On the heels of yesterday’s poll about why agencies would discontinue working with clients, I think it’s important to consider what makes a successful client engagement. As was pointed out in the comments, not every client relationship is the same and a lot depends on the work that is done up front.
On the agency side, there must be an effective process in place for accurately assessing the client situation and making proper recommendations. Too often agencies lead with the services they WANT to offer rather than what the client actually NEEDS. Having a good handle on staffing, client load, expertise and account management are also critical.
On the client side, nothing helps an agency do their job more than having clear goals and a good understanding of the business unit, product or service to be promoted. It’s also critical that clients have sufficient resources to support and implement the recommendations they’re paying for.
However, these are not the only factors responsible for successful client engagements due the uniqueness that comes with each relationship. Since there is such a tremendous wealth of experience and insight within our dear readers, I’d love to get your feedback on this.
In-house markters: If you could give one piece of advice to a client side marketer that is looking for advice on how to ensure a successful agency relationship, what would it be?
Agencies: What elements of a client/agency relationship have you found to be critical for success?
