the art of compromise: it's an agency/client thing

Reconciling our service ethic and our passion for great work

THE ART OF COMPROMISE

(Comments welcome)

THIS IS AN INTERNAL DOCUMENT FOR VELOCITY PEOPLE.WE THOUGHT WE’D SHARE IT MORE WIDELY TOCONTRIBUTE TO THE ONGOING CONVERSATION

ABOUT AGENCY/CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS.HOPE YOU LIKE IT.

THIS IS

BIG

THIS IS ABOUT HOW WE WORKWITH CLIENTS. ABOUT HOW

WE CAN KEEP THEM DELIGHTEDEVEN AS WE FIGHT HARD FOR

WHAT WE BELIEVE IN.

THIS IS

OBVIOUSYou’d think most of it would go without saying.

That it’s standard practice not only in Velocity, but in every agency.But it isn’t.

Our lives are out of our hands. We have less fun.Clients have less fun. And our work suffers.

WRONG

IF WE GET IT

BUT IF WE GET IT

There’s nothing we can’t do. Literally nothing.

RIGHT

& THEREWARDS

MUSTFOLLOW

Glory. Attention. Job satisfaction.Money. Pride… & Bling

WE WIN SOMEWE LOSE SOME

It’s about persuasion, respect and compromise.About knowing when to accept, when to question, when to fight… and how.

We bring ideas to our clients. They like some and don’t like others.The ones they like, they do. The ones they do, they change.

How we handle getting good ideas rejected or changed, is what this is all about.

1ST PRINCIPLES

There are no stupid clients

And let’s face it, marketing isn’t

rocket science anyway.

A lot of our clients are not

experienced marketers

And may not be instinctive ones either.

That’s not their fault.

If a client makes the wrong decision,

there’s only one cause:

We’ve failed to convince them of the

right option*.

*If we keep failing over and over again, it’s probably the

wrong client for us.

OPPOSING IMPERATIVESThis is a service business:We make money by giving

clients what they want(and getting them to want

the right things).

This is a consulting business:Our authority is our product.

If we’re not respected as experts, we become hacks who deserve what we get.

OUR CLIENTS UNDERSTAND THEIR BUSINESSES AND THEIR MARKETS BETTER THAN WE DO.

WE UNDERSTAND COMMUNICATIONS BETTER THAN THEY DO.

Together, these make for powerful marketing.

There are no stupid clients

And let’s face it, marketing isn’t

rocket science anyway.

A lot of our clients are not

experienced marketers

And may not be instinctive ones either.

That’s not their fault.

If a client makes the wrong decision,

there’s only one cause:

We’ve failed to convince them of the

right option*.

*It’s a human thing.

Even if they don’t show it, clients often feel uncomfortable criticising our work. It’s stressful.

They don’t want to appear unreasonable, picky, pedantic, ignorant or weak.

THEY WANT TO BE LIKED*

For some clients, just being a client makes them feel insecure.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIESSo when a client sticks their neck out and gives criticism,

it’s the perfect opportunity to:

Diffuse tension.

Surprise them with how open we are.(and how passionate, when we fight our corner)

Help them relax so they can listen to us too.Which will earn their gratitude and bank some

points that can be spent on future projects.

IF WE CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE THAT REMOVES THESE FEARS…

Our client will be grateful, will like us more,and will be much more likely to:

Relax, be reasonable, listen to us, fight for us, let us win a few, and give us more work.

VELOCITY

SAYSRELAX

HOW TOWhen they’re right, admit it.

When they’re wrong, point it out while showing you’re not being defensive or taking things personally.

Have a sense of humour about it.Respect their their ability to be open, listen and change their mind.Don’t assume they’ll be closed-minded.

Show that we know this is part of our job and we don’t resent it.

Show we don’t feel smarter than them.

GIVING IN (SOMETIMES)IS IMPORTANT

It shows:

We’re open and professional.We understand it’s their right to change things.

We respect their opinion and understand their agenda.We’re realists. We know that politics and egos can lead to unwanted outcomes.

We have perspective: knowing when and when not to push.

So we should actively look for places where giving in gracefullyis easy and doesn’t hurt the project.

RESISTING (SOMETIMES)IS JUST AS IMPORTANT

It shows that we:

Care about quality and effectiveness.Care about their business not just our portfolio.

Made choices based on solid reasoning.Evaluate options rationally (by holding them up againstgoals and taking the target audience’s point of view).

So actively looking for times to resist the wrong changes is important too.it justifies our fees.

EVERYONE LIKES TO BE LIKED AND RESPECTED.*

*Duh.

We all want colleagues to say behind our backs:

“SHE’S GREAT TO WORK WITH. SMART, FAIR, OPEN & FRIENDLY.”And the best way to encourage a client to be these things is to exhibit them ourselves.

If clients feel we’re saying this (and they can tell), they’ll love working with us.

If they feel the opposite, they’ll loathe it.

The best way to make a client dothis about us is to do it about them.

No one wants tothink we’re hangingup the phone, callingthem a wanker, androlling our eyes -(

BOTH EXTREMES ARE LIKELY TO BE UNPROFESSIONAL.

Suggestalternative

Make a caseProbeAcceptun-challenged

Fine if it’s correct orinconsequential

Disagree Fight hardQuestionDefer

Reject withoutconsiderationInsulting and

counter-productive

A SPECTRUMOF RESPONSES

THINGS A CLIENT

WHEN WE RESISTA SUGGESTION:

They're lazy • In a rush • Embarrassed • Being prima donnas • Have their own agenda • Are scared of their own creatives •

Aren't listening • Don't value my opinion

THINKS

THINGS

A CLIENT TO THINK WHEN WE RESIST A SUGGESTION:

They’ve listened but don’t agree, they’re professionals,they have my interests at heart, they have pride in what they do,

they don’t take losing personally.

WE WANT

TO SHOW WE’RE OPEN, TO SHOW WE KNOW WHATWE’RE TALKING ABOUT, TO SHOW WE GIVE A SHIT.

An interaction that doesn’t show one or all of these things is a wasted opportunity.

EVERY FEEDBACKINTERACTION IS AN

OPPORTUNITY

BOTTOM LINEThis is a service business.

We have to give the client what they want –but it’s our job to get them to want the right things.

If we resist their input too much, they’ll think we’re arrogantand they’ll take their work to an agency that will listen.

If we resist too little, they lose confidence in our expertise and we lose control of the relationship.

PUSHING BACK CONSTRUCTIVELY IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR SUCCESS.

SOME USEFUL PHRASES“Of course we can do that, but what about…”

“If we came up with a way to solve that issue without damaging XYZ,would you be open to it?”

“I completely see where you’re coming from,but it physically hurts me to change ‘sell’ to

‘generate incremental revenue opportunities’.”

“Okay, I lost this one but you can’t say I didn’t give it my best shot.”

“I understand what you’re up against. What if we…”

CALLING IN REINFORCEMENTSYou don’t have to manage the client relationship on your own.

If you’re losing a big one, bringing in reinforcements and escalating thediscussion can help. It can also blow up spectaculary, covering everyone inthe thick slime that is, after all, the essence of this zany marketing game.

If the relationship sours, it's usually our fault and it makes everything harder.

If the relationship is open, trusting and postiive, there's nothing we can't do together.

WE’RE L CKY TOHAVE OUR CLIENTS

GOOD LUCK OUT THERE.

AND THEY’RE LUCKY TO HAVE US

VELOCITYPARTNERS.COM

Velocity