language and interpret a need. To really understand what’s going on in their world and be able to have a stronger impact. You just get that in a face-to-face conversation.” These connections require travel, which Vassallo makes more efficient as a Qantas Business Rewards member. She earns points (her balance is upwards of half a million) on her day-to-day expenses, using an American Express® Qantas Business Rewards Card on big-ticket items, such as rent and supplier invoices. “When you’re looking to manage cash flow and you can convert money spent into value, in terms of another flight or cost reduction on a hotel booking, it’s a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t you?” And now, with her team back in the air, the points are coming in handy. “In the past few weeks we’ve had a team in Far North Queensland and on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. More events are happening, more face-to-face meetings are being requested. It’s super-exciting.”