Remember the rom-com plotline where the hero stumbles across the diary of his perfect woman and uses the information to transform himself into her ideal man? I recently experienced the corporate version of this when our team at Felicity assembled a panel of blue chip clients to talk candidly about what makes for a valuable long-term partnership.<\/p>\n
Their advice?<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t bait and switch:<\/strong> Agencies that send their top people on the quest to reel in the account \u2013 then push it to underlings once the contract is signed \u2013 is an age-old client pain point. Right up there with \u2018overpaying\u2019 to get access to the person they thought they\u2019d be working with in the first place. If that\u2019s the way it\u2019s going to be, tell it upfront and like it is \u2013 before the client finds out the hard way.<\/p>\n Plan for planning: <\/strong> When an agency gets involved with a client without understanding its planning process, resources run the risk of getting eaten up as quickly as fancy sandwiches at a lunch meeting. Sitting down with the client to map out planning-related protocol and expectations gets the relationship \u2013 and the accuracy of the budget \u2013 off on the right foot.<\/p>\n Be like a considerate spouse:<\/strong> A considerate spouse, as one panelist put it, brings home things you haven\u2019t asked for but thinks you\u2019d like. Because clients can get so busy \u2018minding the store\u2019, they many not be monitoring their landscape and target audience as closely they\u2019d like. When an agency brings forward an opportunity or an insight\u2013 even if it isn\u2019t in the current mandate or scope of work \u2013 it is appreciated. And even if the thought doesn\u2019t fly, it counts.<\/p>\n Set the client up for success: <\/strong>A good agency does more than supply brilliant ideas and recommendations. It takes the time to understand the client\u2019s culture and provides the supports to help the client articulate the business problem and sell in the solution internally. Because if clients don\u2019t have the appropriate tools to persuade and influence their own, even the finest thinking will land in limbo.<\/p>\n Handle qualms with a velvet glove and a fine-tooth comb: <\/strong> One panelist described how, after a certain ad agency delivered a brilliant yet edgy presentation, the client expressed a concern about the creative. After a pensive pause, the creative director answered: \u201cSometimes\u2026you\u2019ve just got to be brave.\u201d His comment – which implied weakness and fear – nearly sunk the opportunity on the spot. How better to handle client apprehension or indecision? Let the client lead by encouraging them to articulate exactly what is making them uncomfortable. This creates a forum to discuss and address misgivings, one by one.<\/p>\n In the pursuit of new business, chemistry is a two-way street, and the wise agency also screens the client for a love-match. Our panel gamely offered suggestions for the types of probing questions they\u2019d be willing to answer \u2013 but rarely get asked. Questions like: what business problem are you trying to solve? and what is your decision making process? The content \u2013 and quality – of the answers will speak volumes about what needs to happen and will set the partnership on a course for transparency, bottom-line orientation, and success.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Remember the rom-com plotline where the hero stumbles across the diary of his perfect woman and uses the information to transform himself into her ideal man? I recently experienced the corporate version of this when our team at Felicity assembled a panel of blue chip clients to talk candidly about what makes for a valuable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n