I’ve just gone through two weeks of frustration with a new client. They are the advertising agency (it reminds me why I don’t like to work with most agencies!) for a large company. We are working on event projects for them – outdoor tent and booth for their client. And to be perfectly honest I feel both were/are a disaster.
Why? In my mind, the agency didn’t manage the client expectations or heed our procedures and timing requirements. And, as life happens, things went wrong.
Count on Miracles or Processes?
We’ve all had clients who think we can pull off miracles. And we all have more than once I am sure. However, in this case, I was extremely frustrated in not being able to move the process along in a timely manner, basically not having any control over the process.
I wasn’t sure the agency was even trying to manage the client. Now, after the fact, I find out that the account person at the agency had given notice and was leaving. So, maybe her mind was elsewhere. But deadline after deadline was missed. And yet, we were still supposed to deliver.
To be honest, I lost multiple nights of sleep over this because I never want a client not to have what they need.
We Are Experts
This is why I have procedures in place to manage my client’s expectations. And over the years, they have grown to recognize that these are in place for a very good reason – all of our sanity!
Years ago I had a bid situation for an overseas custom project. I’ve done quite a few and understand the process. Well, I told the client if we didn’t have approval by a specific date, they wouldn’t get their products in time for their event. Another vendor came in pennies less and said “of course we can have it for your event,” giving them the extra couple of weeks they wanted to finalize. Fast forward three months and I get a call from that client. Sure enough, their product hadn’t arrived in time for their event and they were actually still waiting. Her comment to me, “I should have listened to you.”
Sometimes we have to remind our clients that we are indeed experts in our field and that’s what they are paying us for. Do they stop their doctor in the middle of a procedure to tell them they could skip that step?
Don’t Skip Steps
For instance, we always require a proof for review. And, we provided one for the tent and flags we were doing for the new client. It didn’t start out as rush production but with all their changes and delayed responses it now was. They approved the proof and it was delivered on time (thanks Showdown Displays!). We came to find out, at the last minute, that they didn’t review the proof with the client and barely looked at it themselves – and they had provided the wrong logo.
We are very fortunate that imprinting processes have improved dramatically over the years. We sometimes can get things out in 24 hours instead of days or weeks. Luckily, Showdown Displays was able to get the revised flags out overnight. But for the first day of their event, they had flags they couldn’t use because they didn’t listen to their expert advisor and take the time to review their proofs. If they were a long time client, I might have picked up that it was the wrong logo, but being just our second project, I didn’t have a clue.
Have a Plan
For large projects with multiple elements, I like to sit down with my client at the very start and review all the steps we will be taking to make the project a success for them. We review deadlines and the importance of quick responses from them. And of course, we discuss the consequences of multiple changes or delayed responses.
I’m always surprised when a client takes days to respond, makes changes and then expects to receive their item on the day they originally requested.
That’s what I am now faced with for my new client’s trade show booth. We are retro-fitting a very old booth system with new graphics as well as a new custom hanging sign that is 8' in diameter. Their show begins in less than a week and we still don’t have artwork. Yesterday I joined them at their client's office to review the final changes again, only to find out that the agency hadn’t even discussed the pricing quote we had provided to them – more than a month ago! Now, at the last minute, they are questioning the expense which now, with rush shipping expenses, is only going to increase.
So, I am thinking about how I could have managed this better. Quotes were provided and acknowledged and time schedules were reviewed plus multiple follow-ups were made. Should I have just walked away when they didn’t meet their own commitments? That’s not my style.
So, I am calling in some favors and crossing my fingers because now we don’t have time to retrofit the booth here. It’s going directly to the convention center, sight unseen. I guess I’ll be losing some more sleep!
However, this whole process was a great reminder that our processes are in place for a reason and having great vendor partner relationships is a godsend!
Danette Gossett is the founder of Gossett Marketing, co-founder of Promotions Rescource LLC and co-author of the best-selling book “Transform” with Brian Tracy. Danette utilizes her more than 30 years of advertising agency and corporate marketing experience to develop effective promotional campaigns and products for her clients. Visit GossettMktg.com or SalesPromo.org and follow us on twitter @MarketngTidbits.