Category Archive :Agency/Client Relationships

I came across this poster in one of my LinkedIn groups and it made me wonder – if these perceptions are accurate it may explain the generally dysfunctional relationships clients and agencies have with one another.  It may also explain why it appears so difficult to get things done in an agency.

Read More

Recently I was catching up with a former agency partner and we got into a conversation revolving around two specific points:  1) The ability of midsize agencies to survive in these tough times; and 2) How to grow the business at a particular client who has never retained an agency or spent consistently.  In my friend’s case, it was the area of PR.  This conversation made me realize that often agencies do not understand how their clients think.  The answers to both of his concerns lay in better understanding client motivations and spending.

Read More

This is a follow-up to my recent post on the same topic, but I am tackling it from the agency perspective this time.   If you’ve read my post on the client perspective some of the same themes are valid here as well. (see below)

Read More

It is inevitable that at some point in your career you will encounter a client, whether internal or external, that just never seems happy with the end product.  You have presented them with what you consider good work, the best you and your team can deliver and then they make a funny face, sigh or simply say, “This isn’t what I was hoping to see” or “why did you do it this way?”  You want to argue with them, explain why it is what they asked for.  But, instead you most likely apologize and then figure out how to make it better – you don’t want them disappointed or angry, and you want to get paid for the work you have done.  You also want to maintain the relationship you have been developing for months.

Read More

Recently, I have been listening to a lot of my corporate colleagues lament about the frustrations they are having with their various agencies.  These brand managers and directors as well as the marketing services teams complain how an agency didn’t deliver on the creative or the execution was poor.  They express the need for their agencies to listen better and have a better ongoing dialogue with them as the client.   It leads me to think about all the different agencies I have managed over time and the strategies I engaged to avoid these frustrations.

Read More