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How to Create a Solid Agency Relationship

by Carole Morgan, Editorial Director, Beeler & Associates    

    Once you’ve selected an advertising/PR agency, how do you maintain a good, productive working relationship? Here are a few ingredients for success:

    Continuity. Make sure the person with whom you work is someone you are comfortable with and you trust. Make it clear that working with the principal or a certain person is a condition of the account. If that person leaves the agency and you don’t like the replacement, request that someone else be assigned.

    Trust. This, along with respect, is the foundation of any solid relationship. You are going to invest a lot of time, money and effort bringing the agency up-to-speed on your industry, technology, goals and programs. You deserve a similar level of investment from your account executive. If all your interactions seem to revolve around billable hours and out-of-pocket expenses, this is not the agency for you. After all, the “learning curve” is both the agency’s investment and yours. You should expect to pay for time spent researching a topic, but agency personnel, in turn, should study background material — trade magazines, company publications, etc. — on their own time.

    Good planning. Very often, lack of success with an agency stems from lack of direction, which is nearly always the result of insufficient planning in-house. So, before you select an agency, develop a one-year advertising and communications plan. Make sure it defines: the corporate mission and goals; marketing goals and objectives; and promotional strategies, resources and budget. A plan is a guide for action and should be flexible and adaptable to market changes.

    Communication. Don’t neglect to involve your agency in key meetings because of the billable hours you might incur. It’s hard enough for an agency to jump into its role as sage counsel without being kept in the dark about what you’re doing. Send the agency copies of correspondence and memos that pertain to your projects. Then, budget for the account executive to attend at least one briefing meeting a month.

    Project vs. retainer basis. A project basis is an excellent way to test the relationship. However, the retainer guarantees that the agency and its resources will be there when you need them. You can require call reports, monthly activity reports and regular meetings to keep track of what’s going on and to assure you’re getting your money’s worth. However, these are often more trouble and more money than they’re worth. A better tact is to ask for detailed bills that itemize projects and expenses clearly. Always confirm estimated time and costs for executing a project early in the relationship.

    Overcharging. The first time you get an out-of-sight bill, there will be tension between you and the agency. Assuming this is not a chronic problem, exercise restraint. First, make sure you understand the charges. Then, determine why you thought you would be charged less.

    Of course, if an agency comes in over budget consistently, it’s time to re-evaluate. They may be overly diligent and spending too much time on the wrong things. Prioritizing should rectify the situation. If not, they may be too high-priced for the size of your organization, and you may wish to consider a smaller, less expensive firm.

    Be reasonable in your expectations. No agency’s staff always walks on water. They are at a disadvantage because they are removed from the day-to-day operations of your company. On the flip side, they have objectivity and flexibility that your in-house staff doesn’t, which makes them a valuable resource. So, use their services effectively, racking up hits and keeping the misses to a minimum. It may not be a science, but it works!

This is part of a series of “how to” articles on marketing communications presented by Beeler & Associates (B&A), one of Long Beach’s oldest advertising and public relations agencies. Topics will change monthly. For additional copies, write to B&A at info@beelerusa.com or call (562) 597-9000.   ©1999

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Last modified: October 24, 2006