the drum, agency acceleration day - 'clients behaving badly' - chris merrington
TRANSCRIPT
CLIENTS
Free consultancy – wasting agency time
Nit-picking
Poor briefs, inadequate budgets & time
Lack of appreciation
Transactional relationship. No partnership.
Giving proposals/creative to competitors
Financial pressure – 7% rebate!
Threatening a pitch unless fees dropped
• CLIENTS
Bullying
Sexual bad behaviour
What examples do you have?
What’s the cost to agencies of client bad behaviour?
The cost to agencies of client bad behaviour…
Less profit Stress
Less confidenceSafe work
due to fearLose great
staffDysfunctional relationship
Katie Piper
Katie Piper
Katie Piper
Victim? Survivor? Thriver?
Tips to avoid client bad behaviour
• Give agencies an unfair competitive advantage• 20 years agency experience at director level• Advised 90 agencies• 3 key areas– Negotiation/commerciality– Trusted adviser selling– New business prospecting & pitching
• Help agencies change their behaviour
You get the behaviour you tolerate.
Peer to peer trusted adviser, not buyer-supplier
Shared goals focused on value
Right from Day 1.
Prepared to walk-away.
Push back on unreasonable briefs, budgets & deadlines.
Be commercially savvy.
Be curious, ask questions, it’s your investment.
Produce brilliant work – easy to defend
Be brave.
Client good behaviour?
Respect Appreciate Encourage
Honest open conversation
True partnership not a transaction
You can have an Absolutely Fabulousclient relationship.
CLIENTS
• You get the behaviour you tolerate.
• Peer to peer trusted adviser, not buyer-supplier
• Shared goals focused on value
• Start from Day 1.• Prepared to walk
• Push back on unreasonable briefs, budgets & deadlines
• Be commercially savvy.• Be curious, ask
questions, it’s your investment.
• Produce brilliant work – easy to defend
• Be brave.
Client good behaviour