Earlier this month, Rodger Roeser of PR and brand development firm Eisen Management Group asked PR agency owners what they would you do if a client hired a competitor for a “small project.”
Honestly, this would put me into panic mode as I worked myself into a tither wondering, “Is the client thinking of dropping us?”
After a few deep breaths I’d meet with the client to make sure they understand the full scope of our team’s capabilities and point out that because we know the client’s business so well, ramp up time on new work is always minimal compared to what a new partner requires (and will bill for).
I’d also remind the client of our exclusivity clause and point out that we don’t work with their competitors and are hurt that they’d consider working with one of ours. This would be followed up with an education on how and when we feel it’s appropriate to work with other entities to bring success to a client’s objectives without compromising the strategic plan.
Rodger’s question serves as an excellent reminder of a requirement of agencies to communicate their capabilities to clients on an ongoing basis and that we need to be thinking about client service always.
2 Comments
I actually encourage my clients to try out other sources if they think they will find something better…whether it be with a particular service or a complete agency. At Baseline Creative, we don’t worry about exclusivity contracts. We find contracts are a wonderful substitute for toilet paper and/or drawing paper for our children.
Ulimately, I believe we live in a time that we must prove our value to our clients every day. If we consistently have their best interests in mind and execute on-time and on-budget, they will continue to choose our firm over the competition, and recommend us to others.
In fact, all of our clients are referral based. No cold calls, direct sales…we actually qualify our referrals just like they qualify our firm. So, when we get together to discuss long-term and short-term objectives, we can rise to the occasion, and be the kind of firm they will want to work with for the long term.
Eh, that’s just my belief. I believe that if we do the best work for our clients every day, they might look around and kick the tires, but they will always come back. Better service, better value, better results.
Contracts define scope of work, establish an understanding of deliverables, outline timeline and set protocols for fees and payment. They are a necessary component of sound business practice.
You make valid points in relation to project based work. It’s our practice as well not to extend industry exclusivity on that work, except in rare instances. And while on some days I wish I had someone dedicated to new business development, we too work by referral only. Positive word of mouth is the the most powerful endorsement that exists.
When it comes to single and multi-year retainers however, the ol’ exclusivity clause is something clients’ legal eagles insist on and we’re happy to oblige. The reality is that big business requires big safeguards.
By way of background, sometimes part of our implementation plan requires we bring in a collaborator with special skills, like Justin McClure on motion graphics or maybe you on a custom font. In those instances of “small projects,” we prefer– and our clients generally expect us– to choose those creative partners.