{"id":467,"date":"2018-01-04T11:17:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-04T11:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/info.maccabee.com\/blog\/blog\/how-clients-can-get-their-pr-agency-to-love-them-and-why-clients-should-care\/"},"modified":"2020-03-25T21:00:23","modified_gmt":"2020-03-25T21:00:23","slug":"how-clients-can-get-their-pr-agency-to-love-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/info.maccabee.com\/blog\/how-clients-can-get-their-pr-agency-to-love-them\/","title":{"rendered":"How Clients Can Get Their PR Agency To Love Them (And Why Clients Should Care!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Does your PR agency love you?<\/strong> No really, do they absolutely adore<\/u> working for your company? Does your PR agency explode with joy when they come by your office, as they lavish you with their best ideas, assign their strongest talent to your account, surprise you with above-and-beyond ideas, and relentlessly share strategies that will push your brand and your business forward?<\/p>\n

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Wait, you say\u00a0\u2013 given how much you pay your PR agency, why should you, as a client, need to do anything beyond covering your invoices \u2013 shouldn\u2019t that<\/em> be enough? Isn\u2019t it your PR agency\u2019s job to get YOU to love them?<\/p>\n

To be honest, yes…and no. To understand why clients should strive to persuade their agencies to love them, we polled four of our favorite PR agency leaders who, among them, have served literally hundreds of clients: Carmichael Lynch Relate President Julie Batliner; Padilla President Matt Kucharski; Lola Red Founder Alexis Walsko; and Solo Practitioner<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>LaBreche PR\u00a0Founder\/Former President\u00a0Beth LaBreche.<\/p>\n

But first, allow me to share a quick story about a client who knows precisely how to make the Maccabee agency love them madly. We\u2019ve worked over the years with a multi-billion dollar corporate client who understands how to get our best PR work \u2013 they applaud our successes, welcome (and usually<\/span> accept) our PR counsel, introduced us to their senior leadership, took risks with marketing campaigns when we advised that those risks were strategic, and have always been completely transparent about their goals and business plans. This client even fed<\/em> us when we visited their offices (never under-estimate the power of that tactic to melt your agency\u2019s heart). But our white hot love for this Twin Cities client was sealed forever when their marketing director called one day to ask a question: Could they pay for the next 12 months of our PR work for them \u2013 in advance? When I regained consciousness, we were ready to go beyond just exceptional work for them \u2013 we were prepared to wash their floors, diaper their babies and cook them dinner every night (and I can\u2019t cook, but I swear I would learn). Not surprisingly, we knocked ourselves out for that client. We\u2019ve continued to do so. We wake up in the morning and think: What can we do to reward their devotion?<\/p>\n

Why Should Clients Care If Their PR Agency Loves Them?<\/h3>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s simple. They\u2019ll get better results,\u201d says Padilla\u2019s Kucharski, whose clients have ranged from Cargill, 3M and Mayo Clinic to start-up challengers. \u201cI could be politically correct and say that all clients are important clients. But let\u2019s face it \u2013 we\u2019re human. We do our best work for the clients who appreciate what we do \u2013 and show it. That doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t challenge us \u2013 in fact, we LOVE to be challenged by clients who love us. We\u2019re more interested in their success, we\u2019re motivated to come forth with that \u2018big idea,\u2019 our teams are engaged and have less turnover, and we\u2019re more likely to invest in their business.<\/p>\n

\"matt-kucharski-quote-maccapr.png\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can tell a lot by how many agencies a client has worked with,\u201d adds Kucharski. \u201cIf you\u2019re a jerk, you might get faster results in the near-term, but it won\u2019t be sustainable. You\u2019ll lose the best people and need to go find another agency or, worse yet (for you anyway), get yourself fired.\u201d<\/p>\n

Says Lola Red’s Walsko, whose clients have included Life Time Fitness, Smashburger and Love Your Melon: \u201cYou get the best work and value from people who adore you. We will go above and beyond and never blink when asked for a personal or professional favor. The work will be more FUN. Great partners unite on goals and will be there to celebrate the successes, as well as stand by you in the tough times.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople at agencies can\u2019t wait to work on their favorite clients,\u201d agrees LaBreche, who\u2019s worked with 3M, American Express and Medtronic. \u201cThey actually are always thinking of them and how to solve problems and drive their business further. Those clients get more from their agencies. So much value is added, long after the billable clock has stopped. You just can\u2019t help yourself from helping the clients you love the most.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concludes Carmichael Lynch Relate\u2019s Batliner, whose clients have included Jack Link\u2019s, Sherwin-Williams and Schwan\u2019s: \u201cAgency teams will go above and beyond for the clients who are true partners…and<\/em> nice people!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

HOW TO GET YOUR PR FIRM TO LOVE YOU<\/h3>\n

To divine what it takes to get your agency to love you, consider the opposite: How can clients who pay their agencies millions of dollars still get their agencies to resent them? One way was documented by Advertising Age, <\/em>which cited how Procter & Gamble has asked its agencies to accept 75-day delays in payment for their work. That was followed by snack giant Mondelez International and candy company Mars demanding up to 120-day terms. And then \u2013 incredibly \u2013 perfume giant Coty was asking media buying agencies to agree to 150-day delays in being paid for their work. Nothing\u2019s more likely to drive your agency into a pit of despair than forcing them to become your banker \u2013 a move that puts the agency\u2019s financial health at risk and sends a message that they are just a vendor to you, not a trusted partner.<\/p>\n

So after agreeing to pay your agency within 15 to 30 days of receiving its invoice, how else can you get your PR agency to love you? \u201cThe old adage \u2018To know me is to love me\u2019 applies to clients,\u201d adds Padilla\u2019s Kucharski. \u201cThe ones we adore aren\u2019t afraid to share \u2013 what\u2019s going on in the company, their departments and their personal lives. That requires trust, risk taking and showing a little bit of vulnerability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA good client\/agency relationship IS a lot like a good marriage,\u201d muses Kucharski, preparing to unleash his notorious clown metaphor. \u201cYou may not want to share your irrational fear of clowns on a first date, but at some point, your partner needs to know or you won\u2019t have a healthy long-term relationship \u2013 unless, of course, you\u2019re a clown \u2013 in which case you\u2019re doomed, no matter what. And if you REALLY want to be adored \u2013 and I mean be in the top 10 percent of all-time awesome clients \u2013 the best way is to be our agency\u2019s advocates with senior leadership, other partners and definitely with procurement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"alexis-walsko-quote-maccar.png\"<\/p>\n

\u201cRecognize that you hired our agency to be experts,\u201d confirms Walsko of Lola Red. \u201cIf you want to tell us how to do our jobs, then you should probably do it yourself. Don\u2019t be condescending. We\u2019re on the same side. In fact, we\u2019re responsible for saying wonderful things about you and your business. Do not make us lie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh, and that journalist friend whom you know at CBS-TV? \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled that you have a lot of reporters as friends and have gotten a lot of press by calling them in the past,\u201d says Walsko. \u201cIf you want to continue doing this, do not hire us. We will respect your relationships, but clients need to trust our process because it will deliver the best results.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Of special value is this advice from Walsko, warning about the temptation to second-guess the rates your agency charges you: \u201cShow your agency partners that you value their work and their time. Don\u2019t try to negotiate our hourly rates. It\u2019s demeaning and shows that you don\u2019t see value in our expertise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In our 21 years of client experience at Maccabee, the single most effective step that clients can take to endear them to us is to be transparent \u2013 sharing their marketing plans, giving us access to web traffic and other analytics, introducing us to their salespeople, distributors, wholesalers and even their CEO. With that trusted access, our PR firm can deliver what every client really hires a PR agency for \u2013 strategic, thoughtful and creative big ideas that will advance the company\u2019s interests going forward.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"beth-labreche-quote-maccapr.png\"\u201cGive your PR agency all the information you have, so they have full context of every project,\u201d says LaBreche. \u201cAgencies love to be in the know, so they can be as helpful as possible for you. Say this often to your agency: \u2018I didn\u2019t want to make this decision without getting your input.\u2019 The best clients say: \u2018Let\u2019s have lunch, volunteer together, sit together on the plane.\u2019 The clients I adore want to get to know me and let me get to know them. These relationships can last years. They don\u2019t keep me at arm\u2019s length. We respect each other professionally and personally. Many of my clients are like family to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Batliner with Carmichael Lynch Relate agrees, \u201cA client\u2019s success is an agency\u2019s success. Let us be partners rather than treating us as vendors. We should know about each other\u2019s business and personal goals, so we can support you and have fun while doing it. Share information, both good and bad. If an agency doesn\u2019t get briefed appropriately by a client, we can\u2019t provide the best solutions. A great briefing equals stellar results.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"julie-batliner-quote-maccapr.png\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Now are you ready to, paraphrasing Robin Williams in the film, \u2018Dead Poets Society,\u2019 pitch woo to your PR agency? Here are two final secrets to enchant your PR agency:<\/span><\/p>\n