The client-agency relationship — like any relationship, really — takes work. However, many entrepreneurs won’t give it the proper time. Here’s what I see happening all the time…
An entrepreneur will finally get to a place in their career where they’re ready to bring on an agency. They’ll work with them for a little while. And then, as with most relationships, the client realizes the agency isn’t following through on some of their promises.
So, instead of trying to work through things, many people will let emotion get in the way and simply cut ties with their agency.
Tips To Improve The Client-Agency Relationship (for a more profitable proposition)
Number one: Make sure you have a point person on your team whose main task is to ensure your agency is fulfilling the contract.
The agency you’re working with will likely have an account manager. This is the person who will be assigned to your business. And if they happen to feel like the wrong person, rather than cancelling your contract, talk to the agency about finding someone who’s a better fit.
But the same is true for you! Whoever is responsible for this relationship — you or someone on your team — should be on meetings, review milestones and make sure the agency meets objectives and continues to perform per the contract.
Number two: Approach this relationship just as you would a team member.
Meaning, you’ve got to create personal connections! I often hear from consultants / agencies that the point person at companies they work with are:
- Impatient
- Unkind
- Disrespectful
This is often because the mentality many have is,
“Well, it’s an agency, they work for us, and we can get rid of them at any point.”
Number three: Set very clear expectations in writing upfront.
My team and I have learned this one the hard way. Sure, we’ve done phone calls and meetings in-person to talk about expectations. However, we skipped the rather tedious step of literally word for word, line by line, outlining all expectations. Even the smallest little thing, like:
“Okay, so who’s in charge of writing the copy?”
Now, that might seem small and trivial. But this role, for example, could mean a whole other person involved who might change the expense that you have to invest — on your side or their side. I promise you, everything needs to be spelled out.
Pro tip: There needs to be very specific clauses in your contract so that if these expectations are not met, then the contract doesn’t get renewed. On both ends.
For 7 additional can’t-miss tips, plus:
- My recent story of where I dropped the ball with an ad that went out (from my agency)
- The value of creating a process (system) where you can communicate with your agency consistently
- Why you need to keep in mind that you aren’t your agency’s only client
Then, you must listen to the Build Your Tribe episode below:
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