When Clients Want “The Truth”
What do you do when a client wants “the truth?”
What do you do when the client wants to know what you really think about how their in-house PR manager is doing, or howcum their story isn’t getting more ink, or whether their strategy is off-kilter?
You wouldn’t think “the Truth” could be such a sticky issue, but it certainly can be, due to the lopsided nature of the relationship. Truth exists only when there is some level of equality.
If the PR pro’s mortgage payment depends on the client’s happiness, they won’t tell the client a truth that will make them unhappy. They’ll try to avoid doing so, or will couch the truth in a wrapper so laden in diplomatic ribbons the client will give up on unwrapping it.
Ultimately this means that the client’s program will go off the rails, and the PR pro will get blamed for it. And while the PR person’s role in the program’s failure may be more implicit than explicit (i.e., the explicit reason is “the product sucks;” the implicit reason is that the PR person refused to make the client face facts), they’ll deserve to be fired.
When the client asks for the Truth, tell the truth. Be diplomatic without mewling.
It’s better to say to the client: “I’m sorry to tell you this, but this press release is not going to generate much enthusiasm in the media, for these 3 reasons…” than it is to say, “We thought this release was truly noteworthy but the press is just not picking up on it for some reason” (unsaid: “so we’re going to waste another week making fruitless phone calls, just in case.”)
It’s better to say to the client, “We have had some difficult moments with your PR manager recently. I’m sure we can work it out, though, especially if you are able to give us some advice” than to say, “Thank goodness we lost that account, the PR manager was awful!”
The clients pay the PR agency not just for “ink” but for the benefit of that agency’s experience — including the foul-ups we’ve witnessed or caused!
The PR pro is not supposed to be a head-nodding, name-dropping, release-flogging flack. The PR pro is supposed to be a valued consultant whose focus on results implies a responsibility to tackle hard truths.
So make your mom proud. Do not tell a lie.
Posted on: July 20, 2010 at 12:14 pm By Todd Defren
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In my experience I’ve found, on a pretty consistent basis, that although a client may hire me to create some communication, say a press release, they often do so with a preconception of how it should read. While I start by trying to reconcile differences, there often comes a point where the approaches are at odds and I’m in the awkward position of trying to figure out how to tell the client they are wrong without actually using that word. This is when I find conversations about “truth” get really interesting, especially in subjective situations (the norm) where one person’s truth is another person disaster.
Being honest with you client builds trust and loyalty, it makes them feel your not only after their money…great article.
If the relationship between a client and an agency is dicey, and the truth hurts, then an account rep needs to bring in the team leader or account group supervisor, etc.
No one should take the fall alone when it comes to sensitive issues like criticizing a client’s staffer or quality of work.
And, in agencies (I’ve got 25 years in them!) young people learn to please, not negate. There are ways to be subtle and tell the truth.
In many ways, being truthful can be objective since we all have different views and understanding of the situation. I give my educated opinion and that’s how I start then provide some suggestions for improvement. I’ve learned that being truthful can be painful and often unpopular, but it does gain respect in the long run.
I envy you the job that you have. If working with clients were this simple and straightforward in the real world, we wouldn’t have nearly the number of headaches that each of us deal with on a daily basis.
The brutal reality is that perception is truth to the client. I have far too many battle scars to believe that telling the truth is always the answer.
Don’t get me wrong, telling the truth is always the preference, but you have to balance telling the truth with what type of person(s) your client(s) are. There are indeed many clients that will accept the truth and use it correctly. However, there are always some clients that are looking for scapegoats, and providing truth will just provide them ammunition to hang their mistakes on you.
So, truth first, but don’t so blindly follow that axiom that you forget to observe what is really going on around you.
Todd,
Telling the truth goes well beyond the relationship that you mention here, and really applies to all vendor/client and consultant/client relationships (I’ve also found that it helps with my wife too!).
Great advice for anyone that has clients.
Wholly agree with the gist of your post.
One area this gets thorny is with in-house staff (you mention this). Good luck trying to tell a client that their in house staff sucks.
If the in house PR capacity does indeed suck – they may feel threatened by you (unless you also suck) and may fuck with you to cover their asses.
Your advice still resonates, Todd. But explaining why a Youtube video got 50 views in a month or pointing out the flaws in a press release are MUCH easier than delicately outlining problems with a client’s human resources.
I’d argue that the ability to point out client side HR problems in diplomatic manner is a skill that will get you PAID as an agent. It is thus also a skill few agents actually have.
Couldn’t agree more, Todd. One of the biggest challenges I’ve always seen in this crazy agency biz is staff (particularly less experienced, but not exclusively!) that feel like saying “No, you shouldn’t do that” is providing poor service. It’s the bane of the “customer is always right” mentality. Really good intentions that limit the value delivered.
I also think the true art of this gig is the when and how of delivering “the truth” even when the client isn’t asking!
There are, of course, clients that just want sycophants, but to me, those are clients worth having.
I couldn’t agree more.
As PR professionals, it is our job to help a client communicate clearly regardless of the tools and delivery methods they choose. As an independent consultant, it can be scary looking my largest client in the face and telling them a truth they don’t want to hear. However, my greater responsibility is to protect their image, their message and their brand.
In my old newspaper publisher days, I was given two pieces of advice related to this. One is “you can say almost anything to almost anyone as long as you are smiling,” and the other was “never be afraid to tell your boss he’s wrong; just do so politely.”
I can say that anytime I’ve had a concern or a delicate matter to discuss with a client, I’ve never gone wrong expressing it clearly, politely and respectfully.