After 10 years in the industry, I’ve lost count of the number of prospective clients I’ve pitched to. Everyone, rightly, expects the full pitch process but while some will keep the agency updated and are more than happy to offer feedback, others will simply vanish afterwards.
Frankly – and I think I speak not only for myself – I have had enough of those others. I am baffled by businesses that demand a last minute meeting, creds (“about us”) documents, creative ideas, whatever it may be, only to stop responding to all communication once it’s been delivered.
Is there any thought as to the time and effort put in by the agency? And the ideas – how many businesses will admit to “borrowing” the agency ideas that have been presented?
Not only is it beyond rude, it is also bad business. If the agency treated the prospective client like this, I’m pretty sure said agency would struggle to stay afloat; no company looking for a PR firm would tolerate being treated the way they treat agencies.
So, how should businesses behave when looking to appoint an agency?
Keep in contact
It is not hard to fire off an email or pick up the phone if the process is taking longer than expected. To fall off the face of the earth and leave the agency hanging, when they’ve put in hard work, is not okay. When you work with a business, you expect to be kept in the loop – is it really much to ask for you to do the same with us?
We all know each other
I have been in meetings where the new business prospect has gone off on a tangent and ranted about the incumbent agency and how rubbish they are. I’m not sure whether they forget that the PR industry is pretty small and everyone knows everyone, or whether they genuinely don’t care. But one day, I’m going to know the exact people at the agency you are talking about.
We are not cheap
This comes back to the mantra that PRs should follow, which is to know your value. Don’t undersell your services in a new business meeting because you think the prospect will push back on price. Businesses need to understand good-quality PR, and reputation management costs money. The value of securing a profile piece in the FT, for example, costs far more than a selection of cut-and-paste pieces in some online titles, but the client/prospect will see it as one piece of coverage versus several. If they want to pay a small fee, they will get a small result.
Manners cost nothing
When an agency comes to a meeting prepared with ideas and creative campaigns, respect them. They didn’t magic them out of thin air, or just appear on a PowerPoint slide – they will have been carefully thought out and put together. Even if it’s not something you think worth pursuing, or something doesn’t fit, the least you can do is give feedback or advise the agency.
The IP belongs to the agency
Which coincidentally leads to my last point – do not decline using our services and then steal our ideas. It is poor business etiquette and is basically theft. Too many times, I have worked with people who have seen their ideas appear in print or online, implemented by the new business prospect. Fortunately, some of these (although only a very small number) have gone on to apologise and take on their services after being pulled up on it.
What I’m trying to say is that the process of signing a new client or, if you are the client, looking for the right agency, is tough – on both parties. But it does seem like good etiquette, and manners are a one-way street. Why kick the process off on the wrong foot by treating the agency badly? We’re here to help your reputation.
Good business comes down to good relationships, so practise what you preach.
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