• by Heather Engard , December 3, 2014

Most anyone who has been around me long enough, will at one point or another hear me quote Maya Angelou’s, “When you know better, you do better.” After 15 years in the marketing and advertising industry, on the client and agency side, I’ve learned this simple statement applies to teams on both sides. It’s all about getting to know your clients and building an open, trusting partnership. 

Clients are customers too. Trusting partnerships begin with customer service. Think of all the companies you enjoy doing business with because of how they make you feel, ensuring you continually return time and again.  Now, recreate that with your clients. 

As an agency, I believe you can truly set yourself apart by always putting your clients first and going above and beyond on every project. Clients want to feel special, that they are the only clients you are servicing. Be kind, patient and think of ways to surprise them a little bit each month. Maybe it’s a short handwritten note at the end of a project, or a competitive report they hadn’t asked for – giving them a leg up for the next meeting.  

Make your client look good. When I was on the client side, I had an agency that understood my company’s budget cuts meant I was doing the work of three people and hadn’t taken vacation in forever. Know why I continually awarded work to that agency? Because they got to know me, made my life easier and ultimately earned my trust. They knew I got to the office early and had more time to answer questions or review creative at that time. They also sent me weekly emails, just simply checking in to see what else they could do to make my job easier or gently reminding me of something I needed to do. Or, as equally important, remind me of an upcoming shoe sale that weekend. They were an extension of my team and made me look good. 

It’s your job to continually educate clients. Looking good especially matters to those clients who are coming to you with little to no experience in working with an agency. They don’t know enough to do better, and it’s going to take more than a few double shot Starbucks drinks each morning to find the patience to work with them. Who hasn’t been there? The unrealistic deadlines, the potluck, piecemealed information given to you to start the project, the scavenger hunt to find the missing details, the 180 degree turn in direction they shoot over on the eve of the deadline and those magical clients who seem to want to see the agency fail. 

Your trick? Keep it in perspective … and get it in writing.  Repeat back to the client what they are requesting, be honest in what can be accomplished and when. If needed, ask a senior member of the agency to join in the discussion — it’s surprising how another person can say the same things you’ve been saying for weeks and the client finally listens to the agency recommendation and direction. 

Remember, mistakes happen. Big ones. What I learned early on in my career is to admit mistakes, but have a solution (or two) on hand. When a wrong phone number went out in a promotional direct mail piece because the account team was rushing to meet a deadline, the agency had to be transparent with the client. We screwed up, but, we’d already contacted the phone company and had the line redirected to match the one sent to hundreds of thousands of people. We were lucky, but also learned to slow down, double-check everything – nobody is perfect.  

The most important lesson to learn about doing better is to never beat yourself up, question your skills or the reason you’re in this industry after something’s not gone to plan and you didn’t meet the client’s expectations. Remember, when you know better, you do better. Thanks, Maya.

Heather Engard is VP Client & Agency Operations, On Ideas