Maxwell Brown and the Power of Conscientiousness March 2026
A look at the qualities AV clients value most in a technology partner
If you want to know how a client feels about the job you’re doing, the easiest course of action is just to ask them. But sometimes the feedback comes unsolicited. And in the case of ClearTech Account Manager Maxwell Brown, it arrives in droves.
We sat down with Max to talk about his approach to providing great service. It was a relatively short conversation – he was busy tending to his clients – but revealing nonetheless. “It comes down to thoughtfulness, follow-through, and really thinking on their behalf,” he says.
Echoes ClearTech president Christina De Bono: “I can’t tell you how many clients have contacted me to share their positive experiences with Max. They respect his knowledge, but what it really boils down to is the fact that they trust his judgment. And that involves a whole lot more than just technical expertise.”
To be clear, however: Max marshals formidable expertise. Though still in his mid-thirties, he has been in the AV industry for 18 years and holds both a CTS and CTS-D certification. But it’s not so much how much knowledge he wields, but how he brings it to bear in a way that generates such strong client satisfaction.
“It’s really important to listen to the client, not just to understand what technical problem they’re trying to solve, but to get a sense of what’s important to them, how they prefer to be communicated with, and what keeps them up at night,” explains Max. “Knowing that, I can tailor the amount of information I provide.”
For example, “I have a client who manages technology at a financial institution, and he’s a person who tries to anticipate every question a higher-up might ask before he goes into a meeting with them. He wants to understand everything about the system so that he’s confident when presenting to the firm’s decision makers. Accordingly, I spend as much time as it takes to gathering all the technical data he needs to have a real command of the subject matter. For him, it all comes down to confidence, so that becomes job number one for me.”
That combination of knowledge and thoughtfulness has earned Max “trusted advisor” status with his clients. “The term is something of a cliché,” says De Bono, “but in Max’s case it fits to a tee. Clients appreciate the depth of his thinking, and they can immediately discern how well-intentioned his responses are. No one ever feels pressured by Max because they know his objective is to support them.”
Max isn’t alone in exemplifying a “trusted advisor” persona. “This is something that’s integral to our culture,” explains De Bono. “You have to be 100% focused on what your client needs and how best to serve them. That’s the secret to forming lasting relationships. And let me tell you, a business rises or falls based on the quality and longevity of its client relationships.”
Also important to Max and his colleagues is the importance of being available to clients when needed. “There’s no value to my knowledge if I’m not there to share it,” he says. “It’s important to be as responsive as possible. After all, you never know when a technical issue might arise. But more than that, accessibility inspires further trust and confidence, and ultimately that’s the currency of our business.”
