In the agency business, whether in advertising, digital, or PR, challenges abound. The author shares eight key lessons learned over nearly 20 years in the industry to help others avoid common pitfalls:
Know What You Want Or Need:
- Push clients to share their goals and define success to avoid wasted resources and client churn.
- Use planning and strategy processes to clarify objectives and ROI measures.
Be Clear On Communication:
- Establish clear communication preferences and expectations early in the relationship.
- Ensure clients and staff are aligned on communication methods and response times.
Remember The Scope:
- Avoid over-servicing clients by clearly understanding and managing the scope of work.
- Track utilization, efficiency, and profitability to ensure adherence to scope and budget.
Be Invested:
- Show commitment to clients by being proactive, solution-oriented, and fully engaged, even with challenging clients.
Share Your Expectations:
- Clearly state what you expect from clients to avoid delays and misunderstandings.
- Use tools like mutual agreements or manifestos to set and manage expectations.
Be Patient, Yet Expect Accountability:
- Balance patience with accountability, even when lacking full control over client decisions.
- Strive for transparency and collaboration to connect marketing efforts with ROI.
Provide A Clear Escalation Path:
- Ensure clients know how to provide feedback comfortably and professionally.
- Encourage early and frequent feedback to make necessary adjustments.
Celebrate:
- Share and celebrate client successes to foster a partnership mentality.
- Cultivate a culture of celebrating wins to strengthen relationships and morale.
The author emphasizes the importance of having honest, clear, and difficult conversations early to improve retention, performance, and efficiency in agency-client relationships.
