"So, what are we doing today?"

This is a tough one because back home in Manchester, I had it sorted. I went to the same fella every time, and every time he asked me what I wanted, I said “the same as last time”.

I know what I like, I know what suits me and it works for me. I had built up years of chit-chat, TV talk, feedback on previous haircuts and regular updates on ‘The X Factor’. We knew each other.

So, when I got to Australia I had to start all over again. I tried numerous options and finally settled on a nice girl called Nicole who continues to cut my hair to this day. She gets to find out about my life and I get to tell her what I’m doing for the rest of my day. All while she cuts my hair just how I like it.

Which got me thinking. I’m a client.

Which also got me thinking, choosing a design agency is like choosing a hairdresser.

There’s a whole spectrum out there, and the one you choose depends on how much you value your brand – you.

For instance, there’s the Toni & Guy’s. You go in there because of the name and because they’re a ‘bit trendy’. You get to give a rough brief, but the hairdresser’s going to do what he likes anyway. It costs you a fortune.

You walk out looking pretty cool, but it doesn’t really suit your personality. You’re worried that it’s not appropriate to your job and everyone will laugh at you calling you a fashion victim.

On the flip side, you picked just the right place. You wanted to take a risk and it paid off. You wanted to put yourself in the hands of the experts – after all, what do you know about style?

You’ve seen makeover shows where they always look heaps better and you want a piece of that. Now you’re cool, you get invited to parties and are popular with the ladies. Good choice.

On the other end of the scale there’s the ‘$10 Cuts’ places. Cheap as chips and done in less than 20 minutes. You washed your hair only half an hour ago, so no need to do it again.

It’s a haircut and you’re not paying more than $10. You can get it done on the way to work. Your haircut isn’t your brand because you’ve got a great personality. It’s just like clipping your toenails – you’ve got to do it.

These are the Kinko’s of the world. You don’t really care about your logo so you can probably hang around while it’s being designed. It won’t have any impact on your brand how much you spend so might as well be cheap. Besides, you’re a plumber.

Crowd-sourcing also falls into this category. Dirt cheap and you get to pick your favorite haircut from a big book. Except this time, everyone of them is your face.

The problem with crowd-sourcing is that the designer never meets the client. The designer never gets an understanding of the client’s personality – what they do, who they are and what they stand for.

Neither does the designer have a discussion about what the solution should be nor discovers an insight that could only belong to that client.

And then there’s those who prefer to cut their own hair – the in-house designers. This is fine if all you do is shave your head and don’t mind looking like everyone else. But if you try to fashion your own haircut, it’s going to go wrong most of the time.

You’ll either really screw it up and end up looking like an idiot, or just produce something really mediocre. You’re too close to it and you don’t have the expert skills needed yourself.

Of course, if you’re a hairdresser yourself, you could probably do a decent job. And that’s why there are plenty of design studios and newspapers who do a pretty good job of designing in-house. Everyone else should at least get there mum to do it.

Or maybe, like me, you choose what most of us choose – a relationship. A place with a good reputation where you can go time and time again and get a great service.

Somebody you can trust and feel completely comfortable with. Someone who knows the way your hair grows and what best to do with it. Someone who understands your long term goals for your haircut beyond this appointment. And somebody who knows what will suit your face, personality, job and lifestyle.

After months of feedback, the haircut has been so fine tuned that you don’t even have to talk about it anymore, leaving you free to talk about your upcoming holiday.

A relationship means so much more than a transaction. The client gets something they can be proud of, and the hairdresser gets to produce something that actually adds value to the client’s world.

If both work in partnership, then the client can actually end up looking pretty good and with a smile on their face – rather than crying in front of the mirror.