"Nice guys finish last" is a paraphrase of a quote attributed to a US baseball manager.

This may be true in the world of competitive sports (although we're not convinced about that). But it certainly isn't true when it comes to clients and digital agencies.

There's no doubt that there are several Mr Nasties out there. They might think that they're doing their own company a service by trying to get as much work out of their agency for as little as they can get away with.

Sometimes this even extends to being rude and discourteous to the agency staff, as though good manners were expensive. (Actually, good manners cost nothing, as any grandmother will tell you.)

Of course, every client has the right to get annoyed if their agency doesn't perform to the highest standards of service. But we're talking about clients who hassle their agency, constantly contact them to demand that they get priority treatment, and then rush off as soon as the project is done.

In our opinion, this is not only bad manners, it's also a very short term outlook. You get what you pay for. Most digital work is not a one-off deliverable but a long-term project that can be honed over time.

Take search engine optimisation, for instance. Although it's possible to make some gains overnight, the real benefits will come in weeks or even months as keywords are tested, alternatives tried, different approaches evaluated.

Digital agencies are best seen, not as suppliers of quick fixes, but as partners. Good ones will work with their clients to improve, enhance and refine their marketing and communications activity.

And, surprise surprise, most agencies do better work when they are treated nicely.

So, while Mr Nasty may feel good about himself by behaving badly to his agency, he is unlikely to get a good result for his company.

In other words, far from finishing first, nasty guys don't even reach the finish.