There was a time when an agency’s location really mattered. Chicago clients worked with Chicago agencies. New York clients worked with New York agencies and so on. But in the age of Skype and Google Hangouts, is an agency’s location still that important to a client?

There are certainly instances when being local helps. For example, regional brands often want to work with regional agencies—shops that understand the nuances of a market. Or, when a brand is located in NYC, it stands to reason that an agency search would include at least some NYC shops. And finally, there are times when business realities—e.g. paying to fly 10 agency people to your campus on an ongoing basis—do come into play.

However, in our experience, an agency’s geography is no longer a top criterion for today’s clients. To put it plainly, “we want the best agency” is what a client wants.

If you’re nimble, equipped to address a client’s business challenges, and adept at fostering productive partnerships via technology, your agency’s location shouldn’t be an impediment to your new business efforts.

If you focus on building the diversity of your portfolio, make it a priority to take on project work, and demonstrate varied industry experience, you are in a much better position to attract clients from across the country and even worldwide.

And if you invest in talent—the people who will ultimately fuel the success of your client partnership—you are giving clients a reason to hire you regardless of your zip code.