Bumps in the Road
I was talking to a happy client the other day. We’ve only been working together for a couple of months but things are going pretty well.
During the course of the conversation, he said something that struck me as so poised, mature and candid that it nearly brought a tear to this tough guy’s eye.
He said: “Look, I am not going to tell you that everything is perfect. There have been a few little bumps in the road as we ramp up together. But I’ve been down this road before: I know that when you are creating a partnership, you need to expect those bumps, and to have some patience as you figure each other out.”
I compare this cooperative perspective to some clients in my distant past who got kinda shrill if the weekly report didn’t match their expectations, or if a reporter didn’t show up at their tradeshow booth as-promised, etc., etc., etc.
I very well understand that those long-ago clients who may have (fairly or unfairly) lambasted me or the Agency were under amazing stress … from both self-inflicted pressure and from constant questions about their PR spend from corporate overseers. I get it, I appreciate it, I empathize.
But over the long haul, the clients who treat their agency partners like well-intentioned, smart, but fallible human beings, get superior service.
Posted on: March 11, 2009 at 9:21 am By Todd Defren
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Todd,
I hear you about bumps. Going through a few now with a client I’ve been working with for more than a year, first on retainer and now project-based. It’s like starting all over again as we work our way through project fees that are new to them (although they went retainer to avoid the higher fees). It tests both our patience, but in a partnership, there are highs and lows for both parties. Nice post and good timing for my psyche.
Gee Todd, this is really rich.
You get a client in bed with your ‘expertise’ promising deliverables,
“who got kinda shrill if the weekly report didn’t match their expectations, or if a reporter didn’t show up at their tradeshow booth as-promised, etc., etc., etc.”,
then, when they point out that you have not done your part, whether it be a reasoned inquiry or a 300 decibel rant, they are the bad guys for having an expectation of performance, that you set up as your part of the bargain to get them to pay you.
Using ‘partnership’ as the keyword for your relationship is disingenuous as well. Want to be a partner? Take an equity stake/stock instead of cash. Putting that sort of skin in the game would collapse your industry.
You are at best a favored independent contractor, who may be on the bottom of the list of cutbacks when times get tough, but are on that list.
You get on that list because, at the end of the day, if you cannot demonstrate that your work either saves money or makes money, the company that employs you has no business case to give you money they are not saving or making.
This is the gem of the collection:
“the clients who treat their agency partners like well-intentioned, smart, but fallible human beings, get superior service.”
What part of the original presentation forgot to mention this?
Is there a fallible threshold?
Wow, pretty impassioned stuff, Alan. Sorry if I got your goat somehow. Sounds like maybe you’ve been burned in the past… but, I am not trying to speculate nor put words in your mouth.
If you are suggesting that the client is always right, then I disagree. In fact when we started this company, our single best decision was swearing-off any piece of business that could so dominate our portfolio that it would lead us to offer bad advice or to suffer unreasonable abuse.
My simple point is that nobody’s perfect. That you can’t pay for perfection (and thus should not expect it). And, that you catch more flies with honey.
As a client, you should expect the unremitting *quest* for perfection (in the form of results, reporting, etc.), and, you should expect that any imperfections you’ve identified be rectified in a timely manner. Simply put, being reasonable is better than being shrill.
As a client and former agency gal, I see no other way. It’s a partnership that benefits both. You MUST develop this over the first 3-6 months and if you don’t give it the time and attention it’s the 2 year turn over scenario that is all too common and benefits no one in the long term.
Amen!
Stress does strange things to clients…
At the beginning of any new relationship we talk about our work process and that good outcomes require a partnership. So it’s nice to hear about a client that gets it.
We were two weeks into a new relationship and the client turns to my partners and says. “It’s been two weeks!!! Where’s my stuff??” Two months later, things have calmed down a little, but he still uses panic and shrillness to communicate.
Just once I’d like to tell a client that I work through the “Mirror Philosophy”: what gets projected to me gets reflected back.
Keep the faith, Bob. The bad clients will be gone at some point. Good luck.
I have also been on both sides of the fence, and as Aaron mentioned, “Partnership” is the key and final goal that both sides should be striving towards. Big companies have always tried to bully their vendors. It is about time that people realize the value of being open and honest with their vendors, allowing and accepting minor issues along the way – as long as there are lessons learned and issues are not repeated in the future.
Neither party should want to part ways with one another as each should have a vested interested in the others success.
Mike P / @nhscooch
Todd,
With all the chatter about ROI, new metrics and the economy, it is refreshing to hear about a client that understands that you understand.
Our short-term greed gets in the way of our long-term greed and quick fixes become the expected norm.
Too often we forget that we are both the customer/client and the provider. Too often we forget the other role when we are asking for better service and too often we forget the plight of the customer when we’re giving it.
At the essence of your post is honest dialogue, strong relationships and trust.
Brilliant post!
@knealemann
“At the essence of your post is honest dialogue, strong relationships and trust.”
— You just summed it up in one sentence. See how I had to stretch it out into several paragraphs? Ah, the tyranny of blogging! Thanks for the kind words.
Keep sharing your paragraphs!
Surprising how expectations can influence reality isn’t it.
Todd – that client sounds like a pretty smart guy (or gal). =]
Seriously though, having been on all sides of the fence — client, agency, vendor — I can tell you that businesses would do themselves a far greater service if they would look at relationships with service providers as “partnerships” vs. transactional activities. Yes, I know that not all service providers try and go that extra mile but many would like to if given a chance, even if it results in a few “bumps in the road.”
Aaron | @aaronstrout
“many would like to if given a chance”
— That’s the key. Most PR pros I know truly WANT to move the needle and make clients both famous AND happy. Not always easy but a cool client contact sure makes it an experience worth gunning for. Thanks, Aaron.
Disclosure: Aaron is a client.