Image via WikipediaPreparing for the evaluation of my last three intensive years in various kinds of PR, I reached a couple of conclusions regarding the importance of the relation between the agency, respectively the consultant, and the client. In many cases, for not clearly and rational reasons (the empathy being very important), it may happen that the client is not only very demanding, but also unpredictable and not very clear in formulating the requests.
I do not think it is a universal receipe to win the hearts and minds of the client - meaning the whole mechanism governing a company, from the CEO, PR manager, marketing manager, other consultants. But, a conflictual relation is at a great extent detrimental to the well being of the project as such. A pro-active attitude, tolerance and the capacity to impose self-respect could be some tips for solving such conflicts - personality or education based.
Here are some of the musts a consultant or a PR agency have to do in relation with the client:
- To know the project working to in the smallest details, by heart in every moment of the day. Only in this way you will be able to size possible opportunities of intervention on behalf of your client or to find media or communications windows. When you talk with a journalist, for example, you can identify the possibilities of better promoting your client or to create sympathy lor awareness for your projects.
- Before starting the effective work to a project, take a couple of days to document. Ask the friends and the enemies, the former clients and agencies. Ask internal documents and read media reports step-by-step.
- Be able to identify what do you need from your client. Maybe he or she is not having the knowledge of working with the media and don't know what questions the journalist could address or the pressure faced for meeting the deadlines.
- The client is busy and don't waste his time with hundreds of e-mails asking thousand of questions. Be concise and organized enough to address all of them once and in the simplest possible way.
- Deliver finite products to your client. Avoid misspellings, omissions, bad grammar. Check the documents over and over again. Document your presentations and make them reader-friendly. Power Point management is very important.
- Deliver the documents in time. Respect your deadlines, the deadlines of the media and the deadlines of the client. If not possible, explain in due time the reasons and the next time schedule you can meet.
This is my wisdom pill for today. Happy working.
