Client Relations

Exclusivity

At AMI, we are firm believers that agencies need to be specialists -- niching in some way to differentiate themselves so they can claim a position of authority. But what do you do when a client wants exclusivity within that niche? Watch »

What’s your Minnie Pearl pillow?

I've been thinking about how much I love being in a place that knows who it is and celebrates who they are and what makes them unique. Which, of course, made me think about you and us and how we create that sense of uniqueness with our clients and our prospects. Watch »

10% growth

An account person's job is to get the work done. But another part of that job is to focus on the client's goals and what else the client can be doing to achieve those goals. Sometimes, those ideas that we take our clients don't have anything to do with the agency. It might be about distribution or pricing or something else. That's us being a good partner, but a subset of the ideas that we should regularly take to our clients to help them accomplish their goals would also generate additional revenue for the agency. It might be putting more gasoline on a fire or something we already do. It might be trying something different. It might be beta testing something with AI. Doesn’t really matter what it is. But your account person's job is to know the client well enough that they can prescribe other marketing activities or other business activities that will help the client accomplish their goals. Watch »

Faster! Faster!

A couple of the key takeaways from some of the research we've recently done, where we talked to people who hire agencies: CMOs, directors of marketing, and other similar folks, is that when they are unhappy with us, they are often unhappy with us for one of two reasons. Number one is that things take too long. Our systems and processes are bloated, and we can't be as agile as they need us to be. And the second thing is that – of the research- from the time that they get aggravated with us until the time they decide to find another agency, it is less than a month. So, let's talk a little about this irritation we create when our systems and processes are too complicated, and we can't turn on a dime like they need us to. This is a great time of year for you to look at inside your project management system. Pull together your team. Talk to your project managers. Depending on how you're structured as an agency. The question is, are we being as efficient and effective as possible to get work in and out of the agency in as timely a fashion as we can at the quality level and the accuracy level that we need? The second part of that question is: what's in the way of us being more efficient, more effective, quicker to turn things around, and how do we solve those problems? So nobody wants to put out work, and that's not good. That's not well thought out. That's not accurate. That is, you know, void of mistakes or errors. Of course, we're not saying that. But sometimes, our systems and processes actually slow things down. Or it might be that a person is a bottleneck and has a role inside the agency that everything has to flow through. Oftentimes, an owner slows the process down. So, take a little time to look at both the actual process of your work and the roles inside the process, and figure out if there are ways you could be even more effective and more efficient in turning things around quickly. Watch »

How can I help my client?

One of my favorite questions for our account people to ask their point of contact inside the client – super simple, but delivers big results – is hey client, while we're building out the marketing plan, what we're thinking about the company's ROI and their goals, I'm curious for you personally what has been outlined for you at the end of the year? What activity, what ROI, and what accomplishment will earn you a raise, a bonus, or a promotion? Once they share that with you, bake it into the plan. Make sure it's part of what you want to deliver by the end of the year. It's going to do a couple of things. It's going to tell your client that you're on their side. Number two, it's going to elevate a conversation from being an order taker to being a thinking partner and a marketing partner. Number three, it's going to create a champion inside that organization for you, because everybody loves somebody who will help them get a raise, bonus or promotion. So it's a super simple way to have a more in-depth conversation with a client that demonstrates that we understand that their job is on the line, their success is on the line, and we're a huge part of whether or not they accomplish their goals, both professionally and personally, and that we want to contribute to that in every way we can. Watch »

Should agencies only have full-time employees?

I recently got asked this question: Do you think the agency team structure should include only full-time staff and talent or expand into contract and part-time? The reality is there are very, very few agencies that only operate today with full-time talent. Most of you have a blend of go-to 1099s or contractors that you use on a regular basis. Some of you have actual ongoing contracts with those folks who've locked them in for a certain number of hours. In some cases. They may even come into the office if you're in the office to do some of their work or to attend meetings. And I think one thing that's really trending and I think it makes a lot of sense is part-time employees. Watch »

Cultivating relationships beyond your AE

As agencies, we don't do a good job of talking to our entire team about the importance of really recognizing that it's part of their job to create a relationship with the client, whether that's by email, whether that's by phone, or whether that's in meetings. We have to make our clients feel like they are surrounded by a team. And for anyone and everyone on the team, it's their goal is to take care of the client and their needs. When our clients only know and like our AE, we are setting ourselves up for risk and failure. Watch »

Do you love your clients?

It's a huge privilege to do work that you love in the service of people that you love. As agency owners we get to decide who our agency serves. Why would you work for anyone you don't genuinely love? Watch »

How Clients Choose Their Agencies

Wouldn't it be amazing to understand how and why clients choose their agency? That's to our annual Agency Edge research series -- you can find out! For more information about Drew McLellan or Agency Management Institute – visit http://www.agencymanagementinstitute.com or check out the podcast – Build A Better Agency available at all the usual podcast host locations. Watch »