Your agency has just been notified that you won the Big Assignment. The team is excited, the client expectations are high (based on your promises) and your account execs and directors are busy scheduling all those kick-off meetings that will solidify the new relationship and get everyone excited about the fantastic work that lies ahead. That first year, your teams—digital, PR, creative, account—are working enthusiastically on doing the best work possible, while the client looks forward to changing minds and increasing market share.
Isn’t the honeymoon great?
Fast forward two to three years and it’s often a very different scenario. Most of the client contacts have changed roles as have the agency teams and when the business is up for review, all you and the client can think about is everything that went wrong along the way. Too often I have seen great relationships sour into something more akin to in-laws; you tolerate each other but it’s obvious to everyone that the honeymoon is over.
So, how can agencies keep the romance alive? Here are some tactics I have found along the sometimes bumpy road to client-agency love.
1. Face to face beats virtual
WebEx, JoinMe, phone and email are all great tools to maintain the relationship. But a video screen can never replace in-person time with your clients. Be there as often as you can; find time and reasons to join on-site meetings or events with them.
2. Brand immersion – on-board your team
We always ask our clients to share their onboarding materials for new employees with us, and then we run our team through the same process. This ensures that our team understands the client’s core values as in the end, we are an extension of them.
3. Become educated consumers
Since you have to understand the consumer’s path to purchase for the brand, go to the store and see how and where products are displayed and what else is on the shelf. Go to the website and try to buy the product; how is that experience? Shop like a target customer and see how the price compares to competitors, check out product features, and read reviews. The more you know the consumer, the better you can communicate with him/her.
4. Live the brand – buy the products
Use the brand; buy and use all its products. My favorite example of this is one of the first of its kind: David Ogilvy only wearing Sears clothing after his agency won the Sears account. We have found that this will help your team to truly understand the product and find opportunities to share learnings and create authentic messages.
5. Identify why the client chose you and maintain those reasons
They picked you over the other agencies for a reason—or many. Remember that every day, hold on to why they chose you and don’t let go of it! Let it inform not only your work and the way you interact / communicate with the client but also the people you hire and assign.
6. Challenge everything
You were chosen because you are an outsider, not an internal resource. Often, a big reason brand go outside is because agencies can challenge the status quo, shake things up, see the market from a fresh perspective. DO that. Challenge assumptions and help the brand be better. It’s your job!
7. Don’t change what you have sold
If you promised to be the data-driven partner, don’t talk about gut feelings. If you sold ideas, don’t try to sell scale. Most brands put a lot of consideration into their partners and their place inside their agency roster. Don’t become a duplicate (wasteful) capability.
8. Share the space
One of the main opportunities for being with clients are actual office hours—in their office. We often have space in our clients’ offices, giving them continuous access to the talent. If you can get a desk at your client’s corporate offices, have your team members spend one day a week working there.
9. Share learnings
Agencies have experience across many brands and verticals, with plenty of insights and learnings about what’s working (or not working). Share these with your clients—they’ll appreciate you all the more for being a valuable resource beyond the creative you present or the marketing activations you employ.
While some of these steps require an investment that may be considerable (travel among them), they are well worth it. This is especially true when you consider the cost of winning a new client. Instead of always going after new business, agencies should show our hard-won accounts some serious love with activities (and investments) that prove we not only appreciate that they chose us, but that we are also here to grow the partnership (and their share of wallet). After all, why spend time and money going after five brands worth $1 billion each when we can help our brands to grow from $1 billion to $10 billion—and keep the love alive between client and agency for years to come.
Contributed by Benjamin Spiegel, CEO of MMI Agency and keynote speaker for the February AMA Networking Luncheon, David vs. Goliath: How a Small Houston Agency Won Three Global Clients.
Benjamin Spiegel is CEO of MMI Agency. He is a digital advertising veteran with 17 years of experience in media, data, and technology, and has developed highly successful, global marketing campaigns for countless Fortune 500 across industries.
Posted by AMA Volunteer: Allegra Boutch