As a digital marketing agency or you can say integrated branding agency, we often come across situations that we get caught in! When on boarding new clients, 9 times out of ten the project management plan we have in place, combined with the expertise of our teams, and the relationship we build with the client is more than enough for a smooth on boarding process with happy clients all round!
However, in several situations, it is likely that we might encounter tricky and ever changing unstable client requirements throughout the process. This ultimately moves the goal posts, often caused by unclear expectations from the off. Sadly, this can cause any combination of the below problems:
Frustrations internally for both parties- Lack of motivation
- Confusion and lack of vision
- Friction within the client-agency relationship
None of these problems are desirable and can be detrimental to relationships so it is important you are able to manage the situation effectively, avoiding what could become if not correctly handled, an unhappy experience! Here are some steps as a good leader you can follow to ensure moving goal posts and expectations are handled professionally and positively.
Here are five key mantras that can help any creative agency establish better client management.
- 1. Put your point across & use this opportunity to educate the client
- 2. Give factual data that proves your solution is the better bet
- 3. Keep the conversation going... interact openly and do not shy away from asking questions
- 4. Some changes are not going to take up all your resource and will not be as much of a struggle as others, so do not argue every little point
- 5. Last but not the least... document everything! Make minutes of the meeting, take voice notes and do not forget them to share with your client to avoid the "you said, I said"!
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