by Brad SmithWe had a prospective new client visit our agency yesterday and they shared with us the horror stories of their association with their former marketing communications services provider.
This got me thinking about what it must be like on that side of the conference table. Hiring an agency isn’t a simple task. It takes time. But it's better to do it right once than wrong twice. A bad agency decision can set your brand back years. And as we heard yesterday, it can be a very painful and frustrating experience.
These folks were going about the selection process the correct way. They’re going through the discipline and hard work of making a good choice.
First, they’re spending time at prospective agencies doing the important things. Meeting their people. Experiencing their culture. Initiating conversations with people in each department. Seeing how they click. In short, making sure that they like them, and giving the agencies the opportunity to do the same.
Just like in any good relationship, they're probing to gain insight into the company's personality and character. People like to do business with people they like to do business with. (Sure, you can quote me on that).
In short, they are looking for a good fit. And frankly, so are we.
But their investment didn’t stop here. Wisely, they invited us to visit them and take a plant tour. We love those. We’re like proverbial kids in a candy store.
From a potential client’s perspective, pay attention to this visit. How do the agency personnel interact with your people? Do they ask a lot of insightful questions about the company? Are they focused on getting to know you better? Did they send the people you will actually work with, or the people intent on making a sale? Bottom line – can you trust them?
This company will make the choice that’s right for them. We hope it’s us.
If you’ve been through this process, I welcome you to add your perspective and experiences.
Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/romulusnr/
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