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[AGENCY EBOOK]
The most frequent breaking points in the client/agency relationship & how to avoid them.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction / 4 Who Does What?/ 8 Dont Become an Order-Taker/ 13 Vet the Relationship/ 18 Close the Loop/ 21 Conclusion / 24 More Resources / 26
INTRODUCTION
A MARRIAGE / INTRODUCTION
The relationship between marketing agencies and their clients is a lot like a marriage. You meet, you court, you fall in love, you get married. Then, like all good marriages, you enjoy a honeymoon. It could be a few weeks or a few months. After that, like any marriage, you come to a fork in the road. You will either go on to live happily ever after or you will experience the business equivalent of a divorce you will get fired. Dumped. Canned. It all seemed so good, so promising. You signed a contract, they were paying their retainers (and on time, at that!). You were optimizing their SEO, ghostwriting their blogs, tweeting, posting fabulous things for them on Facebook, and doing the things their business needed done to generate more traffic and drive more leads.
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After studying more than 500 of these breakup conversations, weve learned that its almost never a major screw-up that leads an agency to getting fired; its a lot of little things that add up over time. You know, just like a marriage leaving the toilet seat up, saying things like Youre not planning to wear that, are you? or answering Do I look fat in this? the wrong way (which, by the way, is a trick question; theres no right way to answer that one). This ebook discusses the most common mistakes weve made so that youre not on the receiving end of even the kinder, gentler version of getting fired Its not you, its us followed by, Send us your final invoice.
CHAPTER 1
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And, if they dont value in what you do, sooner or later you will get fired. Try to find little things they can do to be part of the process. Ask them for blog topics, enlist their help getting staff photos for Facebook posts, something that engages them in your work together. Even if they ask to be kept out of the loop, strive for at least a 30-minute monthly meeting to go over goals and what youve accomplished. If one partner doesnt understand whats it like to have to do the dishes every night and the other has no idea whats involved in keeping the yard presentable, neither has an appreciation of the effort it takes to do both.
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2. DEFINE DEFINITION
Famously (or infamously, your call), during his impeachment trial, former President Clinton said, That depends on what the definition of is is. That may be a bit of overparsing, but we were surprised to learn how many people who fired their agency did so because they didnt fully understand the terms of the contract and the definitions within them. Some of the more common terms, conditions, and arrangements frequently misunderstood or misinterpreted include:
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Contract Length
Go over what you expect the client to do, when, and for how long. If you signed a six-month agreement, payable on the 1st of the month, late on the 10th, be sure they understand they are liable for six months of payments due on the 1st of every month.
Communication
Establish up front how often the client will hear from you and, as appropriate, how often, you expect feedback from them. Will it be a daily call? Weekly? Monthly? Will it be one thing at the beginning of the relationship and something different down the line? Make sure everyone is clear about your communications arrangement.
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Good surprises sustain a relationship. Bad surprises are relationship killers.
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CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 2
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1. 2. 3. 4.
Budget, authority, needs, time (BANT) covers the fundamentals of any agency-client relationship. Nothing moves forward with these items being addressed. With the basics taken into account, you next need to look at the long-term issues, the goals, plans, challenges, and timelines (GPCT) that will shape the relationship. Too many agencies tend to overlook whether they and their clients are a good fit in terms of each organizations culture. This isnt some big screen romance where love conquers all, its a business relationship and its important that you share common values and attitudes about how to achieve your mutual goals. Finally, you need to have the resources to do the job, the personnel, skills, and technology. And, the relationship has to fit within the framework that is contemporary life. Say what you will, but geography matters, time zones count. Be sure you have the people to do the job and you understand the limitations time and distance impose if those are going to be part of your relationship.
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CHAPTER 3
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Content Promotion Clients
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THE END IS THE BEGINNING
Taking the clients through the inbound marketing process reinforces the strategy. It also naturally leads to determining whats next every time you reach the analysis phase. Share whats working and whats not with your clients to improve your tactics. Dont, however, fall into the trap of using analysis as the final act. Metrics are merely the means to an end, reaching the clients goals. And, those goals, you recall, are why you were hired. That sets you up to continue the relationship, time and again.
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CONCLUSION
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CONCLUSION
To keep any marketing agency-client relationship alive and sustainable, youve got to think like a client. Every time you send an invoice, consciously or unconsciously, your clients are asking themselves a bunch of questions like: Why did we hire these guys? Do we still need them? Is this worth what were paying them? Are we making progress? Are we seeing the results they promised? Are these the best guys for the job? Remember, its usually a lot of little things that add up to the decision to terminate a an agency relationship. If you are aware of, and address, those things from the start and keep focused on them throughout the relationship, youre in a much better position to sustain the relationship for years. Focus on: You may not keep every client every time. But at least if you do get served with those divorce papers you wont say, Boy, I shouldve seen that coming. Keeping your clients engaged in the inbound marketing process Making sure they understand what you do and what they do Making sure theyre clear on the terms of the deal What it takes in resources and commitment to get the job done right Closing the loop keeping your agency and the client focused on the goals, strategy, and process that enables those goals
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MORE RESOURCES
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www.hubspot.com/partners